Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going [Paperback]

David Kundtz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

According to the author, "stopping" is a simple, straightforward, contemplative system of "doing nothing, as much as possible, for a definite period of time, for the purpose of becoming more awake and remembering who you are" so you can get going again in a more purposeful and centered way. This book shows readers how to achieve stopping, and see the light of grace even in the most hectic of times .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Kundtz's radical self-help book says that the best thing to do to improve one's life is nothing. Yup, nothing--just stopping awhile and seeing what happens. Therapist and priest Kundtz contends that many today suffer from living on "the mountain of too much." They have tried to deal with overloaded lives very typically, cramming more into each hour and cutting back on some things. Trouble is, they have reached the point where they can't cram more into the little time they have, and they are cutting out pleasurable things (lunch, friends, holidays) to try to accommodate crowded schedules. Kundtz then offers three kinds of stopping: "stillpoints" (little pauses), "stopovers" (longer times of stillness), and "grinding halts" (life-changing periods of stasis). Written in pithy, short chapters--his audience is the overscheduled, after all; they don't have time to read for long--the book is a good, commonsense adviser on a pervasive problem. Patricia Monaghan

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Conari Press (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573241091
• ISBN-13: 978-1573241090
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have enjoyed several careers, including 18 years in religious ministry and 20 years in the practice of psychotherapy, public speaking on stress/​emotional health, and writing.

My doctorate (S.Th.D) is in pastoral psychology.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio; schooled in Washington, Baltimore, and Berkeley; I lived and worked many years in Idaho -- with a three-and-a-half-year period in Cali, Colombia. I currently live in Kensington, California and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley (part of the Graduate Theological Union -- GTU) lists me as an adjunct professor. I am a member of the Board of Directors of GroundSpark (GroundSpark.org)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stopping: A Survival Skill for the New Century, December 5, 1999

By 

Nancy (Buffalo, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful way to introduce the concept of meditation as a part of life without ever calling it meditation. I'll be using it with all my clients who are reluctant to try meditation for fear it won't fit with their lifestyles. Kundtz succeeds in clearly describing the benefits of "stopping" and noticing, even for a few moments, and does this in language that is accessible to everyone. "Stopping" is an essential survival skill in our crazy, hectic lives. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels they are living their lives running faster and faster, like hamsters on a wheel. "Stopping" teaches how to begin to get off the wheel in a way that fits into our lives.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STOP!!! ... and read "Stopping"!!! Great book!, June 13, 2007

By 

Kevin Quinley "GeezerJock" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going (Paperback)

This is a straightforward but profound book on cultivating pauses in our lives to enrich our lives and ultimately improve the quality of our existence. It seeks to maximize "the beats in between the notes" as moments to cherish.

In a rush/rush world that seems to have ADD, the suggestions of author David Kundtz resonate. It offers excellent suggestions to "sharpening the saw" by incorporating tiny, medium-sized or extended pause points in our lives to step back, take stock and get ourselves centered.

A wonderful book that merits multiple readings!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STOPPING is something we all need; Kundtz shows us how!, January 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going (Paperback)

STOPPING: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going is an important book. In our busy lives and in the busy culture in which we live, time and space for thinking about our values, about what is important to us, is missing. How do we stop when our world is telling us to do more, more, more? Dr. David Kundtz tells us how in simple, easy to understand and implement ways. Stopping can be a time of a few seconds to a month, or even longer. It is a time when we can breath, take stock of our lives, and creatively be with who we are. The "goal" of stopping is to discover who we are, to remember who we are. So stopping has broad cultural as well as personal implications. This is a beautiful book - it will make a good gift for a busy friend who knows something is lacking from life but doesn't know what that "something" is, or how to get it. It will make a good gift to yourself. Dr. David Kundtz has made this important part of life accessible to all of us. Read it!