Rating: 
Summary: Very helpful guide to beginning a meditation practice
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to meditate and start a daily practice. For years, I wanted to learn to meditate but always had some excuse (not enough time was always a big one) but as Victor says in his book, who doesn't have 8 minutes to spare in his or her day? Its easy and once you start, its easy to meditate longer if you want. But, I noticed a lot of benefits from doing my 8 minutes and if I can do it, everyone can.
Rating:
Summary: Very helpful guide to beginning a meditation practice
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to meditate and start a daily practice. For years, I wanted to learn to meditate but always had some excuse (not enough time was always a big one) but as Victor says in his book, who doesn't have 8 minutes to spare in his or her day? Its easy and once you start, its easy to meditate longer if you want. But, I noticed a lot of benefits from doing my 8 minutes and if I can do it, everyone can.
Rating:
Summary: Best 8 minutes I've ever invested in
Review: I only recently started this program, however I'm already noticing changes. I bought the book and as I was reading it saw that there was also a cd available. I went to the online site (8minutes.org) and ordered my own copy. There is no question in my mind that this program will change your life, for the better. Try it and you'll see. Thanks for writing this book!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Meditation - I Think I Finally Can Do This
Review: I purchased the CD and book by Victor Davich. It has truly been and continues to be a wonderful adventure. This book provided me with information and support to begin a meditation journey. The CD has been a wonderful tool to use in conjunction with the book. I have actually been able to commit to learning the art of meditation. Mr. Davich has created an enjoyable introduction to the world of meditation. I also emailed Mr. Davich a few questions and was promptly given a reply. I really feel supported by him. The CD is available from the website 8minutes.org.
Rating:
Summary: A life-changing gift!
Review: I received Victor's book and CD as a gift and after finishing the 8 weeks I can truly say it has changed my life. Within the first few weeks my family noticed a difference, especially my kids. I'm much more calm, focused and believe it or not eating better. The book is set up like "plug and play". You really are meditating within minutes of starting the book and with step-by-step guidance in a voice more like a close friend than a teacher he stays with you the entire eight weeks.
Another thing that impressed me is that he seems to know exactly when certain questions will arise and has the answers waiting. It was like having him there with me especially with the CD. Though the book stands on it's own I found the CD guide very helpful in keeping me focused and tracking the time.
I would highly recommend this book and CD as a gift to yourself or others.
Rating:
Summary: Just finished week 2 and I'm still enthused!
Review: I've always wanted to try meditation, but as Viktor relates, "it takes too long, it's too hard, it's too 'spiritual'"; I had all the excuses. When I saw this book, I figured even I could handle 8 minutes a day. The book strips away all the too long, too hard, too spiritual excuses and gets you into sitting quietly for 8 minutes a day right away. The most valuable part for me was the "allow...allow...allow" operating instructions. No messy koans, no repeating chants, no complicated/painful positions. Just sit there, relax, and be quiet. As Viktor says, "any meditation is a good meditation." This book is a good way to start.
Rating:
Summary: If i can do it, you can do it.
Review: I've been looking forward to this book since an article in Time magazine mentioned it last year. Well, I finally got it and I LOVE IT! Victor explains what meditation is and isn't and puts into context all the stuff we have heard about it from popular culture. The book then takes you on an 8 week program to teach you how to integrate mediation into your life so it becomes as normal as brushing your teeth. I am on week one, and it's already made a difference. This is the book to get.
Rating:
Summary: Simplest Meditation Book Yet
Review: So many people want to meditate but can't find the time or believe its too complicated. So many start and then give up. Well, here's a new approach designed for most of us. 8 minutes a day for 8 weeks. A great way to start for 90% of us today. Victor Davich has really written the best and most simple guide to learning how to meditate after years of his own experience. If you are thinking of meditating, this book is for you. Also great gift book.Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent no-frills guide
Review: This book delivers exactly what it promises. Davich provides a clear, no-frills, user-friendly guide for novices and those who've tried meditating once or twice and been spooked, one that will get them over the bumps and ease them into an effective daily meditative practice. I like his unpretentiousness: he doesn't want to be your guru or claim to be anything but a grateful long-time student who's enjoyed the benefits of meditation and wants to share them with others. Davich doesn't try to dish up deep philosophy or elegant prose (he writes in self-help style: bullet points and short paragraphs, breezy tone, repetition of key points, tireless encouragement). He's generous in acknowledging his own teachers and pointing the reader to more advanced resources after completing this program. This book works best when used along with the companion CD (available at 8minutes.org), so that you can completely relax in the passenger seat and leave the driving to Davich.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book for beginners, but skip the companion CD
Review: This is an excellent book for beginners and skeptics (and I was both). It makes meditation easy. Really! It's also very well-written, reader-friendly, easy to read, and witty.
The book plugs a companion CD, available only at the author's website for $17. I bought the CD, have used it, and would like to review it here, so that those of you who buy the book can better decide whether you should spring for the CD.
The CD contains 16 tracks.
The first eight tracks are very short (e.g. 2-minutes), and summarize some of the content from the book. These short tracks are useful reminders of some of the key points in the book, but as the CD tells you, it is not intended to substitute for the book.
The rest of the CD consists of 8 "guided meditations," one for each week of the book's 8-week program. In each of these tracks, the author spends a few seconds telling you what activity you're supposed to do, then he tells you to start, then 8 minutes later a gong sounds, signaling you to stop. About every two minutes during the meditation, the author interrupts you to say things like "Has your attention drifted? That's okay, just return your focus to your breath." This type of reminder might be useful, especially at first, but after a while, I found it intrusive. Also, the sound of his voice is not especially soothing or gentle. For me, it's better to just do as the book says - use a common kitchen timer set to 8 minutes.
Aside from the occasional interruptions, there is complete silence during the 8 minute meditations. I prefer the silence to the soft new-age music or nature sounds on some other meditation CDs.
In my opinion, the CD is not a good value: the total amount of content on the CD is about 20 minutes, maybe less. This is due to the fact that the CD has a lot of silent parts during the guided meditations; this silence is appropriate, but it reduces the amount of time available for spoken content. And, more importantly, all of the spoken content on the CD--and much more--is already in the book.
On the plus side, the service was excellent - the CD arrived two days after I ordered it.
In summary, I recommend the book highly if you're a beginner. But my opinion is that you skip the CD and save your money.
|
