Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

Clear, funny and thought provoking

Customer Rating:

If you prefer to 'listen and learn' than read, this is a great introduction to mindfulness. Jon Kabet-Zinns style is down to earth, thought provoking with a dry humor that will has you laughing out loud (be warned if you are listening to the CD in public!). Even the choice of a raisin for one of the short meditations will promote some giggles, but then there's nothing like a raisin for raise'n your awareness! Inevitably, this short CD does not go into a lot of depth about mindfulness. If your curiosity if raised by the raisin, I would recommend one of Jon Kabet-Zinns thinner books for a good overview of the mindful approach to meditation. Wherever You Go, There You are

I'm not so sure!

Customer Rating:

I wanted to provide a review as a counter-balance to the other, more positive reviews. I am currently reading 'Full Catastrophe Living' and purchased the CD to help me practice meditation. To be honest, I wish I'd stuck to just the book! Jon seems like a lovely, compassionate man but I find him incredibly annoying! I tried the 'eating meditation' first and could not stop myself from giggling everytime he said the word 'raisin'! I love the New York accent but, unfortunately, I do not find it relaxing. His constant repetition, particularly of the words 'moment...by moment...by moment...by moment...by moment' (you get the picture!) is irritating beyond belief. A lot of the time I just wsished he'd shut up and leave me to it! I suspect Jon likes the sound of his own voice - certainly his book is full of similar repetition and could be half as thick, and thus less scary, if he just cut to the chase a little more often. I am determined to stick with the book and to follow his advice - however, I suspect the CD will end up in a charity shop!

Fully functional though slightly lacking

Customer Rating:

This was my first taste of Jon Kabat-Zinn, though I've studied mindfulness before. As a general introduction to the subject it is fine. Jon is a gentle and engaging speaker, and on the first CD gives you a thoughtful, basic understanding of mindfulness. There are several meditations (as mentioned) on the second CD, which are also basic, but clear and helpful. I liked his presentation and have ordered his 'Full Catastrophe Living' as a result of listening to these CDs. I would, however, reccomend this set as an aid, rather than as a proper introduction. It is a very nice addition, if you are interested in stress reduction and/or mindfulness, and can help both to clarify understanding of the system and fine tune your meditation technique. If you are looking for a thorough introduction to the subject though, I would reccomend the book 'Mindfulness in Plain English' by Bhante G. For around the same price, you get a much more thorough understanding.