I'd lose my practice whenever I'd find no joy in it
353251
I've been studying Ajahn Brahm's YouTube videos on meditation for about a month. They've brought me peace of mind and bliss in my day-to-day life. So I decided to grab a copy of this handbook. It contains everything from his video taped meditation retreats laid out in an organized and in-depth way. The handbook goes beyond the videos. The methods are the same and they don't conflict with each other.

Let me first step back and say that Ajahn Brahm's teachings on meditation are the only ones that have ever worked for me. I learned meditation at a Zen center in Atlanta in 2002 and have practiced that style of Zen meditation on and off. I'd lose my practice whenever I'd find no joy in it. I felt more frustrated and the "concentration" I developed made me more on edge. It wasn't until I recently started learning from Ajahn Brahm that I realized I was doing it all wrong.

Of course Buddhists over the past 1000+ years can't seem to agree on anything, and Thich Naht Hanh's teachings on meditation conflict with Ajahn Brahms, for example, but I can tell you that I have experienced deep joy from Ajahn Brahm's interpretation of the Buddha's meditation methods. Therefore I'm sticking with it.

Thanks to Ajahn Brahm's methods, I'm meditating throughout the day whenever I can find spare time simply because I now love to meditate. Meditation never feels like a chore. I do it now because I want to.
1424883
I find that I am not using this as I thought I would.
2988985
A disappointment.  I wanted to like this book.  But, after struggling through 190 pages of Mickey's "surrender" to fame, fortune, acquisitions, and accolades, this book became rather tiring, and I had to put it down.  I've noticed that the best surrender teachings come from those who have overcome hardships, death, loss, disability, and pain. This book lacks the deep knowledge that comes from this kind of surrender.
2099148
If you can make it through the tiny, poorly organized, and often cryptic operating instruction booklet you may have a chance to put this to use, but then you may find like I did that it loses functions after several months of use in a very friendly environment. Why they can't make their controls intuitive and their instructions clear is beyond me, this seems to be a problem with all of the products I've used by this company. Expect frustration if you buy this. I'm buying something else.
3014269
I tried to follow this plan to a T and thought I was going to die. I don't believe that a high protein diet is satisfying for all people and shouldn't make you feel guilty if this plan isn't working for you. It helped my sugars during the day, but did nothing for my fasting levels, yet I was left to feel like a failure because I was starving and unable to fully control my numbers. There is a small portion in the book that tries to tell you that you're not, but the majority of the book makes you feel like you are. I feel like the small portion trying to make you not feel like a failure is just to cover the author's butt. I also hate that I invested in this book only to find out that it is a SMALL portion of the larger picture and if you want to get the FULL training you have to invest in their $300 program. Pregnancy is expensive enough, I don't have that kind of money to invest in a program that MIGHT work with no guarantee. But if you are someone who's body is responsive to high protein and you're able to stay satisfied, then this book may be for you.
1788092
This book felt unnecessarily sad and lost my interest partway through. That might have something to do with the fact that I'm an adult therapist though and work with this stuff every single day. I didn't totally understand the male character's description of his mental illness either, although I got the gist.
3271142
"Coping with Physical Loss and Disability" by Rick Ritter, MSW, is a jarring book at 92 pages.  When I first got it, I thought it would be a regular self-help book, and I admit I was skeptical.  But I opened it and it turned out to be a workbook.

There are six sections of the book, going from what your original loss was to how you could ask for and get help for it.  In fact, I really had to consider that particular question.  "Describe your loss in detail" was another.  That was one of those where I had to write my feelings, and like many with disabilities I've told the story so many times, I figured I'd gotten it to a science.  It was a blah story with which I started out, therefore; one I'd told a million times.

Then, something happened inside of me.  I got angry.  I don't do that too much; usually I'm at most irritated and that's that.  Life is irritating to me these days for various personal reasons, so that was what the answer was like till that particular switch in my head went off.  All of a sudden, there was a real answer.  I actually started yelling "What?  You want to know about the stupid primary care physician who said one leg was shorter than the other, when it turned out I had a blood clot in it?  You want to know about my parents?  What...?"

In the end, the question tore something out of me that I hadn't expected at all.

If you read this book, be prepared to do it slowly.  At the end, you'll find a section of resources that is very intense.  The author even stuck in movies that deal with disability!  The book itself will take you to places inside that you didn't know existed, like that bit of anger -- believe me, I had more than one of those.  I cried, I threw things, I felt sorry for myself, I sat for long periods of time thinking hard about questions my mind refused to answer but that on the other hand it wanted to.  That test of my own will-power hurt a lot sometimes.  But believe me when I say, it's very much worth it.

"Coping with Physical Loss and Disability:  A Workbook" - Rick Ritter, MSW; LovingHealing Press 2006.
3240552
Eh. I can practice finger positioning, but the sound is terrible.
1836410
As a follower of jjjj for several years, I truly believed and worked to implement the teachings in this and prior works. But now I recognize the failure and hypocrisy of jjjjj. I mean, I know the failure is my own, but if jjjjj had been an adequate teacher, then we, me, I, as a student would have been able to progress as a human being. I mean... I almost ... I can't even admit it... it's too great a failure. No, the teachings of jjjjj do not help you transcend the lesser choices that humans are won't to make. Forgive me; forgive me. And Hgiyiyi (hgjhjh, hjhk) was pretty dull reading to boot.
4337680
I bought this rig after nine years of cinching my waist with an old fasioned tool belt. It sounded like a good idea, but once I put it on I had a terrible sinking feeling. In fact, I felt like I was going to suffocate.  The suspenders are too bulky and you can't move without being very aware of  them. The bags don't hold their shape and move away from you when you reach  across your body for the opposite bag. The bags are too big and I kept  losing my Vise Grips horizontally at the bottom of them. The tape measure  holder on the bag is too small to hold my regular 25 foot tape. The whole  rig is just way too cumbersome and irritating to wear. I put it away after  two weeks and got out my old 11 pocket belt. I will happily wear it and put  up with the dents in my waist, all the wiser for the experience.
2627603
I followed instructions and tried my hardest to get results but I'm disappointed to see none. After trying diligently I'm sad to say I feel my money and time was wasted.
4706200
I really wanted to love this mat. My mom bought it for me for my birthday per my request, and unfortunately, it's just not up to par. I've only had it for three weeks and I'm already noticing heavy wear.

The good:
Thickness and length
Non-toxic, biodegradable, eco-friendly

The bad:
Poor grip, most notably, my hands always slide in downward dog
Not durable, the bottom of the mat (where my feet are most -- lots of chatarungas) is peeling badly

The mat I had before this was purchased from WalMart and was several years old (Danskin brand, if I recall correctly). I wish I wouldn't have trashed it so soon after getting this one. I miss its grippy-ness and durability.

I practice yoga 5-6 times per week on average, mostly intense styles such vinyasa and ashtanga. Perhaps this mat just isn't cut out for it. I anticipate having to replace it quite soon. Bummed.
426773
I really wanted to enjoy this dvd,as I have many of the other Tonique dvds and enjoy them in my rotation. I did agree with other reviewers that this workout is very long&monotonous and I do struggle being on 1 leg for so many reps. I felst a lot of discomfort in my knees and decided it wasn't worth the pain. I do enjoy Sylwia's Premier dvd as well as Energy Mat. I also was not able to master her Born To Move dvd,as it also spends too much time on 1 leg,as well as too many crouching positions which killed my knees.
2369776
I received this as a gift, and as much as I was excited with getting a new mat, I was thoroughly disappointed when I took it to a class and experienced a lot of sliding around. While doing a downward dog, it's nearly impossible to hold the posture as my hands continuously slide forward and I'd need to adjust my hands back constantly, which is very aggravating. I don't sweat too much and have been practicing for awhile, so I know it's not me doing it wrong, as I haven't experienced this with my previous mat before. Even when gripping my hardest with my fingers spread wide apart, the problem is still there. It renders the mat unusable for me if I can't even focus on my practice without worrying about "staying still" on the mat.

Besides the sliding thing, this mat is also extra soft and acts like it's a memory foam cushion. After holding a pose for awhile, you sink deep into the mat and it leaves a huge mark where your hands/feet/knees/whatever were and takes a few seconds to come back. The thickness is good for those who need it, but I really could do without it and would actually prefer a thinner mat for lighter transportation. I'm now on the market for another mat to replace this one.
3256891
I am currently waiting to take my certification but I felt that if I had not had this book to study from I would not feel confident taking the test.
1973697
This meditation is so poorly created that I'm sort of in shock.  After the quality of the Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself CD, this one is completely disappointing and worthless.  Whose idea was it to use the PIANO as music?  No room for expansion with this music.  His voice is so hard to hear over the music that it's  a worthless exercise.  I was thinking about signing up for one of his workshops, but now am skeptical of what that experience would be like. Somebody must have decided to take shortcuts....  Maybe Dr. Joe's team has become greedy and cut quality to make more money.
157509
I think I drove  my professor crazy criticizing this book because of the language in it that I objected to. As a therapist, I would never use the words: "depressing, misery, failure, sadness" or any other negativisms when dealing with clients. These words are too heavy-handed. Suppose the client were unsure of his mental state? Why use the word "depressed", etc., to remove all doubt? Also, One opening statement that therapists like to use that I would not use would be: "What brought you here today?" It might be two men in white coats. It might be the police. It might be a Yugo with the engine falling out. Why start out in a sad way?

-the author of the book "The Vampire Tom Bartek"