Full Catastrophe Living

Read the book, but do the course.

Is stress at the core of … everything?

The book was packed with helpful stories and tips and philosophies, but it would have all made less sense if I hadn’t taken the 8-week course, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Perhaps they’re best done in conjunction and you shouldn’t do the class without reading the book or read the book without doing the class. The complement each other extremely well.

I actually listened to the audiobook and found that it was just sort of a huge monologue that didn’t have much structure. Maybe that’s partly the nature of an audiobook, it’s just harder to divide topics up into chapters when listening for hours on end (I heard most of it while on a long drive). That said, it was very pleasant listening and I gained quite a bit more from the book. Although again, I think I should have listened (or read) during the class itself.

I must say that, together, the book and the course have created my meditation practice and without them I never would have started. I’m thankful for that and I believe that it will improve my life in many ways and I also just plain enjoy it. I’m looking forward to learning more about it all and continuing to do, no, be.