Joan Borysenko

"Remember that letting people help you gives them an opportunity to be kind. Refusing help is a subtle kind of selfishness, you know."

In this simple and approachable book, Borysenko sets out weekly strategies for bringing a little more serenity into fraught daily lives.

I did not expect to get on with this one, but at no point was I bored reading it (and on one occasion I had a panic on the Tube, thinking I’d missed my stop!). Borysenko doesn’t talk down the way I had expected; instead I show more think her aim is that if a reader can implement 3 or 4 of the 52 weeks’ worth of strategies, she will have done some good.

The strategies are simple but memorable and crucially, varied – this is not 200 pages on why one should take up meditation.

I read it straight through as an ebook, bookmarking lots of passages (including the names of other books the author cites) but am tempted to buy a dead-tree copy to keep on the shelf and flick through. show less

I'm not much of a fan of self-help books. I find myself reading them, but I criticize them the entire time I'm reading. In this one, though, I found little to criticize. It's one of the best introductions to meditation I've read. It's practical and applicable to most situations. I also found that it helped me be patient with myself while learning the art of meditation, which I think is key for me to keep practicing.

One of my only complaints is about some minor inconsistencies within the text show more (eg, Borysenko says at one point that there are no negative emotions, then a little while later explains an exercise based on exploring "negative emotions" and "positive emotions."). There were also more typos than I would like to see in a printed text, but I recognize that that's fairly nit-picky.

One of my favorite lines from the book is a paraphrase of Bernie Siegel: "coincidence is merely God's way of remaining anonymous." show less

Although I gain a tremendous amount of insight from personal growth books, I also often come away feeling guilty. Yes, I should eat less sugar, and sleep more, and meditate, and stretch after running. I am always stymied - how to I fit all that in? I could wake up earlier, but then I should sleep more... And that is why I loved this book. Inner Peace for Busy People gives practical advice and exercises for reducing stress without adding a tremendous amount to that already growing 'To Do' list.

Your Soul's Compass
What is Spiritual Guidance?
by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. and Gordon Dveirin, Ed.D.

This 245 page book was very interesting and enlightening to review because the authors interviewed 27 Sages of different spiritual disciplines asking them about their beliefs on where we are going, how we get there, and much more. I liked the way they showcased each Sage and their experience with them, focusing on the spiritual points that were raised during the sessions.

Done in a mix of styles show more I was able to follow along quite easily and was amazed to learn the way each one approached the subject from their own experience, all insightful and rich with wisdom and knowledge. I enjoyed the personal stories and the relaxed feeling this special teacher brings and I would recommend it to anyone on their journey. Thanks Joan and Gordon, for this diverse and majestically perfect collection.

Love & Light,

Riki Frahmann show less