Customer Reviews
I'm not so sure! - By: S. Adams, 24 Mar 2008 
I wanted to provide a review as a counter-balance to the other, more positive reviews.
I am currently reading 'Full Catastrophe Living' & 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 & 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 & leave me to it! I suspect Jon likes the sound of his own voice - certainly his book is full of similar repetition & could be half as thick, & thus less scary, if he just cut to the chase a little more often.
I am determined to stick with the book & to follow his advice - however, I suspect the CD will end up in a charity shop!
Fully functional though slightly lacking - By: Dan Frank, 04 Jan 2008 
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 & engaging speaker, & 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 & helpful.
I liked his presentation & 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, & can help both to clarify understanding of the system & 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.
Life changing - By: Jill Tunstall, 11 Aug 2007 
I have been lucky enough to take two Mindfulness courses & they have changed my life. Both were run by excellent course leaders, but nothing compares with hearing Mindfulness founder Jon Kabat Zinn discuss the philosophy & methodology behind it. His wit, compassion & way with words themselves make CD1 compulsive listening as well as explaining the reasons for CD2, which are the practices themselves. I cannot recommend this highly enough to anybody who wants to learn about themselves & especiallly those seeking release from troubled mind states such as anxiety & depression. Buy it- Mindfulness practitioners will tell you honestly that they make no promises to 'fix things' but it might change your life too...
