The art of stillness : adventures in going nowhere

by Pico Iyer

Other authorsEydís Einarsd́óttir.,

Paper Book, 2014

Status

Available

Call number

302.231

Genres

Religion & Spirituality

Nonfiction

All Topics

Publication

New York : TED Books/Simon & Schuster, [2014]

Description

A follow up to Pico Iyer's essay "The Joy of Quiet," The Art of Stillness considers the unexpected adventure of staying put and reveals a counter-intuitive truth: The more ways we have to connect, the more we seem desperate to unplug. Why would a man who seems able to go everywhere and do anything-like the international heartthrob and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Leonard Cohen-choose to spend years sitting still and going nowhere? What can Nowhere offer that no Anywhere can match? And why might a lifelong traveler like Pico Iyer, who has journeyed from Easter Island to Ethiopia, Cuba to Kathmandu, think that sitting quietly in a room and getting to know the seasons and landscapes of Nowhere might be the ultimate adventure? In The Art of Stillness, Iyer draws on the lives of well-known wanderer-monks like Cohen-as well as from his own experiences as a travel writer who chooses to spend most of his time in rural Japan-to explore why advances in technology are making us more likely to retreat. Iyer reflects that this is perhaps the reason why many people-even those with no religious commitment-seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi. These aren't New Age fads so much as ways to rediscover the wisdom of an earlier age. There is even a growing trend toward observing an "Internet sabbath" every week, turning off online connections from Friday night to Monday morning and reviving those ancient customs known as family meals and conversation. In this age of constant movement and connectedness, perhaps staying in one place is a more exciting prospect, and a greater necessity than ever before. The Art of Stillness paints a picture of why so many have found richness in stillness and what-from Marcel Proust to Blaise Pascal to Phillipe Starck-they've gained there.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member MyPenNameOnly

When I began to read Pico Iyer’s “The Art of Stillness” I read it like any other book; sitting in a chair in front of my computer. However, the book didn’t seem to do anything for me as it felt like I just read a string of words, sentences and paragraphs which have been put together.

But

this couldn’t be the case as the book had promised to take me somewhere or increase my knowledge. From what I’ve read about the author, I’d anticipated getting much more. If the book isn’t the problem, then the problem rested with me. Sitting totally still, the realization came to me I must change; I didn’t have to change anything about myself, I had to change the way I’d approached in reading this.

Laying on my bed in total silence, not a sound being able to distract my thoughts, and my mind a blank I began reading the book anew. This time the author’s thoughts and ideas became clear, and I began to understand this message.

“The Art of Stillness” is a wonderful way to escape reality and to take someone to places they’ve never been to physically. And if your mind is allowed to take a trip to nowhere you’ll actually wind up in a place where your mind is allowed to wander aimlessly; and once it comes back, you’ll find yourself refreshed and feeling like someone new.

Mr. Pico writing I feel talks to you in a very subtle manner, a manner in which you’ll learn a lot about things and yourself. I can’t see giving this book anything but 5 STARS.

I received a hardcover copy of this book in a giveaway on GoodReads.com and this review has been my honest opinion.

Robin Leigh Morgan is the author of “I Kissed a Ghost,” a MG/YA Paranormal romance novel.

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LibraryThing member dazzyj

A slight book (well, to be fair, a TED talk) in which the author writes, in a somewhat ungainly way, of fashionable topics such as mindfulness, meditation and the modern curse of busy-ness, as if he is the first person to have discovered them.

LibraryThing member pw0327

The art of stillness by Pico Iyer is a short book. It is a very good book and is a part of the Ted Talk series of books. The book was so short that I was able to read it in one sitting. Not taking an hour but maybe 45 minutes.

The idea of the book is to explore the how essential silence and not

doing anything is important to our psyche. The author name drop a bit talking about Celebrities and their urge to be silent , mainly about Leonard Cohen, the Dalai Lama, The writer Annie Dillard, and various others. But this is not just a laundry list of meditating celebrities, it is a little more than that. It is about trying to describe what meditation and being silent, and being away from all the so-called conveniences of modern life to do for us as well as why we need to do this for our own sanity.

Site sometimes find it ironic that book on meditation and how to relax is so pressure packed about the benefits of meditation. It is almost as though the authors were trying to put pressure on the reader to realize the errors of their by adding more pressure, kind of a counterintuitive action.

This book is simple it does a really nice job of describing what the sensation is without actually going into a how-to guide, it allows the reader to use their imagination and allows the reader to come up with their own reality of being nowhere and being silent and being unmoving.

This book has peaked my interest over some of the other tomes on meditation and it has gotten me interested in pursuing this practice.

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LibraryThing member JonArnold

I’m a sucker for the type of books that espouse a little slowing down, that tell us we should take a little more time to stop and not only smell the flowers but admire their beauty too. Iyer advocates that what we need in our modern age of constant connection that we sometimes need to get away

from the crowds of human civilisation where we can take stock and notice the beauty in things we take for granted; the god in the details if you like. This is beautifully presented too; the photos complement the underlying philosophy of the book. It’s more an introduction to the concept and the experience of stillness than a deep guide to the philosophy of slowing down but ultimately it’s a thoughtful piece that can give you directions to other, deeper explorations of the concept.

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LibraryThing member patl

As happy as I am to see the popularity of silence and solitude for contemporary busyness, this book is like the author's TED talk: not particularly deep or engaging, long on memoir and short on application for the reader. Many better books on the subject exist, though if this book introduces

solitude to the masses who go on to read more deeply and broadly, it will have been a good stepping stone.

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LibraryThing member BenKline

Any avid reader already knows the "art of stillness", and there is definitely something to it. That peaceful calmness of just 'being'. Ironically, I read this on a weekend (my work weekend) where I had a day of 29,000 steps, and a day where I was going from one thing to another and getting myself a

head-cold in the process, and now laying in bed 'recovering' and reading.

I know personally, I have my greatest peace of mind when I'm out in the woods (walking though) or just taking a long, soothing shower. Their both (my) [a] form of meditation.

I always enjoy these little TED books whenever I find them at the library. Quick to read and digest, usually with a beautiful book design, and about something practical and interesting. This is a few short essays by Pico Iyer about Leonard Cohen being 'still' and Thomas Merton as well as the author himself and a few others. In this day and age of high paced action, it's definitely worth reading/considering.

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LibraryThing member Fliss88

The bit I liked the best - “Don’t just do something. Sit there.” A TED talk in book form. I’ll be looking for more.

LibraryThing member Delaware-Kevin

I thought the book was just ok. I appreciated the parts about Sabbath - taking a rest. I think that is spot on correct.

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