Teach Us to Sit Still: A Skeptic's Search for Health and Healing

I preordered this book looking forward to another man's struggle with an enlarged, active prostate. I looked forward tohis battle with mysterious abdominal pains. I was not looking forward to a wordy, digressive, allusive account of this man'serudition. I threw the book down after reading a few pages, went back to it and began to be captivated by his search foran answer to his problems. I could relate to his frustration with the medical establishment and their narrow vision. I waspleased when he found the one book (out of thousands) on the internet that could help him and eventually lead him into meditation which eventually with the help of a guru allowed him to break free of the pain. However, all of this could have been written in 150-200 pages, not the 318 or so that seems to be the prerequisite of many publishers. The chapter on kayaking andthe final chapter on giving a final exam to his students seemed like fillers. To achieve his breakthrough in meditationhe had "to let go" which meant letting go of his word-connection to his being in the world. Ironically, he wentright back to it with certain parts of this book. I must credit him with exposing his pain, his emotions. His intelligence,openness, research, and, most of all, his honesty drew me in. The last chapter aside, I underlined sentences throughoutand came to realize how helpful this book was to me and will be to others. He apparently has not resolved his frequentnighttime trips to the bathroom so I will cautiously recommend two herbs that have been helpful to me: Beta-Sitosteroland Fenugreek.

This book is a marvellous read. Not only has Tim Parks managed to write well about his struggles with chronic pelvis pain - he also manages to put the story into an exciting context based on his own work as a teacher and writer, as well as his roles as parent and husband.The story has numerous references to classic and modern books by famous writers. Parks weaves their stories into his own quest for answers and understanding. For anyone with an interest in literature and reading, these reflections are both well written and highly relevant. This really is NOT a book on meditation, however Parks shows how meditation helped him get rid of many of the symptoms through a rather heroic undertaking where he left no stone unturned.Being a fellow sufferer of CPPS (chronic pelvic pain syndrome), Tim Parks' book has given me many interesting ideas on how to continue the search for knowledge and insight. It is a difficult condition which has been largely ignored by doctors and researchers. Yet is is a crippling problem which cause a lot of agony for many people. Tim Parks argues, through exposure, that one reason why scientists struggle with identifying the underlying causes for CPPS is that it is mostly a symptomatic affliction which may be better understood if we look to our own way of handling life's many problems.If you do not suffer from CPPS the book may not be immediately relevant. Still, it is an excellent story told by a master storyteller.

Tim Parks is amazingly candid about his nature, aspects of which are unpleasant and egocentric, but that is part of the magic of this engaging little book. It recounts a journey toward relief from pain that is as circuitous as, say, "The Odyssey" but certainly a good deal funnier. His evocation of some of the excruciating experiences of novice meditation is sharp as a razor, as his take-down of some of the delusional experiences common to those who go to their first few retreats. I wish, for the sake of Mr. Parks, that someone had pointed out earlier in the game that there are basic guides to Buddhist meditation that would have possibly spared him some confusion. But as everyone knows who has engaged this practice--or fallen into it!--nothing whatsoever can prepare you for it. As Natalie Goldberg said to me on my ride into my first retreat, "It will knock your head off", a more complex remark than initially meets the eye. The valuable core of this book is its revelation of the amazingly intricate relations of mind to body and body to mind through the story of one man's treatment of his own pain.

Four stars. Mr. Parks story is striking for those who have suffered with pelvic pain. It is demonstrative for those of us who are perfectionistic and need to connect the resultant suffering and the need to change - the need to back off and learn to sit still. Whether we get there with the Anderson-Wise protocol or meditation, or both, we have slow recoveries and the only alternatives are depression or misery. More physicians need to become aware of these sufferings and to help patients understand the cause and cure.

An interesting story of a man who thinks he has a real medical problem, but is it ? Maybe its all in his head and he needs to stop and listen to observe what is actually happening . I liked this book because being a follower of meditation and mindfulness it gave me an excellent idea of just how powerful sitting still can be in your life.

Tim Parks takes us on his personal journey into meditation and the power of uniting body and mind to heal the body. The book is full of the personal insights he gained in making this journey. Anyone interested in meditation will find this valuable. Anyone on their own journey into meditation will resonate with the author's experience.

Interest in body-mind prompted me to read this book. The author suffered through much clumsy medical treatment, rampant in medicine today, but managed to survive effectively with other approaches. I wondered, however, when someone would get around to looking at his diet. The author's personal writing style makes this book a pleasure to read.

This book is a beautiful description of a man finding peace and deliverance from intense physical pain. I was so inspired that I read the book twice which I usually never do. Tim Parks approach to life seems to be very pragmatic and that makes his story devoid of sentimentality. I did, though, find his very literary use of words a bit tiresome and lengthy comparisons to authors that have meant a lot to him a bit tedious. On the other hand that's him- and he doesn't hide who he is and what makes him tick. I myself have started to site still and concentrate on the breath and it has already brought me an inner peace I'm exceedingly grateful for. Can handle life's pups and downs better.

Such an interesting, human and helpful account of one person's struggle with unrelenting pain, and the way it brings him into connection of a whole new world of meditation and mindfulness. Brilliant writing style. I can't recommend it enough.

Some really useful information- but too much of an ego trip.

Bits of wisdom in here

Excellent book! A good intro about meditation and its benefits.