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The Art of Is
- Improvising as a Way of Life
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
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Publisher's summary
A critically acclaimed musician and teacher presents a guide to the dynamics of improvisation.
It's easy to assume that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous and endlessly influential "I Have a Dream" speech was scripted beforehand, vetted by others, written, and rewritten. It was not. Instead, it was given on the fly, when from the audience, singer Mahalia Jackson urged King off his prepared text. The result has inspired millions.
The Art of Is contains breath-of-fresh-air thinking about how to cultivate the kind of game-changing creativity everyone seeks. Stephen Nachmanovitch shows exactly how the passion and immediacy of improvisation can be cultivated and how, in fact, we all improvise all the time - whether we are driving or deep in conversation. He explores ideas about being in the moment and reacting to people as they are, finding gold in unexpected distractions and roadblocks, and not only accepting, but also celebrating imperfections in everyday practices. This creative mindfulness also makes innovation the province not of solitary geniuses, but the result of engagement and interaction - and makes clear that improvising, creating, and innovating are only of value when rooted in an ethical and social foundation. The results, Nachmanovitch shows, foster meaningful change and invention - and may just ignite a dream.
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To these seven narratives of neurological disorder Dr. Sacks brings the same humanity, poetic observation, and infectious sense of wonder that are apparent in his bestsellers Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. These men, women, and one extraordinary child emerge as brilliantly adaptive personalities, whose conditions have not so much debilitated them as ushered them into another reality.
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SACKS IS AN ABSOLUTE JOY !!
- By Jeff on 09-22-13
By: Oliver Sacks
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Paths to God
- Living the Bhagavad Gita
- By: Ram Dass
- Narrated by: Paul Brion
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Now, in a fascinating series of reflections, anecdotes, stories, and exercises, Ram Dass gives us a unique and accessible road map for experiencing divinity in everyday life. In the engaging, conversational style that has made his teachings so popular for decades, Ram Dass traces our journey of consciousness as it is reflected in one of Hinduism's most sacred texts. The Gita teaches a system of yogas, or "paths for coming to union with God."
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Well, I guess that's this books work taken care of
- By Jeremy Teeter on 11-30-17
By: Ram Dass
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Fear Less
- Living Beyond Fear, Anxiety, Anger, and Addiction
- By: Dean Sluyter
- Narrated by: Dean Sluyter
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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These days there's so much fear in the air, you can almost taste it - along with all the varieties of anxiety, anger, and addiction that grow out of it. How can you navigate your way through the fear and confusion, and find your way to peace? In Fear Less, acclaimed teacher and award-winning author Dean Sluyter shows how to use simple meditative techniques and subtle tweaks of body, mind, and breath to open your life to deep, relaxed confidence.
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Omfg this is so good!
- By Sergio on 05-10-18
By: Dean Sluyter
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A Religion of One's Own
- A Guide to Creating a Personal Spirituality in a Secular World
- By: Thomas Moore
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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The New York Times best-selling author and trusted spiritual adviser offers a follow up to his classic Care of the Soul. Something essential is missing from modern life. Many who've turned away from religious institutions - and others who have lived wholly without religion - hunger for more than what contemporary secular life has to offer but are reluctant to follow organized religion's strict and often inflexible path to spirituality. In A Religion of One' s Own, best-selling author and former monk Thomas Moore explores the myriad possibilities of creating a personal spiritual style, either inside or outside formal religion.
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Powerful and Inspiring
- By Amazon Customer on 05-25-16
By: Thomas Moore
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Poetry in Person
- Twenty-five Years of Conversation with America's Poets
- By: Lucille Clifton, Alexander Neubauer - editor, Eamon Grennan, and others
- Narrated by: Alexander Neubauer
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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This first audio edition of Poetry in Person: 25 Years of Conversation with America’s Poets (Knopf, 2010), invites listeners into an intimate classroom with eight acclaimed poets. Full of compelling, in-depth conversation about manuscripts and drafts by the poets themselves, plus readings of the finished poems, these historic recordings offer one of the most detailed portraits ever produced of how poems are actually made.
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Fascinating
- By d on 08-28-16
By: Lucille Clifton, and others
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Naked at the Albert Hall
- The Inside Story of Singing
- By: Tracey Thorn
- Narrated by: Tracey Thorn
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In her bestselling autobiography, Bedsit Disco Queen, Tracey Thorn recalled the highs and lows of a 30-year career in pop music. But with the touring, recording and extraordinary anecdotes, there wasn't time for an in-depth look at what she actually did for all those years: sing. She sang with warmth and emotional honesty, sometimes while battling acute stage fright.
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Fascinating
- By Jane Sheedy on 01-11-17
By: Tracey Thorn
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Walking in This World
- The Practical Art of Creativity
- By: Julia Cameron
- Narrated by: Barbara Caruso
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged
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Walking in This World picks up where Julia Cameron's best-selling book on the creative process, The Artist's Way, left off to present readers with a second course, part two in an amazing journey toward discovering our human potential. Full of valuable new strategies and techniques for breaking through difficult creative ground, this is the "intermediate level" of the Artist's Way program.
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I wish there was a zero star rating
- By Jason on 04-24-07
By: Julia Cameron
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Nothing Holy About It
- The Zen of Being Just Who You Are
- By: Tim Burkett
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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According to legend, when the founder of Zen Buddhism was asked about the main principle of his holy teaching, he replied that there was "nothing holy about it!" Now, a millennium and a half later, Tim Burkett reveals how and why the wisdom of nonholiness is the key to a joyful heart. You don't need to go looking for something sacred - the happiness you seek is right where you are.
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Beautiful words
- By Asiyah on 05-04-17
By: Tim Burkett
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Insanely Gifted
- Turn Your Demons into Creative Rocket Fuel
- By: Jamie Catto
- Narrated by: Jamie Catto
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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From infancy we are taught to edit ourselves, trimming out the darker, weirder, less acceptable parts in order to please others. But this addiction to approval is holding us back. What if we begin to be ourselves, honestly and fully? Insanely Gifted shows how to transform our thinking and turn our inner demons into allies. How to reframe disappointment (because not getting what we want can be as interesting and useful as getting what we want).
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Playful self-help for living a fuller juicier life
- By Aren on 07-14-16
By: Jamie Catto
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The Seeker's Guide
- By: Elizabeth Lesser
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Lesser
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
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America has given birth to a wisdom tradition entirely its own, a spirituality that is as diverse as its people, and that respects the freedom and uniqueness of each individual. Judeo-Christian traditions and the meditation practices of Asia and India...modern science and Native American teachings...Sufism and transpersonal psychology - The New American Spirituality explores what happens when these and other traditions cohabitate our unique cultural landscape.
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Very thorough and enlightening
- By Pony on 08-30-14
By: Elizabeth Lesser
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Jaguar in the Body, Butterfly in the Heart
- By: Ya'Acov Darling Khan
- Narrated by: Ya'Acov Darling Khan
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Shaman, meaning "intermediary between spirit and the natural world", has become a much overused word in the West. It's not a job title one can give oneself, and in indigenous societies a shaman is usually born to this role. Ya'Acov Darling Khan is one of the few Westerners who have been acknowledged as shamans by indigenous elders or teachers. After being hit by lightning, Ya'Acov took a 30-year journey into the heart of shamanism to seek his own healing and to learn how he could serve others with the wisdom he acquired through his experiences.
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AHHHH not so good
- By Michelle Moore on 07-06-19
What listeners say about The Art of Is
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- MD from NC
- 07-03-21
Amazing work
I went into this book not knowing what to expect and received way more than I expected. A thoroughly “interesting” read, lots of philosophical questions and thoughts regarding how the present state of “is” is so much more than what we think. If you enjoy philosophical works and puzzling your mind about, you’ll love this one!
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6 people found this helpful
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- Scott
- 09-28-20
Amazing!!
Loved it!!! Also check out his book:
Free Play
It’s every bit as good :)
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!
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4 people found this helpful
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- Elizabeth Van Gelder
- 04-17-21
Beautiful!
Philosophies to live by, great common sense ideas. He put words to what I feel and has a wonderful way of illuminating connections between art and life. Loved it!!!!
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5 people found this helpful
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- sebxl
- 04-04-23
So profound
This book speaks so poignantly to my work, even though it never mentions my career in specific terms. It is a wonderful read.
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- BorysK (uaknight)
- 10-05-20
Book about art, improvisation and awearness
I didn't expect this book to be so deep! Wrote by a musician, step by step it shows you the great meaning behind the word art. The author teaches us to enjoy every moment of our life, and some Buddhist inspiration is clearly visible here. The nature of improvisation is another great part of the book. Stephen Nachmanovitch support his ideas with great stories. This book is very insightful and at the same time entertaining. Strongly recommend!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Tom
- 04-06-21
More a Bible or Reference Book than just a Book of Essays
I put this book on my shelf for quick inspiration. It’s one of those you can just open to any page and get a moment for reflection. It may be aimed at writers, speakers or actors, but I found it relevant to just about any area of Life. We”re all performers now, particularly in a World dominated by Social Media. We’re constantly reacting to the bombardment of events, statements or other stimuli. We need to be fluent in The Art of Is. This work is a great Training Manual. Four Stars.
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- Scott Perry
- 07-17-21
Inspiring, insightful, and impactful
Nachmanovitch’s playful weaving of art and philosophy is delightful and delicious. His thoughts on improvising are easy to weave into the life you are already living and will elevate the work that you’re already engaged in.
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- steve
- 11-27-21
Excellent book
The narration was excellent.
The writing is phenomenal and takes the reader to another place where art is treasured. The author teaches the reader how they can enter that land also.
Well worth your time
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- Jazzi White
- 04-10-21
INTERESTING
An interesting read. Learned a few things I did not know previously. Read it now!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jeffrey J Lewis
- 11-30-21
Perfect book….
Great writing , message , narration , and a perfect book for these imperfect times . Highly recommended and free to boot .
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