The Way of Harmony:: Walking the Inner Path to Balance, Happiness, and Success

by Jim Dreaver

Book Overview

TRUE HARMONY, TRUE HAPPINESS, TRUE SUCCESSYes, you can have it all-inner harmony, great relationships, fulfilling work, financial independence, and more-by shifting the way you see yourself and your... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380803135
• ISBN13: 9780380803132
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The Way of Harmony

Jim Dreaver has been teaching people about the connection between body, mind, and spirit for more than twenty years. His latest book, The Way of Harmony: Walking the Inner Path to Balance, Happiness, and Success, is intended to help people "clear away any conflict or confusion in your mind, harmonize the energy in your body, and tap into the joy that is your true nature." Dreaver says that people are not their thoughts or emotions, and that the spiritual and material are not separate, but part of one reality. He calls this the "core insight," and he has devoted his book to explaining how each person can use this insight to balance and enrich their lives. He starts with an explanation of how to let go of physical tension and worry, so that healing energy is free to flow throughout the body. He then moves to the mind, emphasizing that "the body and mind are not separate." What affects one also affects the other. After that he discusses ways to waken spirituality, followed by creating harmonious relationships. He says that "people struggle with their relationships so often because they don't really know themselves. Relationships are relatively effortless when you know who you are, when you are inwardly free." Dreaver finishes with chapters discussing work and money. Contrary to what many people believe, it isn't necessary to give up material pleasures in order to be spiritually rich. He says that "a spirituality that is divorced from the social and economic realities of our age doesn't serve anyone," warning however that "if your spiritual well-being depends on how much money you have, you're not free." Money is like everything else--it needs to be in balance with life. What he wants people to understand, Dreaver says, is "that you are not your thoughts, emotions, beliefs, personal history--nor are you your work. It is this understanding that will set you free and allow you to move in the world . . . without stress, with genuine ease and balance." In The Way of Harmony, he provides practical guidelines to achieve that understanding and balance.

Book review of WAY OF HARMONY

At the outset, I acknowledge that I have known Dr. Jim Dreaver, the author, for many years. He is a good friend and sometimes teacher, so my perspective is not entirely unbiased.Nonetheless, I think Jim has done a very fine job with his latest work, THE WAY OF HARMONY. It is not the most cutting edge or original work on personal growth that I have ever seen (and what truly is original in spiritual matters?) However, it IS one of the clearest, most succinct and easy-to-understand guidebooks to contemporary living. This book would seem particularly useful for beginners in introspection and self-awareness, because it is so straightforward and comprehensible, free of jargon and far-fetched theories. The exercises are practical and uncomplicated, and can be useful even for readers with busy schedules and complicated lifestyles.On the other hand, more experienced and advanced seekers may sometimes be startled at the depth and profundity of some of Jim's insights, presented so concisely and unassumingly that they appear deceptively simple. This style is greatly aided by Jim's forthright disclosure of his personal experience and struggles. He is obviously not a novice, and "knows wherefore he speaks".Finally, I appreciated Jim's willingness - and ability - to tackle difficult issues that most of us face as we attempt to live more consciously and spiritually: money, relationships, and careers. I found these chapters particularly relevant.I hope Jim will continue writing and sharing his insights. His growing reputation as a thoughtful and thought-provoking teacher is appropriate, and well-deserved.

Insightful Book

I found this book to be well-written, depthful and a delight to read. The Dr. Dreaver offers important insights to help live more fully and optimize our health, relationships, and financial well-being. He displays a depth of understanding that comes out of his own experience. In one section, he invites us to "live in percepts, not concepts." Encouraging us to get out of our heads and into our experience, he suggests tha we "practice the art of pure perception, of being the consciousness, the space in which objects appear." This enables us to trust the wisdom of our bodily lived experience, rather than live in our judgments and beliefs. This book is excellent for both the beginner to the spiritual path and those who want to deepen their understanding and apply it consciously to their lives. I highly recommend it.

The Way Of Harmony

What a absolutely wonderful book The Way of Harmony is. I've been a connoisseur of spiritual writings and practices for over thirty years and I put this book right along side the best of them. Jim has obviously honed his understanding in what it means to be fully engaged with mind, body and spirit and has beautifully articulated this understanding in a Way that makes it accessible to everyone. The book is full of concise, clear and helpful ideas. I like this one, "Remember: relax, stay loose and breathe." How easy it is to forget to breathe. The modern chaotic times in which we live demands creative and contemporary answers in the age old questions in how do we personally tap into the mysteries of self and its relationship to the world in which we live. I feel that The Way of Harmony is a wonderful testimony in discovering those answers.

Allowing the simple pleasure of being here now.

Yes! This is a great book. I loved it. The Way Of Harmony is a modern guide to waking up out of pain and suffering, seeing clearly what is so and living well. The book offers practical ways for releasing patterns of delusion and living a sane, balanced, peaceful here and now life. I found myself dogtagging page after page. In very simple words and through personal stories, author, Jim Dreaver describes his own journey in realizing how to live free in the present moment...free of the self-absorbed addictive "I,Me,My,Mine" conceptual and cultural conditioned habit patterns that many of us get caught in. The Way Of Harmony is a simply written, enjoyable and compelling book for fast-paced people who are wishing to live more easily. It's a map for anyone willing to inquire more deeply, exploring the question Who Am I? There are many suggestions and exercises for releasing mental obstacles and allowing ease and wellbeing. The book is enjoyable and compelling. It's like a good long-awaited meal for the hungery heart. Give it as a gift to your own precious self or to a dear friend. Friends will thank you. I highly recommend it.