Quantum Wellness: A Transformative Guide to Health, Happiness and a Better World

by Kathy Freston

book data

206 ratings, 3.55 average rating, 76 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		21%
4		32%
3		28%
2		14%
1		2%

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published

May 20th 2008 by Weinstein Books

binding

Hardcover

isbn

1602860181 (isbn13: 9781602860186)

description

From the New York Times bestselling author comes the ultimate guide to complete well-being-an instructive book on how to reach our highest level of he...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 440)

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06/18/08

Stacey rated it:

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Stacey by: Oprah
recommends it for: those whom would never dream of killing a cow...

Sorry Oprah, I'm not a huge fan of this book. Freston does incorporate some solid concepts: "conscious living", which includes thinking about where your food is coming from and what you're putting into your body, as well as eating fresh, organic food whenever possible. HOWEVER, I can't get behind the whole vegan thing. I don't think it's even close to the healthiest route to go. I'm a big believer in eating (almost) everything in moderation, and that includes animal fat. Call me crazy,...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

3 comments

06/05/08

Sue rated it:

Read in June, 2008

I bought this book on a day when I was feeling anything but well. I'll admit it, I was impressed that Dr. Oz did the forward and Dr. Dean Ornish had a comment on the back jacket. The book was interesting and made some good points but what I found the most interesting were the author's credentials or lack thereof. Make no mistake folks. This is just one person's philosophy on how to live a better life. She has written articles for some major magazines and has appeared on national television ...more

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03/28/09

Nicole rated it:

I hated this book with a passion. This isn't my type of book but it had gotten such buzz that I thought I should check it out. Turned out to be just more schlocky diet and "spirit" crap. Also, I'm not giving up gluten, so shut up.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

11/28/08

Erin rated it:

bookshelves: heal-the-world, nonfiction, spiritual-journey

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Erin by: Oprah
recommends it for: anyone who wants to become a healthier person

I'd give this book three and a half or even four stars for readers who are just starting out on their journeys to health. It meshes well with what I've learned about meditation and with what other Oprah guests have said (people like Eckhart Tolle, Dr Oz, Louise Hay, and so on): live mindfully and increase your awareness to what is happening within and without, "leaning into wellness." I greatly appreciate how Kathy Freston breaks healing down into "The Eight Pillars of Wellness...more

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05/01/09

Andrea rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in May, 2009

Great book! I like how she provides a sensible approach to changing your life - start small and watch the little things add up! It is an approach to TRANSFORMATION, not just losing weight, finding a good job, feeling stress-free - it's all of that. She does a good job of demonstrating how all parts of our lives are connected, and how each area affects the others. Freston ties together body, mind, and spirit: "unity," which is the heart (and meaning) of yoga. If you've unsuccessfully tr...more

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10/27/08

Becka rated it:

LOVED...THIS...BOOK

Although a pretty large chunk of the book discussed "conscientious eating" (i.e. vegetarianism) and I'm not quite there yet since I love my meat, I thought this book was excellent and recommend it to everyone. She discusses the 8 pillars of wellness and incorporating an all around positive change and transformation in your life based on self work, spiritualization, meditation, service, visualization, fun activities, conscious eating and exercise. Applies ...more

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08/27/08

Kathryn rated it:

Read in August, 2008

Ok... so, I was totally embarrassed to read this book in public, especially with the cheeseball glamshot of the author. Yikes. But that said, it wasn't too bad for a self help book. Lots of common sense advice packaged into bitesized chapters. Like many self help authors, Freston basically repackages Buddhist philosophy for the Oprah set, providing anecdotes about the benefits of mindful living. Her focus is extremely heavy on diet, of which she espouses veganism as the only option for mind...more

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1 comment

06/02/08

fbuser1191978699 rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: Jane, Christine, Ambure

"Quantum Wellness" suggests that we focus on the "eight pillars" of wellness, which Freston refers to as "wellness cross-training". These are:

Meditation - use it to quietly contemplate, and focus inward, for at least a few moments at a time
Visualization - map out the changes and upgrades that you wish to make in your life
Fun Activities - to loosen up your energy and bring optimism, and should be made a daily part of our life
Conscious E...more "Quantum Wellness" suggests that we focus on the "eight pillars" of wellness, which Freston refers to as "wellness cross-training". These are:

Meditation - use it to quietly contemplate, and focus inward, for at least a few moments at a time
Visualization - map out the changes and upgrades that you wish to make in your life
Fun Activities - to loosen up your energy and bring optimism, and should be made a daily part of our life
Conscious Eating - the author is vegan, and avoids chemicals, not only in food, but also in beauty and household products
Exercise - half an hour, six times a week, this one's a no brainer, benefits are endless, just do it!
Self-Work - look at where you are at, set goals for where you'd like to be, and chart the course on how to get there; helps us reach our full potential
Spiritual Practice - knowing we are connected to some sort of deep and unified source helps us identify with something larger, and increases our capacity to love and be kind to ourselves and others
Service - helps you trancend the small self in favor of the higher Self

This book was a terrific refresher about what is important, and how to achieve optimum performance and happiness in life. It was short, to the point, and at the end of the book there are a lot of resources, references, and yummy Vegan recipes and a full 21 day cleansing plan. Freston donates quite a bit of time to discussing nutrition, and suggests giving up alcohol, sugar, dairy, meat, caffeine, and gluten for 21 days, three times per year.

Lastly, what I liked about the book is that it encourages you to take small steps and these small steps eventually lead to a large shift. She states "quantum wellness is not about imposing big changes, but about leaning into wellness, comfortably, adding things here and there to the thrust and taking baby steps toward the changes we want to achieve". She compares these small changes to the "butterfly effect", a well-known theory that a small change such as the beating of a butterfly's wings can cause huge changes in weather. I love the idea and visualization that small changes that we make every day can drastically impact our lives. "The more we adjust or shift - even in tiny ways- the more we can look forward to sweeping changes showing up in our lives. We can cut one thing out of our diet, add a minute or two of meditation, or turn our attention just for a moment toward kindness, and before we know it we are different people creating a different world". So, we are all capable of making small changes and in the process we are capable of radically improving our lives, an optimistic message that I can relate to!(less)

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04/02/09

Marcella rated it:

Read in March, 2009

Has some really useful ideas for dealing with stress and difficult situations. A little new age-ish for me as a Christian, but I could definitely apply many of her ideas to my own world view. This book also makes an excellent case for veganism as an avenue to persue compassion and mindfulness in, what is for most people, thoughtless consumption. I enjoy her tone however, in that it is not preachy; she allows the reader to make his or her own decision respectfully and without guilt.

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09/06/08

Rachel rated it:

I really, really, really like this book. I have read many, many, many self help kind of books because of my major in college (family counseling) and my main complaint is that a lot of the authors are crazies or it is too research based or it isn't practical/useable advice. This book didn't have any of that crap. :o) I felt inspired to become a better person AND had specific ways to do it. I particularly like how she talks about "leaning" into change. It is so much more forgiving an...more

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04/21/09

Teeni rated it:

Read in April, 2009

The beginning and end of this book are spectacular. The middle two or three chapters on veganism and animal cruelty took me a while to get through, but were worth reading, even if I don't agree with all of her opinions. I very rarely buy books anymore, but I bought this one used on amazon after checking it out at the library because I found myself wanting to highlight stuff to refer back to.

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06/23/08

Sharon rated it:

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Sharon by: Oprah

I decided to read this book because I am always looking to improve my health and well-being. I was disappointed in the lack of quantitative information in this book. The author does not have a degree in the medical field and has no co-writer to endorse her theories. The first half of the book on general well-being, healthy eating and so forth kept my interest, however, when the author approached to subject of veganism the tide turned. Personally, I don't care much for meat so I ultimately end up...more

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05/24/08

Kristin rated it:

This is an easy book to read and challenging at the same time because I know the author is right about not eating anything if it causes harm to another. I agree with her on so many levels yet I continue to have a hard time in the diet area. I liked how she advocates leaning into things and progressing on the path you want to be on by making positive changes toward the goal.

I recently watched the film: What The Bleep Do We Know. It is sort of ironic that some of the ideas in this...more

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05/03/09

Martine rated it:

Read in January, 2008

THis book looks at wellness holistically - mind, body, and spirit. I watched Oprah interview the author and had to buy the book. I do feel there is a lot of good practical advice in this book, lots of emphasis on vegetarian diet and not consuming overly processed foods. I'm looking forward to trying recipes included.

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06/09/09

Teresa rated it:

Read in January, 2008

This book really encompasses my wellness philosophy almost completely. During the entire book, I kept talking out loud, "Yeah!" "I knnnnow" "me tooo" It was gratifying to read. The author actually utilizes the philosophy and has transformed her life. Mine is a slow work in progress. Very slow. :-)

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05/20/09

Beth rated it:

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in May, 2009

This book wants to walk hand in hand with my daily spiritual practices and I adore the way she puts things...I recommend this to anyone who has ever stewed in their own juices and is ready to make a move towards connection and wholeness!

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05/03/09

Kelly rated it:

bookshelves: food, health-wellness-healing, non-fiction

I liked learning about nutrition and wellness which must come from all areas - physically, emotionally, spiritually. I felt that Freston was proselitizing a bit.

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02/15/09

Brandi rated it:

Read in March, 2009

I enjoyed this book, but I admit that I might be biased because I am already a pescetarian (pesco-vegetarian), and admittedly a large part of "Quantum Wellness" deals with conscientious eating. But aside from that, I found the "eight pillars" of wellness to be relevant and sound. I think that most people could take away beneficial ideas from reading this book.

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01/10/09

Christine rated it:

Read in October, 2008

Some good bits of information here, some I have already heard and some new. Definitely worth a read to add to your knowledge base about health and wellness.

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05/31/08

Amber rated it:

Read in September, 2008

This book was incredible. It offers a wealth of knowledge about a healthy eating lifestyle. It is not strict or demanding. You "lean into" this style of conscious eating and living. It was absoultely life changing and helped me learn how to take some of the guilt out of eating. The middle section is more for "unhealthy emotions" which didn't pertain to me particularly and the last secion is devoted to an unhealthy world...on a global level and how to be the change you wa...more

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