Ready, Set, Slow: How to Improve Your Energy, Health, and Relationships Through the Power of Slow

by Lee Holden

Brought to you by Penguin.

In the face of burnout, lack of passion and endless to-do lists, what if to achieve more you need to do less ?

In this accessible guide, Lee Holden shares The Slow Method, principles of slow mind, body and relationships drawn from the philosophical wisdom of Eastern meditation, martial arts and philosophies, and merged with Western science. The resulting practices offer a comprehensive understanding of how to slow down and increasingly embrace life's rhythms.
Whether you're practising primal shaking or gratitude meditation for the mind; vagal breathing or optimal digestion acupressure, you’ll learn to access the magical benefits of slowing down to create lasting change in your life and the lives of those you love.

' Slow is a breakthrough in modern living. Lee gives us techniques that anyone can benefit from' - Deepak Chopra

'Lee unlocks the ancient biohacking techniques of the East' - Dave Asprey aka The Father of Biohacking

'Truly an inspiration. He always amazes me with how he takes ancient wisdom and makes it accessible.' - James Nestor, international bestselling author of Breath

Published as Ready, Set, Slow in the United States

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Health, Psychology, Audiobook, Mental Health

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2025

Reviews

[Sarah Grebinoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am one of those people who feels like I could always be doing more: more learning, more cleaning, more exercising... the list never ends. It often leads to a sense of lack and disappointment.
Reading Lee's book is like having him sit right beside you and impart the ancient wisdom of slowing down and its many benefits. Lee's qi gong practices are amazing for so many reasons, and the idea of slowing down and being in the moment is always part of his practice.

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3/4 stars, depending on how well the exercises go for me. I thought the book was well-organized and easy to follow. The audio narration is clear and nice to listen to. This is a book to read through slowly or go through once and then go through a second time slowly and put in specific practices. There are multiple specific exercises to try out, as well as a daily schedule at the end as a base guide you can pick and choose from. I noticed the book has inclusiveness and attempted to help with trigger warnings and mental health suggestions.

One exercise I tried right away was beneficial to lowering my revving/stress level I often feel normally. It was the "I am here" and "how do I know" exercise. I immediately felt calmer.

I added in another and want to try some of the physical movement ones to help with the mind-body connection as my body hasn't caught up to my mind with years of trauma. I'm excited for a reread or relisten. I think this would be good to have a physical or digital book to go with the audiobook as I'm assuming there are images to help with the pressure points brought up.

[Yanet · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world that moves at lightning speed, Ready, Set, Slow is a beautiful reminder to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the present moment. I absolutely loved this book because it gently guides us to slow down and be mindful in everything we do—something we often forget in our fast-paced lives.

Lee Holden introduces three core principles to help us embrace the power of slowness:
1. Slow the Mind
2. Slow the Body
3. Slow Relationships

Each principle is practical, insightful, and offers powerful tools for transformation. What I found especially valuable is that every lesson ends with a simple, reflective exercise, and the author even provides access to videos so readers can follow along and see the practices in action.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking balance, clarity, and a deeper appreciation for the beauty of life. Sometimes, slowing down is exactly what we need to truly move forward. Thank you, Lee Holden, for this inspiring and accessible guide.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to read if you are new to the world of mindfulness, meditation etc. A lot of it is Holden relating stories about his own life and experiences but he writes about them in a light, easy to follow way. He gives some good tips and exercises throughout. However, as someone who has read a lot of books on these sorts of things, I didn't think he offered anything particularly new - just repackaged familiar ideas under the banner of 'Slow'.

[Karen May]

AMB

[Olivia]

Like that the meditations in this book can be picked out by the chapter titles.

[Destiny Hove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost a star only because I with there was a little less talk about sex and more talk about actual relationships in the slow relationships part. But other than that really informative books.

[Ella Kissinger-Coble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but honestly weird advice. Almost too hippie dippy for me even.

[Carine Huisman · Rating 3 out of 5]

interessant! maar zelf wel het idee dat veel hiervan moeilijk toe te passen is in je dagelijks leven, of simpelweg te sloom is haha.

[Telly Zheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

contents are good, but i found it repetitive, and some part are commonly knows and unecessary.