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8 Minute Meditation Expanded: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.
New and expanded, the bestselling, innovative program that advanced the mindfulness revolution
People are always looking for new ways to reduce stress, increase productivity, and lead more well-rounded, happier lives. Many have sought a solution in meditation. However, simple, clear instruction is often difficult to find, and most teachers and books make meditation seem like a chore—something you have to do for up to an hour each day.
8 Minute Meditation is the first program created to give beginners the exact tools they need to learn to meditate and do it in a time-frame that even the busiest people can easily just 8 minutes a day.
The new tenth anniversary edition of 8 Minute Meditation surveys the latest mindfulness developments. It also contains the complete, original 8 Minute Meditation program, one of the all-time best-selling mindfulness programs in history. Features include clear, supportive step-by-step instruction, FAQs, and “troubleshooting” your mindfulness practice. All in the time between two television commercials!
People are always looking for new ways to reduce stress, increase productivity, and lead more well-rounded, happier lives. Many have sought a solution in meditation. However, simple, clear instruction is often difficult to find, and most teachers and books make meditation seem like a chore—something you have to do for up to an hour each day.
8 Minute Meditation is the first program created to give beginners the exact tools they need to learn to meditate and do it in a time-frame that even the busiest people can easily just 8 minutes a day.
The new tenth anniversary edition of 8 Minute Meditation surveys the latest mindfulness developments. It also contains the complete, original 8 Minute Meditation program, one of the all-time best-selling mindfulness programs in history. Features include clear, supportive step-by-step instruction, FAQs, and “troubleshooting” your mindfulness practice. All in the time between two television commercials!
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2004
220 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 10, 2015
Probably good for beginners, but I found the ra-ra attitude annoying. And the quote on the cover from Time ("The most American form of meditation yet.")- I don't think that was meant as a compliment.
October 5, 2023
I have been trying to start a meditation practice for a while now. I thought I knew what I was doing but it really wasn't working for me. I found this gem in my library's book sale and thought I'd give it a try. I have completed the 8+ weeks and can now say that I do have a morning meditation practice.
The writer uses some humor to hold your hand through each step in the process. The different weeks allow you to try out a handful of different techniques. There was one that completely resonated with me and I plan to incorporate into my daily practice.
I have felt so centered since picking up this book that I threatened to give copies to some of my family members!
The writer uses some humor to hold your hand through each step in the process. The different weeks allow you to try out a handful of different techniques. There was one that completely resonated with me and I plan to incorporate into my daily practice.
I have felt so centered since picking up this book that I threatened to give copies to some of my family members!
September 26, 2017
Overall it is a good read. However I do agree with the previous readers comments on "For the most part, I found the techniques useful, aside from Week 3's Notice Body Sensations aka focus on every single itch you have."
It covers number of techniques to help you focus your mind through practice like everything else. However it is only 8-minutes a day which is extremely doable.
It covers number of techniques to help you focus your mind through practice like everything else. However it is only 8-minutes a day which is extremely doable.
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April 17, 2025The cover makes me cringe, but the book delivers its promise: get through eight weeks of daily meditation. A key section of the book focuses on sustaining and enriching your meditation practice beyond the basics.
July 31, 2020
Good if you're new to meditation and if your attention span is 8 minutes or less (most of you, right?)
July 20, 2017
Good and practical book about introducing meditation to you life - at only 8minutes per day. Covers a number of techniques to help you focus your mind through weekly practice. This is an introductory book with 8 techniques that will satisfy 90% of those interesting in adding this mind hack to your repertoire:
1) focus on breath, in and out; through all other distractions, keep your mind focused on breathing.
2) focus on sounds around you without filtering or rejecting them; just note if they are rising or falling
3) notice body sensations; do not label or fixate, just notice when you feel a new sensation and move your anchor to that position
4) when new thoughts enter your mind, don't resist them. just label them as "past" or "future"
5) notice when a new thought enters your mind, then decline to engage it and return your focus to breathing
6) focus your mind on an anchor point right behind your eyes. observe the image that forms and let it evolve. notice it and return your focus to this anchor point
7) lovingkindness - recall an act of kindness you did and allow yourself to feel how you felt when you performed the act. notice sensations of warmth in your chest. return to this feeling of kindness
8) notice thoughts in your awareness and label as talk, body sensation, or visual image. label each one as it comes and goes
In the epilogue, the book covers a few more enhanced techniques for mindfulness such as exploring every individual sensation for mundane tasks such as washing dishes:
- listen to the water as it flows. feel the temperature.
- watch as soap falls into the water, notice the interaction
- slowly immerse your hand, feel the sponge. appreciate its texture
- feel the movement in your wrist as you wash a dish. one dish.
- look at the dish, notice its texture and appearance
- stay connected to the movement as water runs across the dish
- experience it like a child for the first time
1) focus on breath, in and out; through all other distractions, keep your mind focused on breathing.
2) focus on sounds around you without filtering or rejecting them; just note if they are rising or falling
3) notice body sensations; do not label or fixate, just notice when you feel a new sensation and move your anchor to that position
4) when new thoughts enter your mind, don't resist them. just label them as "past" or "future"
5) notice when a new thought enters your mind, then decline to engage it and return your focus to breathing
6) focus your mind on an anchor point right behind your eyes. observe the image that forms and let it evolve. notice it and return your focus to this anchor point
7) lovingkindness - recall an act of kindness you did and allow yourself to feel how you felt when you performed the act. notice sensations of warmth in your chest. return to this feeling of kindness
8) notice thoughts in your awareness and label as talk, body sensation, or visual image. label each one as it comes and goes
In the epilogue, the book covers a few more enhanced techniques for mindfulness such as exploring every individual sensation for mundane tasks such as washing dishes:
- listen to the water as it flows. feel the temperature.
- watch as soap falls into the water, notice the interaction
- slowly immerse your hand, feel the sponge. appreciate its texture
- feel the movement in your wrist as you wash a dish. one dish.
- look at the dish, notice its texture and appearance
- stay connected to the movement as water runs across the dish
- experience it like a child for the first time
August 11, 2020
I think this is a good book if you are looking for guidance on starting a regular meditation program. I appreciated the prescriptive instructions, and introduction to a variety of techniques. But, while it may have been ahead of its time when it was originally published, there may be better options out there now with the advent of apps and on demand availability of guided meditation.
My biggest complaint is how ablist the book is, something I didn't realize until I suffered a back injury. Then the instructions for seated chair meditation didn't cut it, even with the grudging option to lean back "if you can't support your back for 8 minutes." Surely meditation should be available to everyone regardless of physical condition; it would have been nice if the author had suggested modifications. It made me think about some of the techniques suggested too. For instance, my favorite involved centering on sounds. How does that work for the Deaf? We don't find out in this book, or get any alternate method.
Each week includes frequently asked questions, which rarely answered mine. The author seemed to be unable to imagine that anyone might not start to feel the benefits of meditation as the weeks progressed. In one technique, you are supposed to center on images that you appear in your minds eye, but none of the questions address what happens if nothing appears.
In the chapter about the final week, he offers advice that should have been presented at the beginning: that you should pick up where you left off if your 8 weeks get interrupted somewhere. I may have been more successful in completing the program the previous two times I've tried if I had taken that approach. But as a dutiful instruction follower, I never made it to the 8th week to get that advice.
My biggest complaint is how ablist the book is, something I didn't realize until I suffered a back injury. Then the instructions for seated chair meditation didn't cut it, even with the grudging option to lean back "if you can't support your back for 8 minutes." Surely meditation should be available to everyone regardless of physical condition; it would have been nice if the author had suggested modifications. It made me think about some of the techniques suggested too. For instance, my favorite involved centering on sounds. How does that work for the Deaf? We don't find out in this book, or get any alternate method.
Each week includes frequently asked questions, which rarely answered mine. The author seemed to be unable to imagine that anyone might not start to feel the benefits of meditation as the weeks progressed. In one technique, you are supposed to center on images that you appear in your minds eye, but none of the questions address what happens if nothing appears.
In the chapter about the final week, he offers advice that should have been presented at the beginning: that you should pick up where you left off if your 8 weeks get interrupted somewhere. I may have been more successful in completing the program the previous two times I've tried if I had taken that approach. But as a dutiful instruction follower, I never made it to the 8th week to get that advice.
January 6, 2022
Be advised that this book is meant for beginners to mindfulness meditation. If you already practice it or know a lot about it, it may not be for you. I fall in the group of people that know a lot about it, have tried to do it, but quickly gave up after a couple days. I grabbed this book because of the 8 week meditation program that consists of meditation for 8 minutes per day. I was missing a structured program to get me started and this is pretty much what I was looking for.
This is a very quick read and it is a very easy to read. It contains actionable tasks for the reader to practice over a period of eight weeks all laid out clearly and simply. All of these things I love in my nonfiction books.
One thing about this book I didn't like is that everything that precedes the 8 week program section of the book provided no value to me personally, but if you are new to meditation it may be valuable. But 68 pages of zero value in a 200 page book wasn't a good start. There is also a lot of repetitive text particularly in the Q&A sections.
I am still rating it a 4.5 though because the 8 week program seems doable and I look forward to trying it out. I also found the section on what to do after the 8 weeks are over to continue your meditation practice very helpful. I know I'd be thinking, "great, I did it...now what?" At the end of it and give up again, so it is good to have that to refer to when I get to that point.
This is a very quick read and it is a very easy to read. It contains actionable tasks for the reader to practice over a period of eight weeks all laid out clearly and simply. All of these things I love in my nonfiction books.
One thing about this book I didn't like is that everything that precedes the 8 week program section of the book provided no value to me personally, but if you are new to meditation it may be valuable. But 68 pages of zero value in a 200 page book wasn't a good start. There is also a lot of repetitive text particularly in the Q&A sections.
I am still rating it a 4.5 though because the 8 week program seems doable and I look forward to trying it out. I also found the section on what to do after the 8 weeks are over to continue your meditation practice very helpful. I know I'd be thinking, "great, I did it...now what?" At the end of it and give up again, so it is good to have that to refer to when I get to that point.
October 22, 2017
Practical and insightful
If you're looking for a fluffy good-feelsey meditation theory book, this isn't it. What it is, though, is a practical guide to creating a lasting relationship with meditation. Victor has created an eight week program with eight different simple meditations to practice for eight minutes a day. Each week he introduces a new meditation technique that you practice for the next seven days, and each technique, although distinct, increases in skill. I really enjoyed reading this book and following Victor's program. Although I didn't become enlightened, I have developed a much more chill relationship with my mind and the world around me. I highly recommend this book to fellow meditation newbies.
If you're looking for a fluffy good-feelsey meditation theory book, this isn't it. What it is, though, is a practical guide to creating a lasting relationship with meditation. Victor has created an eight week program with eight different simple meditations to practice for eight minutes a day. Each week he introduces a new meditation technique that you practice for the next seven days, and each technique, although distinct, increases in skill. I really enjoyed reading this book and following Victor's program. Although I didn't become enlightened, I have developed a much more chill relationship with my mind and the world around me. I highly recommend this book to fellow meditation newbies.
September 11, 2018
Straightforward and accessible, 8 Minute Meditation is a good place to start to get a handle on the basics of mindfulness (it’s sort of like Headspace in print form), but Davich’s writing often spills over into overenthusiastic salesmanship. Fewer exclamation points would’ve helped me be more mindful reading it.
October 23, 2018
Super helpful in getting you started with a meditation practice. I found him a little ramble-y at times but enjoyed the layout of the book and how simple he made meditating and making it a habit. Would definitely recommend to someone looking for a beginners guide on meditation or looking to start an easy, doable meditation practice.
August 29, 2018
If you have the discipline and patience to practice meditation on a regular basis, this can be a good introduction and a helpful guide.
April 24, 2019
Absolutely amazing, life changing and a pleasant read. Meditation is a process and he introduces you to it and walks you through it very well.
November 10, 2019
easy access to start meditation
May 17, 2020
This was a great intro to meditation and I found it easy to get into. The author definately understands the concerns of a beginner.
July 23, 2020
Good book about how easy meditation is.
July 22, 2025
This book really started my meditation practice 10 years ago.
April 8, 2025
A quick, straightforward and accessible guide to incorporating meditation into a busy lifestyle for someone looking to improve mindfulness.
February 28, 2017
I read this around the same time as Meditation for Beginners, trying to get a couple of angles on the topic before I went ahead and tried it myself. I prefer the other book's prose style and general approach, but I like Davich's structured plan for starting to meditate. He lays out a multi-week schedule which makes sense.
Both books offer more or less the same advice for starting to meditate, and both explain several styles of meditating. One interesting difference is that Davich advises that if you feel pain you should "stop meditating immediately" and fix whatever is bugging you. Kornfield says that pain is part of life and you have to figure out how to include it in your meditating practice. I think the latter is much more realistic - pain is a part of life, and mindfulness is, in fact, one way that people manage their pain.
Of the two books, I would recommend the Kornfield more, but suggest that the reader come up with a plan to try each kind of meditation for a few days before going on to the next.
Both books offer more or less the same advice for starting to meditate, and both explain several styles of meditating. One interesting difference is that Davich advises that if you feel pain you should "stop meditating immediately" and fix whatever is bugging you. Kornfield says that pain is part of life and you have to figure out how to include it in your meditating practice. I think the latter is much more realistic - pain is a part of life, and mindfulness is, in fact, one way that people manage their pain.
Of the two books, I would recommend the Kornfield more, but suggest that the reader come up with a plan to try each kind of meditation for a few days before going on to the next.
January 9, 2017
For the most part, I found the techniques useful, aside from Week 3's Notice Body Sensations aka focus on every single itch you have. And the questions at the back of every second started off helpful, though got real repetitive halfway through. The writing felt more like a sale's pitch than actual helpful information, especially the introduction. It felt like added filler to keep this book from being only 20 pages. However, the writing doesn't undercut the techniques, which is really what the book is for. So I'd say the book is worth a try with that warning that I haven't tried any other meditation books.
June 7, 2015
A great introduction to Meditation
My therapist recommended this book to me as a way to get into Meditation as a means to reduce my anxiety. I found it easy to read and understand. Clear directions for how to being meditation and what to expect from the practice made this a great way to start meditating daily.
My therapist recommended this book to me as a way to get into Meditation as a means to reduce my anxiety. I found it easy to read and understand. Clear directions for how to being meditation and what to expect from the practice made this a great way to start meditating daily.
December 28, 2015
Awesome guide
If you're a beginner or not Victor does an astounding job stretching your mind every week. It definitely introduced me to some new techniques.
If you're a beginner or not Victor does an astounding job stretching your mind every week. It definitely introduced me to some new techniques.
February 5, 2017
it was OK. if you practice Hatha yoga you will incorporate this anyway. three stars because beginners might learn something.
May 27, 2017
Excellent book!
This was the of meditative book I have read, so I may not be the best judge, but I liked it. It was very accessible and made me want to read more.
This was the of meditative book I have read, so I may not be the best judge, but I liked it. It was very accessible and made me want to read more.
May 16, 2017
Absolutely fantastic introduction to beginning your meditation practice. As evidenced by the title it takes no time at all to start reaping the benefits. You're guided through 8 weeks of 8 different types of mindfulness meditation. Stick with it and you'll find meditation isn't as hard as you think.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews