“There is a point within you where nothing ever moves — no movement from or to, no stirring, no sound. Nobody is there, just stillness, but that stillness is the dance and that stillness is the music.”
I only read this because it said “Selected and introduced by Eckhart Tolle.” Well, I should definitely be more mindful of the “sponsored content” I decide to click on and buy (purchased on my Kindle).
Look, I’m a big fan of Eckhart Tolle. The Power of Now genuinely shifted something in me when I first read it years ago. So when I saw his name attached to this collection, I figured — why not? If Tolle curated it, there must be some deep stuff in here.
Wrong.
What You’re Actually Getting
Regardless, this was a bunch of poems about being mindful, and a bunch of different mindfulness principles such as compassion, the transience of everything in life, and death.
The book is compiled by Steve Taylor, and it’s essentially a collection of short reflections and poems from various spiritual thinkers — Osho, Rumi, and others — loosely organized around themes of presence, awareness, and inner stillness. Each piece is a page or two at most. You can read the entire thing in an afternoon, maybe even a single sitting if you’re committed.
The problem? There’s no real depth to any of it. You get a poem, you nod your head, you turn the page. Repeat. There’s no narrative, no progression, no argument being built. It’s just… vibes.
And I say that as someone who LOVES a good poem. But a great poetry collection has a thread running through it — it takes you somewhere. This one just kind of floats around, touching on big ideas without ever landing on any of them long enough to leave a mark.
The Chicken Soup Problem
While there were two or three poems I thought were nice to read, and I even highlighted them for my own pleasure… I have to say, this was definitely more of a Chicken Soup for the Soul-type of book. Excerpts to brighten your jolly day and remind you of something unimportant in a sensationalistic kind of way.
And that’s really what bothered me. Mindfulness is something I take seriously. I meditate. I’ve spent time actually training my brain to be present. So when a book tries to sell me mindfulness in bite-sized Instagram-caption form, it feels hollow.
It’s the difference between actually DOING the work and just reading pretty words about it. A poem about stillness doesn’t make you still. A paragraph about compassion doesn’t make you compassionate. At some point, you have to close the book and actually sit with yourself — and this book doesn’t push you to do that. It just pats you on the back and says, “Isn’t awareness lovely?”
The Eckhart Tolle Bait-and-Switch
Let’s be honest about why most people — including me — picked this up. The Eckhart Tolle name on the cover. His introduction is fine, but it’s short and doesn’t add much that you wouldn’t already know if you’ve read any of his actual books.
It’s a short read, and you might get something momentarily inspirational, but I, personally, felt tricked by the mere reference of Eckhart Tolle.
This is basically a celebrity endorsement on a spiritual product. Tolle’s brand gives it credibility, but the content inside doesn’t live up to the promise. If this same collection had been published without his name, I doubt it would have gotten much attention at all.
Who This Is Actually For
Would I recommend this for a good read? No.
Would I recommend this if you are “woo-woo mindfulness spirits and energy + yoga pants”? I might.
If you’re someone who keeps a stack of daily affirmation books on your nightstand, lights incense before bed, and enjoys reading a short poem with your morning tea — you’ll probably love this. Seriously, no shade. There’s nothing wrong with that approach to spirituality. It’s just not how I engage with mindfulness.
For me, mindfulness is a practice — it’s something you DO, not something you read about passively. I want a book that grabs me by the collar and says, “Here’s the work. Now go do it.” This book doesn’t do that. It whispers nice things at you and hopes something sticks.
I’d rather read a book that CHALLENGES me. Something like Get Some Headspace by Andy Puddicombe, which actually teaches you practical meditation techniques. Or revisit The Power of Now itself, which is dense and demands your attention. Those books changed my behavior. The Calm Center just gave me some nice sentences to highlight.
The Few Good Parts
I don’t want to be entirely dismissive. There were a handful of pieces in here that genuinely stopped me. The Osho quote I used at the top of this review is one of them — that idea of a point within you where nothing moves, where stillness IS the dance. That’s powerful.
And a few of the shorter reflections on death and impermanence hit in that quiet way that only poetry can. When you’re in the right headspace, reading something that captures the feeling of letting go in four lines — that can be valuable.
But two or three good poems out of an entire collection doesn’t justify the purchase. You could find those same poems online for free.
Final Thoughts
Not my cup of tea from an objectivity standpoint, but not so boring as to stop reading after 5–10 pages.
If you want real mindfulness work, go meditate. Read The Power of Now. Try a 10-day silent retreat if you’re feeling brave. But if you want a light, inoffensive collection of spiritual poems to flip through when you’re feeling reflective — this exists, and it’s fine for what it is.
Just don’t buy it thinking you’re getting an Eckhart Tolle book. You’re not. You’re getting a curated anthology with his stamp of approval — which, honestly, made me trust celebrity endorsements on books a little less going forward.
Ah well. Peace, love, and mindfulness, my hippy brothers and sisters.
3/5
Thanks for reading.
— Leonidas
