The Art of Stillness

Adventures in Going Nowhere

By: Pico Iyer

Narrated by: Pico Iyer

A follow up to Pico Iyer’s essay “The Joy of Quiet,” The Art of Stillness considers the unexpected adventure of staying put and reveals a counterintuitive truth: The more ways we have to connect, the more we seem desperate to unplug.

Why might a lifelong traveler like Pico Iyer, who has journeyed from Easter Island to Ethiopia, Cuba to Kathmandu, think that sitting quietly in a room might be the ultimate adventure? Because in our madly accelerating world, our lives are crowded, chaotic and noisy. There’s never been a greater need to slow down, tune out and give ourselves permission to be still.

In The Art of Stillness—a TED Books release—Iyer investigate the lives of people who have made a life seeking stillness: from Matthieu Ricard, a Frenchman with a PhD in molecular biology who left a promising scientific career to become a Tibetan monk, to revered singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who traded the pleasures of the senses for several years of living the near-silent life of meditation as a Zen monk. Iyer also draws on his own experiences as a travel writer to explore why advances in technology are making us more likely to retreat. He reflects that this is perhaps the reason why many people—even those with no religious commitment—seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or seeking silent retreats. These aren't New Age fads so much as ways to rediscover the wisdom of an earlier age. Growing trends like observing an “Internet Sabbath”—turning off online connections from Friday night to Monday morning—highlight how increasingly desperate many of us are to unplug and bring stillness into our lives.

The Art of Stillness paints a picture of why so many—from Marcel Proust to Mahatma Gandhi to Emily Dickinson—have found richness in stillness. Ultimately, Iyer shows that, in this age of constant movement and connectedness, perhaps staying in one place is a more exciting prospect, and a greater necessity than ever before.

In 2013, Pico Iyer gave a blockbuster TED Talk. This lyrical and inspiring book expands on a new idea, offering a way forward for all those feeling affected by the frenetic pace of our modern world.

Pico Iyers enchantment with what he discovered in stillness.

I love his voice. I love all he discovered in regular scheduled periods of sitting still.

Love this book

Enjoy silence. It can be fleeting especially in our world. I love the permission this book gives me to sit still. Especially in a world which wears a frenzied pace like a badge of honor. I recommend this book to patients that suffer from anxiety.

Staying Still Whilst Listening.

I adored this. 😊 It was like having a relaxing yet stimulating tea session with Pico Iyer.

A book everyone should experience

I have listened to this book again and again. I never tire of the very poignant message, or Pico Ayers' words and voice. I recommend it to anyone and everyone for the need to slow down, and be still with oneself is both universal and vital to our health of mind, body, and spirit.

It made a difference.

A book is supposed to make a difference. Most books make you want to do something. This one makes you want to stop rushing around madly.

It's a good investment.