The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle first came out in 1997. It has become one of the best known spiritual books of our time.

The book has one main message. Peace is not somewhere in the future. It is here, in this moment. The problem is that our minds are almost always somewhere else, going over the past or worrying about what comes next.

Tolle calls this being lost in the mind. He shows how to step out of it and become the quiet awareness behind your thoughts. He calls this being present.

Much of the book is written as questions and answers. A reader asks a question, and Tolle answers it. This makes it feel like a conversation with a calm teacher.

The book moves step by step, from understanding the mind to living in peace. Here are the main parts:

1. 1You are not your mindTolle explains that we mix up who we are with the voice in our head. He calls this voice the ego.
2. 2Consciousness, the way out of painHe shows how the mind creates pain, and how awareness can ease it.
3. 3Moving deeply into the NowHe explains the difference between clock time, which we need for plans, and 'psychological time', which fills us with worry.
4. 4How the mind avoids the NowHe shows the small ways we run from the present, like always waiting for 'later' to be happy.
5. 5The state of presenceHe describes what it feels like to be fully here, alert and calm.
6. 6The inner body and beyondLater chapters teach you to feel the life inside your body, and talk about relationships, peace and surrender.

• Watch the thinker: Listen to your thoughts as if you were a kind observer. When you notice a thought, you are no longer lost in it.
• The ego: This is the part of you that needs to be right, to win and to feel special. It keeps you busy and restless.
• The pain-body: Tolle's name for old emotional pain that lives in the body. It can take over when something triggers it.
• The inner body: Feeling the life in your hands, feet and chest is a simple way to come back to now.
• Surrender: This does not mean giving up. It means accepting this moment as it is, and then acting from a calm place.

None of this asks you to follow a religion. Tolle draws on ideas found in many traditions, but he keeps his words simple and open to everyone.

What we liked:

• Deep but clear: It explains big spiritual ideas in words most people can follow.
• You can practice right away: Simple things like feeling your breath or your hands work in any moment.
• Very calming: Many readers say just reading a few pages helps them feel more peaceful.

What could be better:

• Slow in places: Some ideas come back again and again. It is best read a little at a time.
• Some big claims: Tolle speaks with a lot of certainty. Some readers may want more room for their own view.
• Not a treatment: If you live with depression or anxiety, presence can help, but it is not a replacement for a doctor or therapist.

You do not need hours of meditation. Try these small moments of presence:

1. 1Take one conscious breathStop and feel one full breath go in and out. That is a moment of presence.
2. 2Watch one thoughtWhen a worry comes, say to yourself, 'I notice I am thinking this.' Let it pass.
3. 3Feel your handsClose your eyes and feel the life inside your hands. Stay with it for a minute.
4. 4Do one thing fullyWash a cup, walk to the car or drink your tea with full attention.
5. 5Say yes to nowWhen you are stuck in a line or traffic, accept it. Notice how your body relaxes.

Eckhart Tolle was born in Germany in 1948. He later moved to England and then to Canada, where he lives today.

He has said that for years he struggled with deep anxiety and depression. At age 29, after a night of great inner pain, he went through a sudden inner shift that left him with a deep, lasting sense of peace.

He spent the next years learning to understand what had happened to him. The Power of Now was his first big book. His later book, A New Earth, also became a bestseller.