Teach Us to Sit Still is the visceral, thought-provoking, and
inexplicably entertaining story of how Tim Parks found himself in
serious pain, how doctors failed to help, and the quest he took to find
his own way out.
Overwhelmed by a crippling condition which nobody could explain or
relieve, Parks follows a fruitless journey through the conventional
medical system only to find relief in the most unexpected place: a
breathing exercise that eventually leads him to take up meditation. This
was the very last place Parks anticipated finding answers; he was about
as far from New Age as you can get.
As everything that he once held true is called into question, Parks
confronts the relationship between his mind and body, the hectic modern
world that seems to demand all our focus, and his chosen life as an
intellectual and writer. He is drawn to consider the effects of illness
on the work of other writers, the role of religion in shaping our sense
of self, and the influence of sports and art on our attitudes toward
health and well-being. Most of us will fall ill at some point; few will
describe that journey with the same verve, insight, and radiant
intelligence as Tim Parks. Captivating and inspiring Teach Us to Sit
Still is an intensely personal--and brutally honest--story for our
times.