Book Review- No ordinary Moments by Dan Millman

Every moment is precious

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In the heap of self-help genres existing in the market, there are some which are deposited in my daily/monthly read. One such gem of a book is No Ordinary Moments by Dan Millman. This is a-daily-read-to-begin-your-day kind of book.

This book is written after Way of the peaceful warrior based upon the early life of Dan Millman. The book ''No ordinary moments'' was written more than 10 years after the first publication of' “Way of the Peaceful warrior”.

No ordinary moments talk about life in passing moments. Whether we are alive or relatively dead, awake or snoozing, life is passing in each moment. The book has topics for being and becoming real and keys for transformation. It addresses overcoming the battle within and living an expanded life.

The book has a list of action items. Each Action item has a recipe/method to follow it. My favorite action items from the book are- Learning from adversity, Three Selves- Three motives, Conscious eating, The Flame meditation, speaking from heart, etc. At first, occasionally, the book appeared sluggish and static but as I kept reading (and re-reading) between the lines, I have discovered (and continue to discover with each read) so much.

We need different paradigms, open minds and spirits today. I am in favor of anything that assists me to decipher "who I am" and "why I am here". It propels me look at my own coping mechanisms and basic everyday behavior.

The book speaks of some practices which our Indian culture already collaborates with. I like how the author clearly tries to be open to all the traditions and focuses on the needs of human beings in evolving practical, suggesting sensible ways that anyone can read, understand and perhaps try for better introspection and self-evaluation leading to a deeper understanding of self and self-improvement.

(Spoiler Alert)

I am too curious to share a few if not all the action items from the book. 

Hereby sharing just one. Because I don’t want to spoil the fun of reading this book. So, proceed reading the post at your own risk (😉😉).

One-Minute Tension Release

1. Focus on any area of your body where you hold chronic tension – the neck, forehead or eyes, jaw, shoulders and upper back, stomach, thighs, or lower back. Scan your body, and select a tense area.

2. As you slowly inhale, gradually tense that area to whatever level of intensity feels right; then, as you slowly exhale with an audible “ahhhhh” sound, gradually relax that area completely.

3. Follow this deep breath with three more relaxed, effortless belly breaths.

4. Then, breathing normally and easily, staying aware of that area, gently shake your whole body, feeling loose, like a rag doll.

5. Repeat as desired.

The entire process takes a minute or less—a little bit of something that can make a big difference.

I will suggest reading this book if you are looking for practical and logical explanations/solutions/tips for facing/solving the problems in life. In addition, I suggest seeing this inspirational and joyous movie named “Peaceful Warrior” which is based on the life of Dan Millman showcasing the power of the human spirit.