Table Of ContentAdvance praise for the new edition of Living in Balance
“The world is craving a vocabulary that enhances balance in life and compassion
in communications both towards self and towards others. Through all my
encounters with Joel and Michelle Levey they offer just that, and I’m grateful for
everything they are offering me in my personal life and in my work. With a soft
wisdom the new edition of Living in Balance guides us towards our inner force
and the bigger understanding we all need in this time of a world in transition.”
—KAROLINE KLERK, founder of Compassionate Sweden
“Living in Balance is a global priority. Joel and Michelle skillfully highlight the
inner dimension to international crises. Through modern science and ancient
wisdom traditions, they offer insights and practical tools to help us find and
maintain balance in daily life—so we can contribute to creating a more peaceful
and environmentally sustainable world.”
—PHILIP M. HELLMICH, Director of Peace, The Shift Network; author of
God and Conflict: A Search for Peace in a Time of Crisis
“Today more than ever modern society makes demands on the individual for
which evolution has not prepared us. Living in Balance gives each of us tools
that not only will allow us to navigate through a complex world but allow us to
thrive. By gaining insights into ourselves and learning techniques that
fundamentally allow one to rewire their brain, Joel and Michelle have given us a
wonderful gift… the gift of transcendence.”
—JAMES R. DOTY, M.D., founder and director of Stanford’s Center for
Compassion and Altruism Research and Education; clinical professor of
neurosurgery at Stanford University “This book, like its luminous authors,
brings refreshment to mind and heart. It invites us to open to our own inner
wisdom, and brings us tools, visions, and whispered counsel that restore the
blessed balance we each deserve.”
—JOANNA MACY, author of Coming Back to Life
“A beautiful book that brings wisdom and love into a world that longs for
balance.”
—ROSHI JOAN HALIFAX, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center
“In this book, Joel and Michelle offer us all that we need to create a meaningful
and balanced life. Anyone who follows these practices and teachings will
become a blessing to others, a refuge for all beings. The revolution we seek must
always come from the inside out.”
—NOAH LEVINE, author of Refuge Recovery, Dharma Punx, and Against the
Stream
“The benefit of Living in Balance is in the skillful weaving of the personal,
interpersonal, and ecological perspectives with the fields of wisdom, faith
traditions, daily life, and science. It’s a pleasant combination of practical advice
and inspiration that is very helpful as we seek to develop wiser relationships
with ourselves, our community, our technology, and our world.”
—BILL DUANE, senior manager, Well Being and Sustainable High
Performance Development Programs at Google “A vital compass for this era
of chaos and possibility, Living in Balance guides us on a deep and expansive
journey, flowing with transformative wisdom. Lucid and engaging, it is a tonic
for the heart, mind, body, and the world we inhabit.”
—NOVA AMI AND VELCROW RIPPER, award-winning filmmakers, Fierce
Love Films “Joel and Michelle are not just experts in this field, but two of the
most balanced people I have ever met. In Living in Balance, they offer not
only cutting edge science and their own experience, but wisdom from the ages
on living wisely and well. A must read for all of us seeking calm in the chaos
of our times.”
—M.J. RYAN, author of This Year I Will and How to Survive Change You Didn’t
Ask For
“This book is both a practical and inspirational resource for living our lives to
the fullest while also encouraging and impacting those around us—whether it’s a
single family, a workplace environment or an entire community of citizens.
Living in Balance offers wisdom and depth gleaned from innovative,
entrepreneurial, and compassionate thinkers and doers; it is thoughtful, well
researched, and immensely valuable in bringing balance and productivity to the
increasingly complex, challenging, and global world we live in.”
—GREG FISCHER, mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, an International Model City
of Compassion
“Wonderful! A radical yet simple approach that can save our sanity and the
world! The timeless wisdom and modern science in this book offer critical
insight for everyone working to rebalance their lives or engaging in social
change. The mindfulness practices share essential skills for keeping calm in the
midst of today’s raging storms. I recommend this book to everyone and return to
its quotes and passages often.”
—RIVERA SUN, author of The Dandelion Insurrection
“I’ve known and admired the work of Joel and Michelle Levey, and have
witnessed first-hand the loving wisdom and depth of their teaching. This book
elucidates and enlivens their work and makes it accessible to anyone who is on
the journey to find more peace, joy, and fulfillment in life. The Leveys affirm the
many strategies we might embrace to find our way. This book is to be treasured
and read until dog-eared and damp with sweet tears of deep recognition.”
—KAREN GUZAK, mayor, City of Snohomish, Washington State
Published by DIVINE ARTS
DivineArtsMedia.com
An Imprint of Michael Wiese Productions 12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 379–8799, (818) 986–3408 (Fax) Cover design: JohnnyInk www.johnnyink.com
Interior design and layout: Howie Severson www.fortuitouspub.com
Copyeditor: David Wright
Printed by McNaughton & Gunn, Inc., Saline, Michigan Copyright © 2014 by Joel Levey and Michelle
Levey All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
permission in writing from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Levey, Joel.
Living in balance : a mindful guide for thriving in a complex world / Joel Levey and Michelle Levey ;
foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. — [Revised edition].
pages cm
ISBN 978–1–61125–030–5 (ebook) 1. Conduct of life. 2. Quality of life. I. Levey, Michelle. II. Title.
BF637.C5L46 2014
158.1—dc23
2014014689
This book is dedicated to all those
who yearn for balance,
and to the spirit of harmony and wholeness
awakening within us all.
