I mostly bought this book because it also contains a CD of a guided meditation called "Japa". I have never formally meditated before with guided imagery, so I thought I would give it a try, especially since I was familiar with Dyer's books and loved his personal style and wisdom. Japa meditation focuses on the sound "Ah", which Dyer notes is a sound common in all names of God, such as Yahweh, Allah, Ra, Jehovah, Krishna, Kali, Yeshua, and so on.

His gentle and soothing voice guides you to visualize 1the first 10 words of the Lord's Prayer (Our Father Who Art In Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name), and then focus on the "gap" between words where there is space and silence. Then, you voice the "Ah" sound along with Dyer. I realize that sound is very healing and sacred, but I personally don't like to verbalize the "Ah" sound along with Dyer. However, by hearing Dyer chant "Ah" between the gaps of the Lord's Prayer, it helps me center in on that "gap" and feel the vibration and Presence of God. I tend to be more visual, so imagining the "space between" helps to cease the mind's incessant chatter.

I highly recommend this book and accompanying CD for greater mental clarity and overall feelings of peace--especially if you have reservations about guided meditations or have never used one before. Getting in the Gap also contains a section of testimonials from those who have had remarkable experience using the Japa meditation.


Go To The Ocean Directly   October 26, 2003
 192 out of 194 found this review helpful

"For the raindrop, joy is in entering the river..." ~Mirza Ghalib

Have you ever wished you could escape to a place of peace? "The Gap" is a place between your thoughts. It is the place where you can be still and release yourself from the 60,000 thoughts hurtling through your mind during the course of a day.

Meditation can encourage physical healing, reduce stress, eliminate fatigue, make you feel younger, brighten your eyes and complexion, keep you focused on your spiritual connection, alleviate depression, and improve your memory. Meditation also allows you to find some of the secrets of peace. When you are thinking about God, how can you think of problems? How can your heart be anxious when it is freed from pain and sorrow and is resting in an ocean of love.

Once you have experienced this "place of peace/the gap," you can go there again. I first experienced this "space between my thoughts" during the end of a yoga workout. I had no idea you could escape the pain of life in this manner. I felt good for two days after doing the meditation section of the workout.

In this book, there is a CD that allows you to quickly enter the silence without the yoga workout, although I still like putting a fluffy down comforter on the floor as I do when I do yoga workouts. I was encouraged to learn that there is no "correct posture" or place for meditating. I actually meditate better when lying flat on my back. You could be sitting in your chair at work with your eyes closed during a 10-minute break, you could be at home, on a plane, or you could be out in nature.

The book has six chapters explaining Japa Meditation and shows how this form of meditation can affect your life in a positive way. The meditation CD is in a little envelope at the back of the book. There are two meditations on the 40-minute CD. The first 10 minutes explains the CD. You can listen to this each time or forward to one of the meditation sections.

The second section on the CD is a 10-minute meditation. The third section is a 20-minute meditation. In the first guided meditation, you say the name of God twice each time between the words you are visualizing on the screen of your mind. Then, in the longer 20-minute meditation you say the name of God four times between the visualization. It is very calming.

You visualize a word and then a second word. Then you "slip back to the space" between the words and I noticed that I was taking a deep breath each time. It was as if I was giving myself permission to relax. The further you go into the CD, the more relaxed you become.

The first time I tried this CD, I was in total emotional conflict. I was crying when I started listening and in 20 minutes, my mind had totally become refocused and I felt like I could again enter the world. I was amazed at how quickly my focus changed from feeling very emotional to feeling very strong, loving and peaceful. It was as if I'd slept 8 hours and awoken without the past nights conflicts haunting me. I was amazed at how rested I felt.

The feeling this CD evokes is similar to floating on an ocean of subtle vibrations that penetrate every part of your entire body making you become one with the ocean. It is like being unconditionally loved. If you have never said: "Ahhhhhh" along with a spiritual teacher, I highly recommend it. The beauty of this meditation is that you don't have to belong to any specific religion. Japa meditation is the Yoga of the Mind. It is actually practiced by all of the religions of the world but under different names.

While this book has examples of how meditating even brought financial wealth, the greatest wealth is in the peace you will experience while meditating on the name of God.

"Wisdom of the Ages" was my first introduction to Wayne Dyer. I love the quotes he finds, the passages he presents and how he weaves the past and present together to encourage a more peaceful future. His words have always captured my attention and had a profound effect on my life. I highly recommend this book and CD as an introduction to meditation. You can journey from stress to peace in as little as 10 minutes. "Getting in the Gap" is a true soul escape!

~The Rebecca Review


Its about feeling something real and true...about you....   March 18, 2004
 74 out of 79 found this review helpful

I've read and listened to most of what Wayne Dyer has produced. However, in the past several years Wayne has arrived at a profound point where he has been able to put together highly complex concepts together in a rather easy to understand and practice package. If you do not meditate, this is encouragement to do so and a follow along vehicle to get you going. The point that any spiritual person will tell you is that you really should meditate every day. Meditation, will change your life and improve the quality of it tremendously. I also recommend his new book and tape, Power of Intention, which is an important companion to this wonderful book/tape. Through a relazaton and quieting of the mind and body can we observe and realize our nature and the trueth of this all.

There may be other more complex meditation techniques such as pranyama and etc. which is really for the serious student of various traditional teachings. However, for the lay person that wants to save themselves a lot of time...this book/tape and power of intention are beautifully presented and simple to understand and do. But, don't be fooled by its apparent simplicity and think that it lacks depth. Read the book, listen to the tape/cd and feel good....and know the trueth. Connnect to, experience and realize the limiteless power of the source that makes this and all that we can possibly imagine a reality.

Best Wishes...


HELPS ME FEEL CENTERED   January 10, 2003
 65 out of 72 found this review helpful

There are two books that I found to be spiritually inspiring that helped me gain greater insight into getting a closer relationship with God. One book is called, I Talked To God And He Wants To Talk To You, and the other book is this one. I'm not saying I'm completely there yet, but these books helped give me Ideas as to many possible ways of getting there. And in some moments, I believe I have been there, talking to God. Of course, when the master of the universe speaks, you probably should listen. And that is what it is all about. Learning to listen.


I laughed for all the wrong reasons   March 12, 2004
 54 out of 92 found this review helpful

As a teacher of meditation both in public and private institutions for over a decade, it was with some interest that I picked up this book. It gave me some of the best laughs I've had in a long time but unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. If anyone reading this comes away thinking that the book is about genuine meditation then they've unfortunately been duped. It is full of new age psycho babble and techniques that have very little to do with the heart of real meditation, but little else. I'd advise anyone interested in meditation to look at the books here on Amazon by authors such as John Daishin Buksbazen, Sharon Salzburg and Jessica Macbeth, which are the real deal.