Momma Zen

Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood

By: Karen Maezen Miller

Narrated by: Maezen Karen Miller

Combining humor, honesty, and plainspoken advice, Momma Zen distills the doubts and frustrations of parenting into vignettes of Zen wisdom.

Drawing on her experience as a first-time mother, and on her years of Zen meditation and study, Miller explores how the daily challenges of parenthood can become the most profound spiritual journey of our lives. This compelling and wise memoir follows the timeline of early motherhood from pregnancy through toddlerhood. Momma Zen takes listeners on a transformative journey, charting a mother’s growth beyond naive expectations and disorientation to finding fulfillment in ordinary tasks, developing greater self-awareness and acceptance - to the gradual discovery of "maternal bliss", a state of abiding happiness and ease that is available to us all.

In her gentle and reassuring voice, Karen Miller convinces us that ancient and authentic spiritual lessons can be as familiar as a lullaby, as ordinary as pureed peas, and as frequent as a sleepless night. She offers encouragement for the hard days, consolation for the long haul, and the lightheartedness every new mom needs to face the crooked path of motherhood straight on.

©2006 Karen Maezen Miller (P)2014 Audible Inc.

The best book for a mom. Any mom.

I'm very surprised by this book. And I need to say this is the best book on being a mother I've ever found. Narration is calm, flows so beautiful. So enjoyable. So reassuring. I recommend to any mom. Thank you, Karen.

Not what I thought it was gonna be.

First I really disliked the voice of the author and changing the speed didn’t really help much. And the story was just about what mothers go through which was nice. As being a first time mom, sometimes I think I certain things happen just with me but nope… all mothers go through the same feelings to a certain extent. I don’t really know what I was expecting from this book but it was just a mom trying to accept things the way it is and live in the moment. It was a good reminder but just ok book.

So grateful!

I have learned so much listening to this book it has helped me change my perspective and mindsets for greater peace and happiness.
Thank you.
The narration is perfect slow enough for the density of text to set in.
My great wish now is to see the same for the author other book "Hand Wash Cold"
I will listening again many times for the pleasure and the wealth of understanding.
Thank you so much

Diconnected

Maybe for someone else but not for me. I didn’t find any value in this. Seems like a good meaning and intention but personally not how I live my life. I thought this was going to be more “zen” focused.

Maybe for struggling moms

I was looking for more ways to really dig into the zen of being a mom. My first pregnancy at 41 came with a month long hospital stay and many complications and yet I have enjoyed every minute of this little guy. This book was awful. It was more about finding ways to escape the baby and get break from him. I know depression is really common in moms and thats why they ask at every appointment for the baby about how you are, but as a clinician I still couldn't find this book helpful for those. I don't remember why. It's been a long time now. I just remembered at points I was really disgusted with the book and couldn't finish it

Amazing and wise!

I love this book! It should really be in every moms bookshelf. Karen have so many great views on motherhood, and her advices comes straight from the heart. And she is loveley and calming to listen to <3

Speaking the language Motherhood

I’m livid, and working on accepting that I would not have been ready for this book until now, one day and three years into being on my own very crooked path of motherhood.

This is the book I was looking for when I sat at home depressed and alone with a newborn. My now three year old has taught me so much about life and I feel this in my bones. Ms. Miller’s story telling speaks such beauty into the absolute confusion, self-doubt, terror, rawness, and absolute ecstasy that is motherhood. I precluded myself from books like this in the past because I was not the one to physically birth my son into the world. Somehow her description of motherhood feels incredibly inclusive where as I’ve been unable to identify with other descriptions in the past. Some how Ms. Miller made me feel seen, heard, and deeply felt even though we have come to this path in wildly different ways. I’m deeply thankful for this book and the validation it has brought into my life.

Wonderful

Powerfully comforting for this mother of a toddler. Thank you, Ms. Miller, for helping me to incorporate my practice in this challenging part of my life.

my opinion, must listen!

Thank You Karen Maezen Miller! I think males should be listening to this book too. Different perspective wow. This is the first spiritual book to bring tears to my eyes.

zzzzzzzzzzz

monotone voice does not make for good listening. didn't make it past the first chapter.