Finding Stillness—Highlights of an Interview with Elizabeth Fraser

The Daily Gleaner, October 2016

​Gary Irwin-Kenyon finds solitude in waking up early and taking a bike ride with his wife down to the ocean in their hometown of St. Andrews, where they sip coffee, nibble on breakfast sandwiches and savour in the sounds of the water.
“It’s how we can find peace or meaning in our lives in the midst of a pretty crazy world,” said Irwin-Kenyon.
In his book he writes about the importance of finding stillness in the middle of a busy schedule, a passion he’s had for quite some time.
“For a long time I’ve always wanted to write a book that just spoke to people more directly,” he said. “I feel like I have something to say about how we can approach our lives to find more peacefulness.”
In his book, the St. Andrews author offers a collection of stories from people discovering stillness through different activities such as painting, exercise, hiking in nature, talking with friends so they relax into stillness or simply enjoying a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop.
He said people often get caught in their everyday lives and forget to make time to recharge.
“In our culture we tend to think we can fix everything and control things, find an expert to give you the answer to something,” he said. “We tend to forget there is such a thing as an experience of quiet and stillness in the centre of our own life story. We tend not to pay attention to that because we’re too busy.”
“Dr. Irwin-Kenyon is not just an expert in his field, but is also a wise communicator. His professional experience and writing talent have combined to create a guide that is useful and relevant to regular people in their everyday lives. So many of us often feel overwhelmed and anxious,” said Christian Jensen of FriesenPress, Irwin-Kenyon’s book publishing company in Victoria, B.C.
“Dr. Irwin-Kenyon’s book offers a clear path to restorative stillness.”