Plante, director of the Spirituality and Health Institute at Santa Clara University, unites contributors in the professional, medical, and psychological communities to provide a multidisciplinary perspective on contemplative practices, prayer, meditation, and physical practices among various religious and spiritual traditions. The essays offer ideas for applications in the workplace, educational settings, pastoral care, and medical, psychological, or other health care interventions. In Part I, contributors describe integrated contemplative practice systems, including an eight-point program for translating spiritual ideas into daily life developed by Eknath Easwaran, an Indian professor who lived in Northern California. Part II investigates specific contemplative systems, such as Zen for the transformation of emotional and physical stress. Part III demonstrates contemplative practices in action in various settings. Most material originated at an October 2009 conference at Santa Clara University. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)