Book excerpt: Because women have been conditioned to live according to traditional feminine values—conformity, passivity, and surrender of the self—they often feel powerless to transform their lives and afraid to lose their sense of worth. In Woman Awake, Christina Feldman suggests that it is possible for women to break out of their negative patterns and accept themselves as they really are. With a growing awarenss of the dignity of all life and its connection with them, women can overcome the social conditioning and myth-making that overwhelm and oppress them.For those women new to Buddhist meditation, Christina Feldman offers sensitive and valuable guidelines on breathing and relaxation—stressing, above all, that learning to understand, appreciate, and value themselves is the first step toward women's creative and joyful integration with the world.