The Little Book Of Meditation

From the bestselling author of The Little Book of Mindfulness. Meditation is an easy way to bring more peace and tranquillity into your life. Packed with practical advice, useful meditations and affirming thoughts, this little book teaches you how to be happier, healthier and more relaxed - without sitting for hours on a meditation cushion. Dr Patrizia Collard, bestselling author of The Little Book of Mindfulness, shows you another way, with these fun and efficient exercises: just 5 to 10 minutes a day is enough to strengthen your immune system, relieve stress and clear your head. Whether you like mindfulness or movement meditations, or simple mantras, everyone will find a meditation to suit them.

More and more of us are suffering from the stresses and strains of modern life. Mindfulness is an increasingly popular discipline that can not only help alleviate the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression brought on by the pressures of our daily existence but can actually bring calm, joy and happiness into our lives. In The Little Book of Mindfulness Tiddy Rowan, herself a practitioner for over 30 years, has gathered together a seminal collection of over 150 techniques, tips, exercises, advice and guided meditations that will enable people at every level to follow the breath, still the mind and relax the body, whilst generating and boosting a feeling of well-being and contentment that will permeate every aspect of everyday life. The perfect little gift to bring lasting happiness and peace for friends and family.

More and more people are feeling the pressures of life, being literally overwhelmed in today's accelerating world of constant change. We are all being challenged with the need to relax and cultivate mental peace to counter the growing stresses within our own lives and what we see around us. How do we keep up our energy and stay mentally and physically balanced so that we can maintain our composure and prevent harm to ourselves? How can we return to a road of vibrant health, boundless energy, peace of mind and wellbeing? The answer is through meditation. The ancient practice of meditation teaches you how to calm your mind to nd an internal mental peace and tranquility despite all the stresses surrounding you. The bene ts of learning how to meditate include the ability to enjoy a quiet empty mind, better health, more energy, and wellbeing. There are not just physical and mental bene ts to meditation but profound spiritual bene ts as well, which is why meditation has become a foundational practice within many spiritual traditions. Even so, few people know how to meditate correctly to reap all its possible bene ts, and even fewer understand how it helps nurture spiritual growth and spiritual strength. In this small book you will learn everything you need to know, including answers to the most often asked questions, to be able to master four of the most common meditation practices found across the world. You will learn how to recite mantras or prayers to quiet your mind. You will learn how to watch your thoughts and behavior with alert awareness, called vipassana mindfulness meditation practice, so that your wandering thoughts calm down. If you learn how to constantly watch your mind and your behavior with an inner mindfulness, you will be continually practicing self-improvement and purifying your consciousness. You will also learn visualization concentration practice, which has been used by many famous scientists, to cultivate the ability to hold visual images in your mind without wavering. Lastly, you will learn the methods of cultivating your breath, or respiration, through yoga pranayama practices and anapana practices that teach you to watch your breathing to calm your mind, and even attain high spiritual states called samadhi. While you will learn how to master the big four methods, other meditation techniques are also introduced that come from not one, but from a variety of spiritual traditions. These methods will not only teach you how to live better, but will also give you the tools for mastering this thing we all have called "consciousness" and learning about the true nature of your mind. The results of meditation practice not only lead to greater internal peace, but physical changes such as the rousing of internal energies that lay the foundation for higher spiritual growth and wellbeing. These physical changes include more energy, the healing of internal illnesses, muscle softening, greater flexibility and longevity. You will learn how to lay this foundation through the meditation practice of quieting the mind, how these internal energies arise and what they do, and how wisdom and merit-making can actually lead you to even higher stages of meditation progress. You'll also nd answers to the most typical questions about the diet for meditation practice, sexual discipline, and even how to detoxify the body for better health, all of which may speed your meditation progress. Most of all, you will learn how to set up a practice schedule for meditation that ts into in a busy life. In short, if you wanted just one book on how to meditate for yourself or your friends in order to teach them how to practice, this contains all you need to know.

This useful guide, written by a noted meditation teacher, offers easy strategies for overcoming stress and finding relaxation in any circumstance. Author Marina Bear presents meditation techniques in an encouraging way, making them accessible and enjoyable. In clear language, she explains the benefits of meditation, supported by recent scientific studies. While the book is aimed at secular readers, it acknowledges the rich tradition of religious meditation and explains some of the words and techniques associated with those traditions. Roger Williams' charming illustrations help make this an ideal gift book.

A practical guide to experiencing natural awareness—an effortless and spacious state of resting in the depth or our being. Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, a rain-soaked leaf, a wandering ladybug? Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness, contentment, and ease? If so, then you've already had a taste of natural awareness. Known and revered in many traditions as a complement to focused mindfulness training, natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments. Some describe it as a profound "awareness of awareness"—an effortless, boundless state of resting in the depth of our being. For those new to meditation and experienced meditators alike, these 72 "mini-chapters" guide you on an in-depth odyssey into natural awareness, illuminated by many simple and enjoyable insights and exercises. The Little Book of Being invites you to explore: The spectrum of awareness practices, from focused mindfulness to flexible mindfulness to natural awareness • How classical mindfulness and effortless natural awareness enrich and shape each other, and how to practice both • Three ways to move into natural awareness—relaxing effort, broadening awareness, and dropping objects • A treasury of "glimpse practices" to spark natural awareness anytime, in just a few moments • How to bring this way of "simply being" into your daily life, into your connection with others, and into the world "At first natural awareness may seem far away, just a whisper, but then it will begin to grow and expand and permeate aspects of living. Over time we may feel more peace, more connection to ourselves. We may find ourselves taking life a bit more lightly. We may feel a sense of relaxed ‘beingness’ throughout the day, and when we do get caught in our dramas, we may find ourselves moving out of them quicker than we imagined we could." —Diana Winston

By adopting the ancient Buddhist practice of mindfulness meditation, we can learn to pay attention to our daily experience and become more contented and fulfilled by daily activities. Many of us find it difficult to simply appreciate the present moment. We either dwell on the past or worry about the future, moving mindlessly from one activity to the next. When we are not being mindful, we miss out on small moments that are often incredibly valuable – be it a beautiful park that we walk through on our journey to work or the taste and texture of a delicious meal. In mindfulness meditation we pay attention to our ongoing experience whether it is pleasant – such as appreciating a beautiful sunny day; unpleasant – a disagreement with a loved one; or neutral – doing household chores. This 'Little Pocket Book' is the perfect introduction to mindfulness and is packed with easy-to-follow tips and suggestions that will allow you to incorporate simple mindful moments into your daily life.

A taste of Zen for the seeker and the curious alike. This small but wise book collects Eastern and Western sayings, haiku, poetry, and inspiring quotations from ancient and modern thinkers. Its aim is not to define Zen or answer its famous koan—What is the sound of one hand clapping?—but rather to point to a fresh way of looking at the world: with mindfulness, clarity, and joy. “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought” —Bashō New material is taken from contemporary spiritual leaders, writers, meditation teachers, and others with an emphasis on the practice of mindfulness—on the heart, rather than the head. Pen and ink illustrations from the author bring an additional layer of feeling and beauty.

“When something is bothering you—a person is bugging you, a situation is irritating you, or physical pain is troubling you—you must work with your mind, and that is done through meditation. Working with our mind is the only means through which we’ll actually begin to feel happy and contented with the world that we live in.” —Pema Chödrön Pema Chödrön is treasured around the world for her unique ability to transmit teachings and practices that bring peace, understanding, and compassion into our lives. With How to Meditate, the American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun presents her first book exploring in depth what she considers the essentials for a lifelong practice. More and more people are beginning to recognize a profound inner longing for authenticity, connection, and aliveness. Meditation, Pema explains, gives us a golden key to address this yearning. This step-by-step guide shows readers how to honestly meet and openly relate with the mind, embrace the fullness of our experience, and live in a wholehearted way as we discover: The basics of meditation, from getting settled and the six points of posture to working with your breath and cultivating an attitude of unconditional friendlinessThe Seven Delights—how moments of difficulty can become doorways to awakening and loveShamatha (or calm abiding), the art of stabilizing the mind to remain present with whatever arisesThoughts and emotions as “sheer delight”—instead of obstacles—in meditation “I think ultimately why we practice is so that we can become completely loving people, and this is what the world needs,” writes Pema Chödrön. How to Meditate is an essential book from this wise teacher to assist each one of us in this virtuous goal.