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| ISBN-13: | 9781524856915 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Andrews McMeel Publishing |
| Publication date: | 09/24/2019 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| File size: | 29 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
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The Little Book of Meditations
By Gilly Pickup
Summersdale Publishers Ltd
Copyright © 2016 Summersdale Publishers LtdAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-78372-853-4
CHAPTER 1
WHAT IS MEDITATION?
Meditation is a process of awareness leading to a state of consciousness which brings serenity and clarity. During meditation sessions the body is in a state of rest and relaxation. When you meditate you are fully awake and alert, but your mind is not focused on the external world or on events taking place around you. The goal is to achieve inner peace.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
Albert Einstein
MEDITATION IS A TECHNIQUE FOR RESTING THE MIND
The word meditation comes from the Latin words meditari – to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind – and mederi – to heal. The Sanskrit word medha means wisdom. When practised, meditation enables you to reach a state of consciousness which is totally different from the normal waking state. The goal is not to get rid of thoughts but to become more aware of the 'silence' that is present in the mind along with the thoughts. It is the means for experiencing the centre of consciousness within ourselves. When we cultivate a peaceful mind, it follows that we feel good and positive within. Meditation brings mental, emotional and spiritual balance, which is the key to enlightenment.
The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this lifetime.
Sogyal Rinpoche
The best way to meditate is through meditation itself.
Ramana Maharshi
MEDITATION BRINGS MANY BENEFITS
Besides reducing stress and relieving muscle tension, meditation can help us make better decisions, which leads to higher productivity at work. It increases creativity and mental alertness and may aid problem-solving, too, making meditation an excellent means of improving physical and emotional well-being. Some find the best time to meditate is in the evening, at the end of their working day; if practised at that time, it has the extra bonus of helping ensure a deep, peaceful sleep. Whatever time we choose, the act of meditating provides us with an oasis of calm that is often hard to find in our busy lives. If you or someone you know suffers from a mental illness, meditation should only be used under expert guidance. Should you have any doubts about your personal or mental health, see a medical practitioner.
Meditation can help usembrace our worries, our fear, our anger; and that is very healing.
Thích Nhât Hanh
Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds with it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.
Buddha
ANYONE CAN LEARN TO MEDITATE
The good news is it doesn't matter who you are, how old you are, what gender you are or what your nationality is, because meditation is for everyone. You don't need to be religious, or to have a guru, and you don't have to spend lots of time in an ashram to learn the art. Meditation requires little to no equipment or physical exertion and so can be a good fit for those with a time-or cash-strapped lifestyle. Meditation, like exercise, can trigger a release of endorphins, the brain chemical that makes you feel good. Granted, some people find it easier than others, and some take longer to 'get the hang of it' because like any skill, meditation requires practice to achieve satisfying results. However, anyone at all can do it and, with perseverance, will reap the benefits.
YOU CAN SIT IN A VARIETY OF POSITIONS WHEN MEDITATING
Most people think of the lotus position when they think of meditating; sitting cross-legged and placing each leg on top of the thigh opposite. Although famous, the lotus is not necessary in practice. It is difficult for some people to master and indeed, even with practice, some may never manage it. If you don't want to – or can't – meditate while in this position, then simply find a peaceful place to sit in a chair with your back straight and eyes closed. It is important to choose a position that is comfortable for you and that you can maintain throughout your meditation session. If you use a chair, pick one with a flat seat so that you don't find yourself tilting too much towards the back. If your feet don't touch the floor, find something for them to rest on so that your legs don't dangle.
WITHIN YOURSELF IS A STILLNESS, A SANCTUARY TO WHICH YOU CAN RETREAT AT ANY TIME AND BE YOURSELF.
Hermann Hesse
At the end of the day, I can end up just totally wacky, because I've made mountains out of molehills. With meditation, I can keep them as molehills.
Ringo Starr
FIND AN UNCLUTTERED, TRANQUIL PLACE TO MEDITATE
It should be somewhere you will not be disturbed. Bring your awareness through all parts of your body and allow your muscles to relax, except those supporting your head, neck and back. Revel in and enjoy the calming process of letting go of your body tension. Meditation is the science of letting go and this begins with the body and then extends to your thoughts.
Meditation allows us to directly participate in our lives instead of living life as an afterthought.
Stephen Levine
MEDITATION IS A POWERFUL HABIT
Besides being powerful, meditation is also an extremely simple practice and, better still, it brings immediate benefits. Some people think of meditation as something you do with a teacher, and of course, some people prefer to attend meditation classes, but it can be as simple as paying attention to your breathing while sitting in your car, at your desk, on a bus, doing some form of exercise or while out walking. Qigong or t'ai chi are examples of meditating while in motion. We explore these later in the book. You can practise meditation wherever you happen to be. While forming the habit can be a little frustrating, try to overcome the initial feeling of obligation when considering your meditation routine and anticipate the benefits instead. Remember, a little meditation each day helps to keep stress and negativity away.
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
Socrates
The thing about meditation is ... you become more and more you.
David Lynch
WHEN MEDITATING, TRY TO KEEP YOUR MIND FREE FROM UNWANTED THOUGHTS
It can be very difficult for a beginner to the art of meditation to sit still for any length of time and think of nothing or have an empty mind. Trying to do that often simply encourages more random thoughts to flit through our minds. In general, the easiest way to begin meditating is by focusing on breathing to help concentration and let it develop from there. If your room is artificially lit, perhaps use the dimmer switch to create low lighting, or sit by candlelight. It helps the feeling of relaxation. Tilt the head slightly downward, with eyes open or closed. Tilting your head helps open up the chest and eases your breathing. End your session by sitting quietly for a moment or two and gently stretching your arms and legs before getting up.
Meditation stops the sound- loving mind.
Sri Chinmoy
Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.
Saint Francis de Sales
BECOME ONE WITH YOURSELF
With your hands resting in your lap or on your knees, turn your mind inwards, making a mental note about which parts of your body feel most relaxed. Sometimes, your body can tense in reaction to your intense, inward focus. Although this may sound contradictory, focus on relaxing. Release any muscles that are tensed but not supporting you. Become aware of any subtle movements of your body, such as grinding your teeth or clenching your hands, and let your body fall into stillness. Now turn your awareness to your mood, becoming aware of what it is like without judgement. Next, remind yourself that there is nothing for you to 'do' while you are here; just sit and let everything unfold. It all becomes simpler the more often you practise.
THERE IS NO 'RIGHT' AND 'WRONG' WAY TO MEDITATE
When you start meditating, do not expect it to 'work' for you straight away. It is easy to blame yourself but it could be that you need more time or the method you are using isn't suitable for you.
If you find it very hard to get into 'meditation mode' and after a few sessions feel you are getting nowhere, it may help to start to practise different meditation techniques, including those explored in this book. You never know what will work for you, even something completely unexpected such as standing on your head! It's unconventional, true, but as long as it works and you are enjoying all the benefits of meditation, stand on your head all you like!
Let it come, let it go, let it flow.
Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
MEDITATION IS LISTENING TO THE DIVINE WITHIN.
Edgar Cayce
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT MEDITATION TECHNIQUES TO CHOOSE FROM
Some people may concentrate on breathing, consciously noticing the movement of air in and out of the nostrils. Alternatively, there are grounding and mindfulness practices, which entail simply being aware of sensations, feelings and thoughts, observing them without passing judgement. Perhaps you could try 'focused attention meditation', if you prefer to keep your mind and attention on something. Choose an external object as the subject of your prolonged attention. Others may choose to empty their mind by gently pushing aside any straggling thoughts or by allowing thoughts to float in and out of their awareness.
BUDDHIST MEDITATIONS
Buddhist meditation covers various meditation practices which aim to develop mindfulness, concentration, tranquillity and insight.
The Mindfulness of Breathing meditation, a basic breath-counting technique, is, as the name suggests, based on being mindful or having an increased awareness of yourself, your actions and experiences. The exercise is simple: while meditating count to ten repeatedly, focusing on your breath. Every time you are distracted by a thought, acknowledge it calmly and begin counting again.
Shikantaza, or 'just sitting', doesn't utilise focus on any particular object but instead the practitioner should simply try to stay as in the moment as possible, observing their thoughts and surroundings.
ACTIVE MEDITATIONS: QIGONG, YOGA AND T'AI CHI
Qigong, a traditional Chinese practice, combines meditation, relaxation and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. It is designed to raise self-awareness and balance life energy by exploring the connection between body, mind and spirit. Yoga is a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises performed to promote a more flexible body and calm mind. Moving through poses encourages you to focus less on distracting thoughts and more on the moment. T'ai chi, sometimes referred to as 'meditation in motion', is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts which combines deep breathing and relaxation with slow and gentle movements. Originally developed in thirteenth-century China, it is practised today worldwide. The deliberate, controlled movements and intense concentration required help still the mind and give a deeper sense of relaxation.
A free and silent mind is always inmeditation.
Remez Sasson
An Awakened person is someone who finds freedom in good fortune and bad.
Bodhidharma
LOTS OF THINGS CAN BE MEDITATION
Whether you are being aware of your breathing, relaxing by the side of a lake, listening to the birds sing, or simply chilling and doing nothing in particular, it is meditation. If these and similar activities are free from distractions, it is effective meditation. Meditation is essentially focused attention, which when practised daily helps us to draw on its benefits when needed.
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
Buddha
FOCUS ENABLES YOU TO DISPEL YOUR MIND'S JUMBLED THOUGHTS
Meditation has been practised for thousands of years and was originally meant to result in an understanding of life's sacred forces. Done regularly, meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and encourages the mind to become more peaceful. During meditation, you eliminate the flow of muddled thoughts that in daily life can crowd your mind and cause stress. As you proceed and continue your meditation sessions, you will see the beneficial effect it has on your mental clarity, instilling a feeling of peace in your daily life. Issues which are thorny or confusing will potentially become more manageable using the tool kit of meditation: a higher awareness of your thoughts means you are better equipped to filter out emotional or irrational responses.
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
Aristotle
Life is a mystery – mystery ofbeauty, bliss and divinity. Meditation is the art of unfolding that mystery.
Amit Ray
TAKE TIME TO MEDITATE
Try to allow a minimum of 15 minutes for meditation each day. Depending on day-to-day matters and personal issues, it can take up to ten minutes or even longer for the mind to become calm. Be prepared to set aside a little extra time for your session, so you don't feel as though you're watching the clock. In each practice session, your body benefits from a state of deep rest and relaxation.
Meditate daily, and soon your inner strength and mind power will grow.
Remez Sasson
MEDITATION HELPS US ACHIEVE AN INNER PEACE AND THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO SITUATIONS CALMLY
After your first meditation practice you may feel calmer and more focused. When you start to meditate on a regular basis, you start to develop the ability to bring these feelings into practice in everyday life, to study a situation objectively and consciously choose how you want to respond. The gift of being present and aware is invaluable in dealing with others. Meditation is a fantastic tool for bringing harmony into our relationships and, with regular practice, your ability to harness feelings of calm and be less reactive to stressful situations will keep on improving.
RELAX WHILE YOU MEDITATE
Sometimes, particularly with beginners to the art, trying to meditate can be akin to trying to fall asleep; the harder we try the more impossible it seems. One way around this is to think of meditation as a welcome opportunity to relax rather than as a discipline you have to master. If your attention wanders, try to practise acceptance and avoid getting annoyed with yourself. Simply direct your attention back to what you are doing and focus on your experience at that moment.
It helps to wear comfortable clothes when you are meditating. Avoid wearing anything too tight or material that may be uncomfortable. It is best to wear loose clothing, such as sportswear or nightwear.
Meditation is the golden key to all the mysteries of life.
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
IF YOU ARE DOING MINDFULNESS MEDITATION, YOU ARE DOING IT WITH YOUR ABILITY TO ATTEND TO THE MOMENT.
Daniel Goleman
UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUR MIND TO MAXIMISE HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING
People can feel themselves becoming stressed in response to a multitude of daily events, from missing a bus or forgetting a birthday to feeling they are not up to the task in hand. Although we are consciously aware that these are not life-or-death situations, the body experiences the amount of stress as excessive and so triggers the 'fight or flight' mechanism. This diverts bodily resources away from systems such as the digestive or immune systems and towards the body's muscular and emotional needs. This constant deprivation can have physical side effects such as a frail immune system. Meditation eases stress and when practised regularly will enable you to feel increasingly less anxious during potentially triggering situations, improving your emotional and physical health.
REASONS FOR MEDITATING
Meditation is a simple, fast way to reduce stress. During most of our waking life our minds are engaged in a continuous internal dialogue in which the meaning and emotional associations of one thought triggers the next. Meditation helps calm the inner turmoil, getting rid of the chatter in our minds. It can also help alleviate anxiety, high blood pressure, insomnia and chronic pain, decrease muscle tension and improve mental performance.
Meditate, visualise and create your own reality and the universe will simply reflect back to you.
Amit Ray
Be still and know.
Aristotle
BE AWARE OF HOW YOU BREATHE
If you are new to meditation, you may find your attention drifting away from your breathing. Don't be discouraged. As soon as you realise this is happening, gently focus on bringing it back. It doesn't matter if this happens several times during your practice sessions. As you begin to master the art, you will find it becomes easier to concentrate.
If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in themoment, live in the breath.
Amit Ray
Meditation helps me deal with life's ups and downs.
Eva Mendes
MEDITATION IS NOT ABOUT OPTING OUT OF LIFE OR STOPPING OUR THOUGHTS
The aim of meditation is not to achieve a totally blank mind, devoid of all thoughts. It teaches us to clear our minds of unwanted worries and just 'be' in the present moment. This means we are not distracted by unwanted thoughts but are able to turn a more intense attention to whatever it is we want to consider – almost the opposite of a blank mind! Similarly, utilising meditation because you don't want to think any more, perhaps because your worries are too great, will not be successful. In those instances, perhaps consider other therapies alongside a course of meditation. Meditation can complement talking therapies and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). However, always ask your therapist for their recommendation before introducing it into your mental health treatment.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Little Book of Meditations by Gilly Pickup. Copyright © 2016 Summersdale Publishers Ltd. Excerpted by permission of Summersdale Publishers Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Cover,Title Page,
Copyright,
INTRODUCTION,
WHAT IS MEDITATION?,
MEDITATION IS A TECHNIQUE FOR RESTING THE MIND,
MEDITATION BRINGS MANY BENEFITS,
ANYONE CAN LEARN TO MEDITATE,
YOU CAN SIT IN A VARIETY OF POSITIONS WHEN MEDITATING,
FIND AN UNCLUTTERED, TRANQUIL PLACE TO MEDITATE,
MEDITATION IS A POWERFUL HABIT,
WHEN MEDITATING, TRY TO KEEP YOUR MIND FREE FROM UNWANTED THOUGHTS,
BECOME ONE WITH YOURSELF,
THERE IS NO 'RIGHT' AND 'WRONG' WAY TO MEDITATE,
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT MEDITATION TECHNIQUES TO CHOOSE FROM,
BUDDHIST MEDITATIONS,
ACTIVE MEDITATIONS: QIGONG, YOGA AND T'AI CHI,
LOTS OF THINGS CAN BE MEDITATION,
FOCUS ENABLES YOU TO DISPEL YOUR MIND'S JUMBLED THOUGHTS,
TAKE TIME TO MEDITATE,
MEDITATION HELPS US ACHIEVE AN INNER PEACE AND THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO SITUATIONS CALMLY,
RELAX WHILE YOU MEDITATE,
UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUR MIND TO MAXIMISE HEALTH,,
HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING,
REASONS FOR MEDITATING,
BE AWARE OF HOW YOU BREATHE,
MEDITATION IS NOT ABOUT OPTING OUT OF LIFE OR STOPPING OUR THOUGHTS,
CONSIDER WHAT YOU WANT MEDITATION TO DO FOR YOU,
WHEN QUESTIONS ARISE, STAY FOCUSED AND MINDFUL,
MEDITATION MEANS GIVING YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION,
MEDITATE MORE THAN ONCE A DAY,
MEDITATION HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON OUR RELATIONSHIPS,
MEDITATION HELPS US GAIN UNDERSTANDING OF OUR THOUGHTS AND PROBLEMS,
INCLUDE SOME MINI MEDITATIONS IN YOUR DAILY PRACTICE SESSIONS,
DON'T THINK OF 'GOOD' AND 'BAD' MEDITATION SESSIONS,
MEDITATION IS A REALISTIC MEANS OF CALMING YOURSELF,
AN INTRODUCTION TO MANTRAS,
THERE ARE VARIOUS WAYS TO HELP STILL YOUR MIND,
MANTRAS HELP FOCUS YOU DURING MEDITATION SESSIONS,
LEARN TO CULTIVATE SILENCE,
MEDITATE ONLY WHEN FULLY AWAKE,
TRY MEDITATION AT WORK,
OUR MINDS ARE BY NATURE PEACEFUL,
CONSIDER GUIDED MEDITATION,
FEEL LIGHTER AND HAPPIER,
BEING TRULY PRESENT IN EACH MOMENT IS WHEN WE EXTRACT THE,
GREATEST MEANING FROM OUR LIVES,
MEDITATION HELPS DEVELOP YOUR CREATIVE SKILLS,
TAKE TIME TO SIT STILL AND REFLECT,
KEEP A MEDITATION DIARY,
MEDITATION IS NOT A PART OF ANY RELIGION,
DISPLAY YOUR FAVOURITE MEDITATION QUOTES,
TAKE IT EASY AFTER YOU FINISH A MEDITATION SESSION,
THE ART OF MEDITATING LEADS TO FULFILMENT,
SO YOU'VE READ THIS BOOK AND STILL AREN'T SURE IF MEDITATION IS FOR YOU,
MEDITATION AND A BALANCED LIFE,