The Meditation Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of meditation techniques, including those taught by the great spiritual traditions. It describes the many benefits of the practice, and aims to provide readers with much of what they need to know in order to decide if meditation is right for them. Each of the most important techniques is described in its essential details, using concepts that can be easily understood by the general reader - although the book will also be helpful to those with experience who wish to develop their practice further. Professor Fontana emphasises that meditation is an outstanding technique not only for developing harmony and inner peace and for enhancing physical and psychological health, but also for enabling the practitioner to explore the mysteries of the mind and the spiritual dimension to existence. The book is unique in its breadth and scope, in its freedom from doctrine and dogma and in the authentic wisdom it builds upon - the author has personal experience of many major Eastern and Western traditions. Written in accessible language throughout, it concludes with sections on the nature of enlightenment and on the mysteries of life and death.

This valuable guide explains the basic process that is initiated when someone seriously begins to learn meditation in any tradition or with any technique. Whether the object is relaxation, enlightenment, or union with the Divine, the three most obvious results of meditation can be summarized as calmness, power, and insight; together, they represent the refinement and development of our physical, emotional, and intellectual levels of being. In The Meditator's Guidebook, author Lucy Oliver describes with precision the benefits and pitfalls of meditation and distinguishes it from trance, hypnosis, reflection, or visualization. She clarifies the basic techniques and principles involved in the skill of meditation and shows how sustained practice can unlock our innate creativity. Just as nourishment is assimilated by the body and transformed in the process of physical growth, meditation is a catalyst for transforming the substance of life in our consciousness and deepening our contact with the creative dimension of existence.

Find the practice that’s right for you with this exploration of the many paths of meditation—from mantra, prayer, singing, visualizations, and “just sitting” to movement meditations such as tai chi “Everyone has experienced a moment of pure awareness. A moment without thinking ‘I am aware’ or ‘that is a tree.’ Such moments bring a sense of rightness, of clarity, of being at one. Such moments are the essence of meditation.”—Ram Dass Ram Dass is an American psychologist and spiritual teacher who has studied and practiced meditation for many years. Here he shares his understanding and suggests how you can find methods suitable for you. He illuminates the stages and benefits of meditative practice, and provides wise and often humorous advice on overcoming difficulties along the way.

The first book to examine and extract the workable teachings from the The Secret of the Golden Flower. Forget dogma and belief systems… This is DIY meditation method, especially for those individuals tempted to brave the solitary path. It’s only limits are your ability to envision and strive for a new YOU. Since the publication of Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time (ASIN: B001A9TN7Q) in 2008 (DGF), readers have asked for an in-depth guidebook on using The Secret of the Golden Flower (SGF) to awaken kundalini in a manner, and with results, similar to those described in JJ Semple's DGF. The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Kundalini Meditation Method is that book, a much anticipated interpretive guide to the SGF as well as a sequel to his DGF autobiographical kundalini memoir. Kundalini is the formative, biological life force energy in your body. Most people don't realize that kundalini resides within them; they are simply unaware of its actuality and its potential. Which means, of course, that it may never "re-activate" either spontaneously or otherwise, not unless you learn how to induce a Kundalini awakening through meditation practice. Even then, the outcome is never certain. There's a quantum or karmic aspect to the process. Wilhelm, Cleary, and Jung translated the book and commented on its teachings, but not one of them ever practiced the method. This book compares their translations and commentaries with JJ Semple's empirical practice of the method, using his ultimate success in awakening kundalini as the arbiter of its suitability as a method — in essence, the author identifies where the written word deviates from actual practice. He extracts the workable teachings from the esoteric text of the SGF and shapes them into a practical modern method. By cross-referencing both the Cleary and the Wilhelm versions, the author details each version's contribution to the kundalini awakening process. A chapter comparing Golden Flower Meditation (GFM) to the Microcosmic Orbit (MCO) is also included. Says JJ Semple, “Did I take every word and every passage in the Wilhelm version literally? No more than I take every word or passage in the Bible, or in Cleary’s translation, literally. I realized that a successful practice depended on problem solving and detective work, that searching for literal meaning was a waste of time. Success would be found in doing, not in fantasizing.” In fact, the SGF has two objectives. One, it's a manual for kundalini meditation, even though the term "kundalini" never appears in the text. Put aside what you may have been told or read about the SGF and accept this as fact — one borne out by centuries of realized practitioners who practiced the method, a fact vetted by contemporaries such as Gopi Krishna. Two, it's an explanation of ontology, which the dictionary defines as: “the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.” Neither objective is readily understood without practicing the method. Sure, it’s possible to approach the text as an academic challenge, but the best way to reconcile the two objectives is by practicing the method, which, if you are patient, allows you to “grok” the ontological elements as you move forward. The two are not separated in the text; they’re mingled together, which, as you might imagine, makes understanding problematic. Says JJ Semple, “Although the ontological portions obscured the practical aspects to some degree, I decided to forge ahead. Ultimately, once the meditation took its course, once the light started to circulate, I was catapulted out of the limiting duality of the physical world into the metaphysical actuality of ‘the great One...which has nothing above it.’" In short, he learned that enlightenment comes with practice.

"Better than sex!" That's how Ajahn Brahm describes meditation, and his enthusiasm is contagious. A self-described meditation junkie, Brahm, the author of the popular "Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?, " shares his recipe for bliss in this practical, energizing new book. "The Meditator's Handbook" is a complete, stem-to-stern guide to the subject, with precise step-by-step instructions for traversing the stages of practice and overcoming obstacles. Drawing on his working-class roots, Brahm explains difficult concepts clearly and easily, so that beginners understand them, while those who already meditate gain new insight. Full of surprises, delightfully goofy humor, and entertaining stories that inspire, instruct, and illuminate, "The Meditator's Handbook" encourages novices and gives a shot in the arm to more experienced practitioners.

From the cofounders of The Well Daily, an illustrated, informative, and easy-to-use meditation guidebook—including an eight-week plan for busy novices. We’ve all heard the reports about meditation: that it helps us relieve stress and anxiety, improve our moods, lose weight, and sleep better. We know that it can make us healthier, nicer, a kinder parent, a better coworker, a more thoughtful spouse. But there’s a catch—you actually have to do it. Written for the many, many people whose schedule or skepticism has kept them from trying meditation, Just Sit is an approachable and visually engaging beginner's guide. Assuaging fears, answering questions, and providing real-world information to demystify the process, Sukey and Elizabeth Novogratz provide a hands-on look at what meditation really is, what is does, and how to do it. The authors make clear that meditation doesn't have to be complicated or follow a specific protocol. The most important part, to “just sit,” can lead to a lifelong practice, tailored to anyone's lifestyle. A perfect blend of information and instruction, Just Sit covers everything you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask. Sukey and Elizabeth address meditation myths and realities, offer advice on how to combat awkwardness, extoll the physical and emotional benefits of meditation, show readers how to find those precious minutes to meditate every day, and more. They also include an eight-week plan to get help readers kick start—and stay with—their own daily practice. Time to ditch the excuses. With this warm, encouraging, sassy guide, everyone will want to show up—and sit down—every day.

In Learn to Meditate Professor David Fontana shows you how to meditate, and puts his 35 years of experience into a series of exercises, visualisations and affirmations that will bring meditation into any lifestyle. Written with a refreshing clarity and simplicity this accessible guide draws upon all of world's meditation traditions to present an eclectic and thoroughly practical programme for inner peace. Fully illustrated and brimming with innovative exercises, visualisations and affirmations, this is a book that helps attune us both physically and mentally whatever our mood or need.