The practices of the East meet those of the West in this intriguing book on the relationship between Zen meditation and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. Ruben Habito, a Zen Master as well as an expert in Ignatian spirituality, brings these two hallowed paths to enlightenment together in this intriguing book designed not only for believers in either tradition, but for seekers and beginners as well. Both comparing and contrasting Zen traditions of meditation and enlightenment with St. Ignatius' famous Exercises for attaining Divine Love, Habito offers suggestions on how the two traditions share the same goals and how each might benefit from the other or from their shared practice. As the reader follows Habito through the stages of purgation of false desires, illumination of one's true path, and the generous desire to give back what one has been given through the Divine, Habito shares illuminating and instructive stories, literary and spiritual reflections, and thought-provoking ways on how to update Zen and Ignatian spirituality to meet the needs and desires of a contemporary seeker.

Philosophy and theology have long harboured contradictory views on spiritual practice. While philosophy advocates the therapeutic benefits of daily meditation, the theology of grace promotes an ideal of happiness bestowed with little effort. As such, the historical juxtaposition of effort and grace grounding modern spiritual exercise can be seen as the essential tension between the secular and sacred. In Effort and Grace, Simone Kotva explores an exciting new theory of spiritual endeavour from the tradition of French spiritualist philosophy. Spiritual exercise has largely been studied in relation to ancient philosophy and the Ignatian tradition, yet Kotva's new engagement with its more recent forms has alerted her to an understanding of contemplative practice as rife with critical potential. Here, she offers an interdisciplinary text tracing the narrative of spiritual exertion through the work of seminal French thinkers such as Maine de Biran, Félix Ravaisson, Henri Bergson, Alain (Émile Chartier), Simone Weil and Gilles Deleuze. Her findings allow both secular philosophers and theologians to understand how the spiritual life can participate in the contemporary philosophical conversation.

Why should Ignatian spirituality be shared with other religions? -- How should Ignatian spiritual exercises be adapted for members of other religions? -- Hindu adaptations of the spiritual exercises -- Buddhist adaptations of the spiritual exercises -- Confucianism, East Asian cultures, and the spiritual exercises

Start Now! offers an extensive and representative sample of Steiner's spiritual instructions and meditative practices, including meditation instructions; mantric verses; daily, weekly and monthly practices for the development of soul qualities; karmic exercises and meditations for working with the dead, the angelic hierarchies and our guardian angel.

The definitive exercise book that the one-million-plus readers of the Younger Next Year® series have been waiting for—and the exercise book that takes the intimidation out of starting a workout routine. Based on the science that shows how we can turn back our biological clocks by a combination of aerobics and strength fitness, it’s a guide that will show every reader how to live with newfound vibrancy, strength, endurance, confidence, and joy—and it goes deep enough to be your exercise companion for life, even if you eventually take it to Masters levels. Younger Next Year: The Exercise Program combines the best information from the New York Times bestselling Younger Next Year with the cutting-edge knowledge and workouts from Thinner This Year. Here is the revolutionary 10-minute warm-up (critical for maintaining ankle, shoulder, and hip mobility). The five amazing things aerobic exercise will do for your body, and finding the method that works for you. How to get fit better and quicker with intervals. The importance of “whole-body” strength training and “rebooting the core.” Plus, the Twenty-Five Sacred Exercises that will be the foundation for your strength-training routine for life.

Combines cognitive psychology with Zen, Taoist, and Vedic practices to empty the mind • Explains how eliminating external stimulation can alleviate stress and anxiety for a calmer state of mind • Details meditation practices, such as open-awareness meditation, contemplation of Zen koans, and Vipassana meditation, and explores methods of digital detox • Draws on classical yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism as well as cognitive science to explain how and why to fast the mind Stop planning, stop comparing, stop competing, stop thinking, and just breathe deeply for a minute . . . Our undivided attention is something we are rarely able to give for reasons ranging from digital overload to the cultural conditioning of equating busyness with purpose. Just as you might choose a fast from eating to detoxify the body, the best way to overcome this modern mental overload is to periodically fast the mind. Drawing on the spiritual philosophies and meditative practices of classical yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, Jason Gregory explains how fasting the mind directly impacts your habits and way of being in the world to create peace and calmness in your life as well as allow you to build a firm psychological defense against the increasing bombardment of distractions in our world. Applying psychology and cognitive science to samsara--the cycle of suffering created by our attachment to the impermanent--he explains how overreliance on the rational mind causes imbalances in the autonomic nervous system and suppresses our natural spontaneity, feelings, and intuition. When we are unable to relax the mind deeply, we enter a destabilizing state of stress and anxiety and are unable to liberate the true Self from the impermanence and limitations of the material world. Sharing Zen, Taoist, and Vedic practices to help you empty your mind and gradually restore your natural rhythms, the author shows how to give the mind time to truly relax from stimulation so it can repair itself and come back into equilibrium. He details simple meditation practices that are easy to implement in daily life, such as open-awareness meditation and contemplation of Zen koans, as well as the advanced techniques of Vipassana, a Theravadic Buddhist discipline centered on seclusion from all worldly stimuli. He also offers methods for digital detox and ensuring a good night’s sleep, a major support for healing cognitive impairment and restoring a state of equanimity. By fasting the mind we strip away the distractions and stresses of modern life and return to our original nature as it exists deep within. We become more consciously awake in every moment, allowing us to feel the real beauty of the world and, in turn, to live life more fully, authentically, and peacefully.