(Part 2) Top products from r/Meditation

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We found 109 product mentions on r/Meditation. We ranked the 871 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.

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Top comments that mention products on r/Meditation:

u/mindful_island · 2 pointsr/Meditation

I agree to an extent. A section shortly after the "straight spine" section does advise against arching and advises to relax the posture if there is any pain or tension.

I think if the student reads the whole guide they'll get the right message. That being said, if I wrote it I would also use a phrase like "upright yet relaxed" or "erect yet relaxed".

I follow and I teach my students posture based on the lengthy guide to posture: http://www.amazon.com/Posture-Meditation-Will-Johnson/dp/1570622329

This guide also advocates an upright, yet relaxed posture (which is also backed by modern medical studies in ergonomics).

So, I agree with you - I wish the language was better in Young's guide (even though I think it is a pretty comprehensive guide to the sitting postures).

Unfortunately I don't have perfect materials and perfect guides to link. If I were to link another guide that had better language about having a relaxed spine then I'm sure that guide would have a different section with advice on another topic that you or I would disagree with.

On reddit I link the best resources I have available and try to keep it brief. People don't read instructions very thoroughly and often their own experience is the best teacher regardless.

Do you have any suggestions for a better posture guide to link? Thanks!

u/TheHeartOfTuxes · 1 pointr/Meditation

Better than book teaching is real live teaching, and lots of it, from a consistent and capable source. But sometimes we look for a go-between, something to tide us over until we find a good teaching situation.

There is a specific traditional practice for equanimity. All kinds of other practices tend to get at equanimity, because you need to put it into effect just to proceed in the practice: if you let things 'get to you' you can't attend well to the object and method of the meditation. So for example, sitting Zen will train equanimity, as well many other practices.

But there is a specific practice also, which is part of the Brahmaviharas, or "Divine Abidings". These are four aspects of original, awakened mind: Metta (Kindness or Warmheartedness), Karuna (Compassion), Mudita (Mutual Joy), and Upekkha (Equanimity). Because of the boundless nature of original mind and the four noted aspects, these are also called "The Four Immeasurables".

The first three Brahmaviharas are about loving connection; but without the fourth, equanimity, they can spill over into sticky, entangled attachment. So Upekkha or equanimity is necessary for the correct function of love.

All the Brahmavihara practices have similar forms. You generate the quality, deepen its expression in you, and then extend it boundlessly. Styles vary a bit, but the general form is the same. You can try Brahmavihara practice to specifically nurture equanimity.

But as I say, most practices, and in fact a proper training situation itself, will also train equanimity.

Here is a talk and guided meditation on Upekkha.

This podcast comprises an entire afternoon or day retreat on Upekkha, condensed into a 3-hour recording (with silent practice periods edited out).

These two and several other Brahmavihara talks and meditations can be found on this page at Dharmaseed.org.

Here's an entire 2-day practice seminar on Upekkha, by the well respected teacher Gil Fronsdal.

Here's a short article with a couple of source excerpts.

~

Two great teachers who come to mind as directly addressing anger in their teachings are Thich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chodron.

Of course, there are many other great teachers; and if you find a live teacher and ask them to help you with anger, just the act of asking a living representative of Dharma is itself a very significant act. You establish a connection to Dharma and to your teacher and to your practice by taking concrete steps like this. It is the kind of action that sink down below the level of your habit and plants seeds that will eventually overtake the negative patterns, if you keep planting and taking care of the seeds.

See Thich Nhat Hanh's Anger: Wisdom For Cooling The Flames.

Here are a couple of articles in the same vein.

See Pema Chodron's Don't Bite The Hook: Finding Freedom From Anger, Resentment, And Other Destructive Emotions.

Here's an article that gives a little taste of her teaching.

~

I recommend choosing one path and sticking with it for a while. You can try this and that to get an idea of what's available out there, but very soon get down to actually doing it. People look around, around, around, and only confuse themselves. They think they are looking for the "best situation for me"; but really they are just avoiding the doing part.

You don't pick your path as if you're at a fruit stand looking over the selection with disdain: "Hmmm... I don't know... this one has a spot on it...." That's picking-and-choosing mind; and in fact, we are not capable of judging before we have significant experience.

Your path chooses you. Your path unfolds as you do it. Then in the doing you find out what's working and what's important to you and all that. So get to the doing part sooner rather than later. Don't 'bite the hook' of books! Don't let them hook you and reel you in and flip you into the boat of conceptual, disengaged thinking. Stay swimming.

u/vestigial · 1 pointr/Meditation

People are free to follow their own path, but forcing myself to believe things that seem unlikely is not part of my path.

I was going to a sangha for a while. It was very Western, so I thought I'd be comfortable. Then I heard a sermon about the after life, and I noped right out of there. I'd spent enough of my time as a Christian ignoring or tirelessly interpreting religion so I could fit it so myself, of fit myself to it. I'm not entering that pretzel logic of self negation again.

I'm reading a great book now, Buddhism Without Beliefs, that strips Buddhism down to the bare essentials, and that, happily, does not require taking anything on faith.

I'm taking some time reading, and shoring up my foundation of meditation practice; but ultimately I'd like to join a more belief-neutral Zen group.

u/Citta_Viveka · 1 pointr/Meditation

I really relate to that 'lost at sea' feeling (and I also think sports is 'rubbish,' generally). I think a great work-around to this is finding structured but doable meditation 'plans' that guide you through the process in a way that will bring benefits.

Many people seem to be doing this with success through the HeadSpace App, but if you want an offline guide, maybe you can try 'Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World.'

Eight weeks may sound like a while, but the amount of time each day isn't much and the payoffs start quickly when you stick to it. Eight weeks seems to be the rule of thumb for neuroscientists who are looking for the hard evidence of changes in the grey matter, but subjectively, people report benefits earlier. In other words, you can surely get something after eight weeks but will probably get there earlier, if you follow one of these guided plans.

Some people don't like plans, but a structure like that can really help alleviate the 'lost at sea' feeling and it helps put us in touch with the details little by little so we can remember it each lesson, instead of reading on our own and forgetting to re-read later on.

u/mebbee · 2 pointsr/Meditation

I learned of the jhanas almost a year ago and they have been my current goal for meditation too. Still have a way to go, but my practice is improving.

I'll suggest to you a book that comes highly recommended and that I have personally enjoyed - that is:"Focused and Fearless". From what I understand the aim of the book is to help you attain the first jhana. I may be mistaken, but access concentration is the biggest challenge for new meditators. Once you're there I think the other jhanas are also attainable. I could be wrong. It's the best advice I can give with what I currently understand.

I just found what looks to be like an incredible audio series from the author as well - and they're free. There's a couple of guided meditations on there too, might have to check them out myself. :)

u/french_press · 3 pointsr/Meditation

Learning to meditate is not difficult - the instructions can be reduced down to a few steps. The bigger questions is, why are you meditating to begin with?

Is it just another chore or activity on your todo list? Or, do you have a true desire to understand your mind, and all of the challenges it creates in your life?

Most of us go about our days lost in thought, not realizing the mind pushes and pulls us where it wants to go. Meditation will help you see that, but it is more that just "follow these four steps and do it twice a day."

I don't think you need a class or teacher, though I encourage you to find one if you want to. I suggest reading Tolle's "Practicing the Power of Now" to get an understanding of your mind. I also suggest "Mindfulness in Plain English," as well as the free guide here (their blog and 21 day course is excellent as well).

u/JohnnyZampano · 3 pointsr/Meditation

I don't have the answers you seek. Yet it seems you have them, as do we all.

>Who/what is this observer, this part of me that can observe things, can think things, but can also objectively step back and experience things...?

This is something I have asked myself for years in meditation and life, and something that keeps getting answered only while giving rise to new questions.

It sounds like whatever you are doing is working, so keep at it.

One area of study that has been very transformational for me is investigation of the self - "who am I?" - "what is this?" and so on.

The skandhas have been an amazing area of investigation for me. Basically there are five skandhas or aggregates that make up human beings. When I looked I could not find anything in my experience that was not included in these five things. When I looked (in deep meditation and in life) at each of these five things individually I could not find a self in anyone of them - yet when I look at them all together I felt some sense of self - weird right?

There is another area of study called anatta or no-self which explains the whole ordeal.

These are Buddhist terms and practices, but have been very helpful in my investigation.

When I ordered my first zafu this koan was included:

>The Human Route

>Coming empty-handed, going empty-handed – that is human.

>When you are born, where do you come from?

>When you die, where do you go?

>Life is like a floating cloud which appears.

>Death is like a floating cloud which disappears.

>The floating cloud itself originally does not exist.

>Life and death, coming and going, are also like that.

>But there is one thing which always remains clear.

>It is pure and clear, not depending on life and death.

>Then what is the one pure and clear thing?

P.S. if you want another take on the whole thing the Bhagavad Gita presents another message, one that is absolutely fascinating.

u/allthehobbies · 2 pointsr/Meditation

Awesome, great accomplishment.

This book on amazon is an excellent guide to attaining these states:

http://www.amazon.com/Focused-Fearless-Meditators-States-Clarity/dp/0861715608

It is a very clear and direct guide on how to enter Jhanic states.

Many people can reach them accidentally now and then. It can be a challenge to enter them at will. Either way it is an amazing thing to experience these states. You certainly take some insight from it every time.

u/rebble_yell · 2 pointsr/Meditation

Yes, classical yoga was designed to bring a person beyond the ego (so are basically all meditation systems and even religions for that matter!

So classical yoga has a great introduction in the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda.

It does not deal with the ego so much as it sets out the background of classical yoga. Paramahansa has lessons for the techniques to take one to soul consciousness beyond ego consciousness. The great thing about this path is that you can easily meet the monks and nuns who have used the techniques to go beyond ego consciousness, and so you can get in-person first-hand guidance from them.

Also, Michael Singer's book The Untethered Soul is an amazing book, and very clearly describes the process of going beyond the ego in daily life.

I would start with Michael Singer's book if you are more intellectually inclined, and the first one if you are more spiritually inclined.

In this context the soul is the "real you" as opposed to the ego or the acquired identity that masquerades as you and creates your problems and difficulties.

u/pour_some_sugar · 1 pointr/Meditation

The best thing I can do is point you to the website of the system I follow although for more background there is a very interesting book called Autobiography of a Yogi.

That book is the autobiography of the guy who founded the system of meditation I follow.

It's a very popular book -- the Wikipedia entry on it contains this chapter:

>Autobiography of a Yogi is the most popular of Yogananda’s books.[17] According to Philip Goldberg, who wrote American Veda, "...the Self-Realization Fellowship which represents Yogananda's Legacy, is justified in using the slogan, "The Book that Changed the Lives of Millions." It has sold more than four million copies and counting..."[18] and it has been published into 27 languages. In 1999, it was designated as one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a panel of theologians and luminaries convened by HarperCollins publishers.[19]

So if anything else, I think you will enjoy the book.

u/gc8 · 1 pointr/Meditation

It's more enjoyable and easier to meditate in a quiet environment, and that's why most retreat centers are in secluded areas. I live in an urban area with a high population density. When they were building a giant condo a few feet from my apartment, I started utilizing these industrial ear muffs to continue to be able to meditate, and it made practice a lot easier. I personally use [this pair.] (http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-H10A-Optime-Earmuff/dp/B00009LI4K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421730635&sr=8-2&keywords=ear+protection) But other pairs I'm sure work just as well. Good luck!

u/r3dd3v1l · 5 pointsr/Meditation

Hi, I hope this finds you well. I've struggled with anxiety for a very long time and it was not apparent how bad it was until my first retreat. This was about 5 years ago.

​

Most of the time when I sit my breathing feels uncomfortable and tight. I used to end sits with way more anxiety because I was not addressing relaxation. You can really hurt yourself if you force it.

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Below are some things that have really helped me in the last year.

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I don't know anything about your past but you may want to look into the following:

  1. CPTSD - complex PTSD. Chronic anxiety may be due to "consistent" stress.

    ​

  1. This book has helped me with my meditation https://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Sensitive-Mindfulness-Practices-Transformative-Healing/dp/0393709787

    I'm sure if you look online you'll find free audio/pdf versions.

    ​

  2. Join and check out this community as they have monthly Zoom meetings discussing ways of practicing gently: https://davidtreleaven.com/connect/

    ​

  3. Try Reginald Rays earth breathing meditation (04 Guided Earth Breathing), I do this and it helps to relax me. I do it lying down. This helps to notice tension in the body.

    https://www.dharmaocean.org/connect/free-audio-series/

    ​

  4. see if you can find a somatic therapist with "meditation" experience

    ​

    *** A lot of times "breath" meditation is not what we should be doing. Focusing on the breath can create a lot of problems with people with anxiety issues. Note! I did not say anxiety disorder. There are other ways of helping to calm your system down first. Don't be hard on yourself if you can't do "breathing" meditation. Learn to relax. It's absolutely possible. Little by little.
u/RagingSynapse · 1 pointr/Meditation

I haven't read Mindfulness in Plain English either, but I've heard good things. I found Zen Meditation in Plain English by Buksbazen to be a helpful intro. For more inspiration than instruction, I liked Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Suzuki.

u/snickerpops · 7 pointsr/Meditation

The best thing would be for me to point you to where I found out about it. A yogi named Paramahansa Yogananda came to the West in 1920 and wrote the Autobiography of a Yogi which became quite well known and inspired the careers of many well known yoga teachers.

The organization he started explains the classical purpose of yoga here and goes deeper into explaining the eight steps of yoga

Classical yoga has spirituality as its base, which many redditors are allergic to. I was pretty skeptical myself in the beginning, but through the yoga methods they taught I learned to prove to myself the value of these systems in a step-by-step systematic way.

There are a great many yoga paths, but I am linking this one because it worked very well for me.

u/[deleted] · 1 pointr/Meditation

yes, it's really hard to start. I couldn't for ages. I have started several months ago only because this book broke things down for me ..

http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Bliss-Beyond-Meditators-Handbook/dp/0861712757/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347690331&sr=8-1&keywords=happiness+bliss+and+beyond

Ajahn Brahm is a no nonsense English monk living in Australia. search for his podcasts, videos, etc. he breaks meditation down into a number of stages and there are TWO important very foundational ones you need to master BEFORE you attempt to focus on breath. he explains the hindrances you will encounter and goes into depth about the deeper stages of meditation which I find very motivating because I want to experience what he describes.

going straight for breath is way too hard .. at least it was for me. after a few months I'm noticing profound changes in my quality of life, how I feel about myself and others, etc. and am very excited to keep digging deeper.

check out that book, highly recommended. good luck my friend!

u/elphabaloves · 1 pointr/Meditation

Strictly meditation? Or, understanding and dealing with your compulsive mind as a broader subject?

u/itto1 · 2 pointsr/Meditation

My favorite books about buddhism and meditation are:

[zen training] (https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zen+training&qid=1565793019&s=gateway&sr=8-1) ,
nothing special
, everyday zen - love and work , [the path to bodhidharma] (https://www.amazon.com/Path-Bodhidharma-Teachings-Library-Enlightenment/dp/0804832161/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+path+to+bodhidharma&qid=1565793271&s=gateway&sr=8-1) , and this one is a free e-book : [the 7th world of chan buddhism] (https://zbohy.zatma.org/common/downloads/SeventhWorldOfChanBuddhism.pdf)

Also, if you're interested in buddhism, visiting a temple if there is one near you and learning there provided you find it worthwhile is another way to learn and practice buddhism.

u/armillanymphs · 1 pointr/Meditation

Zen is super confusing at times, which might frustrate the inquirer. Also, there's a lot of seemingly contradictory information, and a lot of the zen masters actually admonished meditation. Without context it's a little unclear as to why, aside from the fact that they didn't want their disciples to meditate for the sake of blissing out. That said, I'd wholly recommend this book, since it's very lucid:

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464891954&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+science+of+freedom

Foyan is featured in it, and his book is fantastic as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Zen-Waking-Up-Present/dp/1556431937/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464892102&sr=8-1&keywords=instant+zen

For something a little more challenging but great, go with:

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Teaching-Huang-Po-Transmission/dp/0802150926/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464892139&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+teachings+of+huang+po

Have fun!

u/mckay949 · 2 pointsr/Meditation

> Is there anything that helped you lot in particular - a book, guide, app etc? If so I'd like to know and hopefully I can utilise it too :)

Being a part of 2 different zen buddhist communities was something that helped me, because there they corrected my posture while I meditated.

Of all the books I've read that deal with meditation, the ones that helped me the most were these 4, I meditate following a combination of the instructions found in them:

zen training: https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zen+training&qid=1556206830&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Nothing special: https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Special-Charlotte-J-Beck/dp/0062511173/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=living+zen&qid=1556206859&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Everyday zen: https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Zen-Love-Work-Plus/dp/0061285897/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1556206915&refinements=p_27%3ACharlotte+J.+Beck&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Charlotte+J.+Beck

The path to bodhidharma: https://www.amazon.com/Path-Bodhidharma-Teachings-Library-Enlightenment/dp/0804832161/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=GOWQXHET1KHO&keywords=the+path+to+bodhidharma&qid=1556207019&s=books&sprefix=the+path+to+bodhi%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C224&sr=1-1-fkmrnull

If you want free resources, this page has a lot of instructions on how to meditate:http://antaiji.org/en/%E6%96%B0%E6%B8%A9%E6%B3%89%E7%94%BA%E7%A7%BB%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%9A%E4%BD%8F%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%83%A2%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3-l-a-zenmonki-2/

And I created this playlist with some videos on how to meditate that I found interesting: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8J_naDRjDPiHDCVaGiEiDs3diVfqmW_

u/morjax · 3 pointsr/Meditation

These were along the same line as my thoughts. Especially with such a strong feeling as anger, and such a strong version of this strong feeling, I'm not sure that can ever be entirely "let go".

I would second any of Jon Kaba-Zinn's works. I would also recommend Thich Nhat Hanh's Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames.

I have found with the most potent and persistent of the feelings I'd rather not be having, I cannot just leave that feeling (high and mighty meditation masters: say what you will. I'm a human, not a master). That's part of why it is so potent and distressing; these feelings can fester and we can't "just let go" of them. I've had the most luck by:
-"paying attention on purpose in the present moment, non-judgmentally" (Kabat-Zinn)
-not trying to get rid of the feeling, but to put my energy into not reacting to it.
-Welcoming the feeling. Being kind and compassionate to it "Hello, anger, my old friend. Here you are again with me."

A quote that has spoke to me previously:
>This being human is a guest house.
>Every morning a new arrival,
>a joy, a depression, a meanness,
>as an unexpected visitor.
>Welcome and entertain them all!



Tl;dr: I've never had luck "just letting go" of the most severe feelings I have. I try to be present with the feeling without reacting, focus on my breaths, and it does eventually leave.

u/3rdUncle · 3 pointsr/Meditation

Meditation is amazing. Usually instructions for beginners say that it's best to start by focusing on your breathing. Watching every in and out breath as if it were the most important thing in the world. Since you can watch your body, it can not contain you-the-watcher. You discover, as you already have, that you can watch your thinking mind and again, since you can watch it, it can not contain you. So where and what are you? Some meditation guides, like zen, suggest you keep your eyes a tiny bit open, without focusing on anything, because if you close your eyes, you get drift away from reality and according to zen, the purpose of meditation is to experience pure reality prior to conceptualization. It's important to remain grounded and to avoid abstraction. Watching the breath is a good technique for remaining grounded in reality. Congrats on a great beginning. Check out Shunryo Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. In this book, he calls the thinking mind "small mind" and the observer mind "big Mind". It provides a good starting point but you can read it over and over and get more out of it every time.

u/ludwigvonmises · 1 pointr/Meditation

From The Zen Teaching of Huang-Po: On the Transmission of Mind

> It is pure Mind, which is the source of everything and which, whether appearing as sentient beings or as Buddhas, as the rivers and mountains of the world which has form, as that which is formless, or as penetrating the whole universe absolutely without distinctions, there being no such entities as selfness and otherness.

> This pure Mind, the source of everything, shines forever and on all with the brilliance of its own perfection. But the people of the world do not awaken to it, regarding only that which sees, hears, feels and knows as mind. Blinded by their own sight, hearing, feeling and knowing, they do not perceive the spiritual brilliance of the source-substance. If they would only eliminate all conceptual thought in a flash, that source-substance would manifest itself like the sun ascending through the void and illuminating the whole universe without hindrance or bounds.

> Therefore, if you students of the Way seek to progress through seeing, hearing, feeling and knowing, when you are deprived of your perceptions, your way to Mind will be cut off and you will find nowhere to enter. Only realize that, though real Mind is expressed in these perceptions it neither forms part of them nor is separate from them.

u/flowfall · 3 pointsr/Meditation

I've had a similar experience where I was meditating for nearly an hour, my body fell asleep after 20 minutes, everything was starting to go limp, jaw gaping and I felt less outside stimuli. My mind went wild and it was harder to concentrate, but I imagine the process to be similar to absorption if not the same if you can manage to keep concentrated.

In dream yoga which us similar to lucid dreaming, but with the intetion of being able to further your practice in your sleep by applying what's cultivated in meditation to your dreams, there is apparently a point that can be reached where a subtle kind of awareness can be held during deep/non dreaming sleep to the extent that one can meditate all throughout the night in their sleep in and out of dreams. I read about it in The Tibetan Yogas Of Dream and Sleep.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1559391014?pc_redir=1414614701&robot_redir=1

u/accountcondom · 10 pointsr/Meditation

I have noticed a similar effect on myself.
Here's a book about the Tibetan practice of dream yoga. One of the first steps is to develop stability in waking life through meditation. It teaches how to gain lucidity in your dream life, but the purpose of lucidity according to the practice isn't just to have fun being awake inside your dreams.
You might also want to post or x-post into /r/LucidDreaming -

u/thywy · 1 pointr/Meditation

someone else in this post linked to this book that i bought right away http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Bliss-Beyond-Meditators-Handbook/dp/0861712757

i think it's a buddhist book, but it speaks of attaining bliss through deep meditation too. is this the same thing as what yoga is trying to accomplish?

also it's kind of odd that you'd mention Christ. Does believing in jesus really lead to bliss? or is this just because you're a christian?

u/paulexander · 2 pointsr/Meditation

It sounds to me like your concentration and focus were on point, and with the inclusion of the tingling sensations, that you may very well have been on your way.

The focus/concentration are probably one of the two most important precursors to going into jhana, the other being full acceptance of everything, especially at the physical level.

If you're ever compelled to try to steer your meditation towards jhana again, I would recommend reading up on it. Leigh Brasington's book is highly regarded. He also has a handful of dharma talks available online as well.

Tread carefully, because this is one of those things that can become very vexing for some people in their efforts to recreate the experience.

u/prepping4zombies · 3 pointsr/Meditation

Robert Wright's book "Why Buddhism is True" is a great place to start.

If you are looking for help applying the concepts to your life without the religious trappings, the ABT program is excellent.

And, if you want to dig a little deeper into Buddhism and see it from a secular point of view, Stephen Batchelor's "Buddhism Without Beliefs" is excellent.

u/CloudGirl · 2 pointsr/Meditation

Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World

I'm only partway through it but good so far. I checked it out because it came highly recommended from another thread like this one. Very practical and hands-on, written for Westerners. It's big on the callouts with lots of different meditations.

u/VirtualProtector · 2 pointsr/Meditation

I recently got Jon Kabat-Zinns Guided Mindfulness Meditation and the first track is a great starter for meditation and might help you get back into it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guided-Mindfulness-Meditation-Jon-Kabat-Zinn/dp/1591793599

When I'm breath counting I find it easier to count from 1 to 4 and repeat.

u/lexsimakasmusic · 6 pointsr/Meditation

I highly recommend a book called "Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World." It was a great starting place for me if you're considering taking the plunge (and I think you should!)

https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Eight-Week-Finding-Peace-Frantic/dp/1609618955/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1540520886&sr=1-4&keywords=mindfulness

u/theseshoesarewalkin · 2 pointsr/Meditation

Are you aware of any trauma in your life? It’s possible meditation is bringing up some repressed emotions. Meditation can be practiced safely if that’s the case, but it’s good to be aware of the potential pitfalls. Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness is a good book for this.

u/ricky1030 · 1 pointr/Meditation

If I can make a recommendation on the Gita, get the Easwaran translation. Its the best selling version on amazon and also the version my Asian philosophy professor uses in his course. Here's an Amazon link to it The Bhagavad Gita (Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality

u/wattsghost · 2 pointsr/Meditation

I don't have a problem "paying" - some of the things that furthered my practice the most were books by Eckhart Tolle, time I spent on several different retreats, and the course here. I think all of the people that write, create, and/or teach something that benefits me should be able to support themselves just like anyone else.

I do have a problem with a post that serves no other purpose but to promote a product/site.

u/Nobkin · 1 pointr/Meditation

This book got me started. It's a very short read and I recommend seeing if your local library has a copy. If you want a more personal take on what I learned from it, feel free to PM me.

u/callmejay · 2 pointsr/Meditation

Guided Mindfulness Meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn is pretty good and totally secular.

u/Pangyun · 1 pointr/Meditation

I use the normal cushion (zafu) to meditate. You can also put 1 or 2 folded blankets on the floor and the zafu on top of the blankets so that your buttocks will be on the zafu and your knees will be on the folded blankets, because they're softer to put your knees on than a hard floor.

Also, you have to make sure the zafu is not too high, and not too low. So if it's too low, you might use a belt around the zafu to make it higher, or use 2 zafus one on top of the other, or even use some large book or books under the zafu to make it high enough.

Also this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517481083&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+training gives detailed instructions on how should be the posture of the body when you meditate, so it might help you too.

u/Gullex · 2 pointsr/Meditation

I'd recommend reading Huang Po, he's one of my very favorites. (PDF here.)

He had some very lucid thing to say about the nature of awakening.

u/MeatFloggerActual · 1 pointr/Meditation

I'd try giving [This book](http://www.Trauma-Sensitive.com/ Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393709787/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wGLWBb4G8ECQA) a read before proceeding with more meditation. But after, I'd sit and watch thoughts and emotions come and go. I'd do that until I realized that they are not me and could proceed through life more skilfully

u/plato_thyself · 1 pointr/Meditation

Thich Nhat Hanh wrote a beautiful book on anger, and here is a free translation of a speech he gave titled "Five ways of putting an end to anger". The Buddha has a wonderful quote: "Grasping onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone else - you are the one who gets burned." Hope this helps!

u/plyboult · 3 pointsr/Meditation

Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook by Ram Dass. It's the best meditation book I've ever read... I read it every few months

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553285726/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xHpGybC8ESJYB

u/chrisgagne · 3 pointsr/Meditation

Wonderful! This is 100% normal. When your mind gets quiet, all of this will come up naturally.

You've got it. Just let it come, let it be, let it go.

If it becomes too much, try easing off sitting meditation and weave in some walking or loving-kindness meditation. Mindful yoga would be good too.

Here is an interview my teacher that may give you insight into how meditation and therapy come together.

If you have a history of trauma, you might like this book.

u/i_have_a_gub · 1 pointr/Meditation

A few of my favorites:

u/Altmnop · 10 pointsr/Meditation

It's amazing how meditation can open up new perspectives like that, especially one's that show how silly life can be sometimes. I've been reading the Mindful Path Through Shyness, since it's applicable to my social anxiety. For you, I think The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mindfulness-Acceptance-Workbook-Anxiety/dp/1572244992), might be of help. I personally haven't read it, but it'd guess it teaches the same principles of what I'm reading, just less targeted.

u/lack0dan · 1 pointr/Meditation

I'm more or less in the same boat. After years of sporadic practice, I've finally managed to stabilize my practice and meditate for 5-20 minutes a day. It's not much, but it's more consistent than any time before in my life. The problem is that I cannot seem to remain focused during the meditation itself. I don't have the feeling I'm doing it correctly (whatever that means) or that it is having any effect on my thoughts or actions at all. Paradoxically, when I meditated less often it seemed to be more effective...

I decided that I want to approach it in more structured way. I've recently bought a book called Focused and Fearless. I'm planning to set some hypotheses, follow along with the exercises in the book and see what happens. Want to join in?

u/bewalsh · 3 pointsr/Meditation

I never consistently reached jhana 1 before i realized that 'watching the breath' doesn't mean manually breathing and paying attention to it. You let your body breathe the way it does when you're doing other things, but watch it.

I extra strongly suggest reading:

  1. The Mind Illuminated

  2. Right Concentration

    If you read these two books it will 100% without any doubt get you to jhana, zero questions, zero gimmicks. The fruit of reading these two for me is indescribable, I genuinely cannot communicate how big the payoff on this is.
u/Carquinez · 3 pointsr/Meditation

You may find Leigh Brasington's instructions on jhana practice to be of some help. Here's a link to his book.

u/jty87 · 1 pointr/Meditation

Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook by Ram Dass sounds like exactly what you're looking for

u/mrbundle · 1 pointr/Meditation

It is simple to start. Just pick one practice and practice it. Give it time, keep it going. Adapt when you feel ready.
edit: this is a beautiful book which crosses all major techniques... http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Awakening-A-Meditators-Guidebook/dp/0553285726

u/kindalike · 1 pointr/Meditation

You can try some ear plugs or some ear muffs like these:

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-H10A-Optime-Earmuff/dp/B00009LI4K/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1465488870&sr=1-2&keywords=earmuff

I use them off and on when ever I feel like the noise is bothering me too much such as a TV on in another room.

u/axqncybtzse · 1 pointr/Meditation
  1. it brings truth

  2. because what happens to you has almost nothing to do with your internal state of mind (or very little). it's all how you perceive your reality. you are as you think. to see this you need meditation.

  3. meditation is mind training. it is only part of the puzzle.
    https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Guide-Developing-Lifes-Important/dp/0316167258

  4. refer to 3
u/zedpapa · 2 pointsr/Meditation

if you want to go deeper the rabbit hole and really invest your time into this question, read the book titled The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep

u/woodrail · 2 pointsr/Meditation

Concentration and nonconcentration (aka samatha, samprajnata dyhana, meditation with a seed; and vipassana, asamprajnata dyhana, meditation without a seed, choiceless awareness, formless meditation - respectively) are the tried and true 2 techniques used by meditation guys for thousands of years. Variants exist, but that's them. If yr looking for "how do you meditate?" type resources, here's an overview : http://redd.it/fwxl2

And a book : http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Awakening-Meditators-Ram-Dass/dp/0553285726/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371998659&sr=1-1&keywords=journey+of+awakening

u/arthropod_of_frogs · 1 pointr/Meditation

I highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1609618955/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1450641587&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=mindfulness&dpPl=1&dpID=41V9Ds-LbpL&ref=plSrch

I suffer from anxiety and depression and it's helped me so much. I recommend listening to the audiobook - which can be done in a day - and starting the program the next day. All of the guided meditations are included and are great. The book and meditation are narrated by the author, who's an expert in the field and professor at Oxford. No BS, it's awesome.

u/tanger · 1 pointr/Meditation

this is a popular book about jhannas, how to reach them and description of all nine jhannas: https://www.amazon.com/Right-Concentration-Practical-Guide-Jhanas/dp/1611802695/

u/Lazylion2 · 1 pointr/Meditation

www.amazon.com/Happiness-Guide-Developing-Lifes-Important/dp/0316167258

u/_ferz · 2 pointsr/Meditation

Or Focused and Fearless which walks you through first 4 jhanas and beyond. One of the most mind blowing (literally) books out there.

u/_Bison_ · 1 pointr/Meditation

Yes. I haven't had the experience of working through it with a therapist, but this workbook helped me a lot, in terms of introducing me to meditation in a way that was productive for dealing with anxiety: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mindfulness-Acceptance-Workbook-Anxiety/dp/1572244992

u/majorshake · 1 pointr/Meditation

I think it's about finding a balance. I just read Zen Training by Katsuki Sekida, and he spends an extraordinary amount of time speaking of proper posture and breathing in meditation.

But as the story goes, when asked about meditation, the Buddha said that your mind should be neither too focused, nor too slack.

u/sovereign_self · 2 pointsr/Meditation

Book


The Zen Teaching of Huang-Po

Incense


Shoyeido Illusions premium low smoke incense
Incense Bowl
White Ash (to hold up the incense in the bowl)

Sitting Cushion


Buckwheat Zafu

u/FINDTHESUN · 6 pointsr/Meditation

no , just open-minded, what about you ?



EDIT:

here's a quick selection of some of the books from my library list. have you seen/read at least 1 of those?? ;-)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Margins-Reality-Consciousness-Physical-World/dp/1936033003/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holographic-Universe-Michael-Talbot/dp/0586091718/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Synchronicity-Coincidence-Change-Unlocking-Your/dp/1601631839/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/WILLIAM-WALKER-ATKINSON-Ultimate-Collection-ebook/dp/B01CKHEABK/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Reality-Consciousness-Existence-Paradigm/dp/1590793919/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Course-Miracles-Foundation-Inner-Peace/dp/1883360269/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-History-Everything-20th-Anniversary/dp/1611804523/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Biology-Belief-Unleashing-Consciousness-Miracles/dp/1781805474/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Selfish-Gene-Anniversary-Landmark-Science/dp/0198788606/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bhagavad-Easwarans-Classics-Indian-Spirituality/dp/1586380192/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perceptual-Intelligence-Illusion-Misperception-Self-Deception/dp/160868475X/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brain-Story-You-David-Eagleman/dp/1782116613/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seeing-Myself-Out-body-Experiences/dp/1472137361/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seat-Soul-Gary-Zukav/dp/147675540X/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brain-That-Changes-Itself-Frontiers/dp/014103887X/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breaking-Habit-Being-Yourself-Create/dp/1848508565/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Works-Swami-Vivekananda-ebook/dp/B073GYW7W2/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eye-Which-Nothing-Hidden/dp/178180768X/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Consciously-Creating-Circumstances-Winslow-Plummer-ebook/dp/B005NWJKDI/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Writings-Emerson-Library-Classics/dp/0679783229/

How knowledgeable are you ?

u/cphuntington97 · 13 pointsr/Meditation

A mirror, for instance, will reflect both angry faces and smiling ones. The very quality of the mirror allows countless images to arise, yet none of them belongs to the mirror. In fact, if the angry face were intrinsic to the mirror, it could be seen at all times and would prevent other images from arising. Similarly, the most fundamental qualify of cognition, the luminous quality of the mind, is what allows the arising of thoughts and underlies all of them. Yet none of these thoughts belongs intrinsically to the fundamental nature of the mind. The experience of introspection shows, on the contrary, that the negative emotions are transitory mental events that can be obliterated by their opposites, the positive emotions, acting as antidotes.

excerpt of Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard.

I'm that to try to convey that you need not be disgusted with yourself. Your thoughts are not you. You just are, and that's that.

Are you eating some whole natural food? Exercising a bit? Getting some sunlight? These things can't cure every depression, but I have a hunch that many mental health issues are rooted in poor nutrition.

If you fell and broke your arm, would you go to the hospital? Mental health is more invisible, but just as legitimate.