Book Review and Giveaway
Last May I challenged myself to a 30 day writing project. My thought being, it takes roughly 30 days to develop a habit, so for each day in May I wrote a blog post. It was a success on some levels, but I failed at making writing a daily habit.
Writing is a form of meditation for me. I write more than what you see here on my blog. I do not always enjoy the process of writing, but I enjoy it most when I am singularly focused on it and my only purpose is on finishing my current sentence and thought. I love those moments when I am completely absorbed in the act of writing.
“Learning to be mindful and present, clear and attentive is the doorway to a life of depth and joy.”
Mindfulness is something I seek to achieve in all aspects of my life – writing, relationships, work, eating, exercise. I want to be happy and present in what I am doing in the moment, not regretful of my past, or anxious of my future. I want to learn to be present in the now, and find a greater joy in the present. I believe meditation is a path to the joy I seek.
I have dabbled with meditation – taking a group class here, listening to a guiding voice there. Each experience with meditation has been restorative and encouraging, but my knowledge and understanding of it is relatively minimal. So this May I am challenging myself to another 30 day project.
For the next 30 days I am going to explore different types of meditation, and practice meditating for at least 20 minutes each day. My goal over the next 30 days is to learn more about the many styles of meditation, and to find the one (0r ones) most compatible with my needs. I also hope in the process to establish a habit, and continue beyond May to dedicate the time each day to meditate.
“There is no end to the meditative process: it is a lifelong practice that can be undertaken by anyone, regardless of age and spiritual beliefs, and there is no right or wrong time to start on your meditative path.”
I am beginning my meditation journey with a book that is intended to help readers begin a meditative path, Beginner’s Guide to Buddhist Meditation, by Christina Feldman.
Beginner’s Guide to Buddhist Meditation is a beautiful book, filled with soothing images and helpful charts. Organized in a way to guide the beginner from the basics – how to meditate, when to meditate, where to meditate – through the styles and obstacles of meditation, Feldman’s book opens a simple and straightforward door to meditation. There are no rights and wrongs in Feldman’s meditation teaching, only loving kindness and heartfelt communication.
“Meditative teaching is not an exhortation or demand but an invitation to explore the ways of walking new paths of mindfulness and wakefulness. It is an invitation to discover a deeper well-being and inner richness that can transform every aspect of our lives.”
One of my goals for my journey into meditation is, according to Feldman, one of the central teachings of meditation: to be at ease with the events of my mind and body.
We all know that even in the mildest flare, we can become consumed and overwhelmed by the pain we are experiencing – and even by the pain we are not currently experiencing, but are remembering and anticipating. Pain is a powerful motivator for fear and anxiety. I believe it is possible to overcome fear and anxiety, and I believe meditation can help by teaching me compassion, peace, and understanding.
“Understanding: Central to the Buddhist path is the understanding that we cannot avoid aging, sickness, or death. We cannot avoid all loss, sorrow, and heartache, and the endeavor to do so only magnifies pain. We do begin to see that confusion, agitation, fear, and stress may become optional in our lives.”
Fear and stress are an option? If this is so, I doubt we can just accept that it is. At least for me I know it will take practice to learn to let go of my ingrained responses and accept joy. I want to learn to find the joy that exists with the pain. I believe it is there. I just need to learn how to find it.
“Meditation is not about avoiding or softening the blow of moments of conflict and difficulty that we are bound to encounter during our lives. Rather it is a means to approach these moments with clarity, understanding, and calm.”
Beginner’s Guide to Buddhist Meditation is so rich in thought, context, and instruction, I am certain it will serve my desire to develop a regular meditation practice to reread it several times. It is simple and approachable, but Christina Feldman has packed so much guidance and wisdom into its short 96 pages, each time I open it a new passage jumps out at me. Just look back over all of the above quotes and you can see the richness of concepts and wisdom Feldman shares. It is a great tool to begin my journey into meditation.
Are you interested in learning how to meditate, or in deepening your current meditation practice? Then let me recommend Beginner’s Guide to Buddhist Meditation to you. And fortunately I can do more than recommend it. Feldman’s publisher Rodmell Press has again generously donated a book to give away to one commenter. Just leave a comment, and on May 14 I will randomly select a winner to receive this beautiful introduction to meditation.
Join me on my quest for more mindful living. Through meditation we can learn to find acceptance of our illness and joy in the meaningful act of living.
“In your meditation, as in your life, you will have to choose over and over whether to follow the paths of impatience, judgment, frustration, and complexity, or the pathways of patience, acceptance, balance, and simplicity. Increasingly, you will come to understand that the choice lies in your own heart.”
This came at a good time. I’m too busy suffering to have fun during our little vacation. Time for an attitude adjustment. Good luck with your 30 in 30. You inspire me!
Thanks for this! I am trying to learn to meditate and “live in the now”….trying to find peace and happiness while living with a blood clotting disorder, lupus, fibromyalgia, DDD, Adhesions, Neuromas, Osteoarthritis and the newest Urine retention/neurogenic bladder where I have to cath myself 3 times per day. Life is hard. I too started blogging as a type of purging/self exploration/meditation…but haven’t done it daily, due to being ill so often…but I am still motivated to keep trying! Good luck!
I often think about meditation and know when I have tried, it has helped me relax and feel better. My mind is always so busy with what is wrong it is hard to get started. I just need to discipline through the pain and anxiety to make a plan and do it every day. Perhaps I will try your 30 in 30 plan!!
Sorry to post twice, but Kim’s comment made me wonder; what does your book say about discipline? “meditate even if you don’t feel like it?” or does it have any recommendations for putting yourself in the right frame of mind? I know that when I need to meditate most Is when I’m most not likely to do it, or get a lot of benefit from it. Just because I have SUCH an attitude!
Kathy, Christina Feldman does recommend meditating in the moments you do not feel like it, because that is when you have the most to gain. I could not find her the exact passage, but throughout the book she talks about obstacles to meditating and how to overcome them.
Last night I tried one of her most basic meditations (and I am going to post about it today). I was not “in the mood,” but I committed to it, and it took some time, but I eventually had several moments of ease and clarity.
This book is much more of a gentle lead into meditation than a “How To” manual. No pressures, no judgments, just really strong support of the power of meditation to help us find the joy and acceptance that is naturally within us.
But yes, meditate if even if you don’t feel like it. She does recommend creating a space and a certain time each day to do it. This will help in establishing it as a routine, but even traveling you can find a space and a quiet moment to just sit and focus. The meditation I am going to share today is really simple and would be a great one for you to use on trips.
Tammy, that fact that you are still motivated to keep trying with all that you are faced with is a true testament to the power of the human spirit. You are a treasure! Keep blogging when you are up for it. It is a powerful tool for us. And there are a lot of great free resources on the web for guided meditations. I love the ones from the Chopra Center and will be reviewing them at some point this month. Thanks for sharing, and good luck to you too!
Kim, please do join me! That was my intention all along. Feldman addresses exactly what you struggle with in her book – quieting your mind, acknowledging the pain and anxiety, accepting that it is a part of who you are, and then finding the joy and peace that comes with acceptance. Your motivation to do it every day is half the battle. And like I told Kathy, taking the time for you, even in the most anxious of moments, will reward with a greater peace and ease in your daily life. Let me know if you decide to join me!
I took a course in Transcendental Meditation (http://www.tm.org/) for my psychology class when I was a senior in high school. My mom, dad and brother took it also. Now, I won’t say how long ago this was, but I will say that the fee was quite different then than it is now! I got an ‘A-‘ on the paper I did for the course – the minus was because I spelled “transcendental” wrong throughout! No spell check back then.
The TM training has served me well all these years. And as a course graduate, I am eligible for lifetime follow-up at any Transcendental Meditation learning center. This includes personal checking of my meditation, Advanced Lectures, special events, group meditations, and celebrations. Unfortunately, I haven’t lived anywhere there was a TM center or certified teacher in some time. But it’s kind of like riding a bike; once you learn it you don’t forget. You just get rusty without practice.
My TM training has helped me with my yoga practice also. I am not able to sit upright in a chair to meditate anymore because I’m not able to settle into any position that does not cause pain, but I can do it reclining or lying on the floor.
DeePak Chopra used to be a part of the TM organization; he and the TM founder split some years ago. I believe Chopra’s technique is similar but he believes that meditation can be taught through a book and the TM organization believes that it requirs personal instruction to learn.
I had a real “Aha!” moment during my TM training all those years ago and I don’t know if I would have ever gotten there on my own…
Kudos to you Dannette for an exceptional 30 day project, and for inspiring me to get back to regular practice.
Thanks for this excellent book review. Meditation is a key part of my life. It’s good to hear how it’s helping you too.
My favorite books on meditation are Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s “The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness” and Sogyal Rinpoche’s “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.”
I look forward to checking back in and hearing how your 30 day challenge went!
Hello FH (can I call you FH?) ~
I started meditating about 3 years ago and it has made all the difference in my life. The daily discipline of sitting down to meditate daily is essential to get the benefits of a regular spiritual practice that includes studying the Dharma and becoming acquainted with a Sangha or Sanghas, if you are able and willing to do so. I am so grateful for the Dharma and for Buddhist meditation; the benefits are infinite and inexpressibly wonderful and I hope you complete your 30-day trial and continue your practice because you see how much you gain from the practice of meditation.
There is also the Medicine Buddha practice in Buddhism that is focused on coping with pain; the founder of the Medicine Buddha practice had a chronic illness and he developed his practice from the perspective and experience of coping with chronic pain.
Best wishes to you,
Brent
Congratulations Brent! You are the random winner of Beginner’s Guide to Buddhist Meditation by Christina Feldman.
Your beautiful comment is clearly beyond a beginner’s understanding, but as there is always more for us to learn, I am certain you will enjoy it. And it would be great book to share with others not as advanced as yourself.
Thank you for sharing the Medicine Buddha practice with me. And please do call me FH. I love it!
Wow, this post really go me thinking. I was especially moved by this:
“Mindfulness is something I seek to achieve in all aspects of my life – writing, relationships, work, eating, exercise. I want to be happy and present in what I am doing in the moment, not regretful of my past, or anxious of my future. I want to learn to be present in the now, and find a greater joy in the present. I believe meditation is a path to the joy I seek.”
That is what I want. I keep trying to fix and control things, but that’s such a futile process. Being mindful sounds so much more clear and peaceful.
Thank you for sharing this with us, and let us know how the experiment goes.
-Kris
Thank you for the book review! I heard Deepak speak on Dr. Oz, tried to find which of his many books I should start with…too overwhelming! I found your site from the Costco connection and the Watermelon Credo. So, now I have the book suggestion, the watermelon suggestion, and in September I will take the class Living Well with Chronic Conditions. Wow! Like Kris, I will try to stop trying to fix and control things – it doesn’t work , it really upsets my family which in turn upsets my and increases my pain. (if I know this, why do I do it?) I will replace the fixing and controling with meditation, OK, I will try to do this.
-Carol
My pleasure Carol. It really is an inspiring book. I am still working on a regular meditation practice and I return to Feldman’s wisdom frequently. I wish you the best of luck in incorporating meditation into your life. It is a great way to begin to let go of our need to control. Your desire to let go means you are already on your way!
Do you know the Watermelon Credo is one of my most popular posts! I am a glad you found my site because of it. Cheers to watermelon!