Learn to Meditate-A Practical Guide to Self-Discovery and Fulfillment

Learn to Meditate is uniquely isllustrated, practical and accessible guide to meditation. It describes how meditation can relieve stress and anxiety, encourage deep mental and physical relaxation, enhance creativity and release our true spiritual and emotional selves. Explaining that there is no

Show More

single 'right way' to practice meditation, author David Fontana draws on more than twenty-five years of personal experience and the world's diverse traditions-including Taoism and Zen and Tibetan Buddhism-to create a simple, eclectic and inspiring program for discovering inner peace. In addition, the pages of Learn to Meditate are filled with more than 130 exquisite illustrations that make visualizatin and meditation wonderfully inviting.

Once begun, meditation forms a basis for a more fulfilled mental, physical and spiritual life. Taking you step by step through the basics and then on to more advanced techniques, Learn to Meditate is an excellent companion for this lifelong journey.

David Fontana's pschology books have been translated into twenty languages. A Ph.D. in psychology and a fellow of the British Psychological Society, Fontana is currently Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Cardiff, United Kingdom, and holds professorships at the Universities of Minho and the Algarve in Protugal. He has been a student and practitioner of meditation for over twenty-five years, studying with leading teachers from many countries and traditions. In addition to his university duties, he runs meditation workshops and seminars and is a frequent radio guest on the subject. His previous books include Teach Yourself to Dream, The Secret Language of Dreams and The Secret Language of Symbols, all from Chronical Books, as well as The Elements of Meditation, The Meditator's Handbook and The Lotus in the City.

Meditation enriches the whole of daily life in a way no other discipline can. clmbining inspiring illsutrations with mkore than twnety unique exercises, renowned meditation teacher David Fontana guides us toward mastery of this rewarding art. Learn to Mediate shows you how to:

Master simple techniques to relieve stress, tension and anxiety
Energize your mental and phyiscal self
Experience sharper and more positive thinking
Enhance creativity
Improve concentration, self-discipine and memory

Contents

Introduction
How to use this book
Part I The gateway
1 A path without end
What is meditation?
The meditative custom
The first steps
Exercise 1: Stilling the body
Phyiscal benefits
Exercise 2: Preparing the body
Mind benefits
Exercise 3: Watching the thoughts
Exercise 4: Who am I?
Mindfulness
Watching the emotions
Pitfalls in meditation
Exercise 5: Eliminating discomforts
2 Entrances
The setting
Exercise 6: Improved meditation
Time and duration
Exercise 7: Awareness of time
Rituals and objects
Clothes and symbols
Postures
Exercise 8: Learning to sit
3 Essentials
Concentration and breath
Focusing the wayward mind
Exercise 9: Abolishing distractions
Prana, chi and life energy
The undistorted view
Exercise 10: Dealing with illusions
Resolving aches and pains
Exercise 11: Harmony of the self
Stillness and silence
Exercise 12: In search of the self
Developing positive emotions
Working with others
Spiritual awareness
Exercise 13: Positive affirmations
Teachers and retreats
Exercise 14: Creating a personal retreat
Part II Beyond the gateway
1 The great traditions
Buddhism
Taoism
Sufism
Hinduism
Hindu meditations
The Western traditions
2 Vision and sound
The power of imagination
Visualization
The palace of the gods
Exercise 15: Using a yantar
The martial arts
Exercise 16: Kinhin
The kabbalah
Exercise 17: The tree of life
The five yogas
Exercise 18: Letting go
The four elements
Exercise 19: Finding the elements
Mantras
Exercise 20: Using a mantra
Creativity and problem-solving
3 The way of paradox
Zen and the koan
Exercise 21: Working with a koan
Zen in the art of evertyhing
Zen and the meaning of self
4 The outer limits
Healing
Altered states
exercise 22: Balancing the self
Meditation and draming
Exercise 23: On the shores of sleep
In and out of the body
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Picture credits

Show Less