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Meditation for Dummies
Book

Meditation for Dummies

Stephen Bodian
Wiley, 2006
First Edition: 1999
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Given the array of complex and confusing advice out there on meditation, Stephan Bodian’s clarity and reassuring tone are welcome. Many meditation texts are partisan and seek to advance one school or method of meditation over another. In contrast, Bodian is scrupulously fair and inclusive: He introduces multiple perspectives and approaches, all the while sharing his own experience. Offered in combination with an audio CD that guides listeners through 12 different types of meditation, this is an extremely approachable introduction to meditation. getAbstract recommends it to both meditation novices and advanced practitioners, all of whom will be able to dip into it for useful suggestions and information. If you like the user-friendly “Dummies” format, you'll find the sidebars, graphics, headers and short segments handy. If you seek only serenity, the pages might be a little too busy for your meditative frame of mind. So, absorb the information, close the book and close your eyes, which you're going to do anyway. Now, ommmm.

Summary

Why Meditate?

Meditation is not an esoteric practice. It’s really pretty simple. When you meditate, you focus your attention on one thing, such as your breathing, or a word or phrase called a mantra. You do it regularly and, ideally, for the long term. That’s what makes meditation a practice or discipline. The longer you do it, the more you experience its benefits: “calm, peace, well-being, wholeness, clarity and compassion.” Meditation can change the quality of your life experience by helping you to connect with yourself and others, and aligning you with deep spiritual realities.

Meditation has spiritual roots: Monks, mystics and shamans have meditated throughout history. However, even if you don’t belong to any particular spiritual tradition, you can still meditate. You can focus on any number of things and have any number of goals. You can seek spiritual awakening and contemplate the nature of the divine, or you can seek better health and visualize T-cells attacking an infection. Both are meditation, because both involve training your attention and building your ability to concentrate.

Life has always been difficult and stressful, and the ability to stay calm...

About the Author

Stephan Bodian has been practicing meditation for more than 30 years. A licensed psychotherapist, Bodian was editor-in-chief of Yoga Journal for 10 years.

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