Author: Clark Strand
Publisher: New Age Books
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 183
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8178222426
Description
Meditation can be intimidating. Many people new to the practice may often wonder-Am I doing this right? Am I doing it enough? When am I going to get it?
This book strips the practice down to its essential heart-simplicity lightness, and peace-showing you that the most important part of practice is not whether you can get in the full lotus position, but rather your ability to become fully present in the moment. Encouraging and inspiring, this one-of-a-kind guide provides the framework to make meditation a joy-not a fearsome, rigid chore.
Is there a way you can learn to slow down and experience yourselfui more fully, your life more deeply, and other people in the present moment without adopting a new religious or philosophical ideology? Clark Strand answers with a clear and simple yes! Short, compelling reflections show you how to make meditation a part of your daily life, without the complication of gurus, mantras, retreats, or treks to distant monasteries.
What is the proper way to breathe? Where should I meditate? What should I sit on? How often should I practice? You’ll find the answers surprising as Strand breaks down modern-day stereotypes about meditation and leaves the one thing a successful meditation practice truly needs: you.
REVIEWS
In poetic simplicity, Clark Strand makes meditation as effortless as breathing, as intimate as a heartbeat, as joyous as a child.
-Hugh Prather, author, Spiritual Notes to Myself
A terrific book. I love the way Strand writes.
-Natalie Goldberg, Author, Writing Down the Bones
Meditation books are frequently written by good teachers but less often written by good writers. Clark Strand uses beautiful, surprising, plain and exact words to convey the just-this experience found through meditation.
-Marcia Z Nelson, Author, Come and Sit: A Week Inside Meditation Centers
Contents
INTRODUCTION
PART I: GETTING STARTED
Teaching Is Impossible
Meditate as a Hobby, Not as a Career
Practice
An Evening Talk
Start with Nothing
Practice
Counting the Breath
Coming Back to Where You Are
The Proper Way to Breathe
Where to Place Your Attention
A World about Posture
Body and Mind
Practice
Where to Meditate
The Myth of Silence
What to Sit on
Practice
Finding Your Keys
Beginner’s Luck
The Autopilot
Take Five
Self-Help Hell
Too Easy!
1917
Practice
This IS It
How Long, How Much?
Discipline
Master What Is Simple
Reed Grass
Looking at a Star
No Path
PART 2: GETTING SETTLED
The Red-Tailed Hawk
Concentration
Practice
Shallow, Not Deep
Water Strider
Thoughts
Boomerangs
Staying Dry
Trusting Your Problems
Coffee Beans
Stop Typing Knots
Seriousness
Do You Meditate Every Day?
Summoning the Present
The Spring
Don’t Believe It
Housefly
Forgetting
Practice
My Teacher’s Light
PART 3: GETTING TOGETHER
The Alcove
One Meeting, One Life
Sharing with People
Sharing Yourself with Others
Starting a Present Moment Group
Don’t Become an Expert
Offering Direction
Journey to the East
No Self-Importance
No Rank
Practice
Sunrise
Sharing with Places and Things
Practice
Sharing the Present with Children
Meditation without Gurus
The Wooden Bowl