Meditation An in-depth guide

Ian Gawler

Book - 2011

"Meditation is increasingly recommended for relaxation, for enhancing relationships and well-being, to increase performance in sports and business, for personal growth, and to assist healing. Introducing mindfulness-based stillness meditation, Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson explain how to build a daily meditation practice. The authors also show how meditation can be used to work with our emotions, aid healing, manage pain, or as a spiritual practice. Meditation is a path we can pursue and refine throughout our lives. Drawing on modern science as well as ancient Eastern traditions and the authors' own extensive personal experience as practitioners and teachers, this guide offers the techniques and understanding needed to explore medita...tion practice deeply. It is also an invaluable resource for meditation teachers from all background"--

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Subjects
Published
New York : Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin 2011.
Language
English
Main Author
Ian Gawler (-)
Other Authors
Paul Bedson (-)
Physical Description
398 p. ; 23 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9781585428618
  • Introduction: The Gift of Meditation
  • Meditation Journeys: About the Authors
  • Part I. Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation
  • 1. Introducing Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation
  • Step 1. Preparation
  • 2. Establishing Comfort and Ease
  • Step 2. Relaxation
  • 3. Learning to Relax
  • 4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
  • Step 3. Mindfulness
  • 5. Mindfulness of Breath
  • 6. Habits of Thinking and Awareness
  • 7. Mindfulness of Body
  • 8. Knowing Your Body
  • 9. Mindfulness of Emotions
  • 10. Connecting with Feelings
  • Step 4. Stillness
  • 11. Mindfulness of Thoughts and Stillness
  • 12. Stillness and the Nature of Mind
  • 13. The Complete Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation Technique
  • Part II. Other Applications
  • 14. Meditation and Mind-Body Medicine
  • 15. Meditation for Transforming Pain
  • 16. Meditation, Imagery and Affirmations
  • 17. Meditation Using Intention-Forgiveness, Gratitude and Loving Kindness
  • 18. Meditation Using Inquiry-Contemplation
  • 19. Meditation and the Spiritual Path
  • Conclusion: Integration
  • Appendix: Definitions of Meditation
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
Review by Library Journal Review

Meditation can relax the body and focus the mind, improving both the physical and the spiritual health of practitioners. Veterinarian and counselor Gawler and psychotherapist Bedson have written an encyclopedic manual to guide anyone interested in learning to meditate. Both authors have studied with a number of eminent teachers, including Sogyal Rinpoche and Osho, and Gawler explains that meditation helped him survive cancer. An introduction covers the meaning and history of meditation, and the following chapters explore the steps involved: preparation, relaxation of the muscles, mindfulness, and stillness. These chapters are followed by a section that discusses applying the techniques to mind-body medicine, pain management, affirmation, intention, contemplation, and spirituality. An appendix provides working definitions of meditation, and an extensive bibliography offers resources for those who wish to deepen their studies. VERDICT The techniques covered here are described so clearly that anyone who reads the book will be able to learn them. This is an outstanding meditation primer that belongs in all library collections.-Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

In a world of overextended schedules and stress-induced headaches, Gawler (You Can Conquer Cancer, 2007, etc.) and Bedson (The Complete Family Guide to Natural Healing, 2005) offer techniques for achieving peace.There are many user-friendly books that teach basic meditation, but this edition is particularly unique in its authors' life stories and expertise in the mind-body connection. Bedson spent time in India learning from masters at a Tibetan monastery, and Gawler, diagnosed with swiftly fatal osteogenic sarcoma at the age of 24, overcame his painful disease through meditation and lifestyle change and has remained cancer-free since 1978. Realizing that the Western mind tends to have atake-a-pill-and-fix-it-quickattitude, the authors patiently explain the process and present much good advice, such as how to remain realistic (some people have grandiose expectations of what they will experience). Whether using the direct approach, which creates deep relaxation and an open awareness, or the gradual approach preferred by many novices, preparation is the foundation for creating a space conducive to relaxation, thus unleashing the modern mind to become aware of stillness. Nonetheless, the daily grind can often interfere with meditation, and the authors include many practical applicationse.g., breathing exercises to help prevent some common obstacles to mindfulness, like boredom, restlessness and impatience. There are manifold physical and psychological benefits from meditationlower blood pressure, pain management, riddance of bad habits or negative thought patterns, etc.and each positive outcome creates a healthy mind-body ripple effect that radiates understanding, compassion and love for others.Regardless of religious beliefs or life situations, any reader would benefit from the Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) techniques clearly outlined here.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.