Why I recommend meditation practices
Meditation practices have been used for thousands of years to develop awareness of what your brain is doing and how you respond to the world around you.
Most meditation practices have mindfulness and values at their core. Whether you choose mindfulness meditation from Buddhist psychology, contemplative prayer from Judeo-Christian, Muslim, or other faiths, or moving meditation like yoga or tai chi, you should notice these benefits:
Most meditation practices have mindfulness and values at their core. Whether you choose mindfulness meditation from Buddhist psychology, contemplative prayer from Judeo-Christian, Muslim, or other faiths, or moving meditation like yoga or tai chi, you should notice these benefits:
- Increased calm and contentment
- Increased compassion for self and others
- Feelings, sensations, and thoughts dissolving on their own
- More flexible and gentle-minded thought patterns
- Ability to nourish positive, beneficial thoughts
- Ability to break habits of fueling negative, non-beneficial thoughts
- Clearing away obstacles to wellness
How do I start a meditation practice?
The New York Times published an excellent primer on meditation practice called How to Meditate. Doubters may enjoy following journalist Dan Harris as he learned how meditation prevents anxiety and other obstacles from interfering with quality of life.
Without further ado, here are my faves
The classics:
Free moving meditation on YouTube:
Modern meditation to cultivate self-compassion:
Science shows that much of happiness comes from learning and practicing. Here are some great tools:
- Guided meditations by Malcolm Huxter
- Guided meditations by Sharon Salzberg
- Acknowledge-Feel-Soften meditation by Gil Fronsdal
- The Blooming of A Lotus book by Thich Nhat Hanh
Free moving meditation on YouTube:
- Yoga Zone
- Jason Crandell on Yoga Journal To Go
- DoYogaWithMe
Modern meditation to cultivate self-compassion:
- Guided meditations and worksheets by Kristin Neff
- Guided meditations by Christopher Germer
Science shows that much of happiness comes from learning and practicing. Here are some great tools:
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