4 ms·

I'm not sure what the take away was, but I really enjoyed the article. That seems appropriate. I've been doing unguided mediation by myself for short periods (

I'm not sure what the take away was, but I really enjoyed the article. That seems appropriate. I've been doing unguided mediation by myself for short periods (sub 30m) for years. Never really took much instruction in terms of what type of mediation i should do. I think this article is the first thing that really made want to seek out instruction. Any personal recommendations for books/other material for someone that's familiar with the concept of sitting meditation and can get into daily habit of 10m sessions without a huge amount of trouble?

yawgmoth 8y ago
I think Headspace is quite a good fit for someone looking for 10 minute (or shorter or longer) sessions. Since you have meditated before, I would skip the "Basic" sessions. The "Pain Management" facet of Headspace has been the most rewarding and I think its focus on breath movement through the body (even if you don't have pain or discomfort) is brilliant. As far as reading goes - I've recommended Jon Kabat-Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living before and still do. I read it before starting a guided meditation program (I didn't buy his CDs) and eventually added Headspace.
ex3xu 8y ago
I've heard good things about the dhamma.org 10-day Vipassana retreats. The sessions seem to require registering months in advance for new students, though.
- X6S1x6Okd1st 8y ago
  10 days is a bigger commitment than I feel comfortable making at the moment.
  - lihaciudaniel 8y ago
    Don't forget that it is a mental practice, and like in sports you can injure yourself. (Maniac episodes etc)
  - justgaurav 8y ago
    10 days is a big commitment, and it may be something you want to explore in future. While I do not agree with all the philosophies and can do without all the evening talks, the fact that you can do long sessions of meditations and everything is taken care of is excellent. I like to compare ten days course to a marathon - it is hard, you need to be open, and you learn a lot about your mind. I have also found "Black Lotus App" (http://blacklotusapp.org/ http://blacklotusapp.org/) to be a good source for myself. It is free, has some good guided sessions, allows you to attend global sessions and gives access to other resources.
grumdan 8y ago
The Mind Illuminated by John Yates (aka Culadasa) helped me a lot on how to structure my practice and how to deal with specific issues arising during meditation. I also find it quite well-written.
- jrowley 8y ago
  I’ll second this recommendation. It makes meditation feel more accessible.
  - justinpombrio 8y ago
    Thirded. It reads like a ~500 page technical manual for the mind. I don't know of any other book that states things as plainly, or in as much detail.
- agumonkey 8y ago
  I did learn the distinction between focused and surrounding~ attention. Felt a bit different.
fernly 8y ago
Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana[1] is a classic intro. Altho the free version at the link is called "rather dated" -- really, how "dated" can meditation instructions be? Anyway, I found that edition helpful. [1] https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
xhedley 8y ago
For mindfulness awareness in the moment I would recommend Mindfulness:a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Williams (Oxford University). It takes you through a course in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. MBCT is aimed as anti-depression. I like the standardised approach used which means that clinical trials are possible. Another interesting angle is Mindful Self Compassion - best starting point Kristin Neff.
grabarz 8y ago
"Three pillars of Zen" by Phillip Kapleau. Contains chapters on practice and main concepts of Zen.
gbuk2013 8y ago
Practical Zen by Julian Diazan Skinner
sdfin 8y ago
I like how this talk explains meditation and it's progression, with variations on the practice: http://centerforsacredsciences.org/podcasts/Listening%20to%20the%20Stones_%201%20Learning%20to%20Listen.mp3 http://centerforsacredsciences.org/podcasts/Listening%20to%2... Warning: on the talk, meditation is explained in a mystical context, but the practice is the same whether you share or not that perspective.
needz 8y ago
Waking Up with Sam Harris. It's an app for iOS. Sam Harris is a very insightful philosopher and neuroscientist. He explains things in a very concise and concrete way that I value above my experience with Headspace.
- claudiawerner 8y ago
  Is Sam Harris actually a philosopher? I got the impression he isn't, not in the academic sense, anyway. Daniel Dennett is a philosopher.
  - needz 8y ago
    He has a B.A. in Philosophy from Stanford, so he at least has the foundation.

yawgmoth 8y ago

I think Headspace is quite a good fit for someone looking for 10 minute (or shorter or longer) sessions. Since you have meditated before, I would skip the "Basic" sessions. The "Pain Management" facet of Headspace has been the most rewarding and I think its focus on breath movement through the body (even if you don't have pain or discomfort) is brilliant. As far as reading goes - I've recommended Jon Kabat-Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living before and still do. I read it before starting a guided meditation program (I didn't buy his CDs) and eventually added Headspace.

ex3xu 8y ago

I've heard good things about the dhamma.org 10-day Vipassana retreats. The sessions seem to require registering months in advance for new students, though.

X6S1x6Okd1st 8y ago
10 days is a bigger commitment than I feel comfortable making at the moment.
- lihaciudaniel 8y ago
  Don't forget that it is a mental practice, and like in sports you can injure yourself. (Maniac episodes etc)
- justgaurav 8y ago
  10 days is a big commitment, and it may be something you want to explore in future. While I do not agree with all the philosophies and can do without all the evening talks, the fact that you can do long sessions of meditations and everything is taken care of is excellent. I like to compare ten days course to a marathon - it is hard, you need to be open, and you learn a lot about your mind. I have also found "Black Lotus App" (http://blacklotusapp.org/ http://blacklotusapp.org/) to be a good source for myself. It is free, has some good guided sessions, allows you to attend global sessions and gives access to other resources.

grumdan 8y ago

The Mind Illuminated by John Yates (aka Culadasa) helped me a lot on how to structure my practice and how to deal with specific issues arising during meditation. I also find it quite well-written.

jrowley 8y ago
I’ll second this recommendation. It makes meditation feel more accessible.
- justinpombrio 8y ago
  Thirded. It reads like a ~500 page technical manual for the mind. I don't know of any other book that states things as plainly, or in as much detail.
agumonkey 8y ago
I did learn the distinction between focused and surrounding~ attention. Felt a bit different.

fernly 8y ago

Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana[1] is a classic intro. Altho the free version at the link is called "rather dated" -- really, how "dated" can meditation instructions be? Anyway, I found that edition helpful. [1] https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

xhedley 8y ago

For mindfulness awareness in the moment I would recommend Mindfulness:a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Williams (Oxford University). It takes you through a course in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. MBCT is aimed as anti-depression. I like the standardised approach used which means that clinical trials are possible. Another interesting angle is Mindful Self Compassion - best starting point Kristin Neff.

grabarz 8y ago

"Three pillars of Zen" by Phillip Kapleau. Contains chapters on practice and main concepts of Zen.

gbuk2013 8y ago

Practical Zen by Julian Diazan Skinner

sdfin 8y ago

I like how this talk explains meditation and it's progression, with variations on the practice: http://centerforsacredsciences.org/podcasts/Listening%20to%20the%20Stones_%201%20Learning%20to%20Listen.mp3 http://centerforsacredsciences.org/podcasts/Listening%20to%2... Warning: on the talk, meditation is explained in a mystical context, but the practice is the same whether you share or not that perspective.

needz 8y ago

Waking Up with Sam Harris. It's an app for iOS. Sam Harris is a very insightful philosopher and neuroscientist. He explains things in a very concise and concrete way that I value above my experience with Headspace.

claudiawerner 8y ago
Is Sam Harris actually a philosopher? I got the impression he isn't, not in the academic sense, anyway. Daniel Dennett is a philosopher.
- needz 8y ago
  He has a B.A. in Philosophy from Stanford, so he at least has the foundation.