Meditation for the Love of It


Book Description

Meditation is like a love affair with your innermost self. At times it can be ecstatic and entrancing, other times simple and still—and sometimes you might not even feel its profound effects until later. Now with Meditation for the Love of It, Sally Kempton shares practical secrets to help us turn meditation into an unconditional embrace of the fullness of our experience—on and off the meditation cushion. With the gentle wisdom and compassion of one who understands the nuances of practice, she opens us to the joy of exploring the deep and mysterious inner landscape of the heart, mind, and body. Drawing on her 40 years as a teacher and a fellow meditator, Sally teaches us how we can connect to our inner longings and creative shakti energy to allow the transformative gifts and blessings of meditation to unfold. With playfulness and devotion—two key attitudes in sustaining a daily practice—she shares indispensable guidance for this voyage of self-discovery, including: How to tune in to your own “meditation channel,” a bandwidth of tranquillity, energy, and joy Why you don’t need a quiet mind to meditate How the force known as Kundalini can fuel your practice Connecting to your ever-present Inner Beloved to let go of conditioned ideas about yourself and make space for the True Self to come forth Ripening your practice beyond technique into the “sweet mysterious expanse of spontaneous meditation” More than 20 practices for bringing the peace and insight of meditation into your daily life “Remember: what you seek in meditation is your own Beloved, your own inner intelligence, your own Awareness, and your own Truth,” teaches Sally. Meditation for the Love of It points us back to our own intimate heart of hearts, our own deepest experience, and the bliss of existence itself.




Real Love


Book Description

The New York Times bestselling author and a central figure in the field of meditation, Sharon Salzberg, uses ancient Buddhist wisdom to redefine love and experience it in a more profound way. You are a person worthy of love. You don’t have to do anything to deserve all the love in the world. Real Love is a creative tool kit of mindfulness exercises and meditation techniques that help you to truly engage with your present experience and create deeper love relationships with yourself, your partner, friends and family, and with life itself. Sharon Salzberg, a leading expert in Lovingkindness meditation, encourages us to strip away layers of negative habits and obstacles, helping us to experience authentic love based on direct experience, rather than preconceptions. Across three sections, Sharon explains how to dispel cultural and emotional habits, and direct focused care and attention to recapture the essence of what it is to love and be loved. With positive reflections and practices, Sharon teaches us how to shift the responsibilities of the love that we give and receive to rekindle the powerful healing force of true connection. By challenging myths perpetuated by popular culture, we can undo the limited definitions that reduce love to simply romance or passion, and give the heart a much needed tune-up to connect ourselves to the truest experience of love in our daily lives.




Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry


Book Description

When we turn to meditation, we are turning toward renewal, peace, and insight. Initially, we may take up contemplative practice as a means of tapping into the abundant resources of the mind and heart that bring serenity, but the meditative journey leads further--to the place where wisdom and love unite. In Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry, Arthur Zajonc offers an overview of the meditative life, weaving practical instruction together with the guidance and inspiration of the world's great teachers, from Rudolf Steiner to Rumi, and from Goethe to the sages of Asia. Zajonc reminds us that an ethic of humility grounds all practice, and that care of the soul is the basis for sound spiritual reflection and understanding. The author carefully describes each stage of the path and includes many recommended practices. Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry is the fruit of many years of personal practice and teaching. Arthur Zajonc developed his orientation toward meditation through working with hundreds of university students and professors, as well as with contemplative groups in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.




Breathing Love


Book Description

"In this beautiful treatise, Jennie Lee gives practical ways to embody love itself; a true path to connection with our inherent divinity."—Tosha Silver, author of Outrageous Openness and Change Me Prayers Make Love Your Spiritual Practice Discover how to embody love, breathe it as your daily spiritual practice, and recognize it as the core of who you are. Love is more than an emotional wave that passes through us, and meditation is what we need to clear our inner vision and overcome the impulses and habits that take us away from pure love. This remarkable book explores what love is and what it takes to live it each day, even in a world full of turmoil. Jennie Lee shares many personal stories as she guides you into more active, conscious loving by overcoming anger and fear, building trust, learning to forgive, and dealing with loss. Using daily meditation practices—both on and off the cushion—and mindful action, Breathing Love shows you how to open your heart to your true nature as love itself. Praise: Winner of the 2018 American Book Fest Best Book Award (Self Help/Motivational Category) Finalist for the 2018 Independent Author's Network Book of the Year Award (Spirituality/Inspirational Category) Named One of the Top 10 Inspiring Books of January 2018 by Aspire Magazine "Jennie Lee's Breathing Love is extraordinarily important, because our country and our world are afflicted by a tsunami of separation directed toward "the other." This pandemic of separation and hostility now threatens our future. In elaborating on love, Lee provides a path not just for personal psychospiritual growth, but also for the survival of our species."—Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind "Breathing Love is brimming with inspiration for those building or expanding a practice of meditation, not just as a self-care practice, but as a means to heal our hurts and fill our hearts with calm trust and LOVE."—Agapi Stassinopoulos, author of Wake Up to the Joy of You "Brilliant, elegant, and easily practical for those just getting into meditation, and for the seasoned veteran. This is a book to cherish, filled with good stories from Jennie's remarkable life of devotion."—Stephen G. Post, author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People and president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love "This book will set you on the path to healing and to seeing relationships in a whole new light. Through her personal stories, Lee illustrates the way we can evolve consciousness from fear to love—an essential skill for everyone's inner peace."—Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD, co-author of Aging with Attitude




Worthy of Love


Book Description

In this beautifully written meditation book, best-selling author Karen Casey sensitively examines the challenges of love: the love we give friends, family, a lover, even ourselves. Worthy of Love offers 52 (weekly) inspiring quotes and short readings for those who struggle to love and be loved. "The irony is that the harder we look for love, the more blurred our vision. Only when we become quiet and trust that love is our birthright do we discover its friendship has enfolded us." --Karen Casey, Worthy of Love




Get Some Headspace


Book Description

'If you're thinking about trying mindfulness, this is the perfect introduction....I'm grateful to Andy for helping me on this journey.' BILL GATES 'It's kind of genius' EMMA WATSON Feeling stressed about Christmas/Brexit/everthing? Try this... Demystifying meditation for the modern world: an accessible and practical route to improved health, happiness and well being, in as little as 10 minutes. Andy Puddicombe, founder of the celebrated Headspace, is on a mission: to get people to take 10 minutes out of their day to sit in the now. Here he shares his simple to learn, but highly effective techniques of meditation. * Rest an anxious, busy mind * Find greater ease when faced with difficult emotions, thoughts, circumstances * Improve focus and concentration * Sleep better * Achieve new levels of calm and fulfilment. The benefits of mindfulness and meditation are well documented and here Andy brings this ancient practice into the modern world, tailor made for the most time starved among us. First published as Get Some Headspace, this reissue shows you how just 10 minutes of mediation per day can bring about life changing results.




Daily Meditations for Women Who Love Too Much


Book Description

Robin Norwood revolutionized the way we look at love, with a compassionate, intimate book offering a recovery program for women who love too much—women who are attracted to troubled men, who neglect their own interests and friends, and who are unable to leave tormented relationships for fear of being “empty without him.” With multiple millions in sales throughout the world, her Women Who Love Too Much remains an invaluable and eagerly sought source of help to women (and men) everywhere. Norwood now enhances the practical wisdom of that book with years’ worth of deep reflection and study. The result is a series of daily meditations that promote sane loving and serene living no matter what is—or isn’t—happening in your personal life. Illuminated by Richard Torregrossa’s humorous yet sensitive pen-and-ink drawings, each page of this book stimulates awareness, offers guidance, and fosters inner growth. Whether you breeze through this charming book in one sitting or savor each meditation and illustration a day at a time, the pages of Daily Mediations for Women Who Love Too Much offer fresh inspiration and insights with every reading.




Loving-Kindness Meditation


Book Description

Loving-kindness is a spiritual belief and practice found in almost all religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism. Its main tenet focuses on the intention of one person to direct good will and loving prayers to another person. Anyone who prays for the happiness, safety, and good health of a loved one or stranger is practicing loving-kindness. This book of teachings and meditations explains how to energize your own prayers and good wishes with the regular practice of the traditional Buddhist loving-kindness meditation. Bill Scheffel, a poet and teacher, explains how important it is to first offer yourself loving-kindness before you begin to offer that love and support to others. Illustrated with glorious full-color photography with quotes ranging from the Bible to poetry, Loving-kindness Meditation is a one-of-a-kind explanation of a prayer common to us all: The prayer for love and peace for all people. Book jacket.




How to Love


Book Description

Thich Nhat Hanh shares timeless wisdom and mindfulness meditation practices in this pocket-sized, illustrated guide about cherishing the many ways love manifests in our lives. How to Love is the third title in Thich Nhat Hanh’s series of mindfulness books for beginners and seasoned practitioners. This time, he brings his signature clarity, compassion, and humor to the thorny question of how to love. He distills one of our strongest emotions down to 4 essentials: • You can only love another when you feel true love for yourself • Love is understanding • Understanding brings compassion • Deep listening and loving speech are key ways of showing our love How to Love shows that when we feel closer to our loved ones, we are also more connected to the world as a whole. Thich Nhat Hanh applies this timeless wisdom to the core areas and relationships of our lives, including: • Love vs. Need • Being in Love • Reverence • Intimacy • Children and Family • Reconciling with Parents With meditations you can do alone or with your partner, How to Love is a unique gift for those who want a comprehensive yet simple guide to understanding the many different kinds of love, perfect for those practicing in any spiritual tradition, whether seasoned practitioners or new to meditation.




Awakening Shakti


Book Description

How do you live a life of spiritual awakening as well as outer abundance, inner freedom as well as deep intimacy? How do you serve the world selflessly, yet passionately celebrate your life? The sages of Tantra have known for centuries that when you follow the path of Shakti—the sacred feminine principle personified by the goddesses of yoga—these gifts can manifest spontaneously. Yet most of us, women as well as men, have yet to experience the full potential of our inner feminine energies. When you know these powers for what they are, they heighten your capacity to open spiritually, love more deeply and fearlessly, create with greater mastery, and move through the world with skill and delight. In Awakening Shakti, you will learn how to recognize and invite: Kali, bringer of strength, fierce love, and untamed freedomLakshmi, who confers prosperity and beautySaraswati, for clarity of communication and intuitionRadha, who carries the divine energy of spiritual longingBhuvaneshvari, who creates the space for sacred transformationParvati, to awaken creativity and the capacity to love With a wealth of meditations, visualizations, mantras, teachings, and beautifully told stories, Awakening Shakti provides a practical guide for activating the currents of the divine feminine in every aspect of your life. “Sally Kempton's new book is a treasure that brings myth, meditation, and everyday revelation together in a way that will allow every woman to embody the divine feminine in her life. Sally enlivens the full spectrum of the goddess—from independent protector, to lover, to dynamic and powerful creatrix. I highly recommend this soon-to-be classic!” —Shiva Rea, yogini “Sally Kempton has given us a mythic manual for a new kind of feminism—a feminism of the soul. And this is a good thing, because humanity needs feminine power now as both a healing tonic and a source of reinvention.” —Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of the Omega Institute, author of Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow