Meditation Resources

Posture Tips

Mindfulness of body is the first step in a meditation practice. It's important to be precise and follow the technique. Without hurting yourself! Some people are OK sitting on a cushion on the floor. Others prefer to sit in a chair. Both are good. If sitting on a cushion, note that are different shapes and heights. You may have to experiment a bit to find the right setup for you.

                      

This posture looks ideal.                      Side view. Notice the straight            Be sure not to tip forward or slump too much.

Knees and pelivis form a supportive    line of her neck.                                She's trying not to laugh cause she knows   

tirangle. Hands and shoulders                                                                       how bad this is. He looks very sad cause he  

and relaxed. Gaze is soft.                                                                              knows his back is in for a world of hurt eventually.

                                                                  

               

Simiilar to above, but knees           Side view. Relaxed. Straight

are slightly lifted. Althougth             neck. Good.

yoga teachers may not like

this, for some people it's the

most comfortable.           

                

For some, sitting cross legged      Side view. Very relaxed.            Bad. Obviously. Especially

is just not an option. This guy        Good.                                         for his poor neck.

is straddling a cushion or bench,

which works for him.

       

Full lotus. Don't try this at            Side view. Look how relaxed.

home. But this is the ideal            Ah, youth.*

posture. Athought most of

us will never make it, still

this is the intention.

*Many, many thanks to the beautiful under 30 meditation group at the Boston Shambhala Center.for being such excellent models.

                                                                                                             

Cushions

           

Rectangular cushion    Lower gomden             Round cushion            In-the-shape-of-your-  Meditation bench.

(Gomden)                                                          (Zafu)                          butt cushion

All of these cushions (and many other high quality meditation supplies) are available from the excellent Samadhi Cushions.

Shrines

Shrines are very personal and there are many kinds. As I suggest in The Wisdom of a Broken Heart, you could create one to make your intention to work courageously with your mind and emotions. Whatever you decide to create (if you do), keep it simple. Below are pictures of shrines that people have created for themselves. Some are particular to that individual, others reflect commitment to a particluar lineage. If you create a shrine, post a pic on my blog! I'd love to see it.

                

      Very lovely, very personal.                                  Also lovely, clearly meaningful.                            A traditional Buddhist shrine.

             

       Another traditional Buddhist shrine.                      An outdoors meditation spot.                            The simplest setup possible. Brilliant!

*Thank you to my wonderful Twitter pals for supplying these photos.

Meditation Instruction

The Practice of Tranquility  MP3 file


         


Loving Kindness Meditation    MP3 file


        

Loving Kindness Meditation for the One Who Broke Your Heart  MP3 file

      

Other Resources

For recommeded books, meditation centers, blogs, and other info, click here.