Like many things in life, getting the book out ultimately took a little longer than I'd expected. The good news is, today is the day! It should be appearing on Amazon in about 6-8 weeks, but it can be ordered immediately from the website.
http://www.21centurymeditation.info/
thanks for bearing with me. You're going to love having & using this book!
--Jeff
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Close to Release!!
I just got the proof back a few days ago, and it looks great! A few little tweaks to make, since I'm a little bit of a perfectionist, and then it's good to go. There's something amazing about seeing your own thoughts and words in a printed volume...even better with your own name in the author's space. Everyone who's seen the advance has wanted a copy, and I cvouldn't be more pleased. I wrote it to fill a space unfilled by other material out there, and I think I've really hit the mark. I'm really looking forward to the feedback.
More news, soon!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
What the heck is it?
Oof. What the heck is meditation? I was born in the early 60s; I was a kid in the 70s. In those hazy, colorful decades, meditation was just something in the air. It was the incense smoke left behind when conformity was thrown into the fires of the counterculture. Meditation? It just was. It was something that helped you. It was a way of life. It was a way out. A way in. The solution. Something exotic—the secret of Hindu Yogis and Shaolin monks. It brought wisdom. It brought eternal life.
Did any of those answers help you? I thought not.
I got my first taste of meditation from a buddy in elementary school, who was very taken with the hippie ethos. It went like this: “OK, clear your head and tell me the first word that comes onto your head.”
I took a moment, closed my eyes, and though of empty space.
“Space.” I said.
“That’s your word forever, now. For the rest of your life you’ll meditate on the word 'space.'”
Waitaminit, I thought, I didn’t want the word ‘space’ for the rest of my life! I wanted something strong, powerful. I didn’t want empty space, like the place in the closet behind the sneakers! What a stupid exercise!
And that was the last of my formal exercise in meditation for a long time.
Or maybe not, really.
At the same time, I loved to draw, and could spend hours, even days, on a single picture. I went to an art school on Saturdays where we sat and drew or painted, for four hours at a time, with a five minute break every half hour. We worked mostly in silence, because there was nothing that needed saying, and I loved it.
I also loved reading, and tore through every science fiction book I could get my hands on. I went to summer camp, but I wasn’t very athletic at the time, and since most of the activities there were sports, I had a lot of time to explore nature and to read, and read I did. Roughly a book a day. My record was three paperbacks in one day.
And when I was a little older, I often came home from school, threw an LP on the stereo, and zoned out on the couch while my imagination transported me wherever it wanted to take me.
Was any of that meditation?
Isn’t meditation some exotic import of the East? I mean, there have to be all sorts of formalities, right? You have to sit a certain way, you have to sit on certain special things in certain special positions, burn special incense, and chant stuff out loud, right?
Well, yes, and no.
Did any of those answers help you? I thought not.
I got my first taste of meditation from a buddy in elementary school, who was very taken with the hippie ethos. It went like this: “OK, clear your head and tell me the first word that comes onto your head.”
I took a moment, closed my eyes, and though of empty space.
“Space.” I said.
“That’s your word forever, now. For the rest of your life you’ll meditate on the word 'space.'”
Waitaminit, I thought, I didn’t want the word ‘space’ for the rest of my life! I wanted something strong, powerful. I didn’t want empty space, like the place in the closet behind the sneakers! What a stupid exercise!
And that was the last of my formal exercise in meditation for a long time.
Or maybe not, really.
At the same time, I loved to draw, and could spend hours, even days, on a single picture. I went to an art school on Saturdays where we sat and drew or painted, for four hours at a time, with a five minute break every half hour. We worked mostly in silence, because there was nothing that needed saying, and I loved it.
I also loved reading, and tore through every science fiction book I could get my hands on. I went to summer camp, but I wasn’t very athletic at the time, and since most of the activities there were sports, I had a lot of time to explore nature and to read, and read I did. Roughly a book a day. My record was three paperbacks in one day.
And when I was a little older, I often came home from school, threw an LP on the stereo, and zoned out on the couch while my imagination transported me wherever it wanted to take me.
Was any of that meditation?
Isn’t meditation some exotic import of the East? I mean, there have to be all sorts of formalities, right? You have to sit a certain way, you have to sit on certain special things in certain special positions, burn special incense, and chant stuff out loud, right?
Well, yes, and no.
Friday, February 20, 2009
A sample chapter from the book
Here's a short but important chapter from the book. I wanted to give you a taste of what I have to offer. Even though I offer many, many techniques, simply posting one or two of those doesn't really capture the character of the book, since it's so much more than simply a "recipe book" for your mind. Instead, I offer you this chapter. Read it and let me know what you think. (BTW, it's already ruffled a few feathers! Can you see why?)
Chapter 4
what do you want to achieve?
One of the most important rules in life is to know where you want to go so
you’ll know when you get there. You know, there’s an old saw that goes: “The
important thing is not whether you reach the goal; it’s the journey that counts.”
Phooey!
If you don’t have a goal in mind, you may as well go around in circles.
What that saying refers to, in my humble opinion, is that you have to be open
minded on your journey, because you may be presented with surprises that
you’ll miss if you’re too focused on your goal, however, if you don’t know where
you want to go, how will you know which direction to move towards? A journey,
by it’s nature, is transformative and enlightening, but it needs a direction.
A sense of direction makes life much more dynamic.
So, with that in mind, let me ask you: what do you want to get out of this?
Read through this book. Start with the first technique, or pick a method that
you feel moves you, and try it for a while. If it works, see where it leads you,
and if you don’t feel it is working for you after a reasonable time, say 2-3 weeks,
try a different method. At the very least, you’ll have learned what doesn’t work
for you, until you come to the right method. I’ll explain what I think each method
is good for, but see for yourself.
Here are some goals that bring people to meditation:
Stress relief
Better metal focus
Better self control
Better emotional connection
Improved creativity
Self-development, like changing habits or self-image
Self confidence
Better health
Calmness
Insight
Awareness & sensitivity
Achieving goals
Well that’s a start. Do you see your goal on the list? If not, write it in! You’ll be
amazed what your mind can do for you. When you start moving forward with
your goal in mind, you can begin to be aware of other changes and benefits that
result from these practices.
Chapter 4
what do you want to achieve?
One of the most important rules in life is to know where you want to go so
you’ll know when you get there. You know, there’s an old saw that goes: “The
important thing is not whether you reach the goal; it’s the journey that counts.”
Phooey!
If you don’t have a goal in mind, you may as well go around in circles.
What that saying refers to, in my humble opinion, is that you have to be open
minded on your journey, because you may be presented with surprises that
you’ll miss if you’re too focused on your goal, however, if you don’t know where
you want to go, how will you know which direction to move towards? A journey,
by it’s nature, is transformative and enlightening, but it needs a direction.
A sense of direction makes life much more dynamic.
So, with that in mind, let me ask you: what do you want to get out of this?
Read through this book. Start with the first technique, or pick a method that
you feel moves you, and try it for a while. If it works, see where it leads you,
and if you don’t feel it is working for you after a reasonable time, say 2-3 weeks,
try a different method. At the very least, you’ll have learned what doesn’t work
for you, until you come to the right method. I’ll explain what I think each method
is good for, but see for yourself.
Here are some goals that bring people to meditation:
Stress relief
Better metal focus
Better self control
Better emotional connection
Improved creativity
Self-development, like changing habits or self-image
Self confidence
Better health
Calmness
Insight
Awareness & sensitivity
Achieving goals
Well that’s a start. Do you see your goal on the list? If not, write it in! You’ll be
amazed what your mind can do for you. When you start moving forward with
your goal in mind, you can begin to be aware of other changes and benefits that
result from these practices.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Will be in print very shortly!
This book is a culmination of a lot of years of actual practice!
More important: It offers over 20 different meditation techniques for beating stress, getting focused, making positive changes in yourself, and maybe even finding a little inner peace.
Better yet: It's highly accessible to anyone, regardless of experience. Beginners will find clear, easy to follow practices while more experienced meditators can find fun & challenging variations to keep their practice sharp. I delve into a little bit of the psychology behind the techniques I offer, too, so that no one ever has to take my word for anything. I've also included some of my very own experiences to illustrate my points. And, yes, there are illustrations, too.
And there's also an entire chapter on techniques for dealing with stressful situations and keeping your cool.
Can you think of any places you could use something like that?
The book will be available very shortly, but to show you the value of it, I'm going to be posting some extracts right here. I look forward to feedback and discussion!
More important: It offers over 20 different meditation techniques for beating stress, getting focused, making positive changes in yourself, and maybe even finding a little inner peace.
Better yet: It's highly accessible to anyone, regardless of experience. Beginners will find clear, easy to follow practices while more experienced meditators can find fun & challenging variations to keep their practice sharp. I delve into a little bit of the psychology behind the techniques I offer, too, so that no one ever has to take my word for anything. I've also included some of my very own experiences to illustrate my points. And, yes, there are illustrations, too.
And there's also an entire chapter on techniques for dealing with stressful situations and keeping your cool.
Can you think of any places you could use something like that?
The book will be available very shortly, but to show you the value of it, I'm going to be posting some extracts right here. I look forward to feedback and discussion!
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