Meditation For Dummies, w/Audio CD, 3rd Edition

Introduction  1

Part I: Getting Acquainted with Meditation  7

Chapter 1: Embarking on Your Meditation Journey 9

Chapter 2: Why Meditate? 25

Chapter 3: Zen and Now: Where Meditation Comes From 41

Chapter 4: Your Brain on Meditation and How it Impacts Your Life 57

Part II: Getting Started  69

Chapter 5: Laying the Foundation: Motivation, Attitude, and Beginner’s Mind 71

Chapter 6: How Your Mind Stresses You Out and What You Can Do about It 81

Chapter 7: Mindfulness Meditation: Awareness of the Here and Now 101

Chapter 8: Preparing Your Body for Meditation 113

Chapter 9: Where to Sit, What to Wear, and Other Practical Stuff 129

Chapter 10: Just Doing It: Discipline, Effort, and Letting Go 141

Chapter 11: Opening Your Heart with Love and Compassion 153

Part III: Troubleshooting and Fine-Tuning Your Practice  171

Chapter 12: Meditating with Challenging Emotions and Habitual Patterns 173

Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Common Roadblocks and Side Effects 193

Chapter 14: Developing a Practice That Works for You 211

Part IV: Meditation in Action  223

Chapter 15: Cultivating Spirituality 225

Chapter 16: Don’t Worry, Be Happy — with Meditation 251

Chapter 17: Meditating in Everyday Life 271

Chapter 18: Using Meditation for Healing and Performance Enhancement 287

Part V: The Part of Tens  307

Chapter 19: Ten Commonly Asked Questions about Meditation 309

Chapter 20: Ten Favorite All-Purpose Meditations 315

Part VI: Appendixes  325

Appendix A: Meditation Resources 327

Appendix B: About the CD 339

Index  341