Episode 21: Meditation Series #5 - Visualization Techniques for Focused Meditation
Are you familiar with these common myths about maintaining focus during meditation? Myth 1: You have to clear your mind completely. Myth 2: You should suppress or ignore distracting thoughts. Myth 3: You need complete silence to meditate effectively. Stay tuned as I reveal the truth and share a powerful visualization technique that will revolutionize your meditation practice.
Different people of different personalities and different bodies and different minds will connect with certain techniques and not with others. And it's important to assemble the set of supports and techniques that you personally need. - Eric Osterlind
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
Visit Dave DuBois' website, radicalbalance.net, to learn more about him and his work as a meditation teacher, psychedelic guide, and integration coach.
Guided Meditations
Sounds and Sights
Open Awareness
Recommended Books on Meditation
The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation Practice by Dza Kilung Rinpoche
I love how detailed, hands-on, and clear this book is. This is my favorite “manual” for beginning meditation practice. It’s accessible for beginners and practical.
https://www.abebooks.com/9781611802825/Relaxed-Mind-Seven-Step-Method-Deepening-1611802822/plp
The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh
In this beautiful and lucid guide, Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh offers gentle anecdotes and practical exercises as a means of learning the skills of mindfulness--being awake and fully aware. From washing the dishes to answering the phone to peeling an orange, he reminds us that each moment holds within it an opportunity to work toward greater self-understanding and peace.
https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/the-miracle-of-mindfulness/book/
Zen Mind, Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
This book is an inspiring introduction to Zen and meditation practice and has been beloved by meditators, new and old, for decades. It doesn’t have comprehensive, step-by-step meditation instructions but is more anecdotal and continually reframes and adjusts the beginner's subtle misconceptions about the path of meditation.
https://www.abebooks.com/9780834800793/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Talks-0834800799/plp
Clarifying the Natural State by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal
This is such an excellent book, but not a “self-starter.” You will need a meditation guide or teacher to get the most out of this 400-year-old text. That said, it is a powerful and straightforward guide for teachers and students exploring the path of meditation.
https://www.abebooks.com/9789627341451/Clarifying-Natural-State-Principal-Guidance-9627341452/plp
Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body by Daniel Goleman and Richard J Davidson
If you benefit from knowing the science behind meditation, this is the book for you. It’s not going to give you meditation instruction, but it gives an amazing and thoroughly researched presentation of how meditation works and changes the brain. It is very clear in establishing that not all meditation practices have the same outcomes.
https://www.abebooks.com/9780399184383/Altered-Traits-Science-Reveals-Meditation-0399184384/plp
Episode Credits: Music by Magiksolo and Lesfm from Pixabay
