Meditation is a scientifically verified method for reducing stress, enhancing well being, and making optimistic adjustments within the mind. However it’s typically related to faith, or has a “new-age” air (like sitting in an unique place and burning incense). There’s definitely nothing unsuitable with religious-based or unique strategies, which work high-quality for many individuals. However some are turned off by it or it makes them skeptical of meditation. For the latter group, Rick Heller has written Secular Meditation, a helpful down-to-earth information.

Rick is related to the humanist neighborhood at Harvard College, the place he teaches meditation. I loved the e book and would extremely suggest it for anybody who has beforehand been skeptical of meditation. Rick admits that some persons are important of making an attempt to give you a secularized model that extracts it from non secular roots. That’s the reason he makes use of the extra generic time period secular meditation as an alternative of one thing like secularized Buddhism. I believe the necessary query is whether or not the secularized model remains to be useful. It’s doable to lose some worth when you decide and select solely what you need. For instance, one might apply mindfulness and calming the thoughts diligently however nonetheless not be a really good particular person. However I imagine that is averted when you preserve a minimal important set of parts like meditation, mindfulness, and cultivation of loving-kindness, as I mentioned right here. Loving-kindness or equal compassion trainings are an necessary facet that’s typically omitted.

So I used to be completely happy that Rick’s information begins with loving-kindness practices. He describes these and different useful practices intimately within the e book. It was additionally good to see him cowl a secularized model of mantra meditation. Whereas many individuals discover breath-based strategies to work nicely for meditation, I personally have had extra success with mantra meditation.