Just like physical exercise, meditation can take many forms.
Essentially, meditation is an activity that asks you to focus your attention in a particular way. This could be by concentrating on the sight of a flower, listening to a voice as it leads you through a guided meditation, or simply by focusing on your own breath as you inhale and exhale. Sometimes you’ll do it with an aim in mind, such as improving your concentration or relaxing after a long day at work.
Meditation is also a chance to gather your thoughts and reflect on yourself and your life. From this quiet reflection you’ll grow used to sitting in that inner space I call ‘The Middle’ (see here). From there, you can start to explore ideas about life or even make enquiries into the nature of things, such as, for example, deciding to meditate on what animates a flower or a topic like ‘the nature of innovation’, or perhaps contemplating the Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon.
Some of the meditations in this guide invite you to focus your attention in one direction or another. Others have a goal or revolve around something you are looking into. Yet meditation can also be a time to sit quietly and just be – without any agenda. Here you have an opportunity to let thoughts, feelings and senses appear, unfold and dissolve. This ‘just being’ approach can give us some much needed breathing room.
It’s wise to meditate with an attitude of discovery. In doing so, you leave the door of opportunity wide open and the many wonderful, yet unexpected benefits of meditation will come your way. Each meditation in this book can offer you its own set of special qualities. Some promote focus and concentration, others have a nice calming effect, and the fun, explorative practices spark inspiration. The meditations here have been divided into three categories and you can use this key to find one to suit your mood in any given moment.
Meditations to inspire
Meditations for focus 
Meditations for calm 
Archaeologists agree that the origins of meditation are many thousands of years old, dating to about 5,000 to 3,500 BCE. It developed in Buddhist India, Taoist China, Persia and Japan before coming over to the West. However, meditation is essentially a lay practice and – just like swimming – its purpose changes in line with the intention of the meditator: for instance, a swimmer might want to cool down in a pool or cross the channel. Over the centuries, many teachers have had to ground their work in one religion or another in order to avoid being seen as heretics, but don’t feel you have to become a Buddhist or Hindu or subscribe to a faith in order to meditate. We can make up our own rules and practise meditation exactly as we want to. Incorporate meditation’s lessons into your own way of living and find out what is true for you.
In recent years, there has been a lot of scientific research into mindfulness. This is a modern, secular strand of meditation that is often defined as cultivating a sense of moment-to-moment, non-judgemental awareness. It involves paying attention in a specified way to the present moment.
Many of the practices in this guide draw on mindfulness, because it is an approach that works well ‘on the go’ and alongside daily activities such as washing up or cooking a meal.
Research in neuroscience suggests that simple mindfulness practices can create real change in the brain, reducing anxiety and fear, and improving compassion, cognitive ability and creativity. For much of the twentieth century, it was thought that neuro-plasticity – the brain’s ability to reinvent itself – was purely a feature of prenatal and early childhood development, but this is now understood to last in adulthood. This means, for example, that the brain can develop positive new programmes throughout adult life.
It is never too late to be happy.
In 1910, the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, said, ‘Everywhere I go I find a poet has been there before me.’ Never one to be late for the party, Freud recognised how frequently poets point to the essential parts of life that we all share. You know, the real grit and bones of being. These kinds of insight can be found in many styles of poetry throughout the ages, ranging from the writings of Rumi, Hafiz and Blake, to Emily Dickinson, D. H. Lawrence, P. B. Shelly, Rilke and Fernando Pessoa. These and other great writers often point to the great stillness of presence through their work. In this sense, poems are like little intravenous shots of meditation.
There are lots of literary tips shared throughout this book, so do give them a go. Don’t worry if you’re new to poems or feel unsure about them. It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3:
Meditation has played the perfect drag act in its 5,000-year passage from East to West. In every evolution it has taken on the perfume of its era, with various schools of thought all basically speaking about the same thing.
This, right now, is the digital information age, and meditation is being championed by a new generation of teachers. The issues we face are different to those of Rumi, Rilke and Buddha because the landscape of our lives has changed. But how?
While a hectic pace of life has been a matter of concern for some time now, the seemingly relentless innovation in information technology is quite new and poses a unique challenge to our generation. With meditation to hand, we can put our best foot forward and navigate the fast-changing demands of today with calm, focus and inspiration.
Some key meditation terms.
At certain points during the course of this book we’ll save time by speaking in code. So, when we say, ‘Take an Easy Breath and adopt the Ready position’, we will know instantly how to begin – without having to go through the rigmarole of remembering lengthy routines. Here are a few key guidelines:
Resting gently where you are, notice the coming and going of your breath. In and out, in and out. No effort or intervention, just watching and listening keenly.
Mantras are as simple as saying a few choice words aloud or inwardly, or voicing a particular sound such as humming. The sound in question is repeated several times, allowing it to sink in. Sound your mantras while sitting in an Easy Seat, or perhaps while standing upright with your hands hanging loosely at your sides. Whichever you choose, be sure to give yourself plenty of room to breathe so you can express yourself fully.
‘Being Ready’ feels almost as though you are expecting something, but not anything in particular – just ready to be happy, ready to meet whatever shows up in life. To Be Ready first relax your shoulders and take an easy breath or two. Have your mind and body slip into neutral. You’re at rest, yet fully attentive and listening to life. I imagine this is how cats rest— relaxed but still alert.
Sit firmly in the middle of your being the way a hinge sits in a door. Life and experiences are unfolding around you, and yet you remain the quiet knower of all these comings and goings without getting caught up in them.
Sometimes things happen and you will get drawn in by distractions – and move away from The Middle. One of the tell-tale signs that you have moved out of The Middle is a feeling of discontentment, or not feeling quite yourself. But don’t worry! Often just recognising this is enough to trigger our natural return to The Middle.
You could consider the game of tennis as a nice analogy here. The tennis player is encouraged to return to the middle of the base line between each shot. From the middle they are in the best position possible from which to return the next shot – which could be heading to any part of the court. Eventually, you might find that even though you are returning shots left, right and centre, the feeling of being in ‘The Middle’ comes with you wherever you go.
There are several different breathing exercises in this guide, each inviting you to explore your breath in various ways. It is important to go gently here. If it doesn’t feel good, stop doing it. Never force or strain your breath or do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Likewise, if you have a pre-existing health condition, be sure to consider the guidance of your healthcare professional beforehand.
Basics
Extras
Ok, let’s get started!