Meditation for Beginners

Jack Kornfield is a great way to begin your journey of meditation. He is a calming and informed voice. I had many "ah-ha" moments listening to his work. I highly recommend it.

"The first session of meditation practice is a beginning like the beginning of any art form. Like any other art form, the art of meditation takes some time to practice." ~ Jack Kornfield Meditation for Beginners truly is perfect for anyone who is just starting to meditate because it includes a Guided Meditation CD. The book introduces you to why meditation is a good idea, how to connect with the breath and how to cultivate a daily meditation practice. The CD has sections for connecting with your breath, working with sensations that arise in the body, dealing with feelings and emotions, and observing your thoughts. The last two sections include a Forgiveness (7:13) and Lovingkindness (10:50) Meditation. Jack Kornfield studied in monasteries in Thailand and trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand and India. He is also the author of "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry," "Living Dharma" and "A Path with Heart." As I listened to Jack Kornfield's beautiful voice, I was able to relax more fully and fall into the meditation in the moments of silence. You may lose track of time and just enjoy having Jack guide you through the various meditation practices. Sometimes it is relaxing to release all your awareness of the moment-to-moment stresses of life and to truly find that place of peace where your body can heal. By listening to a guided meditation session you surrender into the moment and can feel a sense of joy rising from within where true happiness is born. I remember the first time I tried to meditate and how restless I felt. Now years later, meditation is something I can appreciate for its intrinsic beauty and revelatory nature. If you find you are feeling especially restless, try exercising before meditating or doing a yoga routine right before the guided sessions. ~The Rebecca Review

I have been a practicing Yogi for many years and have a library full of books, videos, tapes and CD's on Yoga, meditation, sprituality and the like. This program by Jack Kornfield (available as a video as well as audio) is the best single place I can think of starting from if you want to begin a meditation practice.. Jack Kornfield is a perfect teacher of meditation, especially for Westerners because he approaches it in a non-sectarian way. He gets to the heart of the practice, uses clear explanations and stories to give the listener/viewer some sense of the depth of the practice. He leads the meditations in a way that gives enough guidance without becoming a distraction. He also has a very soothing voice which enhances the overall experience of the program. The program starts with the most basic form of meditation on the breath, and leads through ever slightly more subtle forms of Vipassana Meditation. Very Highly Recommended! Some other related meditation programs I would highly recommend are: Plum Village Meditations w/ Thich Nhat Hanh and Sister Jina which are guided Meditations. I have been using this tape for about 7 years daily. I use it during the day prior to lunch to renew myself for the rest of the day. Stephen Cope's "Yoga For Emotional Flow" which has 2 CD's, the 1st CD is about Yoga Philosophy and the 2nd has guided practices which I find very helpful in my life. Also check out his book "Yoga and The Quest for the True Self" which is contains the ideas of the 1st CD in an in depth manner, one of the best books I've ever read (and I'm re-reading it for the 3rd time). Jack Kornfield has many other wonderful books and audio programs in the "Sounds True" catalogue which are wonderful, one is a more in depth series (6 tapes) on meditation called "The Inner Art Of Meditation". Jon Kabot-Zinn is a wonderful teacher as well. See his "Meditation for Optimum Health w/ Andrew Weil, as well as Andrew Weils audio, "Breathing, the Master Key To Healing" which is very much related to meditation, these are guided breathing (pranayama) exercises plus an in depth explanation as to the benefits of breath work. Namaste

After reading "A Path with Heart" by Jack Kornfield, I found his audio tape to be very informative. If you are having doubts about how to pursue meditation and spiritual life, I would highly recommend this audio. I can never listen to it too often. Jack has a wonderful way of getting his point across.

Jack Kornfield is perhaps the most gifted meditation teacher in the West. His humor, compassion, clarity and insight make this tape series a life-long treasure. Perfect for anyone who is new to meditation or who wantsmore peace and compassion to stream from the heart.