Review
An elegant and accessible introduction to meditation, perfect for easily intimidated beginners like myself. Principles of Meditation is simply but not simplistically written, and admirably undidactic. 'There are many paths to choose from,' notes the introduction, 'and our intent is not to proselytize any one but rather to look for the common factors of Eastern meditation, and draw out methods that can be applied to everyday life.' The book maps out four meditative traditions--Yoga, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, and Taoism--and gives useful exercises intended to hone the beginning practitioner's tools of observation, relaxation, and visualization. The last chapter suggests ways to use meditation for pragmatic concerns such as habit control and problem solving. A perfect gift for a stressed friend! --
Book Marks by Emily Nussbaum in Natural Living TodayIdeal for the beginner as well as the experienced meditator, 'Principles of Meditation' forges a shining link between contemporary life and ancient wisdom. Bringing together techniques from the world's great traditions--Yoga, Zen, Buddhism, and Taoism--this clearly written guide offers fascinating glimpses into their philosophies and approaches to meditation, then shows how you can incorporate these time honored practices into your everyday life. You'll discover soothing exercises to improve your concentration and visualization abilities, gentle meditations based on breathing and on imagery--skills you can use not merely to relax or relieve stress, but to alter your focus of attention in order to break bad habits, extend your perceptions to solve specific problems, even develop a 'mind first' approach to enhance your sports performance. --
The Doubleday Health Book ClubThrough Yoga, Buddhism, Zen, and Taoism, this book teaches, in accessible language, how to tap into the unconscious mind to better understand it through hands-on exercises. --
New Age Retailer
About the Author
C. Alexander Simpkins Ph.D. and Annellen Simpkins Ph.D. are prolific writers in the area of Eastern Philosophy, meditation, psychology, martial arts, and hypnosis. They have taught meditation to people of all ages. Their latest projects are their new book/CD combinations: Principles of Meditation with Audio CD, Living Meditation with Audio CD and Meditation from Thought to Action with Audio CD. They have written two series on Eastern philosophy. Their Easy Lessons for Spiritual Growth series includes Buddhism in Ten, Tao in Ten, and Zen in Ten. They are also authors of the renown Simple Series: Simple Zen, Simple Buddhism, Simple Taoism, Simple Confucianism, and Simple Tibetan Buddhism. They have also written Yoga Basics, Chung Do Kwan: The Power of Tae Kwon Do, Timeless Teachings from the Therapy Masters, and Effective Self Hypnosis. They have also written a novel: A Perfect World: The Rom Files. Their books have been translated into many foreign languages and have won a number of awards.
