The Sitting Stones?

"You might have seen that meme/photo of the Rolling Stones that's going around, the one where Sir Mick is holding a sign that says "Meditate every day!""

http://theworsthorse.com/2012/06/the-sitting-stones/

http://theworsthorse.com/2010/09/mick-jagger-reportedly-practises-buddhism-and-meditation-every-day/

5 Meditation Myths and the Benefits of Starting Today

"Myth #1: Mediation is difficult.

Practiced correctly, meditation can be the easiest and most enjoyable thing you ever do. For something to be difficult, it requires effort, struggle, stress and stamina. However, the truth is meditation requires the exact opposite. There is no effort because you are learning how to do nothing. There is no struggle because you are not forcing anything. There is no stress because you are not resisting anything, and there is no need for stamina because the main purpose of meditation is to relax!"

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/mindfulness-peace-blog/5-meditation-myths-and-the-benefits-of-starting-today/

Gap the Mind

"Gap the Mind’ sounds like a form of mindful meditation. Let your body go, gap your mind and just relax. "

http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2012/03/14/tube-photo-of-the-day-gap-the-mind/

Find peace and quiet when you meditate in your garden

"Let it all go, taking deep breaths and inhaling and exhaling from the depths of your belly. Allow thoughts to enter your mind, then flow out. Empty all the bad thoughts into the soil where they can stay and not bother you again. Mentally bury those bad thoughts deep into the ground. When you feel relaxed and centered, open your eyes and embrace the beautiful day."

http://weblogs.dailypress.com/features/gardening/diggin-in/2010/11/find_peace_and_quiet_when_you_1.html

The Eye of Contemplation

"The awakened eye looks neither inward nor outward; it just looks."

http://dogobarrygraham.blogspot.com/2011/07/eye-of-contemplation.html

Samye Foundation Wales is based primarily in The Mindfulness Centre for South Wales

"Samye Foundation Wales is based primarily in The Mindfulness Centre for South Wales, in Cardiff and Caerphilly and also offers courses in the Vale of Glamorgan and South Wales Valleys. Our team delivers Mindfulness training throughout South Wales and has years of experience in this field. Our large, fully-equipped premises in Caerphilly also offers a complete range of on site holistic therapies and conference services."

http://www.sfwales.org/

The Samatha Centre - Powys, Wales

"The Samatha Centre is a large farmhouse set in 88 acres of land, with a rebuilt barn containing shrine rooms and a library. The setting is lovely, with views in all directions of green pastures and rising hills. There are streams and woods with secluded places where huts have been built for those who want to meditate in solitude. The courses teach a traditional Thai form of meditation on the breath as the central practice, but other techniques such as walking meditation and metta (friendliness) practice are taught as appropriate. There are regular courses for the more experienced and some for beginners."

http://thegoodretreatguide.com/Retreats/Wales/SamathaCentre/BodyText.html

Tanzin Rinpoche review

"In Relaxing into Meditation, Ngakma Nor’dzin, an English-born Buddhist lama with many years’ experience teaching meditation in community education, takes her readers on a journey, a journey of self-discovery through greater openness and awareness."

http://ngakma-nordzin.blogspot.com/2011/01/tanzin-rinpoche-review.html

http://bit.ly/nrprim

Only Thirty Minutes, That's All

"It's very simple. Just get up 30' early every day and sit. There is not way around it."

http://minddeep.blogspot.com/2011/06/only-thirty-minutes-thats-all.html

Buddhist Meditation in the Samatha Tradition

"Samatha means calm. Samatha meditation is an effective but gentle way of training the mind to develop inner strength and freedom from turmoil, leading on to clarity and understanding. This path from calm to insight was followed by the Buddha himself, and is a central tradition of Buddhist meditation. There are many kinds of Samatha meditation techniques: this one is based on attention to the breath, a subject which is said to be suitable for all types of people.

By regular daily practice the chattering, unruly mind gradually becomes calmer and develops clarity. The way our mind works becomes less confusing to us and we begin to understand the habits of mind that hold us back from happiness and freedom. We become kinder to ourselves and those around us. Meditation is a practical matter: increased awareness brings an ability to make the most of ourselves in our daily lives."

http://www.samatha.org/

Ngakma Nor'dzin - Author Interview

"Describe your book ‘Relaxing into Meditation’ in 30 words or less.

It describes practices of relaxation, breathing and meditation. Learn to relax the body and calm breathing. Then take that quietness into meditation and discover relaxation of mind. "

http://ngakma-nordzin.blogspot.com/2011/06/bookbuzzrcom-author-interview.html

Chogyam Trungpa: How To Meditate Like A Fool

"Meditation practice right at the beginning is acceptance of being a fool. You continually acknowledge that you are making a fool out of yourself pretending to be meditating, rather than believing you are transcending something or being holy or good. If you start from that matter-of-fact level, acknowledging your self-deception, then you begin to pick up on something more than being a fool."

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/04/chogyam-trungpa-how-to-meditate-like-a-fool/

The Idiocy of the Charade

"But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade."

http://dogobarrygraham.blogspot.com/2011/07/idiocy-of-charade.html

How We Get Older

"Once after a lecture someone asked my teacher Shunryu Suzuki, "Why do we meditate?"

He answered, "So you can enjoy your old age.""

http://dogobarrygraham.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-we-get-older.html

" I know how I got older. I know because I was there - but without the practice of meditation during the last 24 years, I might not have been there. I might not have been paying attention."

Kind words from Joanna Lumley

"This is a wonderful introduction to relaxation and meditation – its message offers peace and tranquillity in this stressful world."
-- Joanna Lumley on Relaxing into Meditation

Thank you to her. I am happy that she enjoyed the book and I do indeed hope that it will be of help to people.

http://ngakma-nordzin.blogspot.com/2011/07/kind-words-from-joanna-lumley.html

Head jerks as an aid to meditation

"Sleepiness occurs when the mind becomes dull. At worst we may actually be nodding off to sleep, but there is a more insidious dullness that is harder to work with. When the mind is simply dull we may actually feel that we are meditating quite well because we are not being distracted by thought. The space we are in however, lacks sparkle and presence."

http://ngakma-nordzin.blogspot.com/2011/07/head-jerks-as-aid-to-meditation.html

Have you had your 10 a day?

"At the beginning of establishing a meditation practice the discipline of sitting every day can seem daunting. Often new meditators feel that they have to sit for twenty or thirty minutes to make it worthwhile. If we are struggling with distraction or sleepiness however, this can seem like an awfully long time, and then there can be the temptation to lapse into daydreaming to avoid the frustration of the struggle to remain alert.

Ten minutes meditation a day is actually sufficient and will quickly establish a healthy pattern of daily practice."

http://ngakma-nordzin.blogspot.com/2011/07/have-you-had-your-10-day.html

8 Ways to make meditation easy and fun

1. Try the 100 Breaths technique.
2. Take a Meditationap.
3. Use the Alarm Clock Meditation.
4. Get comfortable.
5. Fake it for 10 breaths.
6. Make it a reward.
7. Use help when you need it.
8. And most of all…

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/8-ways-to-make-meditation-easy-and-fun/

7 Reasons Why I Am A Fan Of Meditating

1. It helps me feel expansive
2. It’s amusing
3. It’s productive
4. It’s private
5. It feels genuine
6. It’s a ritual
7. It’s time-travel

http://dailyheal.com/featured-articles/7-reasons-why-i-am-a-fan-of-meditating/

Prince William and Kate Middleton told meditation is key to a happy union

"The first Buddhist monk to be invited to a royal wedding has advised Prince William and Kate Middleton to meditate daily for a happy marriage.


The Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, the most senior Buddhist monk in Britain, said that would help them get through any marital difficulties."

http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-told-meditation-is-key-to-a-happy-union

(If the happy couple need an introduction to meditation, they could try Relaxing into Meditation, by Ngakma Nor'dzin, ISBN 978-1-898185-17-8.  http://bit.ly/nrprim)