Breathe In, Breathe Out: Three Books on Meditation and Healing
Allow the mind to be still and go with the flow. Meditation is simple – just focus on your breath and you’ll be fine. Sometimes it really is that simple and other times, it may not. Meditation can be anything you want it to be, it can take you wherever you’d like to go. It can be light, intense, intriguing, heavy, slow, quick, hard, easy, insightful or just empty. Have you ever wondered what you can do and how far you can go with meditation? Surely, there cannot be a single answer to this. Here are a few books that might help shine some light upon the answers you seek.
We first learn to heal ourselves, then our relationships, and finally our loved ones. Healing is the gift we can give to ourselves and our loved ones.
Sonia Mackwani
In her book on healing, Sonia Mackwani writes simply and deeply of what it means to heal, and its significance in our lives. It is a simple, comprehensive guide to healing yourself, your relationships and your loved ones – that becomes a personal, intimate experience for each individual who takes on this journey.
This step-by-step guide is more like a companion wherein Sonia has shared several different kinds of processes and meditations that are easy to do. It is a compilation of three volumes, each part comprising guided meditations and processes spanning through twenty-one days. It helps discover our deep-set inherent wisdom, the sacredness of togetherness in our relationships and the soulful connections with our loved ones.
‘Any meditation is pointless if it doesn’t expand your consciousness, if it doesn’t amplify your existence and bring in you compassion, positivity and love. That’s what meditation is about.This has been my journey.’
Om Swami
Here is an a-z on meditation by Himalayan mystic Om Swami. He draws on his experience of thousands of hours of earnest and strenuous meditation, to offer a guide to help channelize and transform thoughts. A Million Thoughts is an amalgamation of the author’s firsthand experiences and references from ancient texts. It elaborates on the practicing of various styles of meditation and yogic practices.
Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children
I very much count on young people to learn things that are not taught at school, such as mindful breathing, mindful walking, learning how to look deeply, and learning how to take care of anger.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese zen Buddhist monk whose meditation center in France Plum Village, attracts people from all over the world. In his Planting Seeds, there are a range of hands-on activities to help children and adults relieve stress, increase concentration and confidence, deal with difficult emotions and improve communication. Many meditation practices and activities such as Lazy Day, Pebble Meditation, Hugging Meditation, The Two Promises Practice, and Eating with Compassion have been widely adopted and practiced.
You may be a beginner, or you may have already established a meditation practice for yourself. Whenever you feel you want to ask questions and seek answers, you might just find a cue, a clue or maybe even a reassuring voice in these books. Keep breathing!