MeditationHistory, Methods & Practice

Part one covers what meditation is and where it comes from: the Vedas, Upanishads and Yoga Sutras, the Buddha’s path, Daoist stillness, Chan and Zen, the Christian desert contemplatives and centring prayer, Sufi, Jewish and Sikh meditation, and how meditation came West, from Vivekananda to the apps.

Part two explains seventeen methods, each with its roots, what people report, what the evidence says and a “Try it” box. They include mindfulness of breath, the body scan, loving-kindness, walking meditation, mantra and TM, zazen, vipassana, visualisation, yoga nidra, chakra and Kundalini meditation, sound and singing bowls, candle gazing, contemplative prayer and nature meditation.

Part three is practical: posture and setting up, a ten-day beginner plan, meditation for sleep, stress and focus, an honest look at the science, a safety chapter on difficult experiences that many books leave out, and groups and classes in Fife and across Scotland. Meditation does not replace care from your GP or a mental health professional.

• What is meditation?
• Roots in India and the Buddha’s path
• China and Japan: Daoism, Chan and Zen
• Christian, Sufi, Jewish and Sikh meditation
• Getting ready: posture, place and time
• Seventeen methods, step by step
• A ten-day beginner plan
• Meditation for sleep, stress and focus
• What the science says
• Safety and difficult experiences
• Groups and classes in Fife and Scotland