New to Meditation?
“Stepping out of the busyness, stopping our endless pursuit of getting somewhere else, is perhaps the most beautiful offering we can make to our spirit.” ~ True Refuge (2013)
Dear New Meditator,
You are embarking on a journey that can deeply transform and enrich your life. The most important thing to remember is to approach practice with a friendly, curious, non-judgmental attitude.
There’s no one style of meditation that is “best” or fits all people. We’ve offered you some basic practices below that you can explore to see which serve you well. You might end up with two or three that you use regularly as you establish a practice. Over the weeks and months you’ll internalize the instructions and probably practice more and more regularly without the guided meditation. But at times, you’ll find they will help in gathering your attention.
With loving blessings,
Tara
Resources for those new to meditation or if you’d like a refresher:
- Mindfulness Daily – a free 40-day online course to help to establish a mindfulness meditation practice
- How to Meditate FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
- How to Meditate (PDF)
- Beginner’s Meditation Kit – a introductory mini-course
Talks for Beginners
Part 2: Basic Elements of Meditation Practice
This two-part series offers a clear and fresh understanding of practices that cultivate mindful awareness. The first class examines our attitude towards practice and gives...
Part 1: Basic Elements of Meditation Practice
This two-part series offers a clear and fresh understanding of practices that cultivate mindful awareness. The first class examines our attitude towards practice and gives...
Basic Meditations
Introductory Meditation Instructions – Guided Practice from Retreat (39:02 min.)
This guided session includes an overview of the primary components in meditation practices, and then guidance in awakening the senses, collecting the attention, and opening...
A Brief Meditation: Gathering and Arriving in Presence (3:50 min.) with transcript
A brief meditation to gather the attention, loosen and soften the body, sense your intention for being here, and feel the quality of presence of an awakening heart. I invite you...
Brief Meditation: Arriving in Mindful Presence (1 min)
This brief meditation can support you in pausing and arriving again in the life that's right here. photo: Shell Fischer
Meditation: Basic Body Scan and Breath Awareness (12:18 min)
Meditation: Basic Body and Breath Scan - (2016-05-07) - from the first morning of the IMCW 2016 Spring weeklong retreat, Tara offers a short introductory meditation with a body...
Meditation: Opening and Calming (14 min. video and audio)
This meditation guides us in collecting and quieting the mind with the breath, and then relaxing all effort, and simply resting in what is. Explore more videos from Tara at her...
Meditation: Mindful Body Scan (9:31 min.)
This meditation practice systematically moves attention through the body, awakening a direct experience of sensation from the inside out. The benefits are a dramatic increase in...
Guided Meditation: Body Scan – Living Presence – 11 min.
A key pathway to full presence is awakening through the body. This meditation guides us through a body scan, relaxing and receiving the play of sensations. We then deepen...
Meditation – Coming Home to Presence (13 min)
Meditation – In the Body (25:33 min)
This meditation guides us through a body scan, relaxing and receiving the play of sensations.
Walking Meditation – Instructions (Audio and PDF) (6:19 min)
Meditation is a practice of presence that you can bring alive in all settings and activities. The formal training in walking meditation can be particularly valuable for helping...
FAQ for Meditation
