Term
meditation
For Bennett this is not an Eastern practice but concentrated reflection: for a few minutes a day, holding the mind on one thought chosen in advance.
Mental Efficiency, Arnold Bennett
Explained in
- Mental Efficiency, Arnold Bennett
- Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse
Long, focused contemplation, a practice for attention and the mind in Indian and Buddhist traditions.
- Hyperfocus. How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction, Chris Bailey
A mental exercise in which you gently return your attention to one object, such as your breathing, again and again.
- In Praise of Slow, Carl Honoré
A practice in which you sit quietly for a while and focus on breathing or on what is happening within and around you, without trying to get anything done.
- The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer, Elizabeth Blackburn, Elissa Epel
An attention-training practice: focus on breathing, a sound, or sensations, and gently return the mind when it wanders.
- Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha, Tara Brach
A practice of training attention: you deliberately observe your breath, sensations, thoughts and feelings.
- Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, Kristin Neff
A practice of directed attention, for example to the breath, to thoughts or to sensations in the body. It comes from Eastern traditions and today is widespread outside religion too.
- The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh
A practice of training attention and a calm mind. In Buddhism, one of the foundations of the path.
- Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom, Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius
A practice that trains attention and the mind: for example, calmly watching your breath, thoughts or sensations.
- The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin
A practice: spending time in quiet and stillness, watching your thoughts. Rubin uses it to clear his head and hear faint ideas.