8 Minute Meditation Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life. 8 Minutes to Greater Peace 8 Minutes to Lower Stress 8 Minutes to Improved Focus 8 Minutes to a Happier Life Victor Davich author of The Best Guide To MeditationVICTOR DAVICH NJ Os Gi Go 8 Minute Meditation QUIET YOUR MIND. CHANGE YOUR LIFE. A PERIGEE BOOKNeither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. Meditation should only be done in a safe, comfortable environment, and should not be done while operating a vehicle, device or equipment of any nature. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book. A Perigee Book Published by The Berkley Publishing Group A division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 Copyright © 2004 by Victor Davich Author photo by R. Bonham Cover design and art by Lisa Mays Text design by Julie Rogers All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, not be reproduced in any form without permission. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Intemet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law, Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Perigee trade paperback edition: July 2004 First electronie edition: November 2005, Visit our website at www.penguin. com MSR ISBN 0 7865 6489 X AEB ISBN 0 78656490 3 Making or distributing electronic copies of this book constitutes copyright infringement and could subject the infringer to criminal and civil liability. www.penguin.comCONTENTS Preface Beginnings MEDITATION 101 THE 8 WEEK MEDITATION PROGRAM WEEK ONE: Just One Breath WEEK TWO: Naked Sound ‘WEEK THREE: Noting Body Sensations WEEK FOUR: This Magic Moment WEEK FIVE: Gracious Declining WEEK SIX: Private Screening ‘WEEK SEVEN: Lovingkindness Meditation WEEK EIGHT: Combination Plate THE UPGRADE Beyond 8 Minutes The Meditation in Action Template Lovingkindness: Going Further Resources; My Personal A-List In Closing Thank You About the Author vii lol 109 V7 127 135 149 154 159 166 175 187 189 193PREFACE IF YOU ARE reading these words, there's something drawing you to meditation. Maybe you've heard that meditation can help you become more peaceful and feel safer in a complex, uncertain, and often harsh world. Perhaps there’s another reason. Maybe you don’t even know why. But you do know you'd like to learn to meditate. Only problem is, meditation sounds really complicated and ex- tremely time-consuming. If only you could find a simple way to meditate that would suit your lifestyle yet provide the benefits you long for... Well, here’s good news:You’ve found it! And all it takes is 8 min- utes a day.Vill PREFACE 8 Minute Meditation is the revolutionary new program that will change your life as easily as it fits into it. In just 8 minutes a day—the space between two television commercials—you can build a lifetime meditation practice. Time magazine calls it “the most American form of meditation yet.”8 Minute MeditationBEGINNINGS IF YOU HAVE ever thought, Id love to meditate, but it’s too hard and takes too long, it might be because the meditation books and programs you've come across are overly complicated, confus- ing, and time-demanding. Until now. 8 Minute Meditation is a modern approach to meditation, bringing you Eastern tools for Western results. Whether you have never tried meditation before or tried it and stopped, 8 Minute Meditation will work for you. It’s designed for who you are and the way you live today. Not only does the 8 Minute Meditation program work, it does something most other meditation books don’t: It makes meditation practice enjoyable, pleasant—even fun—to learn. Not2 8 MINUTE MEDITATION only will this meditation program turn you into a real medita- tor, but you'll enjoy smiles, chuckles, and maybe a few outright belly laughs along the way. This is entirely in keeping with the spirit of meditation. It’s also the best way to help you learn to meditate. And don’t worry, | never sacrifice substance for laughs. I’ve got more than twenty-five years of meditation experience and have already written a Book of the Month Club selection on the subject. As such, | am a grateful example of how the practice of meditation can transform your life. Every word in this book is in- tended to help you do the same. So, please, join me on a journey that will quiet your mind, change your life—and just plain make you happier. I'll be with you every step of the way. And you'll be glad you came along. We live in an age in which we have less free time than ever. Any activity we undertake, from refinishing a floor to learning meditation, must be: + Simple to understand + Easy to do + Offer benefits worth the time investment It's no wonder that when it comes to meditation, we have little time (or patience) for confusing and complicated explana- tions of meditation or inscrutable instructions such as “Just do nothing.” And we certainly don’t have up to an hour a day to meditate.BEGINNINGS 3 8 Minute Meditation changes all this. Meditation may be a 3,000-year-old tradition, but 8 Minute Meditation is a completely new and current approach to it—an 8-week program that’s sim- ple, easy, clear, and incredibly time-effective. With 8 Minute Meditation, you'll be meditating quickly and easily, starting from Day One. At the same time, you'll be building a steady meditation habit that can last you a lifetime. All this in just 8 minutes—the space between two TV commercial breaks. What’s more, you will begin to address—and resolve—the main issues and challenges that brought you to meditation in the first place, such as: “| feel really stressed out.” “My thoughts are out of control.” “l feel as if I'm drifting through life.” “| keep flying off the handle at my co-workers and family: “| need some peace in my life! “| can't concentrate.” “Something's missing, but | don’t know what.” “Everything seems OK, but still, | wish...” 8 Minute Meditation is simple, easy meditation for everyone, regardless of age, schooling, or income—even if you think you can't sit still for one minute, much less eight. Whether you're a new parent, a single mom, a high school student prepping for the SAT, or a young executive about to start your dream job, rest as-4 8 MINUTE MEDITATION sured—8 Minute Meditation will work for you. In a matter of min- utes from right now, you'll be able to begin your first meditation period. No confusion. No wasted time. No kidding. Here's how easy it's going to be for you to become a meditator: I. You'll begin with a short “tour” of meditation that will give you the essentials without confusing or boring you. You'll learn what the word meditation means and see how easy it is to meditate. You'll be briefed on how this once-daily 8 Minute Meditation program works—and why it works. 2. Next, you'll prepare and set up for your first meditation period. You'll learn a simple, effective meditation posture that requires nothing more than sitting on an ordinary chair. You'll also receive a unique set of Meditation Operating Instruc- tions that will assist you throughout the next 8 weeks—and hopefully beyond. 3. Then, you'll begin your first meditation period, guided by simple, jargon-free, failure-proof meditation instructions. You'll meditate for just 8 minutes a day—no more and no less. Part II of this book contains 8 sections—one for each week of the program. You'll spend a week with each tech- nigue and then move on. Each section also includes material that will help you transition from one week to the next, as well as in-depth answers to frequently asked questions. 4. After you complete your 8 week meditation program, you'll have the opportunity to “upgrade” and deepen your meditation practice. Part Ill contains everything you'll need to