8 Minute Meditation
by Victor Davich
Perigee Publishing, 2004.
Available on Amazon.com
8 Minute Meditation is a beginner's guide to meditation that guides the reader through exercises that are easy to follow and very practical for anyone with a busy schedule. The book consists of an 8-week meditation program that starts the reader off with very simple exercises and progresses throughout the book. Victor Davich seeks to bring meditation to people who normally say they are too busy, they don't have time, or meditation is too complicated. The program outlined in this book is simple and easy to follow.
Outline
Part 1: Meditation 101
The first part of the book covers some excuses people use not to practice meditation. Davich continues to suggest that the program laid out in the book is conducive to any person and that the usual excuses do not hold up to further examination. Davich discusses the benefits meditation can have on a person's life and the ease in which a person can practice meditation. The key to meditating is to allow what is. The section closes with basic instructions on how to meditate including the atmosphere and room a person should practice in.
Part 2: The 8 Week Meditation Program
In the second part of the book Davich explains the program. Each week the reader is instructed in a different meditation exercise. The difficulty level gets higher every week. Every exercise is explained in detail. Davich also as a list of common questions and concerns that are addressed in every chapter. All that is asked of the reader is to stay committed to the program and use the progression outlined.
- 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
Part 3: The Upgrade
The last section of the book is designed to teach the reader how to expand meditation throughout their life. This includes tips on how to increase the length of daily exercises, as well new techniques that can be done any time or any place. Davich explains how a person can create their own lovingkindness phrases, and ends by suggesting several other resources on meditation.
Unique Ideas
Here are several interesting ideas from the book. Any one who has read the book is free to write about any idea that they found interesting in the following section.
- Limit outside distraction: A person needs to limit outside distraction when they meditate. A lot of people like to listen to music or light incense or candles, but these things easily distract a person so avoid doing them. Also stop using mantras if they become distracting.
- Allow your thoughts: The point of meditation is not to stop thinking, that's impossible. The actual point is to allow thoughts to come, notice what the thoughts are, and simply let them pass. Do not try to dwell on any thought, simply let them go and let a new thought come.
Amazon.com Customer Review
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I've always wanted to meditate, but thought it too confusing and difficult. Besides, who has the time? But 8 Minute Meditation changed all that for me. Davich has totally stripped the mumbo-jumbo and complexity out of meditation. He has chosen 8 minutes a day as the optimal time for us folks to use for meditation. Why? Because it's the time between 2 TV commercials! He says that if you can watch 8 Minutes of CSI, the Simpsons, or American Idol, you can learn to meditate--for real. The book offers more than just a fun and informative read: It's a complete meditation program that starts you meditating as soon as you pick it up. All you have to do is meditate for 8 minutes a day! After one week, you move onto a new meditation technique. After I did this for just 8 weeks, I found myself for the first time in my life, a real mediation habit. |
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