The Posture of Meditation - Softcover

Johnson, Will

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1570622329 ISBN 13: 9781570622328

Publisher: Shambhala, 1996

Synopsis

When it comes to meditation practices, the body is as important as the mind—a fact that may come as a surprise to the many people who regard meditation as a strictly mental activity. But, as Will Johnson shows, the physical aspect of the practice is far too often underemphasized. The alert-yet-relaxed sitting posture that is the common denominator of so many meditative techniques is a wonderful aid for clearing the mind and opening the heart, but it also works to activate the natural healing energies of both body and mind. The author offers guidance and exercises for working with the posture of meditation and advice on how to carry its benefits on into all the rest of life.

About this title

About the Author:

Will Johnson is a certified bodyworker and director of the Institute for Embodiment Training in his hometown of Cobble Hill, British Columbia.

From Booklist:

"Ordinarily," Johnson opens his superbly calm little manual, "we think of meditation as an activity involving our minds, but in truth meditation is initiated by assuming a specific gesture with our bodies." That gesture or posture is the cross-legged sitting familiarly associated with Buddhist meditation and consists of three elements: alignment, relaxation, and resilience. The objects of these physical practices are to offer gravity the least resistance while in an alert yet resting state and to experience the subtle movements of existence. Johnson explains the functions of each element, offers instruction and advice on achieving each of them, and discusses how they may be carried into everyday life in a prose so limpidly intelligent that this book may become a standard text for beginning meditators. Ray Olson

About this edition

• Publisher: Shambhala
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1570622329
• ISBN 13: 9781570622328
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 100