Meditation Maintenance
Resource Centre
This area of the website is only open to participants enrolled on the current Meditation Maintenance: A Follow-on Course. For the duration of the course (and a bit of time afterwards) you will have access to the handouts and meditations listed here.
The handouts are geared to general advice about supporting your practice and supplement the handouts you will get after each session.
The meditation practices are saved as mp3 files and can be downloaded for playing on your mp3 player. You may have do some minor conversion through itunes to play on some machines.
Please let me know if you have any technical problems.
Handouts
The handouts are saved as pdfs and you will need Adobe Acrobat to download and read them.
The files will open in a new window.
You can download Adobe Acrobat by clicking on the image link.
JOURNALINGJournaling can be a useful way of supporting your practice. There are two handouts you may find useful:
Keeping a Meditation Journal
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
Keeping a Daily Practice Log
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
RECOMMENDED READING
Reading books about meditation won't substitute for practice but it will support it. Here is a listed of some books and authors you may like to explore as well as some links to some videos on YouTube of Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
ATTITUDINAL PILLARS OF MINDFULNESS
It can be helpful to remind ourselves from time to time of the 'seven attitudes' that Jon Kabat-Zinn suggests we cultivate in our practice.
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
FINDING DAILY BELLS OF MINDFULNESS
You can download a programme from the internet that will play the sound of a meditation bell to bring you into the present moment. You can create your 'daily bells of mindfulness' by tagging common objects or frequent events in your life with that association. Here are some suggestions for doing this.
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
KEEPING YOUR PRACTICE ALIVE
After you have been practising a while it can be easy to slip into an automatic routine where your practice becomes dull and disengaged. Here are some suggestions for keeping your practice that you may like to experiment with (you can write about what you notice in your meditation journal!).
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
PARENTING AS PRACTICE
Parenting presents it's own unique challenges and it can often seem as if parenting and personal practice don't go together. Jon Kabat-Zinn and his wife Myla have written a book Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting you may like to look at. In the meantime here are some suggestions for making the most of your 'baby buddhas'!
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
MEDITATION SUPPLIES
After you have been meditating a while you might like to buy a meditation bench or cushion to support your practice at home.
Meditation Suppliers is a list of some online suppliers of meditation equipment.
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
Making Your Own Meditation Bench If you are particularly tall or like the idea of making your own meditation bench, here is step by step guide. You can also make it a folding bench for improved portability by hinging the legs.
Right-click to download this PDF file here.
MEDITATION PRACTICES TO DOWNLOAD
Here are some meditation practices you can download as mp3 files. A new window will open. You will have the option to play or save.
MOUNTAIN MEDITATION
This is a practice you may have done at an all-day or in the class. It is a vizualization type of meditation practice usually done as a sitting practice, and lasts about 30 minutes. This file is quite large so if you choose to save it it may take a few minutes.
Play this podcast here.
FINDING THE STILLNESS
This is a very short practice that is a way of getting into the body quickly. It is usually done lying down. Once you have done it a few times it is very easy to remember so you can dispense with the need to listen to it. There is a brief introduction then the practice which lasts about 5 minutes. You can then end there or repeat.
Introduction Play this podcast here
Practice Play this podcast here
SILENCE WITH BELLS
Sometimes we don't want to listen to a guided meditation but it's helpful to have some outside monitor of time. This podcast is silent with bells sounding at 10, 20 and 30 minute intervals.
Play this podcast here
