A care package for beginner’s mind.

elephant is full of in-depth articles on both yoga and meditation, discussing their benefits, backed by modern science. Real science: not the stuff Deepak likes to talk about or The Secret uses to sell you on stuff.

But here’s a good summary.

This is a basic blog with resources: how to meditate, an infographic the benefits of yoga and mindfulness meditation, why to meditate (it’s not “just” about mindfulness), with links to best Buddhist beginner’s books, and a video by Pema on meditation, and Richard Freeman on yoga.

Source: BestCounselingDegrees.net

> Want more? Learn to meditate, here.
> Check out our Visual Yoga series, here, for exercises you can practice right now, free, at home.

Why meditate?

“Some say that spirituality is a way of attaining a better kind of happiness, transcendental happiness. Others see it as a benevolent way to develop power over others or as a way to acquire magical powers so we can change our bad world into a good world. All of these points of view are irrelevant to the Buddhist approach. According to the buddhadharma, the Buddhist teachings, spirituality means relating with the working basis of one’s existence, which is one’s state of mind.” ~ Chögyam Trungpa

For further reading: Best Beginner’s Buddhist Books.

Pema Chodron, on why we Meditate (it’s not “just” about Mindfulness):

Richard Freeman, in this old school wonderful yoga video: