by Susan Shumsky, author, Third Eye Meditations

Do you believe you don’t have time to meditate? Do you think you can’t meditate? Do you have no clue how to get started, or did you try to meditate but stopped doing the practice out of frustration?

Today meditation is more popular than ever. More than 14% of American adults say they practice it. Its advantages to health, well-being, creativity, longevity, and happiness are incredibly profound and have been scientifically verified.

Though millions try to meditate, many don’t achieve a deep state of restful alertness and therefore don’t get the relaxing, healing, spiritually uplifting effects they desire. This book can be the answer. It offers a simple, natural, enjoyable way to meditate—“guided meditation.” This effortless practice can produce powerful, practical, positive results without previous talent, skill, training, or practice.

Guided meditation is a way to be led step-by-step, moment-by-moment, through the process. Just read the words, which take you into deep meditation and awaken higher aspects of your being. Or for even better results, record the words onto your phone, tablet, or computer. Then play back the recording and follow the simple instructions.

Practicing the meditations and affirmations in this book can infuse your body, mind, and spirit with love, light, and truth. You can receive divine inspiration, healing, and creative ideas. You can ask and receive clear intuition and inner guidance—at will. You can develop your spiritual self. Because of the proliferation of meditation worldwide, there are many misconceptions about meditation and how it’s practiced. So let’s get started by debunking some meditation myths.

10 MEDITATION MYTHS

1. Meditation is mysterious, intangible, and impractical. Meditation is not a mystery. It’s an accessible, practical way to experience deep bodily relaxation and mental and emotional equanimity by taking your mind from the surface level into deeper and deeper levels, until your mind settles down to a state beyond all conflict and experiences inner peace and contentment.
2. Meditation is something weird and woo-woo that hippies from California do. People from all walks of life practice meditation and get helpful, positive results. Through meditation, you can become healthier, happier, and more fulfilled. Meditation helps you solve a multitude of mundane, everyday problems.
3. Meditation is hard, bordering on impossible. If you try to concentrate, strain, or blank your mind, you’ll find meditation difficult, even unattainable. However, that’s not actually meditation. The guided meditations in this book are effortless and relaxing.
4. Meditation requires tremendous skill and discipline. If you’re alive and breathing and can follow simple instructions, you can practice the easy, step-by-step guided meditations in this book.
5. No one has time to meditate in today’s demanding world. It’s a practice for an age when life moved much slower. Today it’s more vital than ever to take a few moments and settle down to inner peace. Otherwise, the stress of modern life can overwhelm you and damage your health. You would be wise to make meditation a priority. This book offers many short meditations you can practice in three minutes or less.
6. Meditation conflicts with certain religious beliefs. No matter what religion you follow, you can meditate. People of all major religions meditate. Meditation leads you to deep relaxation and inner peace. No religion is anti-peace or anti-relaxation.
7. People who are impatient or restless can’t meditate. Even if you think you can’t sit still, you can meditate anyway. Just begin by taking three slow, deep breaths to settle down. Then just follow the instructions in the meditations in this book.
8. People can’t meditate if they’re too tired. The reason you think you’re too tired to meditate is because you don’t meditate. If you meditate, you wouldn’t feel so tired. You’d feel fresher, more alert, and more effective in everyday life.
9. Old people can’t meditate. If you think you’re too old to meditate, you can’t afford not to meditate at your age. As time ticks by, it’s more vital than ever to keep your body healthy and mind alert. Meditation is scientifically proven to reverse such signs of aging as near-point vision and diminished brain functioning.
10. People can’t meditate if they don’t believe in God. Meditation is not dependent on religious beliefs, because it’s not necessarily a religious practice. It can be religious or spiritual, but it can also just be a way to settle the body into deep relaxation and quiet the mind into inner peace. People of all faiths and people of no faith can meditate.

Adapted, and reprinted with permission from Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, Third Eye Meditations by Susan Shumsky is available wherever books and ebooks are sold or directly from the publisher at www.redwheelweiser.com or 800-423-7087.