Richard Jewell, College Writing Specialist

One Meditation is an email about meditating--West and East, scientific and spiritual, ancient and modern. I send a 500-600 word email once a month to several hundred subscribers. You may read older ones here. Or you can ask me, at richard@jewell.net, to sign you up for the newest ones: no one's email address ever is shared, you never need respond, and you can ask to unsubscribe anytime. I started meditation and research of it in 1964-5 and have graduate degrees in the subject. -- Richard

1. Jan. 2025. What Is Meditation? Science says it is a conscious calming of body and mind. Practitioners define it as aware attention for inner growth.
Recommended book: Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson, Altered Traits: Science Reveals Meditation Changes Mind, Brain, and Body

2. Feb. What Are Four Main Focuses in Meditation? The first two are within (immanent), and outer (transcendent). Either of these can be paired with two others: open waiting, or one-pointed focus.
Book: Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness

3. March. Why Breathe Deeply? Science says a breath cycle of 8+ seconds triggers nerve-system calmness. It lowers pulse and blood pressure rates, decreases anxiety, and increases self-awareness. Recommended: James Nestor, Breath—The New Science of a Lost Art

4. April. Why Chant, Sing, or Hum? Rightly done, each calms the nervous system and mind, leading to better inner attention and silence. Recommended: Golding and Golding, The Humming Effect: Sound Healing for Health and Happiness

5. May. Hanging Out with Birds, Bees, Water, and Trees. Nature bathing offers many of the same beneficial effects as meditation. Recommended: Elise Ingram, Forest Bathing: Mindful Meditation Connecting You to Nature and Eco-Consciousness Through the Practice of Shinrin-Yoku.

Home page: http://richardjewell.org (also http://richard.jewell.net or http://richardjewell.net). You may find this page by Googling "richard jewell meditation" or "richard jewell college teaching." Questions? Email richard at jewell dot net (change "at" to "@" and "dot" to a period).

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