FOREWORD

In an age when we’re always “switched on,” it can be especially difficult to shake off stress and negative emotions, stick to our goals, or really focus on what is happening in the present moment. It can seem as though life is passing by without us noticing, and we may even find ourselves feeling far away from the person we want to be. If that sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place: meditation can help you address all these concerns and many more. By picking up this eBook, you have already taken an important step toward a calmer, more contented life.

Meditation has been an essential part of my life since I was 14 years old. I was a very restless, anxious, and angry person, really in need of meditation, but that is not why I started meditating. I started meditating in search of a deeper meaning in life, self-mastery, and the actualization of the human potential. I was deeply fascinated with the mystical and the spiritual, so I read everything I could get my hands on and visited every teacher I could. These foundational years of learning are distilled into chapter 1 of this eBook, where you’ll begin your journey by discovering what meditation is, its proven benefits, and what it can do for your life.

In chapter 2, you’ll bring some immediate calm to your life with a first taste of meditation and five “mini-meditations” that will help you to identify which techniques could work for you. You’ll also gain clarity about what to expect from your practice and how to avoid common pitfalls along the way.

I’ve now meditated every day for over 18 years. This has radically transformed my mind and experience of the world, especially as a result of some key awakenings in my journey. With these “points of no return,” I found that many negative thought and emotional patterns disappeared almost entirely, and any sizable psychological suffering no longer lasts more than 5 minutes. None of this could have happened without a well-established daily meditation practice. A daily commitment doesn’t need to be daunting: in chapter 3, you’ll find out how to start your practice in a way that is sustainable and rewarding. You’ll learn how to build meditation as a habit and how to overcome some common obstacles you might face as a beginner meditator.

In my intense search for personal growth and enlightenment, I have experimented with over 80 styles of meditation. From these, I have selected 39 of the most popular and accessible techniques from the main traditions to feature in chapter 4, all of which you can practice at home in simple steps.

It took me many years, hundreds of books, hours of reflection, and countless practice sessions to finally connect all the pieces of the meditation puzzle. Chapter 5 is where all of this pays off: here, you’ll discover how to integrate meditation into your life and how to use it to deal with day-to-day challenges, such as negative emotions and problem solving, and how to improve performance in areas from your career to sports. You’ll also learn how to take your practice to the next level.

This is the book I wish existed when I started my journey, as it would have saved me so much time and energy. You can open it to any section and be sure that you will learn something useful and practical. Or you can gain a broad understanding of everything you need to know by reading it from beginning to end.

It’s now time to pause for a second. Feel into your body. Take a deep breath. And turn the page. May your journey into meditation be transformative!

Giovanni Dienstmann

Meditation teacher, author, and coach