Secrets of Meditation

by Kim Davies

Secrets of Meditation  is the ultimate beginner's guide to meditation, explaining the history and ancient traditions of the practice, accompanied by over 40 step-by-step routines for everyone and every situation.

Part of the updated and reformatted  Secrets of  series, this book explores all types of meditation , The power of meditation has been harnessed for thousands of years to help train the mind for  greater concentration and handling stress . This book draws on a variety of traditions , both secular and religious, and includes a mix of ancient and modern-day techniques , which will enable you to learn, understand and apply these techniques to your everyday life. 

Create a suitable setting and develop an understanding of the physical and emotional benefits, which   increased empathy; sense of gratitude; emotional stability; improved focus; strengthened immune system; lower blood pressure ; and many more.

From commuter meditation and conscious listening  to micromeditations for children and parents , you will also have the tools to improve your relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues, strangers, yourself and the wider world. This will have a profound positive effect on your life and your general wellbeing.

If you like this, you might also be interested in Secrets of Yoga . . .

Genres: Meditation

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meditation sometimes gets a bad rap. People view it as "woo woo" sometimes and disregard it. Whether you call it meditation or any other type of clear-your-mind relaxation technique, meditation is one of the best ways to clear your mind and feel better quickly. Secrets of Meditation is a wonderful introduction and guide to meditation. It includes beautiful pictures throughout, as well as a thorough narrative on topics such as the history of meditation, the different types, how to clear your space, and techniques. I am very familiar with meditation and have read many books on the subject, but this is one I will use as a reference. This would also make a good gift for a friend or relative who would like to try meditation.

Thank you to Kim Davies, Ivy Press, and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review a copy of this exceptional book.

[Kirsty ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book for beginners like me to meditation. I especially resonated with the part on struggling to meditate. I'm going to try the walking version as I find it difficult sometimes to focus. So many different types! Including a chocolate one :)

A really useful and enjoyable book

[Irida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the Publisher, Ivy Press for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, I love the cover, it is very pretty and evokes that special feeling that we all should have, which can be reached through meditation. The cover is very befitting. The size makes it easy to take with you or have on your night stand or coffee table. I received a PDF version of this book, but I would love to have a physical copy of this special book.
This book is by far the best book that I have read on the subject. This book is quite comprehensive, easy to read and has step by step approaches towards building a meditation practice and photographs to illustrate for the reader. It covers the history of mediation and, the benefits and the steps toward learning to mediate from setting up the right mindset and space and time, postures and breathing awareness obstacles, and the different modes to gain focus and the different types of meditation. What is also like about the book is the instruction to different meditative practices, walking, at work and even during the commute, showing us that you can always have the time to meditate and that you do not need to be away to a quiet place and space for us to meditate. This is exactly why most people think that they can’t pick up the practice which is a huge misconception. I also like that this book is very neutral and does not lean towards one practice over another or is using a lot of religious overtone. This is what will makes this book appealing to abroad audience.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone. This book makes a great gift as it very pretty and I find it very relevant to the world we live in today. We all can use some quiet time for ourselves, away from our devices and notifications and news, the constant information overload. I will read this book all over again as it contains a lot of information.

[Vnunez-Ms_luv2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a novice in meditation, I must say I found this book to be very informative and opened my eyes to some things. It also helped me to better understand meditation as a whole. Very clearly written. It also includes history, various types of meditation, and how to prepare to meditate among other things. This book also includes pictures. I will be purchasing this book for my friends. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

f you already practice mindfulness or meditation, you may find that it is helping you during these trying times.  If you would like to see if these practices can offer solace, this is a good time to investigate.  Whichever person you may be, I recommend taking a look at this title.


The author notes the long history of meditation and some of its more modern evolutions.  All are designed to facilitate regulating one's mind and developing awareness.  They also place one firmly in the moment, rather than spending time in the past or future, which have either happened or we do not yet know.

There is a lot of information inside this book, all of it presented clearly.  The majority of the practices are for adults but a section on children is also included. .  The illustrations and photographs will help readers to see how to perform their meditation and work on their practice. Choose a practice that might work for you; one of my personal favorites was the chocolate bar meditation; another was one for washing dishes.


The author seems like an ideal guide for those exploring mindfulness.  She helps readers to think about why they want to practice, how they might practice and where.  Common obstacles are also given attention.  The importance of self-kindeness is emphasized.

All in all, I found this to be an excellent title.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read.  All opinions are my own.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew there were so many different types of meditation – not me! Very inspiring book, that makes you realise that you can do this anywhere, at a sensible time and with no resources required. It gives you advice along the way, so I felt most of my questions were answered – such as distractions! My particular favourite is the chocolate mediation – any excuse! If you’re not an open minded person, this book might be a struggle for you.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

[Shelly Wygant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am interested in starting Mediation and this book was great read for me. I did not know there were so many types of meditation. This book is well organized that you can read the whole book or concentrate on the meditation type you would like. I also liked learning some history of meditation. Each type of meditation walked you through step by step so even a beginner could understand it. I am excited to trying meditation and improving. The pictures were also beautiful and helpful.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent starting point for meditation with lots of exercises / examples for different forms of meditation including mindfulness, walking meditation, couples meditation, etc.

Recommended for the beginner or those not so new to the practice.

[Flyingbroom · Rating 2 out of 5]

It certainly is thorough...

[Spring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great meditation primer. Something I can return to for various kinds of meditations.

[Pierre Jacomet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It covers meditation thoroughly enough for a novice like me in a secular, non mystical manner. The book is a collection of one or two page overviews of each technique, with plenty of high quality pictures illustrating the topic discussed. It's an understated coffee table book to which I keep coming back.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent look of different topics of meditation. More informational and not really a beginner book, but a good resource to have for some.