Meditation: A Beginner's Guide

by Charlotte Parnell

Meditation is a perfect vehicle for self-healing. Within it we learn to connect with the Divine Light, which is a healing energy, which is love, to heal those parts of our physical and emotional and mental selves and, indeed, to direct outwards to others.

Genres: Meditation, Spirituality, Nonfiction

92 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[David Markwell]

I didn't rate this book because there are no negative stars on Shelfari. I hated this book. The cover (as you can see) shows Buddha sitting in meditation, in fact with his hands in the teaching mudra, but trust me you will learn nothing about meditation or Buddhism from this book. This is feel good nonsense. Skip this and by a REAL book on meditation. One that doesn't talk about fuzzy feelings and etc. To truly meditate you need to; (1) learn how to sit comfortable, (2) learn two or three techniques to refocus the mind, and lastly just sit down shut up and meditate. Your first meditation will be dreadful. You will spend about 3 pico seconds on your breath and the rest of your time thinking about anything and everything. This is the point. Keep returning to your breath and sit there. That is the secret. Don't buy this book. I am not sure why I still even have this book.

[Rachael C Marek · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not what I was expecting from an intro guide. I bought it before I knew anything about meditation, and in the last year or so have already learned a great deal more from the yoga sessions and meditation classes I've been taking, so I think my expectations were higher than they should have been. The book has a very simple approach, and the language is almost juvenile in its simplicity.

I don't know what I was expecting, maybe more insight? Maybe more direction and purpose? Even the meditation practices designed to guide you were basically all the same with slight modifications that could have easily been summed up in a few pages versus the thirty given. I'm not sure if I had read this when I purchased it if I would feel differently, given my more advanced practice now, so perhaps this truly is for the beginner.

[Lillie]

Reads like the backstory of a chocolate chip cookie recipe that you would find on Pinterest. It makes complete sense, it’s anecdotal. The authors journey. There was an immediate sense of ego. In a book I opened hoping for a cut and dry guide, I didn’t expect a personal recollection of salvation and made up practices. Not particularly helpful to me. Could have been a blog post. Very light hearted and sweet though! I like the emphasis that is put on still allowing yourself to be present in your physical body while reaching a meditative state. You CAN scratch your leg, open your eyes, adjust the way you are sitting.

[Green Heart Guidance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many books and e-books looking for a great introduction to meditating to recommend to clients. Many of the books have been truly awful, loaded with the egos of the authors or with dogmatic approaches to meditation that don’t allow for individual differences or challenges. Meditation: A Beginner's Guide (original title: Seeing The Wider Picture) by Charlotte Parnell is the first book I have thought did a fabulous job with how it described meditation, intuition, and the benefits of both. The book really needs to be edited to reflect the new title, but once one understand what on earth the author is talking about when she refers to the (old) title, the book progresses in an easy to read fashion.

Among the topics Parnell covers successfully are journaling after meditating, frequency of meditation, atmosphere, position, breathing, relaxation, visualization, self-healing, and benefits. All of the topics are covered in a non-judgmental way that encourages the readers to explore their own experiences and find what is right for them. While Parnell gives a variety of options with regard to every topic, she makes it clear that what works for one person may be wrong for another, something that many other authors can’t seem to grasp. Parnell sees the importance of meditation is in its ability to open us to our higher selves and a higher state of being; she acknowledges that a belief in a god is not necessary for this though the book is very spiritual (not religious) in tone. She also covers a bit of the basic info about grounding and protection, topics that are often avoided in meditation books but which are vital to metaphysical safety.

The last part of the book is ten meditation exercises. I was a bit disappointed in these as many of them are very similar to each other, though Parnell explains why she keeps them so similar as a teaching strategy. Still, I would have preferred more variety in them.

Overall, I am delighted to find this short pocketbook which provides such a great introduction to meditation as a spiritual and healing venture. I will be recommending it to many clients who are seeking to begin a spiritual meditation practice as they work on healing themselves.

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

[DaVonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read. Very precise. Not intimidating or mystified. It removes all preconceived ideas about meditation in a swift and painless way. I did my first mediation within an hour of starting it. Very inspirational and inspiring. I'm looking forward to continuing mediation practice.

[Gina Crotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this at Barnes & Noble for $4.00. It was well worth every penny. A great little start book on meditation. Really helped me learn how to relax so I could begin my meditation.

[Lisa]

Meditation: A beginner's guide by Charlotte Parnell (2002)

[Taiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This showed a different side of meditation and showed me that meditation is nothing like what I thought it would be... I will continue to practice and I feel that it does improve your well being...

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a great and open book! Gave me the information I needed to know where to begin in meditating!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very well written in my opinion, but very simple to help those who have never heard of or never tried meditating. It does have a few nice exercises to start out.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

this helped me realize the purpose of meditating and is helpful when i am meditating.i recommend it to anyone who is thinking of meditating for the first time.

[Devin Boehmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read that is the perfect guide to learning how to meditate.

[Duane · Rating 1 out of 5]

hippy-dippy, woo woo new age horseshit