Meditation is a way of being—a disposition and a practice that cultivates awareness.

It is part of a broader approach to living, one that emphasizes integrity in daily actions, discipline in self-observation, and engagement in activities that foster concentration. It involves practices that enhance attention and awareness through breathwork, a withdrawal from sensory distractions to recognize cravings, and may also include focused concentration exercises.

From a mindfulness perspective, meditation can be described as "a seamless continuity of awareness." It is a process of returning home to yourself and connecting with something greater than yourself.

Meditation can be practiced both formally and informally.

• Informal Practice: Engaging in everyday activities with mindful awareness, such as urge surfing, brushing your teeth, washing dishes, sensory awareness exercises, focusing on your breath, or simply noticing sounds around you.

• Formal Practice: Structured practices like sitting or standing meditation, walking meditation, or mindful movement exercises, such as yoga or tai chi.

Informal meditation is particularly useful for beginners or those who find it challenging to focus, as it provides a more accessible introduction to mindfulness. Remember, meditation is not about achieving a particular state, but rather about discovering and noticing yourself, even when that feels uncomfortable. All of this is an essential part of the process.

You may go to the Dr. Lazarevc's podcast or use any of the following resources:

Sharon Salzberg: search you tube for shorter talks, a highly regarded teacher who teaches "Metta" meditation, aka Loving Kindness

at 1:00 she begins a meditation thats great, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMS6gjd5INg

Joseph Goldstein- many youtube videos... hundreds of dharma talks on dharmaseed web site

Ram Dass https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ram-dass-here-and-now/id518366323

https://www.amazon.com/Paths-God-Living-Bhagavad-Gita/dp/1400054036

John Kabat Zinn : teacher, author and researcher, founder Univ Mass Center for Mindfulness

mindfulness based stress reduction- evidence based mindfulness training

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-2QoTYujNg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n7FOBFMvXg talk at a school

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeCXhXDkzpw

Saki Santorelli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8_3-Yqx2pw

Jack Kornfield - has a great podcast

Gil Fronsdal- has many youtube meditations, also offers live ones (is on west coast schedule), has a podcast

https://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/imc-online-programs-covid-19/

Tara Brach https://www.tarabrach.com/

Thich Nhat Hanh https://plumvillage.org/

has a wonderful podcast + many short books which are lovely and easy to read, many are classics

dharmaseed.com (free website of hundreds of lectures/talks)

some above teachers have meditations on soundcloud.com as well

Spirit Rock https://www.spiritrock.org/