FINDING THE STILL POINT

Sub-titled 'A Beginner's Guide to Zen Meditation', it is still possible to find stillness of mind even amidst our everyday activities. Beloved Zen master John Daido Loori shares the way of Zen meditation with easy-to-understand instructions, practical lessons and short but sweet titbits of useful information: 'One thing, all things, move among and intermingle without distinction...' The key is continuity and consistency, meditating for just ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes at night, and making an agreement with yourself to sit each day for a set period of time. This is when Zazen is best practiced, and if you wish, set up a little altar and hold your hands in the cosmic mudra with the active hand held palm up holding the inactive hand, mid knuckles overlapping and thumb tips touching lightly forming an oval frame. With every detail about positioning and centring the body, the head and hands, breathing and relaxation exercises and even walking meditation, it's a perfect guide to home practice. 80 page illustrated paperback from Shambhala.