Meditation for Your Life: Creating a Plan that Suits Your Style

by Robert Butera

A step toward peace of mind is a step in the right direction The benefits of meditation are reduced stress and pain, peace of mind, and an improved sense of resilience. But which style of meditation is right for you? Meditation for Your Life explains the six basic forms of meditation and helps you identify which ones suit you best. Robert Butera, PhD,  guides you in establishing a meditation practice based on your person-ality type, life experience, and personal preferences. The six types of meditation Prepare your mind with relaxation exercises, conscious breathing, and positive thinking. Discover the six basic forms of meditation, and identify the techniques that work best for you. Use guided questions, exercises, and journaling to personalize your practice. Learn what steps you can take to stay motivated and consistent over time, and let the benefits of meditation blossom for your entire life.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Health, Buddhism

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Robert Butera, MDiv, PhD (Devon, PA), founded YogaLife Institute in Pennsylvania, where he trains yoga teachers and Comprehensive Yoga Therapists. Robert's PhD at CA Institute of Integral Studies focused on Yoga Therapy.

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial reaction: One of the better meditation guides I've personally come across, especially for someone beginning the practice. It details the steps needed to create your own meditation program and have it work for you, which is invaluable considering how much goes into tailoring the program for one's needs.

Full review:

I really liked the easy to understand dissection of the composition of meditative practices in this book by Robert Butera. "Meditation for Your Life: Creating a Plan That Suits Your Style" is an open introduction and approach to creating a meditative program that suits the needs of the individual. Butera does suggest trying meditation classes to see what's out there, but also notes it's possible to look at fundamentals of the practice to create something that works well for you individually. That said, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for someone who is already an advanced practitioner of meditation, but rather someone who may be new to it.

I liked how he dispels many assumptions and misconceptions about meditation practice to start, as well as asks the reader to assess any goals they may wish to start with overall. From there, the narrative is broken up into examining the six types of meditation, as follows:

1. Breath
2. Visualization
3. Mantra
4. Devotion, Prayer, or Intentionality
5. Mindfulness
6. Contemplative Inquiry

Butera examines each type with self-reflective questions, incorporations of Buddhist terminology and expansion, and an open approach that can be perused even by those who practice non-denominational meditation. I found it easy to understand and helpful from a health perspective, though I'll admit some of the sections read a bit slower than I would've liked. I thought the resources were helpful, though was surprised that there weren't any electronic links or that there weren't more listed for reference.

Still, it was worth the time perusing and I appreciated Butera's overarching teachings, friendly approach, and openness for the narrative. It was very helpful, and I've a feeling I'll come back to this for reference when it comes to my meditation resources.

Overall score: 4/5 stars

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very elementary review of meditative techniques. Perhaps a reader brand new to the idea would rate the book differently. But even as a introduction if is lacking and superficial. It's even lame to not provide websites as resources just because there are so many and that the offerings change quickly.

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kan interessant zijn als mediteren echt helemaal nieuw voor je is. Er worden veel stukken herhaald waardoor het boek 2 keer zo dik is geworden als het zou kunnen zijn. Het is vooral een opsomming van verschillende mogelijkheden om te mediteren. Hier en daar een oefening. Echt een richting heb ik aan dit boek helaas niet over gehouden.

[Cheryl Gatling]

Robert Butera has been into meditation since he was very young, and flew to India to study with a master. He believes in meditation's benefits of better health and peace of mind. And he believes that you believe in the benefits. That almost goes without saying. But he also believes that you may have tried meditation and had a bad experience. You may think meditation won't work for you. Butera says, not so fast. There are different ways to meditate, and sometimes a meditation teacher (or a friend of yours) will be all gung-ho about what works for them, but that might not be what works for you. So try everything, and then decide for yourself. He spends a lot of time going over the basics of slow, deep breathing, of relaxation, of how to calm and focus your mind. He says that meditation is a way of life, and to succeed "on the cushion" (which can be a chair if that is more comfortable) you will want to develop a calm, accepting attitude throughout the day, even at work, even in traffic. Butera is big on journaling, and asks readers to write out all their expectations and experiences. I admit I did not do that. One thing I appreciated is that Butera defines meditation as focusing your mind on one thing. That seems far more doable to me than the standard definition of focusing your mind on nothing, which is so near impossible that it makes me want to give up before trying. I also appreciate that Butera is friendly toward religion, since I come out of a religious background, where I know that some Christian people consider meditation evil, since it is a part of yoga, which is a part of a "heathen" Eastern religion. Butera says that some form of meditation practice is part of every religious tradition. So if you feel comfortable with Christian prayer, then you can meditate using Christian prayer. If you don't, there are more "scientific" or neutral options (but he encourages people who are hostile toward religion to examine their past to see where that hostility might have come from, and maybe work their way toward becoming more open-minded). His point is, whoever you are, and wherever you are coming from, there is a form of meditation for you. Experiment until you find it.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading this book and found it very informative. The book is all about creating a meditation plan that suits your life and style. I like all the journaling exercises, and I like how the first few chapters talk about what you want to get out of a meditation practice, and discusses the misconceptions, expectations, and assumptions people have about meditation and what a meditation practice can bring to your life. For example, not everyone knows that quieting the mind with meditation can bring up negative emotions and memories of things that need to be resolved. It talks about bringing meditation into a healthy lifestyle. The 6 types of meditation discussed are breath, affirmations and visualization, mantra, devotion prayer or intentionality, mindfulness meditation, and contemplative inquiry. Then, Part 4 talks about maintaining and sustaining a meditation practice over the long run. Also included are tips on finding a meditation group. This is a great book on finding a method of practice that is best for each individual. Recommended!

[Amy Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

First let me start by saying that I am actually a student of Dr. Butera as well as a fan of his writing. This book is a practical and simplifying approach to meditation. It is great for a beginner like myself, but also offers useful information for meditators at any level. The thing that I am most drawn to is that I know that he lives the way he teaches. He never simply gathered up information that someone else had discovered and crammed it into a book. He lives it and writes from his own experiences and what he knows is true, what better way is there to write this type of book? Meditation for Your Life lets you discover your own meditation style and develop a routine practice that suites you, and guess what!? When it suites you it sticks. Thank you Dr. Bob for shining the light in the right direction so I can find my path!!

[Kate Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal book for anyone who is looking to learn how to Meditate! It is like having a Meditation coach right next to you, guiding you every step of the way. You first learn a little bit about your past and how/why you do certain things, and those things that bring you joy. It is then about learning which style of meditation is best for you. There are six different styles, and the author/coach walks you through each style and how best to perform it.

I couldn't wait until it was in print so that I could purchase it and have it as a reference that was easier to navigate than through the ebook format.

This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is ideal for someone who is new to meditation or for someone who is looking for a different approach to a much written about topic. I struggled to read without skimming but once I was able to slow down and approach it with a "beginner's mind" I found a lot of value in it. It is clear that the author has an enormous wealth of knowledge and experience and I was impressed that he was able to write in a way that suits the needs of a novice.

[Florentin Cosmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this book has some good general tips about different styles of meditation, the information is not very well presented. The lack of practical examples and stories combined with the monotonous style of writing will make most of the readers (beginners or advanced meditators) bored quickly. It's not easy to write a book on meditation that is both informative and entertaining, but I read some who did a better job.

[Jack Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to meditative techniques, especially for the beginner. Written in clear and simple language, this text addresses many of the questions that confront new practitioners of meditation.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a few things but I liked his other book (about yoga) way more. This book was kinda long-winded, which made it sometimes boring to read.

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een leuk, toegankelijk en inspirerend boek.

[Bonnie Cowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

...such an excellent overview of meditation.... loved this book .... simple, deep, exhaustive, written with a kind heart ......