Did you resolve to change your life in the New Year and already feel like you've fallen short? Take a deep breath. Before you start with racing thoughts and worry, take some time to de-stress and clear your mind with meditation. The St. Tammany Parish Library has resources to help you start a meditation habit to help you find inner peace and calm in your life. The beneficial effects of meditation are wide-ranging from controlling anxiety, anger and depression to inducing a better night’s sleep and stress reduction, as well as many other benefits that can be reaped from a daily practice.
“The moment you start meditating, you’re activating those areas of your brain that are often neglected, especially those tied to regions like the lateral prefrontal cortex that manage anxiety, emotion, and fear," explains UCLA clinical psychiatrist Rebecca Gladding, M.D., in her book You Are Not Your Brain. "Within 15 minutes, this shift in activity can lower your heart rate and calm your nervous system, shows research from the Institute of Medical Sciences in India,” according to Markham Heid in the Shape magazine article Your Brain on Meditation.
There are many types of meditation. The St. Tammany Parish Library has an extensive collection of meditation books, audio books, digital downloads, DVD’s, and music. Whether you are a beginner who has been curious about meditation; are familiar with it, but haven’t stayed with a practice; or are a lapsed practitioner, we have the resources you need at your local library or online. Here are just a few highlighted choices to help you get started:
Just Sit: A Meditation Guidebook for People Who Know They Should but Don’t is a new book that has an easy to grasp explanation of meditation with colorful illustrations. It is available at several branches.
Yoga Journal is a great resource about meditation and yoga and is available at the Covington, Mandeville, Causeway and Slidell branches. A digital copy is also available through RBdigital Magazines.
Yoga Meditation Collection is an audiobook that has three different CD’s of guided meditations for every need: Meditations for Everyday Mindfulness by Cyndi Lee, Meditations for Balance and Joy Beryl Bender Birch, and Meditations for Emotional Freedom by Gael Chiarella.
Beginning Meditation: Enjoying Your Own Deepest Experience, an audio book by Sally Kempton, is available at several library branches.
Practical Meditation: Spiritual Yoga of the Mind by B. K. Jayanti is a book and CD set that is available at several branches.
How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind by Pema Chodron is a digital download available on Hoopla Digital through the library’s website.
It takes 21 days to form a habit and meditation is a great habit to form. We wish you the best in your new practice.
