Week 1: Getting Started

Your mind has a flood of questions.
There is but one teacher who can answer them.
Who is the teacher?
Your silence-loving heart.
~ Sri Chinmoy

Goals

In this first week you will:

• Start with the ABC’s of meditation—what, where, how, and when.

• Learn what meditation is and what meditation is not from the Meditation book.

• Establish a regular, daily meditation practice. The key words here are regular and daily.

• Practice the basics of concentration and meditative breathing.

Make a Commitment

Like most people, you want a better life. But unlike most, you’ve done something about it. You’ve made the most important decision of all—self-improvement—and now you’re following through with this HomeStudy course.

Everyone is born with the ability to run; likewise everyone can meditate. But meditating well, like running a marathon, is a skill that is acquired through practice, patience, and commitment. You’ve already taken the first step by buying HomeStudy, but to reach your goal there are many more steps left to go. That’s why the most important lesson to learn about meditation is the importance of regular, daily practice. So find something about meditation that motivates you—learning, growth, happiness, poise—and commit to follow through each and every day on your decision to become the person of your dreams.

To help keep you motivated, take a moment now to reflect on your reasons for beginning HomeStudy. What qualities are you looking for? What about your life would you like to change? What kind of person would you like to become? Write down the answers to these questions and keep them where you will see them frequently. This will inspire you to continue with your practice of meditation.

Concerning all acts of initiative and creation,
There is one elementary truth—
That the moment one definitely commits oneself,
Then Providence moves, too.
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe