For anyone put off by the more esoteric stuff written on the topic, I'd recommend Sam Harris (as mentioned here already), Shinzen Young, but above all, Culadasa. He's a professor of Neuroscience and _very_ accomplished meditator. He's written THE definite book on meditation that uses models of the mind originating from both neuroscience and most noble meditation traditions.

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Complete-Meditation-...

It's suitable both for beginners and advanced practitioners as it describes the progress of the practice in 10 very clearly described stages.

For those that don't yet have enough motivation, I'd second the Headspace app created by a former Thibetan Buddhist monk. It's really well made and contains a number of different meditation techniques provided in a guided meditation format.

Still, I'd switch to the Culadasa book and unassisted practice as soon as you start grasping the benefits you're getting from meditation and your motivation increases.

I was hoping someone would mention Culadasa's book. I've been practicing for years and recently read this book. There were so many instances where I stopped and thought "I so wish I had read this ages ago." He covers so many nuances of practice, it's quite remarkable.

I recommend HeadSpace https://www.headspace.com/. I think it's great that you start slowly and guided which is perfect for a beginner.

Thirded. I've bought a few books and tried audio, youtube videos... Headspace is the only thing that's helped me keep a meditation schedule for more than a few months.

I know some people don't like how much Andy speaks during the sessions, but I liked it a lot. It also helps with that "am I doing this right? Should I scratch that itch? What should I think about? Or not think about?" feeling that comes up, because he addresses those feelings a lot.

Andy's the best thing about Headspace. His voice is encouraging without being judgmental. Definitely one of the main reasons I decided to purchase a subscription.

Can I just say how nice it is to watch an elevator pitch video without obnoxiously upbeat background music with ukuleles and what not. It makes the video more genuine and trustworthy.

Seconded, HeadSpace is amazing. Surprised to see it only mentioned here once.

Ok, I've heard from that before, but it looked too much like a game to me, I'll try it out then :)

Quite frankly, from their marketing(their home page doesn't even seem to mention meditation!) it looks kind of dumb and seems expensive after the 10 day trial.

However, with all the good ratings here and elsewhere and wanting to start meditating I think i'll give it a try

Go to a regular class, try different classes. If you have the luck to live near a place where there are experienced meditators (personally, I find that monastics are waaay more skilled than "normal" people) that is the very very best. For me, meditation can be hard work but it totally pays off. It's a skill you develop just like any other skill, and proper guidance makes a world of difference.

As for the esoteric literature, there is a wide spectrum of quality, and some things are better understood after you practice for a while - then it all makes sense. It's like trying to read code when you don't know nothing about programming yet. It's esoteric. Hell even today some code is esoteric :)

> Hell even today some code is esoteric

Especially if you work in a monadstery ;)

Thanks for the suggestions!

If you are a technical/rational type, a lot of the information on meditation can seem ...well, wacky. That's why I would suggest listening to a few episodes of Sam Harris' podcast. Specifically those about the mind and consciousness in general. He's got a background in neuroscience and approaches this subject from a viewpoint that you might feel more comfortable with.

He's also written a whole book about this topic, called "Waking Up: a Guide to Spirituality Without Religion", which I think might be of interest to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMiPBy4Zwag

> Any tips what a good starting point would be?

You might be interested in the book '10% Happier' by Dan Harris (https://www.amazon.com/10-Happier-Self-Help-Actually-Works/d...)

The Appendix lists the basic instructions for learning to meditate. The book is a fun read, the journey of a skeptic into the world of meditation.

Currently the 'Look Inside' link on Amazon lets you read most of the Appendix.

I have been attending online meditations through Meditation Online [1]. The approach is very secular and there's space for discussion, which also usually helps to get started and motivated.

[1] http://meditationonline.org/

I've heard good things about MBSR (http://palousemindfulness.com/) - on my todo list after more pressing things are dealt with (yes, I see the irony...)

Find your nearest meditation center and attend a beginner drop-in when you're able! Starting out in a group has enormous benefits.

raptitude.com has lots of resources about the benefits of meditation as well as various ways to get started. Completely un-esoteric. I recommend the blog in general!

Just as a question, what makes long walks in the woods or long runs not "actual meditation"? I guess my question can also be phrased as, what do you think meditation is?

I'd argue that meditation is more about approach and frame of mind than activity -- and there certainly are moving forms of meditation. There's also just a lot of kinds of meditation, from a lot of widely different traditions, so you're not going to find unified literature. (There's also a few major world religions that feature meditation as a component, so you'll find a lot of the literature tied up with that worldview, as well.)

That's what prompts my question above: if you don't have some goal or idea in mind, it's sort of hard to direct you to particular resources.

The place I suggest starting for everyone is find somewhere in your life that you're meditating without knowing it, and try to do that somewhere else. Sports, crafts, etc. Can you intentionally make an activity feel like a long walk in the woods or a good run? like losing yourself in being focused on a hobby?

...can you feel that when just sitting there?

At some level, that's all meditation really is.

When you are taking a walk in the woods, or running or doing anything of that sort, you are doing something. Not doing anything is meditation. And when I say not doing anything, I don't mean it nonchalantly, I mean it literally - not doing anything, including not thinking. Just being. It's very simple but not very easy. Meditation is the opposite of any action whatsoever.

That's a form of meditation, not the only form of meditation. Which was my point -- it's hard to say what meditation is, given the breadth of different traditions, and different styles within some traditions.

Of course, I think you should consider the concept that insisting meditation is sitting there doing nothing is making meditation about a specific action you undertake, rather than nothing, thus defeating the purpose of meditation in your own framework. And if you're okay with meditation being about one form of action -- sitting there -- why is it not okay for it to be about other forms of action?

I feel that your view is not internally consistent.