Here is an interview I gave last November about writing Meditation for Non-Meditators (thanks Makasha!):
Nov 21, 2014friday finds
by Makasha Dorsey
MEDITATION FOR NON-MEDITATORS: LEARN TO MEDITATE IN FIVE MINUTES BY JANET TAYLOR
There are many common misconceptions about meditation. Want to learn how to most easily incorporate this powerful, beneficial practice into your everyday life?
Despite popular belief, you don’t need to become a full-time Zen master or give up your demanding job. All you need is a few minutes per day to hit the pause button, and you’re well on your way to creating the positive changes you need.
Whether you’ve never tried meditation before, or you’ve found the practice too time consuming or complicated, Meditation for Non-Meditators is for you. In a straightforward, accessible manner, this helpful guide covers the three practices of meditation: concentration, natural awareness, and positive imagery. You’ll learn what does and what does not constitute meditation, while debunking some popular myths along the way.
Without any religious undertones or spiritual buzzwords, you’ll get all the information you need to begin a daily meditation practice, including how to set up a meditation space, how to meditate with others, and how to use meditation to encourage healthier eating.
Forget the arcane language and impossible positions found in other meditation guides—this book breaks the practice down into the simplest methods possible so that it’s easy to incorporate into even the most hectic of lifestyles.
You may purchase a copy of Meditation for Non-Meditators: Learn to Meditate in Five Minutes on Amazon
Interview with Janet Taylor
When did you realize you had a book (or some books) inside you?
For my book Meditation for Non-Meditators, I decided to write it when I felt my specific research on making meditation practical and accessible could benefit many people who
either never tried meditation or had tried and “failed”;. I was excited about getting others excited to try meditation, and about providing easy ways to get started, as well as to expand the ways to practice.
For my book Meditation for Non-Meditators, I decided to write it when I felt my specific research on making meditation practical and accessible could benefit many people who
either never tried meditation or had tried and “failed”;. I was excited about getting others excited to try meditation, and about providing easy ways to get started, as well as to expand the ways to practice.
Why is the theme of this project important?
For the last six years, I have focused all my energies on teaching and practicing meditation at a Community Center here in Kansas City as well as as with a wide variety of audiences throughout the country. I have seen the difference meditation can make in a person’s life, my own included. As an example, there are two young men who are war veterans who meditate with us. They returned several years ago with severe PTSD. After four years of meditation, both of them have been able to not only return to a normal life, but have gone beyond their old way of being–they are thriving as a result of their dedication to these practices.
For the last six years, I have focused all my energies on teaching and practicing meditation at a Community Center here in Kansas City as well as as with a wide variety of audiences throughout the country. I have seen the difference meditation can make in a person’s life, my own included. As an example, there are two young men who are war veterans who meditate with us. They returned several years ago with severe PTSD. After four years of meditation, both of them have been able to not only return to a normal life, but have gone beyond their old way of being–they are thriving as a result of their dedication to these practices.
What did you learn about yourself while writing this book?
Writing a book is far more difficult than I expected! I learned that my perfectionist tendencies can transform a difficult project into a absolutely painful one. I realized that I had to be willing to ask for help, and not be offended when someone has feedback with which I may not agree. I learned I cannot please everyone!
Writing a book is far more difficult than I expected! I learned that my perfectionist tendencies can transform a difficult project into a absolutely painful one. I realized that I had to be willing to ask for help, and not be offended when someone has feedback with which I may not agree. I learned I cannot please everyone!
How do you find time to write?
It began as a work of inspiration. I set aside time each morning to write, because I knew that was my most productive part of the day. Then, it required some discipline because the editing process can be tedious and challenging. I went to India for three weeks just before the book was to be completed and spent a few hours each day making the final edits. Also, I was on deadline to finish it by the end of the year to coincide with a new class I was teaching and an article that was coming out in Real Simple Magazine. Having a specific deadline helped me prioritize the completion of the book.
It began as a work of inspiration. I set aside time each morning to write, because I knew that was my most productive part of the day. Then, it required some discipline because the editing process can be tedious and challenging. I went to India for three weeks just before the book was to be completed and spent a few hours each day making the final edits. Also, I was on deadline to finish it by the end of the year to coincide with a new class I was teaching and an article that was coming out in Real Simple Magazine. Having a specific deadline helped me prioritize the completion of the book.
If you could work on a writing project with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be? Why?
Samantha Bee, author of I know I am but what are you? and writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Her writing style is quirky and the content hilarious! I am sure that she would be not only inspiring as a collaborator, but we would have a a fabulously fun time.
Samantha Bee, author of I know I am but what are you? and writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Her writing style is quirky and the content hilarious! I am sure that she would be not only inspiring as a collaborator, but we would have a a fabulously fun time.
About Janet Taylor
Janet Taylor is an ex-corporate executive for a Fortune 100 company, turned American Buddhist Nun. She is an author of Buddhism For Non-Buddhists: A Guide to Ease Suffering and Be Happy and Meditation for Non-Meditatiors: Learn to Meditate in Five Minutes. She is a meditation/mindfulness expert that discusses the ease and benefits of meditation with regards to business and helping employee productivity and easing stress.
You can learn more about Janet Nima Taylor at http://serenitypause.org/resources/
orsey
Makasha Dorsey is an award-winning author, motivational speaker and public relations publicist. Her personal essay Diary of an Aspie Mom is included in The Motherhood Diaries (Strebor Books/Simon & Schuster). She blogs about being a writer, mother, wife, woman and Christian over at a wife in progress and has written for Absolute Write, The Midwest Book Review, Snaps1000Words, The Daily Times Leader, and ModVive Magazine. You can purchase a copy of her book First Family Secrets on Amazon.com.
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