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From the best-selling author of The Mindful Addict comes an eloquent and motivating introductory guide to meditation.
For anyone interested in greater physical and mental health, increased mental clarity, and reduced stress, follow Tom Catton as he takes you step-by-step through mindfulness techniques that yield endless benefits by improving mind-body-spirit consciousness.
He shares his insights, developed over four decades, in an inviting and accessible narrative. Now you, like generations of people around the world, can find a more balanced life with greater peace, harmony, and enjoyment through these meditative practices.
Tom Catton has been in recovery since 1971. His story appears in a twelve-step fellowship recovery book with more than seven million copies in circulation around the world, and he has been taking twelve-step meetings into Hawaii's prison system since 1984. He is also a retired marathon runner. Tom is trained in Tibetan singing bowl therapy and healing. He is on the advisory board of the Buddhist Recovery Network and teaches a meditation group in Hawaii.
According to author Catton (The Mindful Addict), the practice of mindfulness can be summed up in a simple instruction: pay attention. Catton explains how meditation is designed to help people exercise living in the moment, let go of past hurts and future expectations, and offer a sense of serenity. The author guides readers through the most basic meditative ritual, such as focusing on breathing, and presents ideas for mindful walking, eating, and listening. Each of the 67 short chapters can be read sequentially for meditation instruction or at random for inspiration.
VERDICT: Readers will be encouraged to incorporate these principles into their daily lives. The teachings will resonate with those in 12-step programs, who will find practical ways in which to use them. Among the best titles on this topic. —Deborah Bigelow, director emerita, Leonia P.L., NJ (June 2015)
A meditation book that finally incorporates meditation with a design for living. The breath of this book brings every emotion, thought, or belief you have ever had into a meditation practice of healing and hope. —Sherry Gaba, Psychotherapist and Life Coach, Author of The Law of Sobriety
May I Sit With You? is heart-lifting and mind-opening. This is the sort of book to keep on your bedside table and open anytime you need to remember that mindfulness is possible. —Sharon Salzberg, Cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, Author of Real Happiness
May I Sit With You? embodies the fruits of Tom Catton's meditation practice. It clearly comes from his willingness to be present to life with a deeply open heart. Tom's welcoming tone and rich, practical sharing are refreshing. This book generously opens an effective and inviting way to live the Eleventh Step. I highly recommend this book to anyone desiring to make a more conscious connection with their innate spiritual wholeness. —Rev. Anna Shouse, PhD, Unity Minister and Host of Spirit of Recovery
Drawing from over forty years of personal experience in May I Sit With You? Tom Catton skillfully invites his readers to cultivate their own spiritual path by providing a wide variety of accessible and gentle methods to develop a meditation practice of their own. —John Bruna, Director of the Way of Compassion Foundation, Dharma teacher and cofounder of the Mindful Life Program
Tom Catton has a unique talent for distilling diverse spiritual teachings and practices down their essence. May I Sit With You? is an irresistible invitation to share recovery, meditation, and the spiritual journey with a wise friend and steadfast companion. Full of great advice, clear guidance, and pithy teachings, this is a book to keep by your side and read again and again. —Kevin Griffin, Author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps and Recovering Joy: A Mindful Life After Addiction
Tom is trained in Tibetan singing bowl therapy and healing. He is on the advisory board of the Buddhist Recovery Network and teaches a meditation group in Hawaii.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One: The Ego
Chapter Two: A Place to Practice
Chapter Three: The Practice
Chapter Four: Restlessness
Chapter Five: Guidance
Chapter Six: Impermanence
Chapter Seven: Equanimity
Chapter Eight: Pay Attention
Chapter Nine: Side Effects
Chapter Ten: Thoughts That Encourage Enlightenment
Chapter Eleven: Happiness
Chapter Twelve: Enlightenment
Chapter Thirteen: Metta Practice
Chapter Fourteen: Practice Radically
Chapter Fifteen: Compassion or Codependency?
Chapter Sixteen: Ninety Sits in Ninety Days
Chapter Seventeen: The Four Noble Truths
Chapter Eighteen: Mindful Walking
Chapter Nineteen: Hindsight
Chapter Twenty: Thoughts to Contemplate
Chapter Twenty-One: Paradox
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Five Hindrances
Chapter Twenty-Three: Tonglen
Chapter Twenty-Four: Retreats
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Breath
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Sound of the Tibetan Bowl
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Surrender and Letting Go
Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Mind of Its Own
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Desire and Longing
Chapter Thirty: Think About This
Chapter Thirty-One: Service
Chapter Thirty-Two: Prayer
Chapter Thirty-Three: Silence
Chapter Thirty-Four: Therapy and Stress Reduction
Chapter Thirty-Five: Brain Food
Chapter Thirty-Six: Right Now
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Becoming Vulnerable
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Gratitude
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Just Work It
Chapter Forty: Insights to Ponder
Chapter Forty-One: Beginner’s Mind
Chapter Forty-Two: Simplicity
Chapter Forty-Three: Nothing but Love
Chapter Forty-Four: Follow Your Bliss
Chapter Forty-Five: Synchronicity
Chapter Forty-Six: Living the Dharma
Chapter Forty-Seven: The Sound of Music
Chapter Forty-Eight: Mindful Eating
Chapter Forty-Nine: Karma
Chapter Fifty: Thoughts About Waking Up
Chapter Fifty-One: Practicing the Presence
Chapter Fifty-Two: Out of Body
Chapter Fifty-Three: Pains of Spiritual Growth
Chapter Fifty-Four: The Inner Life
Chapter Fifty-Five: Spiritual Principles
Chapter Fifty-Six: Meditation Prepares Us
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Things Are Never What They Seem
Chapter Fifty-Eight: Looking for a Spiritual Teacher
Chapter Fifty-Nine: Don’t Take It Personally
Chapter Sixty: I Was Thinking
Chapter Sixty-One: Six Ways to Open Our Hearts
Chapter Sixty-Two: Meditation Is Our Antidote for “Dis-Ease”
Chapter Sixty-Three: Meditation Is Art
Chapter Sixty-Four: Renunciation
Chapter Sixty-Five: Live, Love, Laugh, and Be Happy
Chapter Sixty-Six: Reverence
Chapter Sixty-Seven: Nurturing the Awakening of Spirit
Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Spiritual Path
Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Never-Ending Dialogue
Chapter Seventy: I Leave You With These Thoughts
Chapter Seventy-One: Guided Meditation