will take to what they find with varying degrees of satisfaction and others will give up due to a mismatch between their needs and what they find through the advertisements, going off with the outrageously amusing (but unfortunately quite popular) mindset - "I've tried meditation and it didn't / doesn't work".
   For beginners it is far better to meditate only occasionally, and only for a short time with a very simple technique, than to over-do it and lose heart. In Integral Yoga classes we usually leave the meditation session until the end, which allows people to relieve their gross tensions beforehand through the bodywork and breathwork, thereby obtaining a longer and deeper meditation.
   Out of all the hundreds of forms, styles, methods, techniques of meditation existing, for this book I had to choose just a few which I believe are most effective and appropriate for women's needs, and which can safely be self taught with only assistance from written instructions and the accompanying recorded sessions. The 4 I have included, I have used personally and taught over many years. I have seen enormous benefits gained by those who have used them. Following below is a general description of each, whereas more specific instructions on how to do them and details about each technique are included in Chapter 10.
   There is one last factor which is very impor-tant in preparing the ground for successful meditation efforts, and that is lifestyle. A good diet, quality sleep, a clean environment, harmonious relationships, along with a life of purposeful work or service, all help greatly in preparing the mind and body for successful meditation. I observe that many meditators have a dualistic kind of existence. They dearly love their meditation, and gain much relaxation, inner peace, and creativity from it, but they suspect there is even something deeper it could offer them. I perceive that much of their life is still lived on the surface and that for many hours in their day they are unconsciously working against the very thing they strive to achieve in their quiet times. They seem to use meditation as a counterweight to the other forces of their life. And therein lies the blockage to the deeper experiences they would like - it is their perception that there are two parts to their life, two worlds between which they shuffle, rather than one whole life which has an underlying thread of meditation within it.
Introduction to the Meditation Techniques
   Mantra Japa Meditation (of which two 

types are included in Chapter 10) is a  technique which helps to liberate the mind from the afflictions of scatteredness and psycho-emotional conflicts. Mantra is the sound vibration used by the mind and / or the mouth, and japa means repetition. There are many types of mantras from all over the world and in many spiritual cultures. There are yogic mantras, Christian mantras, Aboriginal mantras, Native American Indian mantras, African tribal mantras, Tibetan mantras and others. They are all effective in transforming the structure of the mind because they are all a part of a life science called Mantra Yoga. When one repeats a mantra, whether you understand it or not, it is having a subtle effect on your consciousness. The effect varies according to the particular mantra and the application of it.
   The mantra is like an anchor for a boat floating on a stormy sea. It is there to focus your attention upon instead of the thoughts, feelings and images produced by the process of meditation. It is also something of form to hold onto when your awareness may tend to drift into fantasy, sleep or formlessness.
   Mantra Japa is a very gentle way of loosening the knots which tense our body and psyche. Most people find it very enjoyable and absorbing. It is an especially appropriate form of meditation to use when pregnant, causing a woman to be drawn into her body, gently vibrating her baby with the sound of the mantra. When a mantra is used with breath awareness in the frontal passage, that is from navel to throat, a gentle massaging effect is felt in the abdomen, heart and throat areas, which causes a corresponding relaxation response in the baby. When the mantra is used in combination with breath awareness in the spinal passage, this massaging effect is felt within the whole body, and most particularly at Mooladhara Chakra (near the cervix) - which helps greatly in preparing for childbirth.
   If a woman has practised Mantra Japa during pregnancy, the baby will respond to that mantra in the same way after he is born. I believe that a baby is able to make the link between a familiar mantra and the meditative state that his mother was in during pregnancy when using it. When mantra is used after birth that same calm can be restored between them in times of stress. All of my last 3 babies were gestated with regular mantra usage and also put to sleep with it in their early years. It is such a beautiful and simple way to share the beginnings of meditation with your children from the very earliest times.