The following is a primer for anyone interested to begin a meditation process, outside of having to first adopt a tradition. It is from my book, The Book of Gardens, which can be found here: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/CedarLaneLevine
"The first few years of introducing myself to meditation involved a lot of sleeping in chairs. I generally felt disappointed with myself when this happened but in time I came to view it as a natural part of gaining stamina inside of a meditative awareness. That is, concentration. It shocked me how I could come to a class full-of-beans, full of piss-and-vinegar, or just plain full-of... gas, and be out like a light in the first half minute. I attribute this to a couple of things now: having sincere teachers, and my own sincere desire to learn about meditation.
I hold the unsurprising view that the first step of meditation is 'to sit.' ... Big deal certainly, but to do only that - to only sit - is actually quite challenging. Our wonderful human brains are otherwise very well equipped to accomplish things-and-stuff. However, take faith that your mind can attend to all those things it needs to - and the stuff – later. For now: sit.
Say whatever you need to say to yourself to welcome you onto the chair/floor/mat/couch/etc, like clear your mind, or the dreaded relax... or, shhh... Repeat, as much as you like, or need to. I call this walking over the bridge, heading to the door. Toward your physical awareness, simply make yourself comfortable: if there is tension somewhere, move into a comfortable posture. You need not sit in full lotus, or on the floor: simply sit in a manner by which your breathing may be unobstructed, and allow your body to be comfortable. If there is emotional tension, for now, simply tap lightly and repeatedly upon your sternum/breast-bone, and take a deep breath. We will look more thoroughly into the subject of the emotions later.
As your body and breath begin to follow your instruction (clear the mind, relax, shh, tapping, etc), all kinds of thinking may well arise. Each item will want to hold your attention: go to the store, buy things, write an email, don't forget, beware, I hate so-and-so, my life is super(!) ...
If you divert some of your attention to the physical energy fuelling these arising items, you'll soon notice that the energy has a similar force between each of them - if not outright identical - regardless of the subject matter. Each, holds your body. As you look deeply into this, repeatedly, you will find that your body responds somewhat similarly to each stimuli. There is a little sliver of mental space between that first moment of seated calm and an arising thought, and that, is the door we are heading toward. We want to widen that gap between a thought and the ensuing activity to act upon that thought. As you begin to notice the sudden onset of thinking energy, you will uncover the sensation for an arising shape within your body, a will to action looking to embody the thought. Thought simply shapes your body. Your body and mind build up very familiar patterns, and it is that little leap, from inspiration into potential action, where I invite your attention. Look to dive into the centre of it with each inhale and exhale.
The physical shapes your body inhabits are answers for a mind beckoning of complete participation. Meditation will become for you something quite qualitatively unique. How your body is moving, or wants to move, is your thinking. So I challenge you to look upon those very fine moments between the initial movements of thought and the impulse to put thought into action – either physically, or with further thinking. It requires physical comfort, time, curiosity, and honesty to do so. It may take several attempts, repeatedly looking for this place of entry into the practice.
In contrast, stillness allows one to focus on the abundance of energy which has us alive. And such a source is generally expanded by varied degrees of conscientiousness. Our muscles, tendons, and tissues, do not actually host any personality of their own, but they respond as such when being cued to do so, holding these shapes which in time feel familiar and become habitual. Such is thought energy, asking much of your body and your emotions, which is where the practice of meditation steps in, and similarly, the practice of yoga: both unwind habit, returning, or rising into what I would call a sense of person-hood.
If you choose to afford the time, sit in a coffee shop window which overlooks a busy street, and look deeply into the overall posture carried from person to person. Under this light - that thought-energy can quite literally shape an individual - enjoy looking in to each person's inner life that they carry with them day-to-day.
Continuing this discovery to find thinking in terms of its physical energy, thoughts themselves begin to ring out less loudly, less audibly as if fading away, and you begin to experience the physicality of a thought ever apart from its content. This is not a process of repressing thoughts, judging the content, or denying anything of your experience. Rather, it is the beginning of Mindfulness, a culturally and qualitatively different experience in our thought energy than what is usually demanded of us. I call this: the door comes into view. Though it only took a page to explain this, it may take some time for you to experience this, and to strengthen this. When the energy of thought comes into your body and into your attention, redirect your focus onto the exhale, comparing the shape your body took during a thought, and the ensuing feeling of release when exhaling."