title: Newbies Guide to Meditation: A Simplified, Stripped Down, Bare Bones Guide on How to Meditate
author: Lauren Darges
description: Lauren Darges, RScP, SEP Lauren is a spiritual counselor, meditation teacher and emotional coach. Based on a 30+ year meditation practice, an understanding of the nervous system, spiritual study and real life experience, Lauren offers practical, non-mysterious guidance to connecting with the Divine, by whatever name you call It. Her formal training and years of application have given her insight into the nature of the mind and the power of transcendence that lies beyond it. She teaches how to be present with life in its ups and down, and supports people in getting in touch with and honoring their truth. Besides teaching meditation, she offers an effective combination of tools for calming the nervous system, dealing with triggers and building capacity for living life with more ease and resiliency. She teaches this work in her 'Tame Your Triggers' workshops. She works with individuals and couples, supporting them in creating lives and relationships of deeper intimacy, security and integrity. Lauren has specialized training in spiritual counseling, Somatic Experiencing trauma healing, EFT  meridian tapping, Non-Violent Communication, the Four Agreements and attachment bonding for couples. As an active speaker, teacher and workshop leader, she offers classes and retreats in meditation, spiritual development and emotional regulation. She leads a weekly meditation group, is a faculty member at Open Door Interfaith Zen and is a Licensed Prayer Practitioner at the Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa. Her passion is the transformation of consciousness. Larry Langbehn is a dedicated newbie meditator. He was instrumental in birthing "The Newbies Guide to Meditation," when he pushed a document over to Lauren Darges saying, Heres what I think you should write about. People need this. I started it. What do you think? He is a chemist by education and a former wine maker. As of the first version of The Newbies Guide, he is living in Santa Rosa, California, exploring life fully.
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  **Table of Contents**
  
    
  
  _Title Page_
  
  _Preface_
  
  _Acknowledgments_
  
    
  
  CHAPTER 1 - Meditation: Why Bother?
  
    
  
  CHAPTER 2 - What Meditation Isn’t
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 1: MEDITATION IS JUST A RELAXATION TECHNIQUE.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 2: MEDITATION MEANS GOING INTO A TRANCE.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 3: MEDITATION IS A MYSTERIOUS PRACTICE THAT CANNOT BE
  > UNDERSTOOD.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 4: THE PURPOSE OF MEDITATION IS TO BECOME PSYCHIC.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 5: MEDITATION IS DANGEROUS, AND A PRUDENT PERSON SHOULD AVOID
  > IT.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 6: MEDITATION IS FOR SAINTS AND SADHUS, NOT FOR REGULAR
  > PEOPLE.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 7: MEDITATION IS RUNNING AWAY FROM REALITY.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 8: MEDITATION IS A GREAT WAY TO GET HIGH.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 9: MEDITATION IS SELFISH.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 10: WHEN YOU MEDITATE, YOU SIT AROUND THINKING LOFTY THOUGHTS.
  
  > MISCONCEPTION 11: A COUPLE OF WEEKS OF MEDITATION AND ALL MY PROBLEMS WILL
  > GO AWAY.
  
    
  
  CHAPTER 3 - What Meditation Is
  
    
  
  CHA