For those who are interested in meditating there are many options now available. There are so many opportunities that some people do not know where to begin. Those of us at Biame Network think we have something of value to offer many people. Our impression is that everyone could benefit from learning what is available within this network. We do not think, however, that the way we approach meditation and life will appeal to everyone, nor that everyone needs to learn (does not know) what we teach.

Come and meditate with us at any time, if you want to learn in person. Contact us by other means, if you want, or need to learn through the other means available. All you need do is make contact with us. Look at the About Biame Network Directory in the General Directory for information on how to contact the Network in various countries and for what is available.

To make a choice about where, with whom and with what sort of meditation to start, we suggest that everyone is best to approach this area with the same common sense as they would any other area of their lives. We offer the following guidelines to you for this purpose.

First, the range of choice is great, so when making enquiries you might benefit from giving a little thought to what it is that you want out of meditation before you make contact. Thinking about this in advance can help you evaluate what you are shown and told more readily than if you are still unclear. At the same time, if you are attracted to meditation, but do not yet know what you want out of it, we recommend that you explore the options from that point of view.

A short list of what is available for helping in day-to-day life includes meditations: for relaxation, for bodily, emotional and mental balance, for dealing with unresolved feelings, incidents from the past, and current trauma, for pain management, for promoting health and well-being, for goal-setting and making the most of your personal assets, for making commitments and keeping them, for conflict resolution, for promoting intimacy, and for encouraging bonding between mother, fathers and infants. Then there is a further range of meditations and approaches available for those who have spiritual interests and aspirations. These can be undertaken in live-in environments (short-term, or long-term), through regular contact as a visitor, and through home practice of what is taught by the practitioners from whom you learn. These and other options are all available in the Biame Network.

Second, investigate what is available. If you do not know of anyone meditating who can suggest someone to you, look in the Yellow Pages, or go to your local telephone directory, under Meditation or Yoga. (By the way, it is a mistake to think that all forms of meditation listed under Yoga are "Eastern", as many are not.) Another option is to talk to others who meditate about what they do, why they do it, the experiences they have had, and the results they have noticed. You can stay alert to articles and items in the various news media, too.

Third, regardless of your source of information, telephone, visit, write, or make contact in some other way with the place. When you do, start by asking what they teach and how they go about it. Find out as much as you can and, in the process, notice if they are the sort of people from whom you think you can learn. Sometimes it is relevant to realise that the person to whom you are speaking may not be a good exponent of the meditation about which you are enquiring. This person may still be in the early stages of learning. It is alright to ask a lot of questions and to make your own evaluation. It is your life, after all. Are they approachable and open to questions? Do they deal directly and honestly with you? Do they make sense to you? Do you have the impression that you will learn what you need to learn, or change what you need to change in their program(s)? Before you finish, find out about costs of introductory sessions, courses, workshops, training materials and other relevant items. Costs vary greatly, too, and the value of what you can learn does not always correspond with the amount you are asked to pay. Some courses are free, while in others you may be asked for a donation.

When doing this, we think that you can expect most people you contact will be friendly and freely provide the information you want.

Fourth, having found someone from whom you think you would like to learn, practise what he or she teaches for sufficient time to discover for yourself if it is of value to you. While there are some meditations that produce rapid (perhaps even immediate) results, many forms of meditation take weeks or months for the results to show. Some even take years. It is a pity to miss the great value of a procedure, because we have not had the patience both to keep practising and to wait for the time necessary for the results to become obvious.

Fifth, we suggest that people wanting specific results for particular purposes as quickly as possible, might be best to find meditation approaches that respond to their specific needs and desires. As already indicated, there is a lot available. If they develop a spiritual interest as a result of experience in these more specific processes, then they can pursue the interest at that point. Eventually, most people come to understand that the results of the spiritual and more specific orientations are much the same where the processes overlap, although they may not initially seem as if they are. It is the time-frame and procedures that are different.

Those interested in spiritual dimensions can find that their endeavours are richly rewarded to an extent and in a manner previously undreamt of by them, and that those rewards will expand for the whole of life. Those who meditate for these purposes tend increasingly to experience as secondary the specific benefits of the particular meditations used. Their realisation of those "higher purposes" remains primary.

The time taken and the orientation to less tangible purposes can be confusing and discouraging to people who do not understand a spiritual orientation. The practitioner and the teacher may be approaching things in incompatible ways. Some practitioners may start with a desire for quick results , while their teachers are interested in the realisation of Being and in the evolution of expanded consciousness. When the results do not materialise quickly enough from practitioners' points of view, their teachers may enjoin them to keep on with what they are learning, that persistence will bring the results that they want eventually.

Sixth, if you want to test things out in private, you can use the increasing range of audio and video material that is available. Much of this is very helpful. A value of this type of method is that you can practise in private; a disadvantage is that it is normal to have questions and, occasionally, to need help as you progress. Having someone available at those times is helpful. So in the absence of a live teacher, we recommend that you make contact with the producers of the system that you are using, should you have questions. When using any of the Network's materials, you are welcome to contact people in the network to answer any questions, or to seek help with any matter to do with your meditation practice and how it relates to your life.

If what you are taught is true, you will find that it works, provided that you test it properly. If what you are taught has value to you, it will show up in your life. To notice these results, you need to continue to notice what you experience, whether that agrees with what you are taught or not. What you experience is the ground on which you stand to live your life.

With meditation, as with any procedure in our lives, what we experience and the results we get are what matter. Someone might be nice, convincing, charismatic, caring, persuasive, or fun; someone might even say or imply that he or she knows what is good for us, while we feel uncertain, or do see as clearly; but we need to keep testing for ourselves. We recommend that you always test for truth and value. In that way, you can find out if our experiences do actually confirm the claims others make, or if they do not. If the claims are confirmed, this may be enough reason to continue; if not, then we think that you would be best to stop and look elsewhere for what you want.

We, in the Biame Network, value meditation as a means of enhancing self-mastery and personal capacity, and we recommend that you avoid "giving away" to anyone else your power or your responsibility for yourself.