I like Alan Watts for meditation.[1] I have some mala beads as he suggests, and find they help me a lot. Its easier to time sessions, just count the beads with your fingers and when you reach the end of the mala, you can stop. They also help one to breath/count without consciously focusing on breathing/counting, or even worse, getting stuck in your head trying to focus on not focusing.
Regarding sleep, read something very interesting the other day about Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD).[2] Something that might help is a program called f.lux that reduces the blue light in your monitor in the evening, supposedly making it easier it to sleep. I haven't tried it yet but intend to soon.
I'm far from being an expert, but I learned this type of meditation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendental_Meditation
from a guy my mother hired to teach all my family. There are many different meditations and practices, and I've actually never read a book about just meditation but I recommend books by Osho and Deepak Chopra (just google'em) to have insight on Indian practices and philosophy. I would recommend to reach out any yoga institution around town and ask. It's better to learn from someone than from a book, and, as cliché as it sounds, if you are looking for it, the appropriate practice will come to you.
> as cliché as it sounds, if you are looking for it, the appropriate practice will come to you
Yeah. Keep looking for the right career / hobby / spiritual path / etc., and it will likely come to you. Provided you are sincere and are actually looking.
I've a different bias, myself, but to each his own. The various buddhist techniques also seem well suited for the western skeptics, since they typically don't require adherence to any theology at all. You could practice Zen and be a total agnostic or atheist. "Brain hacking" in its purest form. YMMV.
I find Zen difficult, myself. Feels too... um... dry, for lack of a better word. I require something that engages the emotional apparatus, and the physical base, in a more active fashion. I guess this is like preferring Python over Ruby over Perl over etc.etc.etc. Everyone's different.
