Meditation Guide

[Zero]

Just what this forum might need. Anyone who has had experience, please post here. I'm not too knowledgeable myself, but I do know that meditation can promote greater self control and inner stability. Which is what some people seem to lack in some parts of the forums, especially the Religion boards.

First, some religious confirmation that meditation is not blasphemous. We need this because the religious types are the ones who need it badly. Well, at least some of em.

[Firefly]

I've always kind of wanted to try meditation, but don't really know how to, I just ... get quite relaxed, but nothing significant. :(

[BLASTOFF]

The first act of breathing is our greatest saviour. When pressures build up and demands become overwhelming, the first place that showes signs of stress is the breath, it becomes more shallow and rapid until we are only breathing in the top part of the lungs.When we take a deep breath,filling our lungs all the way down as if into our belly,and then blowing the air out through our mouth,it releases any tension, through the breath we can become quiet more centred,more still.We can focus on our breath at any time, and at anywhere, so that it becomes a true friend.So begin by practising breath release,find a comfortable place to sit with your back and your chest relaxed, take a deep breath in filling your lungs and as you bloe it out let it take all your tension with it, breath out your tension, as you breath deeply say to yourself;soft belly, soft belly, soft belly,.Let your breath fill your belly and soften any tension that is there, do this a few times, then come back to your normal breathing pattern and just watch your breath for a few minutes, just watch it enter and leave your body, then take another deep breath and this time say soft heart soft heart soft heart, breath into the area of your heart the heartspace, and let your breath soften any resistence there may be, breath out tension breath in softness and ease,do this a few times then return to your normal breathing pattern, watch your breath enter your bodt and leave your body, do this for a week maybe half an hour a day. more to follow later.

[kmguru]

There you have it from Blastoff. However just because it is posted in the Eastern Philosophy section, the procedure does not become an eastern religion as some born-agains allege.

Which is what some people seem to lack in some parts of the forums, especially the Religion boards.

I mostly stay away from that section...

[BLASTOFF]

I agree kmguru it does not become an easterd religion.

anyway here is some more.
THE BODY SCAN
The body scan enables us to assess our bodies and the tension being stored in different ares, and it helps to release that tension. This can be done at home in a park or even on a train, find a quiet place to sit or lie down somewhere you will not be disturbed for 15 to 20 minutes, for any longer do it lying down with a light blanket over you, settle yourself close your eyes, for a few moments just watch your breath as it enters and leaves your body, all you are going to do is move your mind through your body, area by area, and simlpy pay attentionto the sensations you find, such as tension or tightness tingling or heat, let your breath release and relax, now slowly begin to scan your body starting at your toes, take your mind to your toes.... feet....ankles.... up your legs to your knees and thighs, breath into your legs and feet and feel them releasing and relaxing with each out breath. From the legs bring your attention to your lower back... middle back... and upper back become aware of any ension and releasing it through your breath,now bring your mind to your belly... abdomen, slowly moving to your chest and to your shoulders breathing in and releasing, now start in your fingers and breath into your hands...wrists...arms...elbows and back to your shoulders, breathing and relaxing, take your time and then up through your neck to your jaw, breathing and relaxing, through all the areas of your face, the back of your head and the top of your head, now just breath, let your breath flow through you like waves on a shore, if you want to you can repeat the body scanm but this time do it a little quickly, simply assessing any changes in the way your body feels when you are ready have a good streach before you get up.

[kmguru]

Excellent. I use body scan in my teachings extensively. I do not understand why the entire medical community ignores it. It is a methodology that works and has a good scientific basis.....

[Zero]

Ouch. Perhaps some guys here should saunter over to the religion thread (why call yourself a weakatheist) and put some logical atheistic arguments there. I pointed out their purpose behind the thread (they're proselytizing!!! ) and some people bit my head off!!

Wow, those religious types are quite touchy :rolleyes:

[BLASTOFF]

firefly are you practicing, well here we go again,

practice -ANYTIME METTA
this is fun to do, try silently saying,'may you be well' or, 'may you be happy' to each person you see or meet throughout your day, spend one whole day doing this, it is important not to tell them-just feel it in your heart, you can do this to people on a bus,in a shop,at work, in the street or at home. Silently repeat,'may you behappy' when your partner or boss is upset or angry with you,or when someone is criticising you, watch what happens inside yourself,watch who you find it hard to love,there may be aversion,hypocrisy, ridicule or laughter but it will slowly become a genuine feeling, as your heart opens,try silently saying'i love you' to each person, it will show you where you have resistance and even fear,but it will also connect you to your deeper feelings of love, if a day feels easy,try a whole week, let it grow with in you.
With metta arises compassion, a response of the heart to the suffering in others and in the world, compassion is not a weak and passive state, compassion arises with strength and tenderness mercy and fearlessness, it is compassion that enables us to see ourselves just as we are and to witness the suffering of the world without shying away.

[*stRgrL*]

I just meditating for the first time today. And it felt great! I felt like I was floating on air when I was done. And of course meditation works. The mind is very strong and by meditating your bringing a calmness over your mind. Everyone needs to do it, especially nowadays, they way life is so fast paced. Its good to sit down and think of nothing for a little bit each day.:)

Take care:)

[Zero]

Yes. Something some hotheads in the religion forums might need...(you'll find out who it is...he'll probably explode when he sees this and post a reply here :D)

[BLASTOFF]

I hope what i have posted here is helping somebody out there, i will keep posting just incase it is.

HEALING HEART
this meditation brings healing through the heart, find a comfortable place like always,close your eyes feel relaxed and at ease with yourself, let all thoughts of the day fade away,become aware of your physical body, repeat silently to yourself three times.'i am aware of the whole of my body', visulise your body as if it were a temple,you are in this temple your whole life, know that it is a blessing, a gift you have received with deep appreciation and thankfulness.It is in this temple that healing takes place, a healing that brings you closer to yourself, your peace,the love that is within you.
Now become aware of your breath,of the incoming and outgoing breath,feel that your is your best friend,always there for you, get closer to your breath,become more familiar with this friend, the closer you come to your breath the greater the inner feeling of peace,like a close friend who knows you well. If thoughts come into your mind see them as if they were birds in the sky and let them go,now focus your awareness at the heartspace in the centre of your chest breath into this space,breath into your heart, the heart is unconditional lovethat supports your whole being,nourishing your whole body,emdraceing you completely breath into your heartspace and let that feeling hold you, breath out any tension, your heart is like a flower opening and loving.visualise in your heart a red rose-see the petels and the colour,smell the fragrance,feel the rose openingas you breath into your heart, softening and releasing any resistance,know that you are love,that your true nature is pure loving energy,embrace yourself in your heart,hold yourself in your heart gently , and feel any tension softening and dissolving,this love is healing you silently repeat to yourself may i be well may i be happy may i be healed,release any resistance that may arise,any reason why you should not be well any feelings of not being worthy of happiness,keep berathinginto your heartfeeling thids love for yourself as if you are a beautiful flower.

more to come. if anyone so wishes

[Zero]

nice!! We should get more experts here.

[BLASTOFF]

Inner conscious relaxation, you can do this anywhere, find a comfortable place to sit or lie down where you will not be disturbedyou may want to play some gentle,quiet music,if you are sitting try to use a straight backed chair and have both your feet flat on the floor,(not crossed) and your hands on your thighs palms upwards, if lying down have your feet slightly apart and your arms by your side palms upwards, close your eyes begin to be aware of your breathing.just watch the movement of the breath as it enters and leaves your body,start to feel yourself relaxing as you breath,breath out tension and breath in ease,watch and count for ten breaths.now bring your awareness to your right foot,tighten your muscles,hold,then completely let go and relax your foot,do the same with your right calf;tightening,holding and then releasing,now the right thigh;tighten,hold and release, then the left foot,left calf,and left thigh,both legs are now relaxed and at ease,breath into your legs and feel them letting go,now go to the roght buttock and the left buttock;tensing holding and releasing,work your way up to the whole of your back;the lower backmiddle back,upper back;tighten,hold and release letting go ,keep breathing,now the lower abdomen,the midriff,the chest, then move to your right hand,lower arm and upper arm,right shoulder,then the left hand lower arm,upper arm and left shoulder;tensing holding and releasing,now both arms are completely relaxed and letting go,breath into both arms,now move to your neck,relax all your muscles in your face and then the whole of your head, feel the whole body relaxing,releasing,letting go,repeat silently to yourself, my body is released and relaxed, my heartbeat is normal, my mind is calmabd peaceful,my heart is open and loving,repeat this three times,then bring your attention to watching the flow of your breath for a few minutes,letyourself sink into the natural rhythm of the breath as it enters and leavesyour bodydo not try to change your breathing patterrn just move with the natural flow,now visualise yourself sitting on a beach the heat of the sun warming your back and he sound of birdsong in your ears feel the rhythm of the waves as the rhythm of your breath,the in and out for this rhythmis the rhythm of all life of the universe,become one with this rhythm for a few moments let it flow through you when you are ready let the visuliation fade takea deep breath and let it out become aware of your surroundings,then gently open your eyes and have a good strech.

[BLASTOFF]

INNER CONSCIOUS RELAXATION, First remove any watches, belts or glasses that may restrict the flow of your energy, find a quiet place to lie down,have a blanket to lie on,with a pillow under your head, your arms should be parallel to your body with palms upward legs slightly apart and eyes closed,if you need to sit use a straight back chair and sit with both feet flat on the floor, with hands resting palms upwards on your thighs, take a deep breath and let go, your eyes are closed but you are not asleep your awareness is in the space between sleep and wakefulness, it is important to stay awake and focused, this is not a concentration or meditation, you keep an unbroken stream of awareness, RIGHT FIRST, start by relaxing your body mentally,do this by bringing your awareness to your toes and working your way up through your body, use your mind like a flashlight, releasing tension where ever it is, toes..feet..ankles..calves..knees..thighs..buttock s..back..genitals..pelvis..stomach..navel..chest.. fingers..hands..wrists..elbows..upperarms..shoulde rs..neck..head.. now become aware of your breathing as you follow these instructions, stay with your breath, also repeat to your self silently i am aware i am practising inner cinscious relaxation, say this three times,now create a resolve,a sankalpa it should be a statement or affirmation concerning your life that is uplifting inspiring and meaningful to you, say your resolve three times, at the end of the practice when you hear the words peace.peace.peace.again repeat this resolve to your self three times. RIGHT SECOND PHASE, you should be ready for the second stage, rotation of consciousness through the various parts of your body,as part of the body is mentioned repeat it to your self silently and try to visulise the part in your mind,moving slowly through the body begin right hand thumb..second finger.. third finger.. fourth finger.. fifth finger.. palm.. wrist.. lower arm..elbow..upper arm..shoulder..armpit..waist..hip..thigh..knee..ca lf..ankle..heel..sole..ball of the right foot..the big toe..second third fourth fifthtoe.. left hand thumb.. second finger.. third..fourth..fifth..fingers..palm..wrist..lower arm..elbow..upper arm.. shoulder.. armpit.. waist.. hip.. thigh..knee..calf.. ankle.. heel..sole..ball of the left foot..the big toe..second thrir..fourth..fifth.toe..right shoulder blade.. left shoulder blade.. spinal cord..the whole of the back..the left buttock.the right buttock. genitals..pelvis..centre of the chest..neck..chin..upperlip..lower lip..both lips together..nose..nose tip..right cheek..left cheek..right temple..left temple..right ear..left ear..right eye..left eye..right eyelid..left eyelid.. right eyebrow..left eyebrow.. centre of the eyebrows.. forehead.. top of head..back of head.. whole of head.. then whole body.. awareness of the whole body maintain awareness of youe breathing for a few moments, i will post the rest of the phases next time but if any one wants to practice this then please do so and let me know how you feel.

[BLASTOFF]

Is my postings on meditation helping anybody or shall i stop, let me know please,

[Zero]

It really helps. I keep reading it, so please do not stop!!

[BLASTOFF]

For you zero / third phase now we work with the pairs of opposites, start by creating the feeling of heaviness in the physical body,feel as if your legs are heavy..your buttocks are heavy..also your back your arms your chest head..and your whole bodyis feeling heavy..feel as if though your whole body is sinking into the ground and is getting heavier and heavier, feel as if your body is so heavy you cannot even lift your arms, visualise what it is to be heavy..a lead weight..stay with this feeling for a few minutes.
now create the feeling of lightness in the physical body.. what is lightness? a feather is lightbring the feeling of lightness to the body..to your fingers..palms..arms..stomach..chest..back..legs.. shoulders..neck..top of the head.. your whole body is light..feel as if your floating off the ground, stay with this feeling for a few moments, now what is the feeling of coldness? can you create the feeling of coldnes in your body? your hands are cold.. your feet ..your buttocks.. your back.. you can feel a chill in your spine your cheeks your head.. and your whole body is now cold and getting colder, what is cold? it is a wintryday when you walk in the snow create coldness in your whole body, stay with this for a few moments, now create heat what is heat? create the feeling of heat in the palm of your right hand then in your left hand then in the sole of your right foot and then in the sole of your left foot then go on to your stomach your chest your lips your eyes your head create heat in your whole body it is a hot summer day as if you are in a desert at noon you feel the heat you are sweating, stay with this feeling for a few moments. next phase will follow shortly,

[Zero]

Awesome. The state should support and fund research on this, and maybe include sessions in schools. It would work wonders for the US. It seems to be in desperate need of meditation and its benefits.

[BLASTOFF]

Thanks zero now you are ready for the next stage of ICR visuliation, become aware of your heart, your heart is like a beautiful flower that when open reveals a great love, a great peace, feel as if you are going on a journey into the heart, the visuliations will take you deeper into this reservoir of pure love, this is the experience of the essence of your being. right visualise a red rose..see the rose,it's colour and texture..smell it's sweetness..visualise it openingand feel that your heart is also opening,visualise the small flame of a candle..see the candle flame getting bigger and bigger..feel the warmth of the flame. visualise a mother embracing her newborn child..feel the unconditional love that exists between these two, visualise a church..inside the church the congregation is immersed in prayer, visualise smoke rising from a chimney..inside the house a fire is burnng in the grate...people are gathering around the fireplace...there is a feeling of friendship and love, visualise someone rowing a boat on a lake.. you can see the ripples made by the oars and the calmness of the water...you can see the stillness at the bottom of the lake, visualise the virgin mary... she is full of mercy, visualise children playing in a green field, visualise a full moon on a starlit night. Now imagine in your heart that you are walking along a beautiful sandy beach... the blue sea is calm, the sun is shining and the sky is clear, you are alone on the beach it is early morning...in the distance you see a figure coming towards you... as you get closer you see it is a holy manhe is smiling with a look of great tenderness and compassion...his body is glowing..you can feel great love emanating from him, as he greets you his peace enters you like a warm friendly emdrace, a feeling of unconditional acceptance and love..you walk along the beach together,and as you walk you notice that he leaves no footprints in the sand.
Peace peace peace become aware of the resolve that you made at the beginning of the practice..repeat it three times to your self..now become aware of your breathing,watch the inhalation and the exhalation... continue for a few moments..become aware of the room you are in..move your fingers and toes..externalise your consciousness..keeping your eyes closed..the practice of ICR is overwhen you are ready slowly roll over on your side,then gently sit up.take a few minutes watching your breath, have a smile on your face, later on zero we will practice INNER CONSCIOUS RELAXATION NO 2 TOGETHER if that is ok with yourself my friend.

[julia christa]

I heard it said that prayer is when you ask a question
and meditation is when you listen for the answer.

I meditate every day... breathing is just like dying and being reborn. There's always that split second in between the inhale and the exhale when the body is deprived of oxygen and doesn't know if that was the last breath... and then you breath again. You are reborn.

There is a meditation called the "don't know mind"
You sit, and every time a thought or image comes to mind, you simply say, aloud, "I don't know"

Letting go. Detachment. Surrender. I don't dig on the meditation as a contemplation of some THING. Searching for some ANSWER.

I think in words, all the time. My brain is translating the color red into the word "red" and the clouds into descriptions of clouds. It's madness.

I went to the ocean once and sat on a log and decided that I would not leave until I had ceased to think in words. A couple hours later the panic began to set in... I thought I would be there forever. I would sleep there. Could I be that stubborn? Would my will be strong enough? Had I crossed the line and lost my mind and from now on I would be the mad girl on the beach who will not leave because she can only think in words? But then it happened.... I noticed something strange about the waves. The motion, didn't seem as I thought it was. I saw that the entire ocean rose and fell behind the waves. Rising up like a giant chest taking a breath, sucking the wave back into itself after it broke. I saw the ocean take a breath.... I felt the whole thing in my body, a giant chest with fleshy lining at the bottom of the sea, and ripples and ribs and skin and innards. Mother earth. It was disgusting and sublime. It blew my mind.

Sometimes I just meditate by playing with the floaters in my eyeballs. That game is always good. Those little wormies can keep me entertained for hours.

[kmguru]

Julia, welcome to sciforums.

Sometimes I just meditate by playing with the floaters in my eyeballs. That game is always good. Those little wormies can keep me entertained for hours.

Like many here, you have just graduated to the padded cell....:D

[BLASTOFF]

zero for you and who ever/ follow the general instructions in inner conscious relaxation no 1 through the first phase and the second phase. Right become aware of the contact between your physical body and the ground beneath you.. wherever your body meets the ground bring your attention to that place, beginning with your right leg and the ground just become aware of the popint of contact and focus your attention on that space..stay with that for a few moments. do the same with your left leg always stay with your awareness, now bring your awareness to the meeting point of your right arm and the ground.. awareness of that space between your arm and the ground, now do the same with your left arm always focus your attention on the space. Now bring your attention to your buttocks and the ground..awareness of the meeting point and the space stay with this awareness, now bring your awareness to the point of contact between your back and the ground..focus on the space between the two..stay with this for a few moments.
Now bring your awareness to the meeting point between the back of your head and the ground..now to the meeting point of the whole of your physical body and the ground..just focus on theat space where your physical body and the ground meet get closer to the awareness of this space. this will help you let go and enter into a deeper sense of relaxation and ease.
Now become aware of heart centred breathing, when we bring the breath into the heart and release the tension in this area and awaken the love within,simply focus awareness in the centre of your chest the heartspace and watch as you breath in and out..count the breaths, starting at one and going up to ten, one number with each breath, when you reach ten begin to count down to one, if you lose the count just start at one again, feel as if you are sinking into your heart and entering a vast ocean of love, your breath is like a raft carrying you on this ocean.
Lets go the the fourth phase now visulise yourself in a far off tropical island there are animals living there;lion,tiger, cobra,elephant,monkey,and deer,..they are living in peace together,visulise yourself walking into a beautiful forest with trees and flowers all around you..the air is pure,fresh with the sweet scent of the flowers..you feel alive and part of nature..birds singing..it feels familiar.. you feel at home, then you see in the distance a fire burning..you feel drawn to the fire..you notice people sitting in a circle around the fire making offerings of herbs and sacred ash..a holy woman is sitting with them and is chanting "OM" there is a great feeling of joy in your heart..a sense of happiness is awakened by this sight you are invited to join the circle..as you come closer you notine that the people in the circle are all your friends..people you have always known..the holy woman appears like a goddess..radient..luminous..compassionate..as you sit together there is a great feeling of oneness..a realisation that you are loved totally and completely and that all beings and creatures are your friends..that in essence there is no seperation, only the one pure light that illuminates all hearts, the realisation of unconditional happiness fills your heart, peace peace peace become aware of the resolve that you made at the beginning of your practice..repeat three times to yourself.. now become aware of your breathing watch the inhalation and exhalation..continue for a few moments become aware of the room you are in now move your fingers and toes..externalise your consciousness..keeping your eyes closed.. the practice of ICR is over whe nyou are ready slowely roll over on your side then gently sit up, have a smile on your face. the next technique i post will teach you to use the power of your mind.

[m0rl0ck]

One of my favorites, circa 13th century:

The Practice of Meditation
by Dogen
Truth is perfect and complete in itself. It is not something newly discovered; it has always existed. Truth is not far away. It is nearer than near. There is no need to attain it, since not one of your steps leads away from it. Don't follow the advice of others; rather, learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become one, and you will realize the unity of all things. Even the slightest movement of your conceptual thought will prevent you from entering the palace of wisdom. The Buddha meditated for six years; Bodhidharma for nine. If such effort was required of these ancient Masters, how much more is required of you. Your search among books, sifting and shuffling through other peoples words, may lead you to the depths of knowledge, but it cannot help you to see the reflection of your true self. When you have thrown away all your conceptions of mind and body, the original person will appear, in his fullness. To obtain the inestimable benefits of meditation, you should first make a firm decision to meditate every day. Your meditation room should be clean and quiet. Wear loose clothing and remove your shoes. Sit on a cushion, with legs crossed, in as comfortable a manner as possible. Keep your back straight. Don't lean to the left or right; don't tip forward or bend back. Your ears should be in line with your shoulders. Keep your tongue at the roof of your mouth and close your lips. Your eyes should be slightly open, unfocused on the floor at a forty-five-degree angle. Breathe through your nostrils. Before you begin meditation, take several slow, deep breaths. Hold your body erect, allowing your breathing to become normal again. Many thoughts will crowd into your mind. Don't dwell on thoughts of good or bad. Don't desire to attain enlightenment. Let your thoughts come and go, without getting involved in them or trying to suppress them. Think the unthinkable. In other words, think no-thinking. Meditation is not a way to enlightenment, nor is it a method of achieving anything at all. It is peace and blessedness itself. It is the actualization of wisdom, the ultimate truth of the oneness of all things. In your meditation, you yourself are the mirror reflecting the solution of your problems. The human mind has absolute freedom within its true nature. You can attain this freedom intuitively. Don't work toward freedom; but allow the work itself to be freedom. When you want to rest, move your body slowly, and quietly stand up. Practice this meditation in the morning or in the evening or at any leisure time during the day. You will soon realize that your mental burdens are dropping away one by one, and that you are gaining an intuitive power previously undreamed of. There have been thousands upon thousands of people who have practiced meditation and obtained its fruits. Don't doubt its possibilities because of the simplicity of its method. If you can't find he truth right where you are, where can you hope to go in search of it ? Life is short, and no one knows what the next moment will bring. Cultivate your mind while you still have the opportunity. You will soon discover the treasure of wisdom, which in turn you can share abundantly with others, bringing them happiness and peace.

[BLASTOFF]

zero and everyone else are you ready for more, This is called Hot Hands, this technique teachs you how to use the power of your mind, try using different heat creating images to bring warmth to cold hands or feet, find a comfortable place to sit whee you will not be disturbed for a few minutes, close your eyes, take a deep breath and let go, spend a few moments just watching the flow of your breath as it enters and leavs, feeling yourself relaxing and getting quieter with each breath, now focus on your right hand, or whichever part you want to get warm, do nothing and think nothing-just put all your energy into this area, and imagine that your hand is getting hotter and hotter, it may help to imagine the sun beating down on your hand, or imagine that you are holding a red hot coal, focus all your attention on feeling this hand getting hotter and hotter, you may even find that it begins to perspire, keep doing this for at least four to five minutes, if you need to visualise your hand cooling down a little before you move on,now direct your attention to any other part of your body that needs warming and repeat the process,when you are ready to finish take a deep breath and gently open your eyes.
If images dont come readily to meet your physical requirement, let your body tell you what it needs, do this by spending a few moments relaxing and then visualise the part of your body that is in need, or bring your attention to focus on that part, just breath into this part, getting to know it ,feeling at ease with it, breath into any tension or painthen gently ask it what it is trying to tell you, what it's needs are and how you can help.

[BLASTOFF]

Right now lets practice trading places with Buddha, one way to help you go beyond your limitations or conflicts is to re-create scenes in your mind but with a different player, imagine a situation you are trying to resolve; a problem in your life , or an area of stress and conflict, re-create all the details in your mind but,instead of yourself, visulise either a meaningful religious or spiritual teacher or someone whom youconsider really wise, such as buddha or jesusstanding in your place,whatch what happens, how do they deal with the situation? how different is it from the way you deal with it? what effect do they have on the other people in your visualisation? what can you learn from this? remember, whatever wisdom or compassion this person comes up with in your mind visualisation has actually come from your own imagination; it is already within you. And remember the power of the mind is, after all unlimited

[Avatar]

thanx BLASTOFF!
I only now discovered this thread
already saved all in a .doc for printout

:)thanx:)

[DocHoliday00]

Wow thank you all who put meditations on here. I just started on the forums today and this has helped a lot. I have all ways wanted to mediate but never know how. THANK YOU AGAIN

[spookz]

one of the practices taught to me was walking meditation, a variation of vipassana meditation.
be mindful at all times so as not to stumble and fall down!
:D


"While meditation is usually associated with the sitting posture, insight meditation exercises can be practised while walking. Walking in insight meditation is essentially about the awareness of movement as you note the component parts of the steps. When walking meditation alternates with sitting meditation it helps to keep the meditation practice in balance.

Walking meditation is also a skilful way to energise the practice if the calming effect of sitting is making you dull or you are becoming over concentrated. Actually, it can be the preferred mode in insight meditation as it is meditation in action.

How to do it ...
Establish your attentiveness by first noting the standing posture and the touch sensations of the feet at the start of the walking track. (You will need to find a walking path with a level surface from five to ten metres on which you walk back and forth). The arms should hang naturally with the hands lightly clasped in front. Allow the eyes to gaze at a point about two metres in front of you on the ground to avoid visual distractions. Then as you walk keep the attention on the sole of the foot, not on the leg or any other part of the body.

For the first five minutes you can note just three parts of the step: 'lifting', 'pushing', 'dropping'. Then mentally note or label each step part by part building up the noting to its six component parts: 'raising', 'lifting', 'pushing', 'dropping', 'touching' and 'pressing' - concurrent with the actual experience of the movement.

While walking and noting the parts of the steps you will probably find the mind still thinking. Not to worry, keep focused on the noting of the steps if the thoughts are experienced just as 'background thoughts'. However, it you find you have been walking 'lost in thought' you must stop and vigorously note the thinking as 'thinking', 'thinking', 'thinking'. Then re-establish your attention on the movement and carry on. Also be careful that the mental noting does not become so mechanical that you lose the experience of the movement._

Try to do a minimum walking period of half an hour and build it up to a full hour. Strategically it is better to do a walking period before a sitting session as it brings balance into the practice. If you can alternate the walking and sitting sessions without any major breaks it will develop a continuity of awareness that naturally carries through into the awareness of your daily activities"

[spookz]

for those who find the floor uncomfortable use a chair
preferably one without armrests.
since a straight back is essential (head will get heavy after a while), do not lean back on the backrest

;)

[spookz]

Originally posted by Firefly
I've always kind of wanted to try meditation, but don't really know how to, I just ... get quite relaxed, but nothing significant. :(

for most of us that do meditate or have in the past (me) thats what it is, a form of relaxation.
this relaxation will carry over to your day to day living.
you should notice that you handle stress better, physical benefits become apparent

do not go into meditation with expectations. that is self defeating.
focus on simple breathing exercises only.

get back to me in a couple of years and lemme know your progress

:D

[BLASTOFF]

sorry i have not posted more on meditation but being a farmer i have been busy in the fields but more will come.

[BLASTOFF]

right now practice this- journey to your inner truth,
20 to 30 minutes) start by finding a comfortable place to sit or lie down and make sure you will not be disturbed, if you are sitting use a straight backed chair and place both feet flat on the floor( not crossed) and your hands on your thighs, palms upwards. if you are lying down place your feet slightly apart and your arms by your sides, palms upwards, you may want a light blanket to cover you, and a small pillow under your head, close your eyes, begin by relaxing your body, start at the feet tighten the muscles, hold, then completely let go and relax your feet, now the thighs; tighten, hold, and release, both legs are relaxed and at ease, breath into your legs and feel them letting go, noe go to your buttocks; tensing,holding and releasing, work your way up the whole of your back; tensing, holding and letting go, then the lower abdomen.. the midriff.. the chest, then move to your hands.. the lower arms and upper arms..then the shoulders;tensing,holding and releasing, both arms and shoulders are completelyrelaxed and letting go, now your neck..relax all the muscles in your face..and then the whole of yourhead. feel your whole body relaxing,letting go sinking into the ground,now become aware of the movement of your breathas it enters and leaves your body. begin to feel yourself letting go as you breath-breathing out tension onthe out breath,breathing in relaxation on the in breath, as you watch your breath, begin silently to count one number at the end of each breath, start at ten and continue down to zero, with each breath feel your body becoming heavey and relaxing, your mind is releasing, becoming quieter, repeat silently to yourself, 'My body is released and relaxed. My heart beat is normal, My mind is calm and peaceful, My heart is open and loving, repeat this three times, now begin to imagine that each breath is actually the waves on a lake breaking softly on the shore, imagine you are walking along a beautiful lake side, the sun warming you, the water a clear azure blue, allaround you are mountains and tall trees, birds swooping in the sky, you are alone here but you feel wonderfully safe, as if being held in the palm ofa hand, it is so warm and safe that you take off your clothes and lie on the shore close to the water, and the waves and your breath merge, as you breath in you feel the wave break gently over your body, as you breath out the wave recedes, taking with it any tension you may be feeling, stay with this for a few moments, then you rise and enter the water,your body able to swim and play as the cleansing and refreshing qualities of the water revitalise your whole being, you laugh at the beauty of the sun catching the splashes, at the purity of the water, at the feeling of being loved and caressed, you float and merge with the gentl rhythm of the lake, stay with this for a few moments, as you swim further into the lake, you notice a cascading waterfall on the other side, falling over rocks and ferns and creating deep pools, you swim to the waterfall and play there, standing beneath the cascading water or diving into pools,like a child carefree and timeless, here the water splashing,smell the freshness, after a while you notice beyond the waterfall a cave;a gentle light seems to be glowing from it, the closer you get, the stronger the light becomes, the sweet smell of rose or sandlewood is in the air, as you enter the cave you see in the centre a large crystal, glowing with pure white light, it seems to welcome you in as if you are expected, then you see facing the crystal an old woman,sitting quietly,white hair falling down her back,a look of profound peace on her face silently you sit beside her,the light illuminating you,and a warmth comes from the woman the warms your body, after a few moments she speaks to you, she has words of healing for you, in response you speak to her.sharing your heart,your troubles or your dreams, she gives you a guidance and words of wisdom, as you look at her you feel a depth of love you have never known before, then she hands you a gift, something special which represents that love, you hold it to your chest and it dissolves into your heart, it will always it will always be there for you to draw strength from, stay a few moments more before you rise,then make your way out of the cave and on to the bank above the lake, there you find a set of new clothes waiting for you the softness of the clothes that feel like silk and are the palest of colours, as you walk back along the edge of the lake you pass your old clothes, discarded on the shore, you do not need them any more, there is a relief in letting them go, gently you walk back into your normal life let the visuliation fade, take a deep breath and become aware of your body on the floor or in the chair, spend a few moments breathing and reconnecting then streach your legs and arms,when you feel ready, very gently open your eyes and greet your world.

[BLASTOFF]

zero and Avatar are you practicing and if so is it doing any good for you/ good, rigyht practice just breathing find a comfortable place to sit, close your eyes and feel your body relaxing, spend a few moments appreciating yourself, your seat and the worls around you, now bring your attention to your breath, where do you most feel the breath? folow the movement of the breath from where it enters at the tip of the nose all the way to the belly, and see where your attention is most keen, feel the breath entering and leaving, what sensations are there? does it feel hot or cool? is it short or quick/ is there a pause between breaths or between the inhalation and exhalation? just watch the breath, observe its natural movement, be aware that you are breathing, closely observe every detail about the breath from the place where your attention rests, the tip of the nose, chest or belly, watch one whole breath entering and filling and leaving and emptying, then watch another, and then another, do this for a few moments or for as long as you like whenever you like, when you are ready gently become aware of your body and the room around you and take a deep grateful breath.

[BLASTOFF]

zero and avatar how is your meditation going, has it helped how do you feel with your life is it better let me know.

[moonman]

Blastoff, your posts are great!! Just what I need.
Keep it up!

I am just starting to meditate and I just want to share some basic things that I did 'wrong' in the begining.

Firstly, I was concerned with wether I was doing it right or wrong. There is no right or wrong realy.
I tried to force something upon myself, a feeling or visions etc. Don't worry it will all come naturaly.
And a big missconception I had was that I had to somehow clear my mind for it to work, don't try to do that.

Even simply sitting on the buss staring out the window engulfed by the moving road below is a form of meditation!

[Avatar]

Originally posted by BLASTOFF
zero and avatar how is your meditation going, has it helped how do you feel with your life is it better let me know.
I am doing it a bit more seldom these days. I need summer and warmth for it. Atm I make my thoughts flow with help of some death, gothic and black metal

[BLASTOFF]

moonman/ thanks for the vote have been busy over the past few months being a farmer, but will post more in the weeks to come, which i hope will help as well.

[Lykan]

"Observe yourself. Then observe yourself observing. Then observe yourself observing the observer observe, until there is only observing." - Steven S. Sadleir

[Cris]

I took up TM in 1977 and became a TM-Sidhi in 1987.

I think very little about the technique now I just do it.

I couldn’t mix my technique with any others it would be totally confusing.

TM was attractive to me because of the medical and scientific findings.

The background: The mind and body are inextricably linked. If you worry (mental activity) you can make yourself physically ill. If you are physically ill (fever etc) then that can affect the mind (weird dreams, delusions, hallucinations etc).

Every thought you have will have some effect on the physiology. Every physical activity you undertake will have some affect on the mind. Healthy physical activity tends to result in a lively and active mind. And freedom from worry tends to result in a healthy body and longer life.

When we rest physically that also tends to allow the mind to rest to some extent. But how does one allow the mind to rest so that the body can properly achieve true rest? This is where mediation has a major role.

If one can STOP the mind from thinking, e.g. de-link the mind from the body then the physiology will achieve levels of rest otherwise unachievable.

The TM technique allows the mind to become still. This is not as easy as it first appears. Just try sitting still for a few minutes and try not to think. You will soon be aware, within seconds that you have been experiencing thoughts.

With the TM technique and some practice you can sit still and enter a state of zero thoughts for about 20 minutes. Something that I don’t believe is possible with any other meditation technique that I have examined. The level of physical and mental rest achieved in such a short time is likened to 8 hours of extremely deep sleep but in 20 minutes.

I believe that any technique that involves any type of focusing or thinking will destroy the effectiveness of achieving true rest and reduction of built-up stress, assuming that is what one is trying to achieve.

The basic technique involves a simple very silent mantra that is allowed to fade away into the background where it will disappear. The mantra is a meaningless sound that the mind cannot latch onto and thus becomes bored quickly and ends up in silence.

The more advanced Sidhi technique involves some breathing exercises and physical activity as well as the use of a number of sutras – kind of mantras but are really very carefully designed thought packets that invoke very specific effects. Don’t attempt the Sidhi technique until you are using the basic TM technique effectively.

Hope that helps a little.

My guideline is that if you are thinking or focusing then you are not meditating.

[EvilPoet]

Essential Advice on Meditation (http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/advicemed.htm)

[moonman]

I've been reading many different views on meditation.
Some say that for it to be ultimately effective, it has to be very structured, planned, rigorous.
While others believe that is should be more casual and natural.

I don't know wether I am gaining or losing something going with either approach. Both sides have good arguements.

[Cris]

TM is totally effortless. If you 'try' then it doesn't work.

It is also very subtle and you need a trained teacher to train you since it is very easy to do it incorrectly.

Meditation is indeed a different state of consciousness. You are not asleep, yet you are not awake, and neither are you dreaming. But you remain aware of your surroundings and can become alert very rapidly.

To the novice noise will be disturbing, to the more experienced noise is irrelevant. You may be aware of sounds and various experiences, but the experienced can just let these happen and ignore them.

But a quite room, and a comfortable chair offer the optimum environment. Don’t lie down; if you are tired then the relaxing effect of TM will very likely make you fall asleep. Even sitting, you might fall asleep during TM, but this is far from a bad thing. Oh, and never meditate late at night; you will simply not be able to sleep for quite a while afterwards. Good meditation will have revived your energy. Don’t eat before mediation either. Digestion consumes more energy than any other physical activity. You will need and use such energy during meditation to help heal the body and reduce built up stress.

I use TM to revive my energy, and to remove any stress that has accumulated. TM is especially good for the active person, and is not so good for the recluse or the inactive monk.

[spookz]

Originally posted by moonman
I've been reading many different views on meditation.
Some say that for it to be ultimately effective, it has to be very structured, planned, rigorous.
While others believe that is should be more casual and natural.

I don't know wether I am gaining or losing something going with either approach. Both sides have good arguements.

who is doing the arguing? there are many forms of meditation, some just require more effort. it always a personal choice.

[BLASTOFF]

I know there are people who meditate all the time like myself, but this part may jog your memory and it will help others that want to start to meditate/ well i hope so.
First why meditate, each of use have our own reasons for starting meditation, these can be many and varied, but they usually fall into several main categories/ health / stress prevention / self- realisation and spiritual impulse. even some doctors recomend meditation there is a very strong link between the mind and the body, meditation is an holistic discipline, it creates change at all levels of being including the physical, emotional, and mental, it also helps us with our spiritual levels of our being, not through handed down dogma, but through experience i beleave that meditation lets us discover who we really are and what we may achieve it brings us to a state of self- realisation which is the highest expression of the human nature.
THE PRINCIPLES OF MEDITATION
meditationis a discipline, it is a state of mind in which all thoughts are concentrated upon a single point, namely the sudject of the excerciseit takes patience and persistence to develop the power of concentration, the mind will naturally wander to other things, the attention must be returned to the subject time and time againthe subject of the meditation is like a target stray thoughts will stop us hitting the bulls eye when you are able to hold the concentration steady then you will be able to reap the benifits/ so if anyone wants to learn or even a refresher course then please tell me over this post, and i will try to guide any newcomer who wants to try.

[moonman]

who is doing the arguing? there are many forms of meditation, some just require more effort. it always a personal choice.

Your quite right, the conflict was in my mind.

I've pretty much summed it up for my self:
If I want good results, discipline, perseverence and attention. But most importantly doing that which feels right.

[BLASTOFF]

Preparation for meditation/ you will need to take a few minutes to prepare youe surroundings in which you are goingto meditate in. the key is very simple comfort, you will be sitting still for a while you might need to loosen any tight clothing. the room itself not to hot not to cold to hot or to cold will distract you not to dark you may fall asleep, not to light you may strain your eyes a dimmly lite light a candle can be used to give light, but you must never rely upon external stimuli, you carry the conditions for meditation within posture is important to all meditation practice, choose a firm chair which lets you sit upright feet firmly on the ground this keeps you in touch with the earth do not med lying down or sitting in an armchair you will soon fall asleep,keep the spine straight sit in an alert but poised position, hands may be folded loosley in the lap or placed one upon each thigh, you do not have to sit crossed legged to meditate the lotus position is fine for experts in yoga and those brought up to sit like that but it is unattainable for most westerners, become aware of your breathing and allow yourself to breath more slowly and deeply than you might normally, mentally follow your breath in and out for a few moments, the deep quiet breathing pattern also helps to bring a sense of calm to the mind and body,our patteren of breathing directly reflects our emotional state,our breathing becomes chaotic and erractic when we are upset or angryand when we are calm our breathing is normalin meditation we seek to find a quiet mind so we begin by establishing a breathing pattern normally associated with quietness and calmthere are also complex breathing patterns for the advanced meditive techniques which are designed to bring about specific mental and emotional states,as we become aware of our own breathing pattern we may discover that we only use the top part of our lungs, this represents a symbolic defence mechanism, shallow breathing is related to shallow contact with life experience, when we deepen the breath we deepen our contact with life. if any one is still intrested in meditation then i will carry on with this part for beginners, or as a refresher course

[BLASTOFF]

THE FOURFOLD BREATH
Breath in with a deep breath but comfortable breath from the diaphragm to the count of four,
hold the breath at the top of the lungs for the count of two,
breath out slowly to the count of four,
hold the lungs empty to the count of two,
start again.
Having seated your self in a comfortable chair, establish an appropriate breathing pattern, you are ready to enter a state of meditation follow the relaxation technique below.
Relaxation should be done slowly, the mind is simply focused on the different body parts in turn in the following way turn your attention inwards and mentally repeat the phase to yourself, after each phase you should also experience a realease of tension in the body itself, take your time with this excercise.
the phase

The top of my head is relaxing,i feel relaxed.
My face feels relaxing, i am relaxed.
My shoulders and chest feel relaxed, i am relaxing.
My arms and hands fell relaxed, i am relaxing.
My legs and feet feel relaxed, i am relaxing.
I am relaxed, my mind is calm, my body is calm,
i am relaxed, my mind is alert, my mind is awake.
do not rush this stage when you are experienced this preliminary practice can be dispensed with. shall i continue with this or is it a waste of time?

[A4Ever]

Cris,

The level of physical and mental rest achieved in such a short time is likened to 8 hours of extremely deep sleep but in 20 minutes.

then what is the purpose of sleep to you?

Thanks,

A4Ever.

[EvilPoet]

"Meditation is food for the mind; meditation time is suppertime
for the mind and sleeping is no good at suppertime." -Geshe-la

"Close your eyes and you will see clearly. Cease to listen and you
will hear truth. Be silent and your heart will sing. Seek no contact
and you will find union. Be still and you will move forward on the
tide of spirit. Be gentle and you will need no strength. Be patient
and you will achieve all things. Be humble and you will remain
entire." -A Taoist Meditation

[BLASTOFF]

Shall i stop or shall i carry on posting on the meditation guide? is it helping anyone ?

[UltiTruth]

Keep posting, Blastoff

[BLASTOFF]

UltiTruth it will be my pleasure, try this it is called spot meditation
spot meditation (1) RED LIGHT
this exercise works best if you have a minute or two to spare in a traffic jam or as traffic lights just turn red as you get there.
if you feel frustrated ,smile at yourself.

you have been given perhaps a whole minute to stop and do nothing.
let your body and mind slow down and relax.
take a deep sigh, lingering on the out breath.
let your face and belly soften.
one whole minute to breath slowly.
be aware of excess tension in your body.
gently shake it free, as you settle back into your seat.
look around you slowly.
the exercise finish as the light tuens green or the traffic jam clears.
now devote your attention to the task at hand and look forware to the next whole minute.

spot meditation (2) RANDOM OBJECT

this meditation can be practised during any free moment, for example sitting at your desk or waiting at a bus stop or in your car.
pick out an object that is in your field of vision some thing that catches your eye and is pleasing.
settle your mind there, drop the inner talk, shift into sensing.
let your eyes soften a little ,( dont stare ).
use your eyes like a zoom lens, let time slow down and explore the object at your leasure, imagine its texture and smell, if appropriate, allow associations to arise.
take a deep breath and sigh,as you breath out.
be aware of the object, your body and stream of attention linking them.
finally let the object go,consciously.
check how your mind state has changed.
are you more aware?
spot meditation ( 3 ) FREEZE
it is easy to get tense during the day, we rarely give ourselves time to relax, this meditation is designed to help wind us down to strip 20% off the top tension.
tell yourself to "FREEZE"
hold your posture, but not your breath.
you may be at your desk, doing the dishes, or standing in a queue.
scan your body slowly up and down, observing areas of excess tension.
dont change anything yet.
notice how you are breathing.
when you feel in tune with your self say "DEFROST"
allow tension to release.
make little adjustments wherever needed sit or stand straighter, losen shoulders, neck, eyes, stomach, hands.

dont stop, be systematic
enjoy making finer and finer adjustments.
take a deep breath and sigh as you breath out.
feel your self breathing.
can you give the breath more space and freedom?
notice how much your mood is changing .
resume your former activity when ready, retaing an awareness of your body.

there is more to come

[BLASTOFF]

spot meditation slowing down
this should help you notice the speed that you are moving, when you are tense you are often faster and more spasmodic than nessary this excercise will help you turn down your metabolic rate, and it is easy for a few minutes do every thing a fraction slower, you can do this in your every day lives, like getting dressed, having a shower, leaving he house and getting into the car, having breakfast, watering the plants, walking what ever you are doingmake the activity into a spot meditation, give it a start and finish allow an extra minute or two so you dont have to hurry do every movement just the slightest fraction slower notice the pace at which you walk, turn, sit, lift things other wise be natural.
notic when you are hurried are you jerky, when you are smooth and easy, are you breathing easily? or are you holding your breath? consciously enjoy the passing sensations-water on your face,taste of toast, texture of your shirt, the click as you turn a key in a lock, keep the mind here and now, when you disappear into thought, come back to the sensations of the present,when you have finished, be still for ten seconds and notice how you feel, practise the same activity for four to five days and see how it changes.

[moonman]

This is a meditation that I've been doing for some time, I think it might already be specified. But it makes me feel great and I don't think it's harmfull.
Firstly, the technique came to me when I was doing mindfullness meditation as described here (http://www.meditationcenter.com/connect/mind.html).

I sit down, gently relax, and start breathing rythmicaly but naturaly. At first I just sit and watch my breath for a while so as to still my mind, and after a while I phase into letting random thoughts enter my mind. These can be sentences, immages, sounds, often just plain gibberish, the point is effectively to just let the mind work at random and not to affect the thoughts in anyway conciously, this means not establishing clear thought patterns or structures, (it's great if you can't remember what you just thought 2 seconds ago) Structure might develope later in a state which I could call 'concious dreaming' that I often enter.
There is a very fine line between conciously thinking random thoughts and letting the mind think random thoughts, but it exists, it's good to learn to recognize it. If you find yourself conciously thinking, then gently concentrate on you breathing and start over.
Accept everything that happens, and don't try to controll your thinking.

Benefits- (just from a personal perspective) Deep relaxation, totaly letting go of the days activities and the moments worries. Sleep inducing after a stressfull day. Perhaps even meaningfull memories that you have hidden may surface providing a theraputic advantage.

If anyone knows that such a meditation already exists, please tell me (I'm sure one does). And if you try it and benefit, I would be realy glad to know. :)

[BLASTOFF]

basic meditation
the breath
on the surface this excercise simple, you sit and count your breaths throughout the meditation,if this is all you do, however the practice can be quite shallow, you may be just marking time it is more important to actually feel your breathing is your mind right there when the breath stops or starts,?
right 1 choose a relatively quiet place and give your self 15 minutes to meditate, find a comfortable position that allows you to breath easily, for most people a straight backed padded chair is ideal.
2 spend a minute or two slowly scanning your body inwardly to release subtle tensions, examine your eyes, mouth, shoulders ,hands, belly
3 take a deep breath and sigh, let your belly loosen give the breath room to move, explore the movement of the breath within you, if there is a pause at the end of the outbreath, enjoy it let the breathing be spontanious dont try to control it or try to breath correctly or make the breathing regular.
4 to stay on track count the breaths up to 5 or 10, repeatedly this helps to anchor the mind when you wander,
5 when you lose the count or breath return to it without annoyance, if you are easily distracted , study each breath more intently, if you feel sleepy open your eyes slightly or sharpen your posture,
6 let your body fall asleep be aware of the back ground sensation, of relaxation the heaviness lightness tingling gentle breathing and so on.
7 emerge slowely from the meditation sit quietly with your eyes open for a minute, notice if you feel different from when you first started.

[BLASTOFF]

basic meditation
music
if music is your object, the usual instruction apply relax, focus on the music and when the mind wanders bring it back,many people just drift along with the music,but spacing out to music is not meditationany kind of non vocal music will do to meditate to, it must have an edgeto it for the mind to grasp hold of,
1 scan your posture and breathing for a minute make sure you state of mind is in alpha before you start the music. 2 turn the music on and enjoy it fell everything about it even the colours, you can use them to deepen the meditation, feel the music in your body. 3 ask your self a few times are you still with the music? 4 when the music stops, come back to your self, did you relax fully, or are you a little charged up? are you holding your breath or is it soft, when you feel in touch with your self then come out of the meditation.

[BLASTOFF]

mantra and affirmations/
here are some simple affirmations/ slow down..let go...peace and love...relax...wake up...let it be...warm and heavy.it is important not to think about the affirmations, say them silently and continuously while your primary focus is on the breath or the body the affirmation is like wallpaper it provides a backdown atmosphere.now a mantra is like an affirmation but with two important differences. with a mantra we focus on its actual rhythm and sound quality, here are some mantras.
om...om ah...om ah hung svaha...aoham...om mani peme hung...om namah shivaya.
basic meditation affirmations...as usual get comfortable and scan your body for tensions, when you are ready take two deep breathslet go completly then feel the breath move within you.
as soon as you feel in touch with the breath,say the first affirmation slow down say the first word on the inbreath, and the second word on the out breathdont try to make your breathing regular,the affirmation should fit the breathing, pay attention to the words until they are ticking over automatically and effortlessy.
focu on your breathing it may well slow down,dont worry it usually happens when we relax,
remain with slow down or switch to let go, the mood may change,
contiue with which ever affirmation suits you best or invent one of your own.
when you are at the end of the meditation notice if and how your mood has changed. i will post the mantra later on.

[BLASTOFF]

mantra/ you can go straight into mantra without relaxing first, a mantra will sweep out thoughts and the body will soon come around. you can say a mantra while in formal meditation or at any time walking doing the dishes, the following three mantras work well,om ah/ om on the in breath and ah on the out,you can also say shalom this is said both on the in breath and the out breath, longer mantra gives you something to get your teeth into, i likr the tibetan mantra, OM MANI PEME HUNG, pronounced like this OM MANEE PAYMAY HUNG, it can be said fast or slow in time with the heart beat or breath,
select a mantra and repeat it silently it helps to synchronise it in some way,heartbeat or breath,
immerse yourself in the texture and rhythm of mantralet the mantra carry you along,
notice when your mind is spacing out if you lose focus say the syllables more precisely or accentuate the rhythm, enjoy yourself,

[BLASTOFF]

try this body asleep mind awake.
i have used this meditation to get to sleep at night. in this meditation we scan our body but shift our point of focus every two to three seconds, this keeps us alertyou can look for new sensations in each place then move on before the mind has time to get board.
choose your posture, if you lie on the floor, have your palms upwards, legs a little apart, and a small pillow under your head, losen any tension within you,.
move your mind like a spot light around your bodyname each place you visit try to feel or imagine the sensations there, however subtle, move lightly sensing and letting go keep doing this.
do it all down the right side from the right thumb all the way to the fifth toe and the whole right side of the body notice if it feels different from the left side, rest there for a minute.
then go and do the same thing on the left hand side of your body, then moving upwards do both feet and anklesand work your way up the legs right up to the top of the body, now reverse it move down and inside from your forehead then eyes ears nose and cheeks do this all the way inside your body, feel the gentle flow of the breath, let the mind settle somewhere within you and count the breaths for the rest of the meditation.

[BLASTOFF]

try basic meditation natural object.

1 put something that intrests you on a table at a convenient distance in frot of you-not too close or far away, not too high and not too low,now close your eyes for two minutes and relax using any method,

2 open your eyes, keep the muscles loose and soft, the eyes may be almost out of focus, now let yor eyes settl on the object and explore it,

3 name the object silently like a mantra each time you breath out without effort and without staring, become familiar with it see its colours, shadow patterns texture,

4 use your imagination if you want to, imagine touching or holding it, going inside it to becoming it allow associations to arise,

5 you can also explore the object in your imagination, continue saying the word to evoke the image, the detail of it may change slightly, if you lose the image completly, open your eyes again.

6 every now and them scan through your body to make sure you are relaxing, if you are tensing up keep your eyesclosed for a while, if you become sleepy open your eyes.

7 meditate on the object with you eyes open or closed as you wish, at the end of the meditation notice how your body feels


now basic visualisation

make yourself comfortable and relax, eyes open or closed.

2 start working slowly through the colours of the spectrum. begin with RED .say the word each time you breath out, wait for a particular shade of the colour, or even the memory of a red object
to arise, when it does explore the mood of it, without tensing up enjoy it for a moment.

3work threough the colours of the rainbow, spending a minute on each colour notice that some colours or objects come to mind more readily than others.

4now go deeper into the colour that most appealed, imagine the quality of the colour radiating throughout your body, play with any associations that arise, continue saying the word like a manta, dont try to achieve anything, make sure your body doesn't tense up.

5 now at the end let your mind rest with the sensations of the body foe a minute or two, notice your state body and mind before you emerge.

[BLASTOFF]

basic meditation naming
in this meditation ,nothing is a distraction, whatever grabs your attention in the moment, becomes the meditation object, focus on it for a second, name it let it go and return to the breath, if it is a distracting thought, you can hold it at a distance, which disarms it, it dosent matter how often you do this, just recognise where your mind is: on the breath or on the distraction,naming is a meditation that leads to insight or self awareness, it helps to see what your moment to moment reality is like,naming can be done in many ways, it is usual to say the naming word two or three times, to slow the momentum of the mind, a naming word can be very precise or very general, try this but it is what suits you the best, it may be a thought from the day before, if this is so them you could say past; past; if you think of something tomorrow say future, future, name the senses if you like, or emotions, it makes no diffrence as long as it suits you,

do any regular meditation, if your mind wanders them follow it, shift your attention to the distraction, and name it,two or three times,then return to the meditation object,
dont pursue thoughts or get intrested in them, dont speculate ," why am i thinking of this?" be quite loose and relaxed as you shift your attention from the meditation object to the distraction and back again, dont hold a tight focus and censor out some things, let anything come intoconsciousness, including those you habitually try to ignore, literally everything is grist for the mill. learn to see all things equally and with detachment this is your experience of life, right here and now, can you accept it? or do you want to pick and chooseas you continue, the extraneous thoughts may become less insistent, you may want to remain with the breath, or enjoy the spaces where there are no thoughts, If anyone has any feed back on the meditation guide posted here i would love to hear it.

[BLASTOFF]

try this spot meditation
being present
this excercise is to help you find yourself if you feel scattered or simply not with it, it shifts the mind quickly from thought into the immediate senseworld around you, you can do this anywhere at any time it is easy to do even when you are active.
first ask yourelf where am i? shift the mind from thought to sensations notice how your attention moves from point to point, you may be holding your toothbrush turning the tap hear the sound of the running water feel the movement of your arm as you lift it the tang of the toothpaste, also notice the emotional tone liking disliking hurried restless enjoying tired excited. watch these with equal detatchment as they pass before younotice how quickly the mind can escape back to thought, draw it back to any immediate sensation however trivial. passively observe the sensations and emotions that come and go as long as you wish, dont think or analyse, as you notice what you are doing you may find your movements becomming more harmonious. this can be done even when you are getting dressed in the morning, try to do it with every piece of clothing, from stripping off the night wear, to locking the door in the morning as you leave your house.

[Canute]

There are some great meditation methods suggested here. However it is not made clear what their purpose is beyond feeling better, or being a nicer person or whatever.

Surely one is preparing for death as much as life, aiming for blissful and eternal non-existence with no thought of or need for a return to suffering, loving existence but renouncing it, abandoning the 'I' of the mind.

I'm no Buddhist but it seems that without some reference to their goals meditation methods become self-serving and likely to achieve little.

[BLASTOFF]

Canute/ ok i will post some meanings to the meditations that i have posted.

[spookz]

Originally posted by Canute
There are some great meditation methods suggested here. However it is not made clear what their purpose is beyond feeling better, or being a nicer person or whatever.

Surely one is preparing for death as much as life, aiming for blissful and eternal non-existence with no thought of or need for a return to suffering, loving existence but renouncing it, abandoning the 'I' of the mind.

I'm no Buddhist but it seems that without some reference to their goals meditation methods become self-serving and likely to achieve little.

having goals sounds too much like real life. just do it for the sake of itself. familarize yourself with the meditative state. feel good. do this for a few years. see you then!

:D

[Canute]

Spookz - I agree with you advice but still feel that it is worth explaining to interested parties that meditation is about investigating/experiencing ones existence, not just a good way to chill out after a stressful day. Otherwise it seems trivial or equivalent to some religious ceremony.

'Goals' was probably an unfortunate choice of word on my part. 'Consequences' might have been better.

[spookz]

meditation imo is not about investigating or any other process by which we claim to know something. one does not rationalize or use logic or even attempt to think in the meditative state. it is not the easiest of thing to put into words because langauge is not very good at this type of thing. however....awareness and knowledge in this state somewhat analogous to the process of intuition and insight. one just gets it. immediately! subsequent meditations will get it in more depth. you will be aware of the deeper levels. i guess this shit goes on until enlightenment?

[spookz]

typically i think the average joe spends a good number of years merely trying to get a handle on the thoughts that clutter the mind. even now after a good number of years of meditation, i cannot meditate for 10 minutes straight without some meaningless shit cross my mind! i need more discipline! maybe a meditation boot camp would work.

:D

[Canute]

Originally posted by spookz
typically i think the average joe spends a good number of years merely trying to get a handle on the thoughts that clutter the mind. even now after a good number of years of meditation, i cannot meditate for 10 minutes straight without some meaningless shit cross my mind! i need more discipline! maybe a meditation boot camp would work. :D

Sometimes I think it's better to very conscientiously follow all your thoughts for a while. If you're lazy like me you get bored after a while, lose interest and start ignoring them. It's when you worry about following them that they become intrusive. In other words being purposely mindful some of the time helps you be mindless at others. Of course there is every chance that this is complete nonsense.

[spookz]

not at all.
it is similar to blastoff's "naming meditation" post on this page. you will examine and reflect on the thought that arises.

[moonman]

Usualy my mind is extremely active. So much so I often have trouble sleeping because I just lie and think about my existance. This is when I've spent perhaps a week without a good meditation. Usualy I meditate daily, but I notice how the stress always builds when I can't find the time to meditate. Now it isn't simply about 'stress' ofcourse, I want to find myself and my spirituality, and when I'm meditating I can feel the 'closeness' to myself and the world. The closeness is always there but I don't notice it when I'm not meditating for a while and the makes me feel asif I've lost it. I can never lose it ofcourse because in a sense there is nothing to lose and nothing to gain, only something to be found something that is just not realized.

So what the hell do I want to say, enlightenment is not a goal, if you make it a goal you will never reach it, best is never to think about it, a peacefull state of mind is not a goal either, the goal is to be without goals if there must be a goal.

[BLASTOFF]

as i promised i will try to explaine why people meditate, i get suprised when i am asked why do you meditate,? it is like asking why do you breath? when my practice is strong, i sleep well, rise early and the freshness of the morning seems to last all day,it gives you that feeling like you could take on what ever comes your way, you like people more and you can even tolerate the nuisances, your thoughts are lucid and you feel on top.
The benifits of meditation ripple through everything we do, it is like having more energy, to be healthier, to think and work efficiently and enjoy life more,being relaxed and aware is the same as being fit and healthy.
some people have a precise reason to meditate, to heal an illness or to study better, meditation can help some people with insomnia and even find there relationship improves, it has been said that meditation cures cancer, i beleave that meditation supports a cure, rather than causes it, even doctors dont cure anything, they only assist the natural healing process of the body,as support meditation may be vital for healing, if we dont support a young tree, it may blow overand die, but it would be only one of many factors in producing a healthy tree, wonderful as meditation is i feel ashamed of the way some people promote it, practising meditation is like building a good health, but it does take time and effort,but there are some new age advertisements which say it is a magical route to boundless wealth,sexual vigor power over others and physical immortality. i teach people to meditate for good reasons, like Relaxation, Health, Inner peace and harmony, Concentration, To improve sporting or theatrical performabnce, Inspiration and creativity, Quality of life, SELF-UNDERSTANDING AND THERAPY, spiritual awakning, shall i carry on explaining.

[Canute]

Those are certainly some of the reasons why people meditate, but it is not an exhaustive list and does not cover my reasons.

[BLASTOFF]

canute i teach meditation so tell me your reasons tell me why you meditate, and do you do it right,

[Canute]

Originally posted by BLASTOFF
canute i teach meditation so tell me your reasons tell me why you meditate, and do you do it right,
I am reluctant to state my reasons here since for the time being I need to avoid being labelled as a crackpot in other discussions, (or here!). Sorry to be difficult. As to whether I do it right I doubt if I'll ever know. Right but badly is probably the answer.

[BLASTOFF]

canute/ why worry what other people think of you? it is only there opinion it is what you think of your self.

[Canute]

Originally posted by BLASTOFF
canute/ why worry what other people think of you? it is only there opinion it is what you think of your self.
Quite right. But I'm people are very quick with their judgements around here. I don't want to be banished to alt.sci just yet.

[Siddhartha]

Sit still in a quiet location where you will not be disturbed. Make sure you are comfortable, and then quieten your thoughts. When you think they are quiet, know you are thinking. Then stop thinking. :p

In truth, meditation for me is acheived when I feel like I'm sat on the bottom of the ocean, safe and far from from anything that is normal to me.

[Blue_UK]

This is a great thread, I'll be sure to try some of blastoffs many techniques.

Can anyone shed any light on the form of meditation where a person rids his mind of all conscious thought? Attaining nothingness is certainly not a goal for a beginner, but I'm interested in what steps one use to get there?

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by Blue_UK
This is a great thread, I'll be sure to try some of blastoffs many techniques.

Can anyone shed any light on the form of meditation where a person rids his mind of all conscious thought? Attaining nothingness is certainly not a goal for a beginner, but I'm interested in what steps one use to get there? The simple breathing techniques will work wonders. Just focus on your breathing, count to ten as you breathe in and out. Do not breath any quicker than you wish to, or any slower than you wish to. Just breathe. When you reach ten, start again. If any thoughts come to mind, let them go. Do not even try to supress them, only your breathing is important. Give it time, and you will find a state of quiet consciousness when you suddenly realise that you are very much aware of how alone you are. This is that moment you were looking for. Without intending to sound too dramatic. :bugeye:

[Rajagopals]

Originally posted by Blue_UK
Attaining nothingness is certainly not a goal for a beginner, but I'm interested in what steps one use to get there?

The question is surely very interesting as this indicates a very pure mind who likes to follow “the path of a bird”. As per the Eastern philosophy there are two ways to the ultimate stage the ‘path of a bird’ (which directly flies to the fruit and eat it) ‘path of an ant’ (which slowly starts from the root of big tree moves very slow, wander here and there and may or may not reach the fruit at all). ‘Path of the bird’ is attained by the blessing of a great Guru, ‘path of the ant’ is just what we all do. The question also indicates that the person has already received initiation in to a method of practice of meditation and started to have question which his/her Guru couldn’t explain !

http://www.lifepositive.com/Body/yoga/ashtanga-yoga.asp

http://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/meditation/how-to-meditate.asp

Can anyone shed any light on the form of meditation where a person rids his mind of all conscious thought?

Dharana – Assumption and practice of a belief which reassures a method to a goal

Dhyanam – Continuous practice of that belief till the mind gets convinced about the result

Samadhi – Stage where the mind gets relieved of the thoughts and reasons that forced to Dharana and Dhyanam

This Samadhi is what you are referring as the stage where mind gets rid of a conscious thought.

There are hundreds of methods which result in the Samadhi (precisely Sanchara Samadhi).

I am very sure Kenny G gets this during his concerts
I am very sure Mother Theresa got it when she helped a needy person
I am very sure Michael Shoemaker gets it during his race
I am very sure you would have got this when you first kissed a girl !!!
I am very sure all of us get this in one way or other, but the question here is “you want it when you want it, and that too the way you want it”. That is also easy provided you are convinced completely! You convince yourself of the final goal of such a thought then the same feeling (Samadhi) could be achieved just by thinking of such a thing!

Samadhi is permanent, the practice of Samadhi is called ‘Sanchara Samadhi’ (itinerant Samadhi) which is the one attained by all of us (very rarely) and all those who are listed above. Or else every day events in life will create lots of Yogis around us ! Sanchara Samadhi is easy to attain but ‘Samadhi’ is quite difficult to attain.

Samadhi as explained in Eastern philosophy is a state of the Self (Aham) to stay within a physical body as if pretending death, but at the same time be alert about the physical and material world. A saint is one who has attained Samadhi. Samadhi is nothing but a stage were you deliberately decide to change in to a never ending hibernation mode. There are Yogis who practice Sanchara Samadhi prior to attaining Samadhi. They meditate within closed rooms or chamber for days or months together without even moving or even breathing.

The question - “form of meditation to get rid of thoughts” The answer – do anything that gives you focus, be it music, be it sex, be it karate, be it divination or even meditation, be sure to do it with a heart full of belief and respect, it will surely lead you to a Sanchara Samadhi. Once you attain that, then it is recommended to go for Samadhi. And the path to Samadhi is only through Sanchara Samadhi. So enjoy life to the best then later when the heart, soul and mind is full better think of Samadhi.

But if you feel the time has come for Samadhi you better search for a Guru who can bless you with some Vidya (real knowledge) of Pranayama (meditation in its right form). Ajapa is a practice of meditation in which the practitioner does not chant anything {Ajapa – means without Japa (chant)} and is nothing but a breathing practice. But do not waste your time and money with people like Ajapa.org or some one who will teach you the same at cost, but do search for a person who will advice you this practice with utmost love and affection and specifically without asking for favour in return.

First the Guru imparts to the disciple’s pranan (soul) real method of Yogic breathing, or the first initiation to the practice of Ajapa and teach him the real breathing technique where the two breaks in the natural breath is avoided. Disciple upon practice learns to avoid the two natural breaks in his breathing. (Results: Life changes to a positive direction, change in attitude, become more energetic, more adamant, more strict on life styles, more belief in Guru). He is then thought to seal the 9 imaginary (as English limits the expression) holes in the body. Disciple practices this to get better results from meditation (Results: Disciple start to change completely and feel the blessing up on him by the way luck supports him). But still the breath is so wide that the complete power of the breath is not taken out, so the next step is advised, which makes his breath thin down and get more powerful (Results: Sidhi, power to stop natural thing, more adamant character, very arrogant nature, lot of accidents !!! –anything and everything has an equal and opposite reaction :D ). Then to make his ego disappear Guru breaks the clay mould with new techniques which stands totally different from all what he learned till date, he is taught the practice of breaking his breath in to minor divisions and practicing mediation on the same with utmost control which leads to very control of self (Result: Ego disappears, Sidhi is no more practiced, love to be aligned with nature, more Guru Bhakti). The truth about the energy centers (charka) in the body are revealed automatically and meditation effects on each is explained with its result (Results: Disciple becomes a holy man). He is then taught about the meditation points for Samadhi and taught how to practice Sanchara Samadhi for the same (Result: Withdrawal from normal life style and maunam (silence) is practiced more). Last stage of, authority to teach some one else as well as permission to take Samadhi is given in a grant ceremony, and the Guru takes Samadhi soon. (Result: Sivamayam (You better search the meaning of this word yourself!)).

Next stage, is what individual decides and the freedom achieved is nothing but what the Guru has blessed up on you! You enjoy the light !

Now start searching for a Guru!

[spookz]

two breaks in the natural breath

inhalation and exhalation?

[Rajagopals]

No. You stop inhaling to start exhaling and you also stop exhaling to start inhaling. This appears to be the break and the same could be avoided (or rather could be nullified to very least possible time) using Hamsa Yoga method of meditation.

[triatma]

when the student is prepared, the teacher appears.

[Watcher]

Here is an excellent on-line, non-partisan general resource. Similar to the methods I have used, which have always worked well for me. I'd highly recommend this guide, one of the very best I have seen on the Net.

http://natural-meditation.org/CIM/TextBook.htm



Another very good book, non-partisan book on the topic is:

"Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook"
Ram Dass (Richard Alpert)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553285726/102-4470922-3784927?vi=glance

[Voltaire]

breathing is all you need. once when talking to one of my friends, we discussed how one should meditate. the Buddha did the lotus position and so on but the problem is not all beings are that flexible and when they try to meditate, it is more like torture. so my advice is that if you feel comfortable lying on the floor or bed or sitting down on a chair, do that. At first i was very fustrated when i could not concentrate when i tried copying the Buddha. then i figured i have always meditated but in ways which are not the norm. when i drift away from an ordinary conversation with a friend my mind starts to analyze on one specific subject like my motives, etc. hope this helps.

[Rajagopals]

lying on the floor
If we could believe the fact that there is the an aura that surrounds the body, which Eastern Science calls Prana (Life Energy), the same spreads to about 12 inches away from our body like a protective cover. This Aura spreads out to 76 inches while we are lying down (without a pillow). Hence when you practice meditation in this position the same affects body and Prana in a bad way. Hence as per the Eastern philosophy and belief, it is not recommended to do meditation while lying down, specifically without a pillow.

[Voltaire]

i did not say the lotus way is bad but dude, not all people are able to meditate in this position because their flexibilty is limited. well if you use a pillow you will b prone to fall asleep so yeah that is not a very good idea. as with lying down, some "new age" people do that and i guess it works for them since they talk about it to me.

[oscar]

bump!

before it gets deleted :p

oh, Blastoff, we're using one of your techniques in my Ashtanga Yoga class, very good suggestions, hope you dont mind :)

[exsto_human]

I might aswell partake of the ancient discussion presented previously.

Training to sit in the Lotus possition is in my opinion an indespensible method to meditate more effectively for the serious aspirant.
The reason for this is the great benefit you receive in terms of sitting posture. Because the legs are 'locked' in such a possition that allows the back to be perfectly straight without using much passive muscle strength you don't ever have to stop to readjust your back possition, or wander wether it's straight enough or too straight. And you can maintain the possition for much longer without getting a back ache (as is a common problem for me).

I used to always be bothered by my back when meditating before I trained into the full lotus possition.


For anyone training for it I would suggest to start with half lotus for regular meditation, and spend a couple minutes after mediation trying to get into and hold the full lotus. Doing it gradualy is key. Pain is no good, discomfort is ok. Needless to say, don't get stuck!

[oscar]

do0d, I'm too stiff for full lotus, I can barely try half lotus...are there good yoga stretches (or postures for that matter) that can help me ease in to full lotus? :confused:

[exsto_human]

I don't do Yoga, so I don't know. :confused:

My best advice is to go with half lotus and work from there. That's what I did, I found it almost impossible to go into full lotus untill after a couple of months of half lotus training. And when I forced myself into full it was very painfull.
Still today if I'm not relaxed enough and very tense it can be quite uncomfortable to do it.

Remember, pain is an illusion! You are one with the pain, be the pain and it will be good to you. :D :p

[Nikola]

Hello, I am a new person around here; indeed this is my first post.

First of all I would like to say that I am a man of science. I do not have any religious beliefs and am truly dedicated to science.

However, after reading this thread, BLASTOFF inspired me to try and meditate.

I want to thank him for his posts. Must of taken a heck of a long time to write those up but you certainly helped me.

I just want to share with you what I experienced and I also want to hear what you people experience also.

I started breathing slowly and deeply and just focussing on my breathing. After a while the thoughts that kept flying through and grabbing my attention stopped. It was incredibly peaceful. It was like being in the middle of a torrential downpour and then poof! The sun and butterflies come out.

However, I cannot focus on any one part of my body. As you described BLASTOFF, to "move to your toes". Everytime I tried, it would be my imagination that would move and not me. Could you give some feedback on this please?

[cool slayer]

Hey guys you are talking about meditation. Do anyone of you know about levitation. All I know is that when you do it you are in such a state of mind that you can overcome forces of gravity. I,ve seen some pics and it seems really extraordinary. U imagine that people floating in the air! All I wish to know is how to do it.

[river-wind]

yoga stretches for getting into lotus.

the three big ones, IMO.
1)sit with your legs out in front of you, feet together. tak one foot and place it ontop of the oposit knee. Your legs will make the shape of an upside-down "4" now *GENTLY*, push down on the bent knee, pushing it towards the floor for a half second. THe let off the pressure, then push again. THere is a specifici techique to this "bouncing" All through school we are taught not to bouce when stretching, you might hurt yourself. This is very true! In this exersize, however, instead of pushing your knee as far to the floor as possible, and bouncing in and out of that position, you should push you knee down just o where you feel any sort of strech in you hips/leg. As soon as you feel *anything* let off. then re apply, then let off. If you push too hard, you may hurt yourself (this is why taking a yoga class is a good idea, the details in execution are important).
This exersize will stretch and open your hip muscles and ligaments. work both sides for 30 seconds or so. DO NOT OVERDO THIS EXERSIZE!
After you advance to the point where your kleg can comfortably sit across your other leg paralell to the ground, then try the following addition, done right after the 30 seconds of extra light bouncing - reach down and place your right foot on the inside of your left elbow. then put the right knee on the inside of the right elbow, grasp your opposing hands and sit up, huggin your shin to your chest. Now, similar to the bouncing earlier, rotate your upper body (along with your leg) from side to side, in a gentle mini-spinning action. again, don't over-do this one. Done right it works wonders, though. Lowerback, butt muscles.

2)butterfly- sit in the same way as #1, but bring both feet together in front of you, with your knees pinted out, and your soles touching. Then bring your feet in as close to your crotch as possible. You want to grab your feet with your hands, and put your elbows on you knees, steadily (no bouncing) push them towards the floor. hold for 20 seconds, exhale, and push your legs down a little farther.
This exersize stretches your leg & groin ligaments and muscles, and also is really great for pulled muscles in the lower back if you add bending at the waist to the stretch.

3)leg-over. lie on your back, legs out straight. stretch yout arms out to the sides, so that your body is in the shape of a T. now lift one leg off the ground and bend the knee. bring the knee up as close to your chin as you can without straining (this may only be a few inches off the ground, and nowhere near your chin - the chin is the goal, you won't get there soon, probably never). Now rotate your hips so that knee dips toward the ground on the other side of your body...left knee, try and touch the ground on the right side of the body and vise-versa. Whichever way your knee goes, turn your head the other way. your body will look like a T with a 4 stuck on the bottom, and your head will be pointing away from the triangle prt of the 4. Try your best to keep you shoulders touching the floor, though your hips should turn as much as is comfortable.
As you advance with this stretch, you can begin doing it with the crossing leg held out straight. This exersize stretches and strengthens your back and butt muscles.


for all the above exersizes, try and breath slowly, and never "flop" out of the position when you are done. come into the position slowly, and come out of it slowly, breathing the whole time. For many yoga postures, the coming out of stage is where alot of the mucles work occurs. Also, all of the above should only be done to your own ability level. If something hurts, stop immediatly and re-asses where your abilities are. If something is uncomfortable, however, it may be a signal as to spicifically where to need to work more. Time and practice will help you figure out what is discomfort and what is pain.

The best practice for full lotus is half lotus, though. work up to half lotus, and then pratice that for a few minutes daily, and full lotus will come in time.


Nikola - you sound like you are a natural. it took me years of work to get to the place you simply fell into. I'm jelous :) It took me additional years to get myself to "move to my toes", but maybe you'll pick it up faster than me. For me, moving my focus (similar to imagination) to my toes is enough to get the desired effect.
I'd recommened doing some reading on bio-feedback. Scientific evidence and reproducable experiments verifying the effectivness and methods of meditation.

Good luck!

[river-wind]

Hey guys you are talking about meditation. Do anyone of you know about levitation. All I know is that when you do it you are in such a state of mind that you can overcome forces of gravity. I,ve seen some pics and it seems really extraordinary. U imagine that people floating in the air! All I wish to know is how to do it.
sadly, all the evidence I have seen for levitation has either been fraudulent, or involved a different definition of the word "levitation". Sorry I can't be of more help.

[kmguru]

For meditation, any comfortable position is good enough. For westerners, lotus position is pain and difficult - there is no reason forcing it. If one practices the lotus/half lotus sitting from childhood, then one should. Lying down has the disadvantage of falling asleep but OK too. The best one for westerners is in a comfortable recliner without or halfway the reclining position.

[Blue_UK]

I don't really have a problem with the lotus. All I want is understanding and concentration!

Which sadly I have lost and must regain!

[oscar]

that advice looks pretty useful river-wind...I'll try that! :D

[spidergoat]

Which sadly I have lost and must regain!

In pursuit of knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.