I really love walking meditation.I've tried so much basic meditation-sit in lotus,count your breath in sets of ten with your tongue touching the tip of your teeth.I need someone to guide me seriously.
Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 2:31 pm Post subject: Response
If I don't meditate daily I have a horrible day. One thing that helped was giving up nearly all caffeine it really made the racing thoughts much worse. I find that even when I can't calm all my thoughts I can control the things I think about so I choose happy and relaxing ones. St. Johns Wort helped also!
Meditation makes a big difference for me in how I cope from day to day. I must confess I'm not always a regular at it, but because I once was and got to where I can get into that meditative state pretty quickly and easily, I can now pick it up anytime I need it, practice for a period of time and get good results. It's really helpful during stressful times of my life. In fact I'd go so far as to say that it saved my sanity at one particularly difficult time.
Some tips (sorry if too much information):
1) Don't expect perfection. Meditation is a process, not a result. The process is to focus and to clear the mind. But a perfectly clear mind would be probably a result of brain death, so don't expect that. Work at it gently and expect gradual results, with practice. Resisting the natural flow of thoughts will only result in frustration and a feeling of failure. Expect wayward thoughts to arise and try to observe them objectively and nudge them out of consciousness without getting caught up in them. You can actually learn a lot, as you begin to quiet your mind, from the particular thoughts that arise. They clue you in to your unconscious mental activity, which can actually be helpful. But again don't get distracted by them, just acknowledge them and let them go.
2) Expect results to take some time to be noticeable. Be willing to commit to say a month of daily 20 minute meditations. You might have to experiment at first to figure out what part of the day works best. I can't meditate first thing in the morning, because it's too easy for me to fall back asleep. But once I'm up and dressed and have moved around a little, it's easier. Right after meals doesn't work for me though, and right before bed only works for me if I'm not overtired. But this is all personal - my preferences and what works for me. You'll need to experiment. If the first time and means you attempt seems to work for you, go with that. If it doesn't, try another time of day, position, or location, etc. until you find what works for you.
3) Read about meditation. There really are some helpful writings out there that help. Probably different sources for different people. For me, the best book about meditation that I ever read was published quite a long time ago - The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson, MD. It was a fast read, and more about the benefits of meditation than a how-to manual. The how-to that I liked best and got the most help from was Eknath Easwaran's book, Meditation, a Simple Eight-Point Program for Translating Spiritual ideals Into Daily Life. If you're not spiritual, this one might seem too much so, but I have an avid interest in studying various spiritual paths, so that's me. His book gives tips that I found invaluable regardless of my different religious persuasion at the time I first read it. There are lots of other books, you can check the library.
4) Avoid cultish systems that claim there's only one way to meditate. There are many ways to meditate. If you read something that tells you that you have to go pay a lot of money to get a mantra, don't worry about it. You can choose your own mantra, or not use one at all. I've used a mantra, used my breath, used a prayer, visualizations, and many other focusing mechanisms. They all work. Even doing nothing but observing your mind works.
5) Posture is important but uncomfortable positions aren't necessary. This is a bugaboo for me, because I have enough chronic pain issues that I find it absurd for some teachers to insist on a lotus position or any other cramped position that winds up causing pain. What I find is best is to use a firm chair of the right height with no arms, so I can rest my hands in my lap. I'm fussy about the height so it doesn't cut off my circulation, and a good back support so I can easily maintain a straight spine. Again, this is just me, but if you try a system that insists on a posture that causes you pain or circulation problems, don't be afraid to break those (silly) rules and find a position that is comfortable (but still upright and attentive) for you. Or lying down, though I prefer to sit. A straight spine (relatively, not board straight) is what I've found most helpful. I find that as my mind clears my spine tends to align of its own accord. The two conditions seem to go together naturally.
Joined: Feb 18, 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 2971 Location: Kent, England
Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 2:14 am Post subject:
Meditation is a great way to clear the mind and it actually does work to supplement training, martial arts training or yoga since having focus and clarity of mind will definitely help.
Qi gong might help and you can learn it relatively cheap at most places, Zen meditation might also might be something you're interested in, look for classes in your area. I would say be careful of the Transcendental meditation organization if you enquire to do a course with them as they have claimed to be able to flying and they have high prices.
I hope that helps, if you have any questions or want someone to talk about it with, feel free to message me.
I am happiest, clearest, best..when I meditate regularly.
My favourite meditation is TM, but there are probably others of equal efficiency.
Enjoy
Agreed, combine that with a good yoga program. Which is what I'm doing now. _________________ "One of the great mental freedoms is truly not caring what anyone else thinks of you." --anon
Joined: Aug 17, 2006 Age: 40 Posts: 2426 Location: Ontario
Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 5:22 pm Post subject:
I don't know as it's the same thing as meditation but I often find it helps quiet the mind to just ... space out on something. Sunlight or moonlight reflected off water often do the trick.
ive had some suprising success with meditation more than i expected. with a bit of preperation i can detatch from physical pain for around 15-20 minutes after the meditation stops. Its a weird feeling to be able to observe pain but not react to it
Meditation helps numb my pain when I'm having cramps (they get so bad that I pass out sometimes). I actually find that if I am in a certain "zone" mentally I can keep myself from passing out or vomiting. I don't have a professional method or anything, I just know of a way to clear thoughts from my mind and focus my thoughts on one thing, like singing christmas or nursery songs, or picturing myself being in the crevice of a glacier and imagining how cool and fresh it would feel and look. A little off-the-wall, but when I'm in that much pain whatever it's whatever comes to mind first that I know has worked before.
Sometimes I even try to trick my brain by imagining as though the pain is starting to subside. I would hypothesize that my imagining takes away some of my brain's resources so that my conscious level of awareness of the real pain signals going up to my brain is lessened.
Sometimes I even try to trick my brain by imagining as though the pain is starting to subside. I would hypothesize that my imagining takes away some of my brain's resources so that my conscious level of awareness of the real pain signals going up to my brain is lessened.
I've used it to help me with my TMJ pain, and it does seem to help. But of course it's one of those things a lot of people don't believe in. I figure, what can it hurt to try? It's certainly not going to hurt, and it might work. Best wishes in dealing with your pain. I used to have terrible cramps, welcomed menopause like a dear old friend. If this works for me with TMJ maybe it can help you. It helps me relax, too, and meditate more easily because the pain distraction is gone. I've never taken the seminars (can't afford them), only read the book, and it helped so much. I'd forgotten about the technique for a while, rediscovered it when my TMJ flared up again recently.
Joined: Nov 07, 2010 Age: 44 Posts: 665 Location: Missouri, USA
Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 10:06 pm Post subject:
I have tried meditating many times. Sometimes by myself, sometimes with an instructor. I have failed everytime. I will usually get real bored and/or fall asleep within a few minutes.
I really wish i could do it becuase so many people seem to get good benefits from it.
I have tried meditating many times. Sometimes by myself, sometimes with an instructor. I have failed everytime. I will usually get real bored and/or fall asleep within a few minutes.
I really wish i could do it becuase so many people seem to get good benefits from it.
That's a common problem for beginners. This might help: How to Stay Awake in Meditation. (Btw I have no affiliation with Mudrashram Institute of Spiritual Studies, only found it a useful article with good advice.)
Joined: May 02, 2008 Posts: 2096 Location: Uhhh...Not Remulak
Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 3:15 am Post subject:
edgewaters wrote:
I don't know as it's the same thing as meditation but I often find it helps quiet the mind to just ... space out on something. Sunlight or moonlight reflected off water often do the trick.
This is similar to what I was going to suggest. I don't have the patience for meditation, but if I have the opportunity to be in nature, without too many human distractions, I can achieve what I assume to be the same type of mental state. Walking works for me. Even better, I can watch clouds slowly advance across the sky, or watch natural, moving water. _________________ "Reality is not made of if. Reality is made of is."
-Author prefers to be anonymous.
This has been more challenging lately. I usually do a meditation before sleep but it seems more frequently I have mind chatter like my brain doesn't want to quiet down. Usually this expresses as a song fragment stuck or beat that wants to play in my head.
I've tried a stronger mental image to counter it. I imagine I'm going into a lake and sinking to the calm bottom. That the water is my active consciousness on the surface and I want to settle to the calm bottom.
I don't usually think of meditation as actively thinking or using the imagination, yet I wonder if this exercise might be an okay use of minimal thought as much as a mantra is.
