Meditation

[NorthernHero]

I learned about meditation around 8 months ago. I happened to loan this book, Dharma Punx from library as I sometimes happen to loan random books. (http://www.dharmapunx.com if anyone intrested)

 

 

 

The book had couple pages of directions how to meditate by yourself. Since then I have been keeping from 10 minutes to hour meditation sessions almost weekly. Basically I sit in my on my bed, maybe listening some calm music or sounds with headphones, relax myself, and try to consentrate my thoughts at my breathing. Thats a short explanation about what I do. After meditation session my thoughts seem alot clearer and I feel relaxed and good. Like it treats my brains and opens some pathways so my thoughts can travel better.

 

 

 

I heard there are many different ways of meditating even things like "walking meditation" and such. This meditation tactic has been enought for me but I'd like to learn more too.

 

 

 

Anyone here has any experienses about meditation?

[IGoddessI]

Try online audio books for meditation as well, great to put on your ipod and fall asleep to.

[Make7upu101]

I signed up for Intro to Meditation next semester. I'll tell you how it goes.

[lara156]

I don't meditate so often anymore but if I do I'll just sit on my bed or I'll just sit on a chair with my eyes closed for a long while.. =P

 

Mostly trying to 'organise' my thoughts.

[venomai]

Funny you post this. A couple days ago I suddenly became interested in meditation, out of body experiences and lucid dreams. I'm still using I-Doser to enter a meditative state, which might be considered "cheating", but hey, it's a start. :P

 

 

 

I'll hopefully experiment with this a bit more tonight. We'll see how things go...

[Craiglowery]

Once a month in my theology class we meditate for the whole period. Im not a big fan of meditation, but sometimes I get into it.

[warri0r45]

Once a month in my theology class we meditate for the whole period. Im not a big fan of meditation, but sometimes I get into it.

 

Used to do that in my schools religion class. It was good to get away from regular work and just sit and close your eyes. I hear meditation has many health benefits not the least of which is stress reduction.

[Shahrazad]

Interesting topic.

 

 

 

Well I've done a presentation about meditation and my psychology teacher said it was very useful (hint: everybody in the class did it while I was explaining what to do :D). Anyway, i found it quite boring (Maybe I'm a more conservative person thats why It isn't my favourite) but it is a good way to focus on body sensations and it makes the person to feel more comfortable.

 

 

 

I can give you some information about the meditation technique that I stated in my presentation if you want to :).

[GlowinRedM]

Interesting topic.

 

 

 

Well I've done a presentation about meditation and my psychology teacher said it was very useful (hint: everybody in the class did it while I was explaining what to do :D). Anyway, i found it quite boring (Maybe I'm a more conservative person thats why It isn't my favourite) but it is a good way to focus on body sensations and it makes the person to feel more comfortable.

 

 

 

I can give you some information about the meditation technique that I stated in my presentation if you want to :).

 

 

 

Please do?

[venomai]

I can give you some information about the meditation technique that I stated in my presentation if you want to :).

 

I'd love to hear it as well. :)

[crimsonking]

In a way, I meditate without knowing it many times a day, I just close my mind to all outside things, sound, sight, taste, and go into sort of trance.

 

 

 

Its sorta a reaction that happens when things become to stressful for me, of course I can do it without the stress as well.

 

 

 

It helps me to focus at times as well, I just focus on one thing and close everything else out and before I even realize it, I'm finished with whatever I'm doing.

 

 

 

I learned to do it when I was very young, I know it isn't quite like the meditation that others have in mind, but the effect on my mind is very similar.

[Shahrazad]

Here's a one way of doing meditation (i forgot the link where I used it for information :?)...

 

 

 

Find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed. You can do this exercise either lying on your back or sitting in a chair, as long as you are comfortable.

 

 

 

Close your eyes. Now clench your right fist as tightly as you can. Be aware of the tension as you do so. Keep your fist clenched for a moment. Now relax. Feel the looseness in your right hand and compare it to the tension you felt previously. Tense your right fist again, then relax it; notice the difference between tension and relaxation.

 

 

 

Now clench your left fist as tightly as you can. Be aware of the tension as you do so. Keep your fist clenched for a moment. Now relax. Feel the looseness in your left hand and compare it to the tension you felt previously. Tense your left fist again, relax it, and again notice the difference.

 

 

 

Bend your elbows and tense your biceps as hard as you can. Notice the feeling of tightness. Relax and straighten out your arms. Let the relaxation flow through your arms and compare it to the tightness you felt before. Tense and relax your biceps again. Wrinkle your forehead as tightly as you can. Now relax it and let it smooth out.

 

 

 

Feel your forehead and scalp becoming relaxed. Now frown and notice the tension spreading through your forehead again. Relax and allow your forehead to become smooth.

 

 

 

Close your eyes and squint them very tightly. Feel the tension. Now relax your eyes. Tense and relax your eyes again. Now let them remain gently closed.

 

 

 

Now clench your jaw, bite hard, and feel the tension. Now relax your jaw. Your lips will be slightly parted. Notice the difference. Clench and relax your jaw again.

 

 

 

Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Now relax. Do this again. Pay attention to the difference between tension and relaxation. Press and purse your lips together. Now relax them. Repeat this. Feel the relaxation throughout your forehead, scalp, eyes, jaw, tongue, and lips.

 

 

 

Roll your head to the right as far as it can comfortably go, and observe the tightness. Roll your head to the left and notice how the tension moves and changes. Now straighten your head and bring it forward, pressing your chin against your chest. Notice the tension in your throat and the back of your neck. Now relax and allow your shoulders to return to a comfortable position. Allow yourself to feel more and more relaxed.

 

 

 

Now shrug your shoulders and hunch your head down between them. Relax your shoulders. Allow them to drop back, and feel the relaxation moving through your neck, throat, and shoulders; feel the lovely, very deep relaxation. Do this again.

 

 

 

Give your whole body a chance to relax. Feel how comfortable and heavy it is. Breathe in and fill your lungs completely. Hold your breath and notice the tension. Let your breath out and let your chest become loose. Continue relaxing, breathing gently in and out. Repeat this breathing several times and notice the tension draining out of your body.

 

 

 

Tighten your stomach and hold the tightness. Feel the tension. Now relax your stomach. Place your hand on your stomach and breathe deeply into your stomach, pushing your hand up. Hold for a moment and then relax. Now arch your back without straining, keeping the rest of your body as relaxed as possible. Notice the tension in your lower back. Now relax deeper and deeper. Tighten your buttocks and thighs. Flex your thighs by pressing your heels down as hard as you can. Relax and notice the difference. Do this again. Curl your toes down, making your calves tense. Notice the tension. Relax. Bend your toes toward your face, creating tension in your shins. Relax and notice the difference.

 

 

 

Feel the heaviness throughout your lower body as the relaxation gets deeper and deeper. Relax your feet, ankles, calves, shins, knees, thighs, and buttocks. Let the relaxation spread to your stomach, lower back, and chest. Let go more and more. Experience deeper and deeper relaxation in your shoulders, arms, and hands, deeper and deeper. Notice the feeling of looseness and relaxation in your neck, jaws, and your facial muscles.

 

 

 

 

 

It was such a long one that was why I just wanted to escape from the class -.- LOL.

 

 

 

My presentation wasn't based on the method only. There're some strengths and weaknesses behind this technique, of course :).

[ThoseTheBrokes]

Nuuh huh for me, whenever I try and relax, I just think bad thoughts.

 

 

 

for example I have nights where I just can't sleep, because I can't stop thinking about bad things, even when I think about good things, I can somehow turn them bad.

 

 

 

I'd be interested to see if meditation helps though,

 

I just don't have the time.

[NorthernHero]

Any links for the audio books Goddess? Free ones?

 

 

 

Thanks for the technique Shahrazad, I think I'm gonna try that tomorrow. Will post feelings about it later.

 

 

 

Nuuh huh for me, whenever I try and relax, I just think bad thoughts.

 

 

 

for example I have nights where I just can't sleep, because I can't stop thinking about bad things, even when I think about good things, I can somehow turn them bad.

 

 

 

I'd be interested to see if meditation helps though,

 

I just don't have the time.

 

 

I think that even the bad thoughts you have to think throught. Don't know if meditation helps, you could always try, I hear it can bring up old memories and thoughts and that way clean up the mind and bring you better feeling. You can do that meditation I have used to do for now (below) in half an hour. Thats not so big time, I think everyone has that much spare time if they just want to.

 

 

 

I searched the internet for meditation intruction on what I've been doing and found out that it's actually called "Mindfulness Meditation".

 

Here are intsructions for it:

 

 

 

[hide]

Take a comfortable and alert posture, either on the floor or on a chair. Gently close your eyes and establish a sense of presence within your body. It is often helpful to start a period of meditation with two or three deep breaths to establish a clear connection with the body and the breath, and to shed some of the surface preoccupations of the mind. Then, direct your attention to simply but consciously noticing the physical sensations of breathing in and breathing out without trying to control or manipulate your breath.

 

 

 

As you become familiar with your breathing, rest your attention in the area of your body where the breath is clearest or easiest to attend to. This can be the rising and falling of the abdomen, the movement of the chest, or the sensation of air passing through the nostrils. To help maintain the connection between the physical sensations of breathing and awareness, people often find it useful to gently, silently label the inhalations and exhalations as "rising" and "falling" or "in" and "out."

 

 

 

Because mindfulness of breathing develops our capacity to be settled and aware in the present, we give some priority to maintaining an attentive focus on the breath during sitting meditation. Whenever you become lost in preoccupation with the surface chatter of the mind, gently, without judgment, reestablish your attention on the breath. However, when some other sensation or experience becomes so strong that you find it difficult to remain attentive to the breath, let go of the breath and allow the stronger sensation to be the center of attention. You may find it useful to distinguish between the foreground and background of awareness. Initially, place your breathing in the foreground of awareness, allowing all other sensations and experiences to remain in the background. As long as you can maintain the breath in the foreground without straining, let the background experiences simply be. When some physical, emotional, or mental experience displaces the breath in the foreground, take this as the new resting place for your awareness.

 

 

 

As an aid to remaining mindfully focused on an experience that has come to the foreground, you may find it useful to gently and softly name it with a mental note. Sounds can be labeled as "hearing, hearing," burning sensations as "burning, burning," joy as "joy, joy," and so on. What is important is to sense, feel, and remain present as fully as possible for whatever experience is being noted. Maintain an open awareness of it for however long it remains in the foreground of attention, noticing how, if at all, the experience changes. Once an experience is no longer predominant, or it is sufficiently acknowledged to no longer demand your attention, return your attention to the breathing.

 

 

 

Another way to describe mindfulness practice is to say that you consciously and clearly rest your attention on the breath until something strongly distracts you from it. When this occurs, the so-called "distraction" becomes the focus of the meditation. Actually, mindfulness practice has no distractions, only something new to pay attention to. Nothing is outside the scope of mindfulness meditation. The full range of our humanity is allowed to unfold within the light of our mindfulness. Physical sensations, feelings, emotions, thoughts, mental states, moods, and intentions are all included.

 

 

 

Throughout your meditation, keep the attention soft and relaxed, while alert and precise. If you can distinguish between the ideas, concepts, images, and stories associated with some experience on the one hand, and the immediate and direct felt-sense of the experience on the other, let mindfulness rest with the direct experience. Notice the physical or mental sensations that are actually, tangibly arising in the present. Notice what happens to them as you are mindful of them. Do they get stronger, weaker, or stay the same? Notice also your relationship to your experience. Do you notice aversion, desire appreciation, judgment, condemnation, fear, grasping, pride, or any other reaction? The realization, for example, that a painful physical sensation is different from your reaction to it can help you find balance in the midst of discomfort. It is also important to be mindful of when your reaction to an experience e is more pronounced than the experience itself. When it is, your reaction can become the resting place of awareness. Do not participate in your thoughts or stories but simply and silently be aware of what is actually occurring in the body and in the mind.

 

 

 

As we learn to be alertly and calmly present in our meditation, a deeper intimacy with ourselves and with the world will arise. As we cultivate our ability to remain mindful without interfering, judging, avoiding, or clinging to our direct experience, wellsprings of insight and wisdom have a chance to surface.

 

 

Took this from here:

 

http://www.cal.net/~cwk/bg/BG_gettingstarted.html

 

[/hide]