Help with meditation?

[rickolasnice]

I'm going the mindful route..

I've only just started (trying) but am having trouble keeping a clear mind.. Every 1 - 2 seconds my brain will send the start of a thought into my head.. I can over-ride it before it forms words or anything resembling a true thought but a second later I'm attacked again..

In not much time at all I'm beaten..

Anyone got any tips? Music to put on? Positions to sit or lie in? Best time of day to do it? Etc etc..

 

[HypGnosis]

Keep trying...

 

[ComfortablyNumb95]

hey.
what you're experiencing is totally normal! you don't have to try-hard not to think, because that will lead to further thinking. the whole point of meditation is letting your mind run without influencing it, like you're an impartial observer. all you have to do is sit, breathe deeply and concentrate on your breath. if you have a hard time concentrating, just keep trying! you just can't go all in at the first few tries, it takes time.

Anyone got any tips? Music to put on? Positions to sit or lie in? Best time of day to do it? Etc etc..

I prefer to meditate in the silence as it helps concentrating on my breath, but you can do it with relaxing music if you want. not anythinthing too catchy or you'll be distracted by it. I usually use bi-naural beats. but again, the whole point of meditation is not to be relaxed, consider it just a pleasant side effect. as for the position, anything that you find comfortable. I usually sit in the full-lotus position with my hands like this

with the thumbs slightly touching eachother (helps me keeping my focus) and my back straight, shoulders relaxed, but it's optional and you shouldn't sit in a position that causes you pain or discomfort, you can do it later on when you're used to it (i began some months ago and recently found that sitting in the full-lotus and with the hands like that is very comfortable after a while, you just have to get used to it)

EDIT: just to make it clear, this is the position I'm talking about

 

[-=SS=-]

I'm going the mindful route..

I've only just started (trying) but am having trouble keeping a clear mind.. Every 1 - 2 seconds my brain will send the start of a thought into my head.. I can over-ride it before it forms words or anything resembling a true thought but a second later I'm attacked again..

In not much time at all I'm beaten..

Anyone got any tips? Music to put on? Positions to sit or lie in? Best time of day to do it? Etc etc..

Depends what you want to get out of meditation. I lay down when i meditate because from what i've experienced, and validated through reading, the laying position facilitates contact with something and also can result in visions. Plus I can never get comfortable in a posture. The only problem is not falling asleep, so you can't be tired if you do it. You shouldn't eat before meditation either because digestion takes a lot of your energy!

You can't get rid of the thought process so don't even try, it's automatic and can't be started or stopped, with the exception of an enlightenment experience where the mind is actually killed. Don't focus on the thoughts (or fight them), just try to passively observe them. Focusing on the breathing helps relax you, but if you do it laying down its a fine line between relaxing and conking out. The trick is to notice when your brainwave state shifts.. the mind will quieten a bit, for me personally it feels like someone has put a box over my head and things have calmed down or something, plus the body starts to go numb/not paying attention to it. From that point its either stay in this quiet state or try to push further and have an out of body experience or vision.

Funnily enough I did it today for the first time since I stopped. I stopped because after laying down for an hour each day for a month I had some crazy vision and it felt like my head exploded with light/felt like a giant orgasm release, and I entered this space which was very DMT like, and basically I realized at that point I was not ready for this.. I was smoking cannabis daily etc. I don't think it's wise to mix drugs or any habit with that kind of practice.. it leaves you exposed to malign influences (for the doubters, sorry, but they do exist).

The best advice I heard was that meditation should be about meditating on your troubles, not your pleasures, because what's holding up your life is the negative things that have happened to you. Chasing pleasure only causes more problems.