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MEDITATION ~ Mega Thread

MDPVagrant said:
I've definitely had good luck with 'brainwave' techniques such as binaural beats. Always wanted one of those visual/light devices, but could never afford one. I've had euphoria on par with codeine / Vicodin using brainwave altering sound effects.
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can you give me more information on this.. some reason sounds have an extreme effect on my mind and body and this sounds really intriguing %)
 
^ Binaural beats work through entrainment. That is, the tendency of the body to synchronize with cycles in it's environment. Binaural Beats can entrain EEG brainwaves to various natural rhythms. Two in particular are interesting in the context of meditation. Theta waves and Delta waves. Theta waves are correlated with dream sleep and visualization meditation. Delta waves are correlated with deep dreamless sleep and the more standard meditations like Vipassana. By shifting the brainwave patterns you are also shifting the interior experience.

What's interesting about binaural beats is the frequency they simulate. The frequency of most brainwaves are below our range of hearing if they are translated into sound. Binaural beats get passed this by using an interesting property of our mind/ears. When two tones that are very similar in frequency are played into each ear they cancel out leaving the difference.


I find Binaural beats effective but they seem more useful as a supplementation not a replacement for traditional meditation. You can't fuse an ipod to your ears.
 
Meditating to get _____ is an oxymoron. As soon as you meditate FOR something, to gain contentment, a clear mind, etc. you are not meditating at all. At least, this is what Alan Watts says. He has some pretty good tapes on meditation.
 
I meditate and do the 5 Tibetan Rites everyday when I can. Meditating is good because I've learned how to silence my mind, and cherish the now.
 
Ximot said:
www.centerpointe.com

www.monroeinstitute.com
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My mother picked up the holosync CDs.

I tried disc one out a few nights in a row and found it a GREAT tool for relaxation. It allowed me to implement my meditation technique and seemed to greatly enhance upon it.

I found myself very calm, levelheaded and more 'with it'......

Very interesting concept they have put into place, although I can't say how much scientific ground the system holds (the whole sound wave ----> influence brainwave deal)
 
worked

CloudyHazeD said:
My mother picked up the holosync CDs.

I tried disc one out a few nights in a row and found it a GREAT tool for relaxation. It allowed me to implement my meditation technique and seemed to greatly enhance upon it.

I found myself very calm, levelheaded and more 'with it'......

Very interesting concept they have put into place, although I can't say how much scientific ground the system holds (the whole sound wave ----> influence brainwave deal)
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Yeah this is cool .. I just started it the other day as well . . total relaxation and there are unconscious thoughts . . once eyes are open you feel refreshed and different almost. . hard to believe . .
 
dr-ripple said:
Have you read "Where ever you go there you are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Take a look at some of the popular pages!
It helped me get threw some crazy times . . .I still debate if I am actually mediating but . . I still go back and read a chapter or two. . . I thought it was a great book.
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I just picked this book up from a friend actually. Lots of good stuff in there.

I typically have dealt with anxiety attacks and paranoid delusions since I was a kid - my mom takes some medication for it, but I've never formally been prescribed because I hate doctors.

Since I've started my meditation practice, I've found that I'm able to deal with myself in situations where I would normally freak out before. I have a lot more control over myself, and subsequently have the more life opportunities because of it.

I regularly practice breathing meditation and walking meditation.
 
You know my head is so crazy that im going to start meditating everyday or atleast try to..

i think i am either going to gain serenity or become crazy...

Im talking just a couple mins in morning afternoon and night... maybe 10 minutes 3x a day just to start...

Im wondering about what people thing about meditation and how it effect healthy well being for the mind and body

i can read alot of dam books on mediation but it doesnt mean anything until i actually do it and experience it..
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You do indeed "experience" meditation, however, it isn't something you "do". Rather, true meditation happens to you.

Spend some time in nature. Very peaceful.

I can assure you that any prolonged excursion in nature encourages one to appreciate the present moment more intensely. We really do have this connection at the level of awareness.

Allow yourself to enjoy existence for the aesthetic and sensual experience that it is. Simply be. Don't even think of it as enjoyment, just be with it. Sit and observe the breath, preferably to the exclusion of everything else. Everytime you find your mind wandering, gently acknowledge the thoughts that come and go and allow them to pass. Think of them as clouds in the sky. Return your attention to the breath.

In all my meditation practices, I've had all of two truly blissful, enlightened, timeless moments. I can't say enough about the level of contentment I became familiar with on these two seperate occasions. It happened quite by accident, although in all fairness the second time I was genuinely "trying" to meditate. As soon as I began thinking "omg this is awesome I'm doing it", it took away from the experience.

As for longer periods of meditation (one of those links said something about 5+ hours of meditation), I would tread carefully, if at all. Inexperienced and unconditioned people have become paralysed from sitting/laying in meditation for ridiculously long periods, at least according to more than one *reliable* source. I'd take this information with a grain of salt, but I wouldn't take it too lightly, either. Not that I think most people have the patience to sit silently in a meditative pose for much longer than an hour or two, just saying. But if you do decide to reap the benefits of deep meditation and wish to go for longer, why not spend some time in nature? I believe that mushrooms or substances that call to you in a helping or teaching manner, could certainly aid this process. Off course, anybody serious about meditation would likely avoid the use of drugs, as they are more like a cheat code in this regard, and not always likely to lead to the authentic states of consciousness that many "obtain" through the other route.

In my own practices I've also had weird shit crop up; I once had this subtle notion of "something so dark and ugly", and at other times I have felt the unmistakable force of dark energy. Initially, I suspected there was something wrong with me or that I was "exercising demons", so to speak, until it occurred to me that perhaps a change of location would prevent this from happening again. And off course, it did. Don't forget that you are probably trying to meditate whilst being bombarded by electromagnetic chaos via power lines or electrical household appliances and the such, other people's thoughts, and perhaps other things which may interfere with this process.

Hence my suggestion that you spend some time outdoors, but obviously this isn't necessary in order to acheive that peak experience. Trust me.

Good luck in your future meditational undertakings. Remember that you must achieve complete stillness in order to realize that there is no such thing. %)
 
Meditation helped me a lot when i quit drug abuse. With abuse I mean binging on GHB for weeks or months on end with copious amounts of MDMA, cocaine, speed, weed, whatever.

I have never felt as calm and "centered", so to speak, as when I used to meditate every day. It even got rid of my insomnia.

Nowadays I do it rarely, I don't "need" it as much, but I have felt things that are beyond explanation sometimes. A bit as with MDMA, but more "natural" and real... can't really put it into words. Words aren't good enough when trying to describe some things.

All in all I think it's a -very- powerful tool and a road to something very very ... special.

I stopped meditating regularly..maybe stupidly, when one day I had a strong experience (while meditating). Later on, I went on with my day. I was waiting for the bus to go to the uni and everything went silent. I started to see reality de-constructing itself and I got paralyzed with fear and felt the need to "hang on" to something...and forced myself off that feeling. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, but I obviously wasn't ready.
 
uacvax said:
i've been interested in vipassana meditation. supposedly the lead singer of weezer experienced a turning point in his life right after learning it. it's all about recognizing negative thought processes in order to abolish them
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vipassana is a great meditation technique. I took a ten day silent vipassana retreat a few years back and it was pretty intense, at times wonderful at (many) others very painful. Vipassana courses are taught at several places in the US and around the world and are by donation only. You have to reserve a spot several monthes in advance though, and depending on where you live not an option for everyone. google it and you will find all the info.

Vipassana is not about abolishing negative thoughts but about realizing the illusory nature of all thoughts. Its watching the mind do its thing, moving from one thought to the next, one judgment to the next, reliving past events and fantasizing about future events, and on and on. Vipassana teaches that our true nature is what is there between the thoughts, the void of awareness that gives rise to thoughts. I could go into more detail but its easier if you just google it.

Vipassana=highly recommended:D

-DoaT
 
i've found progressive muscle relaxation prior to zazen or any type of mindful breathing, pranayama etc is helpful. i picked up the book "undoing yourself" by christopher hyatt and it gave me this idea. the mind and body are inseperable so removing tension from the body will remove tension from the mind. it's a decent book btw. i don't have time to post how to do progressive muscle relaxation but you can google it and i'll try to either edit in a link or cut and paste the method.
 
hah 3 of my kung fu forms open up with a "zazen" (dunno how to spell it) bow.


kung fu is essentially non stop active meditative breathing. everything falls into place upon the foundation of breathing. likewise, everything falls apart when breathing becomes non rhythmic and non meditative.
 
Meditating while on drugs

Hello guys

Just wonder, i'm buddhist, i do meditate , i have beggigning yoga yesterday.

What do you think about meditation and drugs ?

I love it with ketamine
 
Why would you want to take drugs and meditate - what purpose and benefit to you hope to gain by doing so?

Meditation involves an internal effort to self-regulate (train) the mind in some way, it involves awareness and discipline.

I do not believe there is a "fast-track" route to enlightened by the use of drugs! Drugs can give you a taste of altered consciousness and states, they can make you more aware of your mind and its potential. However, this is not meditation, which is a very alive and active practice.

The mind is a busy enough place, adding drugs into the mix makes it even more so, or dulls it, clouds it, confuses it - depending on the drug. Where is the clarity, awareness, mindfulness and focus in that mix?
 
Meditating on drugs is one of the most pleasurable parts for me.

When you're on something (MDMA/Psychedelics/etc), and you're constantly active, you don't pay as much attention to the internal bliss you're feeling. What I like to do, is focus on the body high/mental effects.

On psychedelics, one of the ways I "coach" people to handle the experience when the sensory stimuli gets to much to handle, is to close their eyes, focus on breathing and picture themselves as in the eye of a hurricane while repeating "Exterior chaos, inner peace".

That has helped a few friends (and myself) when things get real intense.

On MDMA, I like to focus my mind on all the energy I feel coursing through my body, and picture it as a ball of energy, and mentally play with it, moving it throughout my body. Focusing on the feeling seems to heighten the experience and give an amazing sensation of peaceful euphoria.

Ketamine is very hard to "meditate" on (I only do it at K-hole doses), so I can't really comment on that. Might try it at a lower dose to see what it's like though.
 
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