CherryPoppinz
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Messages
- 146
I've recently started meditating before I go to bed and just thought of any types of tips on what could help me and my meditation "sessions"
-
H&R Moderators: VerbalTruist
Meditation Tips?
- Thread starter CherryPoppinz
- Start date
R.ticle One
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2007
- Messages
- 71
Hey,
I've been getting into meditation recently too. My girlfriend introduced me to it. I won't claim any "expertise", but for me, I try to keep it simple. Breathe in. Breathe out. If your mind wanders which I think is inevitable for most people, allow the images, thoughts or feelings to arise, acknowledge them, and let them pass. Some people may experience strong emotional sensations, which I think is normal; being still allows things to come up which we may otherwise keep trapped inside. If you're having trouble, just focus on breathing in, and letting the breath fall naturally and being present in your body in the moment.
Sometimes this is easier said than done, but I think that it's a practice worthwhile pursuing.
I'm not big on the types of meditation where one is trying to achieve something particular, but rather letting things come up as they do.
Good luck!
AfterGlow
Bluelighter
Posture is key. I always imagine energy drawing up from the earth through my lower spine (butt) and working its way up, driving out all negativity with it, eventually it gets all the way up to my head and I blast it out the top, filling my body with positive earth energy. Then it's hallucination time, I 'think with the front of my brain', like my forehead 'third eye', things start black, but white starts to come through (eyes closed mind you). Eventually the white overcomes the black and then images come through.
That's how it's always worked best for me =)
Oh yeah, and breath work is big too, that helps a lot!
That's how it's always worked best for me =)
Oh yeah, and breath work is big too, that helps a lot!
by far the best book on meditation, imo of course, is The Journey of Awakening: A Meditators Guide Book by Ram Dass. if youre serious about meditation i highly recommend checking it out.
Last edited:
Ram Dass wrote that crazy book with all the animations and calligraphy type stuff right? Think I have that on ebook
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
CherryPoppinz
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Messages
- 146
so ive been reading the link AfterGlow sent me and its given me some really interesting shit to mull over...
im a little bit confused as to what exactly you should be doing while meditating though
-focusing on breath for one
but im not sure what to do with my thoughts? its not to clear (or i havnt read in-depthly enough)
do i just let them flow and examine them or? im not even sure..
could someone explain there take on what exactly the mind should be doing while meditating?
im a little bit confused as to what exactly you should be doing while meditating though
-focusing on breath for one
but im not sure what to do with my thoughts? its not to clear (or i havnt read in-depthly enough)
do i just let them flow and examine them or? im not even sure..
could someone explain there take on what exactly the mind should be doing while meditating?
ikkyu
Bluelighter
What I do is closer to letting thoughts flow rather than examining them. I think of it as letting thoughts arise, acknowledging their presence, and then letting them fall back away, always coming back to the breath. In this way thoughts come and go, but the breath is always the center.
It's really hard to explain what it is to focus completely on something, like the breath in this case, but bear with me. Have you ever felt "in the zone" while playing a sport or running or doing some kind of creative activity, like painting or playing music? I'd say there's a lot of overlap between focusing on one's breath and that experience of being into the flow of things, and in fact with practice mediation can be a reliable means to that experience of flow. Basically you're not thinking of or about anything; you're only doing one thing, and that is sitting and watching your breath. Thoughts come along and then fade away just as quickly, but you are not your thoughts. You are just the sitting and the breathing in that moment.
At the risk of this thread becoming overrun with links to books and websites, here are a couple of things I've found really helpful:
http://www.amazon.com/ZEN-TRAINING-Philosophy-Katsuki-Sekida/dp/0834801140
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
have you ever experienced ego death? if not, a psychedelic experience can really demonstrate to you the true aim of meditation.. you can read all the books ever written on meditation but until youve experienced an egoless state for yourself its impossible to know what meditation is really suppose to be about.
that being said, the purpose of meditation is the separation of thinking and awareness. thoughts will come and go, you need only to be aware of them as they happen and allow them to flow and pass, without getting sucked into them.
like I said before, Buddhism alone has many different types of meditation. some focus on breath and going "inward", some focus on the universe and going "outward". some use specific postures, some are practiced all day long while doing one's normal life.
i mainly practice typical Zen meditation. Imagine when you are talking to yourself (in your head) or having thoughts in general. You will notice that there are thoughts that you can not control. You will want to respond to these thoughts by "saying" something else. This is what you can control. That is why people say to let thoughts arise and fall away naturally. Eventually, thoughts will stop arising and you will have reached a zen space. As said above, it is common to have some pretty intense hallucinations between here and there. Have fun!
i mainly practice typical Zen meditation. Imagine when you are talking to yourself (in your head) or having thoughts in general. You will notice that there are thoughts that you can not control. You will want to respond to these thoughts by "saying" something else. This is what you can control. That is why people say to let thoughts arise and fall away naturally. Eventually, thoughts will stop arising and you will have reached a zen space. As said above, it is common to have some pretty intense hallucinations between here and there. Have fun!
CherryPoppinz
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Messages
- 146
yeah ive experienced ego death or at least a understand it to an extent (have endulged in psychedelics) appreciate the input
There are infinite ways of thinking about meditation. Buddhism alone offers so many varieties that one could spend a life exploring them all. One tip that has been helpful for me is focus on posture while sitting in lotus.
i assume the full lotus is the way the legs are curled?? very interesting meditation ive never really tried it!!
how long do you fello BLers meditate for??
modern buddha
Bluelighter
Yes, it is where each foot is resting on the opposite thigh. Very difficult to do.
I personally aim to meditate for around 15 minutes a day, right before bed. It's a bit more during vacation time (during school gets a bit hectic).