How do you meditate?

[Sweeetland]

I wanna share a little gem with you guys...

I'm into meditation, I have been for almost a year now and I don't need google to tell me benefits. I'm fully aware of the benefits it has brought to me so far and shall continue to bring.

Mindfulness and meditation is slowly gaining momentum in the western world but I'm shock it isn't more popular. Maybe it's so do with peoples preconceived ideas linking meditation to religion.

Anyway I saw this guys Ted talk which led me to his book and his free app. He posits 10 minutes for 10 days and after 10 days I was hooked. I tried pretty much all the meditation apps available on the app store and this one wins hands down. Check it out!!

https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes

https://www.headspace.com

If you are already familiar with Headspace or just trying it out, let me know how you get on, I'd love to know!!


PS if your not familiar with TED, you ought to be.

 

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[AndrewNC]

Very good stuff. There are 2 techniques I learned to clear my mind and 'get in the now'.

1- Open up your peripheral vision - Take your fingers on both sides of your eyes and bring them back until you open up your peripherals all the way. By doing this, it is easier for a lot of people to "get in the now".

2- If you really try to "look at the air"... works best the first time in a dark room. The air around you looks like small pieces of 'static electricity'. Once you are able to 'see it', you focus in more and more on it. The easiest way by far for me to stay in the now.

 

[Tiago]

I will check this out

 

[SYK]

I'll add to your list @AndrewNC of "being in the now" with:

1. Really thinking about your breath in. Thinking about it hitting the back of your throat and going down into your lungs.

2. Thinking really hard about the tips of your fingers and what they're touching during whatever it is you're doing. Really contemplate the sensation of touch.

The Honest Guys on YouTube are my favorite meditative guides. Not far out spiritual stuff which is the style I like.

 

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[SteveO]

Maybe it's so do with peoples preconceived ideas linking meditation to religion

People should link meditation to their inner self. Part of me knows a whole lot more than my thoughts.

 

[SteveO]

I could not play the second video. The first one is good and shows some benefits of meditation but stops way short of what it could be. The problem with sharing meditation and what is does is that most people wont believe you anyway.

 

[craig1928]

Headspace is great, been using it for a while now

 

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[Mattie]

There are many types of meditations, and everyone is quite different so it is just finding out what works for them. There is no right or wrong way. Really meditation didn't really get me to stay in the now. It was doing that all day long training my mind to stay in the present. It does help you stay focused, inner peace, calmness, relaxation, breathing better, and a million other things. Probably what I did different than most people was I started out with self guided meditations, visualization, and creative visualization. It's a marvelous thing.

Yes it is a big taboo with Christians. lol I had an Evangelist going up to bat about it, because they believe that the complete opposite as Napoleon Hill mentioned in outwitting the devil. They believe if you go above the three lower chakra's you're going to hell. The Upper four chakra's are where the entities invade your brain. Your mind is blank, so you are mind controlled. What they don't get is it's the complete opposite. The negative toxic people are the entities with their negative messages that pollute your thoughts, about you can't succeed because you're going to hell because you're making money, or you can't do things, and every other excuse.
Imaginary creatures the mind creates, because they hear the stories or torture. Fear so their imagination creates it. We all know how mind control works, and basically when you meditate your mind is clear. You can see through people's lies and deceptions as the upper class has a whole different view because they meditate. They don't know this in lower class because they're programmed the other way around.

I'm sure more and more people will find it acceptable, but it's psychologist's as well. Like mindfulness and meditation helps people that are depressed, but they rather give them pills, and electric shock, and all the other methods, instead of teaching people something natural. They're caught between what the psychologist says versus the preacher. And two world's that disagree, because psychologist's are evil. It all stems from Eastern.

 

[Rcaraway1989]

Cliche, but the simple "HMMMMMMMMMMM" chant works and works well. Something about focusing on the vocal vibration it creates in your throat makes it SO easy to be present.

 

[Samantha21]

I wanna share a little gem with you guys...

I'm into meditation, I have been for almost a year now and I don't need google to tell me benefits. I'm fully aware of the benefits it has brought to me so far and shall continue to bring.

Mindfulness and meditation is slowly gaining momentum in the western world but I'm shock it isn't more popular. Maybe it's so do with peoples preconceived ideas linking meditation to religion.

Anyway I saw this guys Ted talk which led me to his book and his free app. He posits 10 minutes for 10 days and after 10 days I was hooked. I tried pretty much all the meditation apps available on the app store and this one wins hands down. Check it out!!

https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes

https://www.headspace.com

If you are already familiar with Headspace or just trying it out, let me know how you get on, I'd love to know!!


PS if your not familiar with TED, you ought to be.

 

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[Gsuz]

I am a very jolly kind of person though and for some peace in life i have bought an amazing CD from Amazon and came across http://www.cuponation.com.au/amazon-coupon. For me meditation means relaxation. Thus,money-saving is something with the help of which i meditate. Practical shit

As if it wasn't strange enough that someone from California is "finding" an Australian coupon site..

Might wanna look for another forum for your linkbuilding shenanigans

 

[Mattie]

There are many people that use harmonic tones and chants. It changes the alpha, beta, theta waves in the brain and puts you in an altered state. Your chakra's harmonize with certain tones. Has nothing to do with staying in the now. I suppose if you have some kind of beads with your chants. It's basically a focal point that keeps you in the now.

Some religions focus on bread, different types of beads, the cross, a white dot, dark dot, flowers, candles, what ever you want to focus on. Tones are doing something entirely different. Mantra's and chants are like positive affirmations, prayers, you're saying something repetitive. Getting rid of your monkey mind. Distracting yourself.

 

[wilddog]

I've been doing mindful meditation for over 3 years now. Everyone here is correct with their tips and tricks. However, the key to meditation is what MJ alluded to in his "7 Steps for Radical Change." Meditating is just one step. Repetition of that step forms a habit. Persistence of the habit becomes a lifestyle.
Meditating needs to become a lifestyle in order to experience its full potential.

I always challenge people to meditate 10 minutes a day for 30 days. The change is very noticeable.
Now imagine integrating the process into your very being. The change is profound.

 

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[Angus]

i started meditating 1 month ago, 30 minutes every morning, first thing in the morning
i don't like to sit on the ground, i prefer a chair, i think i'm missing out something so i'll start sitting on the ground in some days
and i use binaural beats, just to not be disturbed by cars and noise from the outside, again, i think i'm missing something by isolation

i concentrate on my breath, on my bloodflow and on the feeling of my body touching the chair and the ground
my brain just shuts down, sometimes i almost fall asleep haha, don't know if it's a good thing

i don't think the meditation practice has changed me, i've been a lot more calculating in my interactions in the past few weeks, but i don't think meditation had a role in this
as with everything, i think it'll get better with time, let's hope that

 

[wijnand]

I love headspace as well, great way to learn meditation

 

[Mattie]

It's normal to fall asleep when you first start. Hmm.. interesting you use beats to start with. That stuff takes some getting used too. Might be why you're falling asleep because you're brain isn't used to the high frequencies. Your basically messing with your chakra's and not knowing what you're doing. I remember a friend of mind purposely did chakra bowls when I first started healing and doing meditation and fell over. lol What do you mean isolation. You normally are just by yourself. It's an inner space. Quiet space. Do you ground yourself? Basically most people don't ground themselves, and if you're in pain and suffering you want out of your body. When you're stressed, frustrated, and angry you want out of your body. So I'm not sure if you have someone helping you, or you just learning on your own, but you might want to learn about chakra balancing, cleansing, and how tones affect them.

 

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[Angus]

It's normal to fall asleep when you first start. Hmm.. interesting you use beats to start with. That stuff takes some getting used too. Might be why you're falling asleep because you're brain isn't used to the high frequencies. Your basically messing with your chakra's and not knowing what you're doing. I remember a friend of mind purposely did chakra bowls when I first started healing and doing meditation and fell over. lol What do you mean isolation. You normally are just by yourself. It's an inner space. Quiet space. Do you ground yourself? Basically most people don't ground themselves, and if you're in pain and suffering you want out of your body. When you're stressed, frustrated, and angry you want out of your body. So I'm not sure if you have someone helping you, or you just learning on your own, but you might want to learn about chakra balancing, cleansing, and how tones affect them.

I had a session without beats and I struggled to keep my eyes closed and I was thinking about the time and when I'll stop, don't know why, there isn't any evidence on the effects of binaural beats on the human brain...
Also, is this chakra thing recognized from "meditation masters"? Haha, it seems absurd.

 

[PSDSH]

I like to run/jog instead of being sedentary. But to each his own, I say.

 

[Mattie]

There is research out there. You probably just haven't dug deep enough. Tones and beats all do have an effect on the brain, consciousness, and learning. If you're focusing on how it should be or when to stop it, is because you're bored or something, or don't believe it works. You ever listened to different types of music. Your mood changes depending on what you listen too. I wish I could remember the video I watched on it, but it's been over a year or so. I fell asleep many times in my meditation class. Lots of us did whether we used it or not. It's part of the body and brain healing. There is a lot of dynamics to all this you know. It's not just you sit on the floor and close your eyes. Most of the stuff has evidence, I even watched two brain scans and what happens when certain things are implied. The problem is that Western Psychology doesn't do there job when it comes to scientific evidence. It's more trial and error. The human guinea pig. It's about money. Why prove their is natural remedies when you can just drug people. Every patient will tell you this stuff. It doesn't work, and they're sick of the drugs.

The nice DSMV is your psychology bible. Maybe the world doesn't want you to know everything, because if you did, that would mean they wouldn't make money, besides keep you medicated.

 

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[Sweeetland]

Maybe the world doesn't want you to know everything, because if you did, that would mean they wouldn't make money, besides keep you medicated.

Completely agree with you there. A similar topic would be regarding nutrition and it's link to health. Anybody seen the documentary Food matters?

Very powerful, must watch!!

(not too sure on the quality, I watched it on Netflix)

 

[Mattie]

Food is also a part of it! Back in the day people didn't eat so much boxed and canned food filled with preservatives, and other ingredients. Not to mention we super size everything. I go to a restaurant in the Netherlands and get a small bottle of coca-cola. I laughed a year ago when I went to restaurants how small the portions are here of everything.

 

[Testament]

Great thread!

I honestly couldn't really understand meditation until I listened to The Power of Now on audiobook. From that point forward, I've tried to spend at least a few minutes each day being mindful and fully in the present.

I usually listen to this video while wearing headphones - concentrating on the sound of the bowls really makes it hard to vocalize in my head. Once for about 10 minutes in the hour I wake up, and once right before I go to sleep:

Tibetan Healing Bowls

 

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[OVOvince]

Ive been giving this advice to people, it's hilarious how most people don't take it.

Zen and mindfulness have alone made the most positive significant impact in my life, or at least enabled me to do so.

 

[Mattie]

@OVOvince What advice is that?

 

[OVOvince]

@OVOvince What advice is that?

lol sorry i just saw the word meditate and jumped into the thread like that.

but the advice is to take 10-20 minutes out of the day to sit in still silence.

out of maybe like 10 people ive told, 1 or 2 have taken it, and i give them some techniques on how to do mindfulness.

 

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[Mattie]

That clears it up!

 

[Yasai]

Meditation is absolutely fantastic.

Disclaimer: Meditation somewhat reduces the urge to "make money" in some people. This might be because for some, "making money" is actually more about "covering up flaws" within themselves - which is perfectly normal. We all have insecurities and it's part of being alive.

Meditation is good way to calm the lake within yourself. At least that's one of the pictures I prefer to hold in my mind, when I meditate.
I'm also very aware that this "calming of the inner lake" metaphor sounds a bit weird or cheesy, yet it's one of the most powerful images I've used.

The other "method" (that has been mentioned before - and rightly so!) is mindfulness. Extremely profound stuff.
Life is filled with distractions. We distract ourselves every chance we get. Some immerse themselves in work, some in music, some in games, some in thought. It's very rare for us to just stop and "experience" our surroundings, without giving in to distracting thoughts (or behaviours).

It goes beyond being alert. Alertness and Vigilance are still "searching" processes, whereas "mindfulness" is more like a "receiving" or "collecting" state of mind.

Meditation is something I highly recommend.
It's pretty "Low Risk/Low Investment" -> "High Reward".

 

[Sam Beddall]

I have to echo what a few other people have said here and say that meditation has been one of the biggest influences in my life, way back from when I was an insecure, heartbroken teenager. The effects on your mental and emotional processes, as well as an increase in self-dependency, can be immense.

The way I've found most helpful is to laser in your awareness on your thoughts as they come up, without getting involved in them. Over a period of time your vacant, automatic thinking begins to slow down and disappear. The result is more and more positivity, less drama and more power to do good in this world, as destroying mental processes as they come up weakens the 'me first' aspect of the mind (the ego) and helps you see the needs of other people more clearly (very fastlane!). Releasing self-drama also leads to a huge increase in energy. And all this only increases as you do it more often
... you can't lose. The effect is noticeable by others as well. I've noticed first hand how people respond more positively to you after doing this.

Sounds a bit flakey but it really is a game-changer. Hope this helps.

 

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[Mexidan]

Meditation has helped me tremendously (as well as Pranayama).

Reading Sam Harris´ Waking Up! right now.

 

[Writer]

Yes it is a big taboo with Christians.

Yet it shouldn’t be. Christianity always had forms of meditation, and let me tell you they’re quite powerful. In itself, a prayer is a form of meditation. When you say the Our Father the faithful is supposed to surrender to the powerful words, and connect to the higher being (God), which is the Creator of the whole universe. Unfortunately, many of us just repeat the words, without any actual meditation.
For Catholics, veneration of the saints has the same effect and so every meditation on any religious subject, including the Rosary. Reading the Bible should not be a dry scientific study, it should be – as it is said – a Lectio Divina, in which God fills the reader’s soul. But you can’t meditate – or get your soul filled – if you analyze the Lord’s words as experimental specimens. It is when you “stop thinking” (for a lack of a better word) that you can feel the individual experience.
Why am I writing this? Because for some reason most Christians see meditation as evil. No offense, but I find more evil in those churches with electric guitars and drums than in meditation. (I don’t think it’s evil per se, but just… confusion). Christians can and should meditate, although in a slightly different way than the oriental arts suggests. Yet, it’s still meditation.
Another example of meditation aids are the Gregorian chants. They are not supposed to be “songs”, but a continuous stream of meditative sounds, not different than the Om.
An anonymous author wrote a wonderful book, “Meditations on the Tarots”. It’s a voyage in the meditations of Christian Hermeticism, its symbols and its meanings.
I used to recite the Liturgy of the Hours every day (5AM, noon, evening, bedtime) and it was a wonderful experience… I should probably start again although it's not really a meditative form.
This is to say, Christians you can meditate.