Do you meditate? What system or school do you follow?

a reply to: HODOSKE

If you can't empty your mind, focus on one thing.

Sit for 10-15 minutes with your eyes closed. Inhale deeply, breath out through your nose. Feel your exhalation hitting your top lip, focus on that. You will get itches, you will be fidgety, this is natural, you will feel like you have to use conscious effort to hold your eyes closed at times. This is all part of it, it happens to everyone! The deeper in to your meditation you get the easier it becomes to ignore these things.

If you can't feel your breath on your top lip, try thinking a word, visualized as written down, in your mind. Any time an intrusive thought appears you should just think of the word 'N O T H I N G', for example, written in your mind. Use it like a whitewash to cover any thoughts and focus on that word. Any time something creeps in to you thoughts - NOTHING! Visualize it written down in your mind like you would read it from paper! Allow it to overwrite whatever thought you were about to have. It will get easier the deeper in to your meditation you get.

Do this as often as you feel like it, try for a couple of times a week and then try to bump it up to 30 minute sessions if you can make time for it.

You shouldn't sit there struggling to empty your mind, that comes with discipline. Focus on one thing to hone your mind before you try to not focus on anything, it'll be easier.

Edit; oh and the technique I use is called Anapana.

I started meditating many years ago, but had stopped for reasons unknown, maybe a
period of low stress, who knows. It became an unused tool until about 3 years ago.

As I have a number of chronic health issues including chronic pain from upper body
lymphedema, I hated the opioid meds I was getting, so started going to a pain clinic.

It was there that I rediscovered meditation as a tool to help me deal with the pain.
I've been using visualization, "concentration on healing" and "clearing my mind of
negative thoughts." These are the best terms that come to my mind.

I find I can do it an anytime of day, but mostly just before sleep. It has also allowed
me to do some lucid dreaming, but It's hard, for me to reach that state. As far as
overall pain relief, it does help some, but not as much as I wish it would.

it is important that we have a clear goal or positive intent in mind before starting to meditate...method depends from person to person, we should figure out what is a best fit for our mind.

Practice and experiment is all it takes.

my first type of meditation was breathing meditation but otherwise i have tried many practices and still try new ones, as the more one meditates more stuff can come to our awareness and more ways to practice.

a reply to: HODOSKE

don't try to stop the flow... try to choose your object of meditation, for people who find it hard to relax it is maybe advisable if you choose external object and observe it, than after a while when you notice progress than try to focus on something more subtle, like your breath and so on...the point is that there is just one thing on your mind and when you notice other thoughts, put your focus back to the object in a relaxed manner, not with pressure or stress, maybe think of it like a game of cache the thought or whatever...

just stooping mental chatter will not work...but it is just a matter of concentration and awareness and both can be trained with regular practice if you have patience, if not than you can train that also.

a reply to: HODOSKE

I hate to tell you, some need stronger "enhancers" to calm enough to try a meditation. Work out, is the healthiest. You know till you can barely stand anymore, a shower and then try.
Meditation is a state achieved through many different means, finding out what suits you best, is for some already part of the journey. Once you found "your way" you will be amazed how easy it is. And in time it becomes more retrievable and you need no enhancer anymore.

a reply to: ParadigmMind

“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

The Australian Aboriginals call it a Walkabout.

Been "on the road" now for over twenty some odd years. I take breaks now and again as I've gotten older but I combine that with the time honored tradition of Natural Observation tempered with the good works of far too many authors and philosophers than I can recount here.

The majority of my backpack is books and associated writing gear.

One step at a time.
Always forward.
Home always in your heart.
Heaven always on your mind.

a reply to: ParadigmMind

Best method is to meditate on physical sensation and use breathing techniques as you do it.

originally posted by: InTheLight
To me it is joining or becoming a part of everything - just being in the moment. Well that is how it starts off, then anything can happen once I open my third eye.

Yes! That is EXACTLY the feeling, becoming a part of everything. I was not alert enough this am to find the words, thank you. I am rather clueless about the third eye - will have to do some reading on that front.

originally posted by: Aliensun
If meditation techniques were taught in homes and schools, the human race would be entirely different than it is today.

I concur, most especially if it were taught to the young in schools - in only one generation, this world would be a much different place.

originally posted by: HODOSKE
Any suggestions for someone who cant meditate. i have one of those brains that my thoughts constantly pop in and wont let me relax.

OH BOY was this me!! I tend to run on verbose mode, in both speaking and writing, but I am working on that.

What really worked for me, was focusing only on my breathing. Like anything practiced, it gets to be habitual.


ETA: Thanks to those of you whom posted about your styles, now I have an idea of other methods to look into and learn from.

a reply to: ParadigmMind

I meditate a lot without even realizing I am doing it. I just space out..lol

I started meditation with candles long ago.
I would just stare at the flame until I "blanked out"
Then after a while I started to notice a bright white light just out of my vision above my eyes when closed, so I focus on that now when I see it. Or rather I just bathe myself in the light from this brightness I cannot see above me.

Name for it?
I have no idea.

The other way is fishing.
To me, that is the best way of meditating and reconnecting with nature.

a reply to: InTheLight


Same here.

It is a very interesting way to meditate.

And yeah music is a good idea

originally posted by: Kashai
a reply to: InTheLight


Same here.

It is a very interesting way to meditate.

And yeah music is a good idea

It is interesting as one other poster mentioned about feeling waves - we may be able to match a certain physical frequency (waves) and then merge.

I prefer complete silence.

Tryed many types of yoga, but all of them talk about some gods and other mumbo jumbo crap, so i drop standard old yoga or even modern meditation yoga because even modern talks about religion and crap.

What iIdo is i run, while I run I focus on breathing, road or body and this works way better than visualising crap or fighting my brain to think of nothing and i want my brain to work at full capacity and always think of something.

I meditate using this thought exercise that I found.

I create in my head, the thought of as many 'things' as I can, like words ideas thoughts sounds space objects awareness etc. Realizing that these thoughts are my minds conceptions of these things, my views and feelings and attachments that actually prevent me from seeing the clear picture, I attempt to release those things. To release thought and feeling and perception and just freefloat on the silence beyond...

a reply to: LucidWarrior

thanks for sharing this method, it sound great and like a simple way to empty the cup!

a reply to: InTheLight


That could mean focusing on the same thing like a place or a symbol.

Sleep...

a reply to: Specimen


Vision quest...

originally posted by: InTheLight

originally posted by: Kashai
a reply to: InTheLight


Same here.

It is a very interesting way to meditate.

And yeah music is a good idea

It is interesting as one other poster mentioned about feeling waves - we may be able to match a certain physical frequency (waves) and then merge.

I prefer complete silence.

The belief in some 'thing' that can merge is the obstacle. Whatever is happening whether it be silence or sound is all there is. Has the dividing line ever be looked for and found?

originally posted by: UniFinity
it is important that we have a clear goal or positive intent in mind before starting to meditate...method depends from person to person, we should figure out what is a best fit for our mind.

What are you seeking when you meditate? Have you figured out what is best for your mind?

originally posted by: HODOSKE
a reply to: ParadigmMind

Any suggestions for someone who cant meditate. I have been trying to learn for over 20 years. I have read books, listened to tapes, gone to classes. Nothing helps. i have one of those brains that my thoughts constantly pop in and wont let me relax. I was told to acknowledge the thoughts and let them pass. then more just come in. I would love to learn peace and relaxation.

Here is a nice and simple video to help you see that you will never stop thoughts. Even the realisation that thought cannot be stopped might uncover some peace. Who is it that is fighting with thought - that one that is fighting with thought, not wanting thought, disturbs the peace. A quiet mind is not a silent one - it is just not conflicted with. Thought is like clouds in the sky - the sky does not mind - the sky is never tainted by the clouds that appear and disappear within it.

The lady in the video says she has trouble meditating - she says she finds it difficult to still her mind. Catherine Ingram tells her to notice the space that the mind is happening in - the quiet that contains the mind. It is not possible to 'learn' peace (quiet) but it can be found to be what everything is appearing in.

What are you looking for when meditating? If you are looking for something then you are acknowledging that there is something missing. If you are not looking for something then that would mean you felt whole and at peace. It is a bit of a joke really!!
Is it peace that you seek? If so stop believing that there is some 'thing' other than what there is.

The only 'thing' worth seeking is no thing.
What is there really?

There is just what there is - but words arise and speak of other than this that is - the words make believe there is some 'thing'.
Can it be noticed that there is seeing and hearing?

'What we are looking for is what is looking (seeing).' St Francis of Asissi.
The truth is hidden in the plain act of seeing (sight).