Looking for Meditation help

This thread is just a request to help me start meditating. I've had a lot of arguments, stress and general unhappyness recently at home and it's really dragging me down. My mind is full of negative thoughts atm because of the constant arguments within the family and I really want to find inner peace again and clear my mind of all the troubles.

I know meditation helps and I've read up a fair amount on the subject, but in all honesty I'm still confused about what 'meditation road' to start walking down.

This website for example has many different styles/kinds of meditation located on the left hand side and that really confuses me. Why so many styles, why so much choice? I'm wondering which is right for me. I'd like to start tomorrow if possible so I'm looking for some good replies from people 'in the know.'

I read this also.

Can you shed some light on good informative meditation websites that have helped you, and give me general information on the techniques, styles and what I need to do. Although I'm sure websites will explain what I need to do, so don't worry if that's too much of your time. I appreciate any feedback.

Thanks in advance.

Your confusion may stem from your expectation that there is more to it than there actually is. Don't worry about all the different names and types and think you will reach enlightenment within a week if you meditate. You may eventually but like everything, it takes time and the peace of mind you are looking for is there for the taking but it does take practice. Unfortunately, it is easy to not practice it if you are impatient.

Meditation is very simple. To start, I would suggest the following...

Find a place where you will not be distracted or disturbed.

Find a comfortable seated position or lie down. I prefer sitting because lying down could send you to sleep and the point is to maintain awareness and not to slip from consciousness.

Simply try and relax and breath in and out. Focus soley on your breathing in and out. The rise and fall of your chest/stomach.

Surface thoughts will rise, you will feel an ache or pain, perhaps an itch, a noise in the background, a whole host of things will come up.

As you progress, you will get distracted less and less. The purpose is not to let these things take your attention, don't fight them and don't hang on to them, allow them to come and go.

When these things happen, simply be aware of them and let them pass and return your attention to the breath.

The point is to simply be. It takes no effort at all and this is the key, no effort. You do not have to do anything, only be aware and let what comes up go. If a thought pops into your head, allow it to rise and then fall, returning your awareness to the breath.

When you start out, it takes some time and discipline to keep returning to the breath, but this is another point, it's about starting over, and over and over. Focus on getting yourself clear of mind and not distracted by thoughts, noises etc. Once this improves, you can go deeper and deeper and try new stuff.

I use the breath example as it is probably among the simplest and everyone usually starts with that.

Here are some Guided Meditation Podcasts. Guided meditations will help you understand how basic and simple they are and these are great for beginners. Use them to achieve a relaxed place and to clear the mind and relax and go from there. It can be as simple or as complex as you make it and I'm sure others can add to this but I hope this helps.

Basically:

Just sit down, shut-up and do nothing for 5 to 15 minutes. Breathe. Observe. Reduce muscle tension, reduce analysis and judgement, reduce needing, wanting, resisting, should, could, need, want, blabla. Just sit there until any impatience and boredom has ceased and is replaced by a feeling of peace.

Most often just sitting in calm, aware silence (not dull sleepiness however) will solve most stuff naturally. The "trying to use a meditation technique" often leads to the opposite of simple naturalness.

As an option, once you have just sat there and breathed softly, slowly and gently with your eyes closed, you can start focussing on something...anything (but preferrably something nice) for a few minutes. And then maybe something else. But that mustnt become a disciplined task either. If it becomes an effort, just return back to the nothingness or pure observing.

Sitting 15 Minutes a day can handle ALL minor problems.

i work with soundproof headphones all day, i find that when there is no noise you can just hear your heartbeat. sometimes i concentrate on slowing it down as far as possible. its very relaxing.

you may look like a doofus up in your room wearing soundproof headphones, but maybe it will help.

I prefer a mantra style of meditation.

chant either silently in your mind or out loud and try to keep focused on the mantra

nam myoho renge kyo

You might want to google, to find out more about this mantra.

I often like to sit on my bed with my back against the wall, I will fall asleep if I lay down. But it's peacefull. What I do is:
first, calm my self down by breathing in and out, to try to relax the body and mind.
second, I like to start to focus on clouds in the sky, I picture them as if i
m staring up in the sky and watching them float on by. Or I like to picture myself on the beach, watching the tide come in.

You'll be amazed at how much time will go by when you picture yourself in that setting, and how relax you're when you complete.

This is what I do.

close your eyes and get physically comfortable. Sitting, laying, hanging upside down from a tree... whatever works for you, seriously.

Tense up your feet/legs hard, then release. Work your way up doing every muscle, tense, then release, up until your head.

Then, repeat in your head several times "relax... relax... relax..." You will.

Count the number 3, three times, envision the number as well. "3.... 3.... 3..."

You will relax deeper.

Count the number 2, three times, envision the number as well. "2.... 2.... 2...."

Count the number 1, three times, envision the number as well. "1.... 1.... 1...."

You will be totally relaxed and your brain will be working in alpha waves at this point. If you feel you have to open your eyes for any reason, start over.

Let your thoughts drift, although you wont totally silence your brain, and don't try to, not even the ninja or I can. Rather, observe the thoughts, and then move them along to storage. Observe the next, and the next. You will begin to develop ideas, and experience euphoria.
______________________________________________________________

After I do this, twice a day, once a day I use my ninja mind/body synchronous movements, and hand positions (symbols that control your bodies CHI, thus created several desired side effects, like self healing, digestion, awareness) This increases awareness. I won't divulge this though, as its for ninjitsu students/masters only. Sorry.

Good luck brother.

[edit on 6-10-2007 by 1337cshacker]

Originally posted by Prote
Your confusion may stem from your expectation that there is more to it than there actually is. Don't worry about all the different names and types and think you will reach enlightenment within a week if you meditate. You may eventually but like everything, it takes time and the peace of mind you are looking for is there for the taking but it does take practice. Unfortunately, it is easy to not practice it if you are impatient.

I've read up on it and understood that it takes time. The same as anything or something that's worth getting to, it takes time and practice. You won't be able to get to 'the place,' or the deep meditation at first, but it will come in time. I understand that and I'm not going to push it. As with all paranormal fields, I believe you have to let things happen.

Simply try and relax and breath in and out. Focus soley on your breathing in and out. The rise and fall of your chest/stomach.

I was practicing this last night (I hadn't read the thread then,) and I was picturing my diaphragm moving up and down in time with my breathing in and out. This helped tremendously.

As you progress, you will get distracted less and less. The purpose is not to let these things take your attention, don't fight them and don't hang on to them, allow them to come and go.

Thoughts did come into me head again, because as mentioned, it takes time to fully be able to relax and think of nothingness. But when images, words and thoughts/ideas came to mind, I recognised them and concentrated on my diaphragm moving in time with my breathing once again.

When you start out, it takes some time and discipline to keep returning to the breath, but this is another point, it's about starting over, and over and over. Focus on getting yourself clear of mind and not distracted by thoughts, noises etc.

As said, I did this last night as I was in bed, and managed it quite well so it's always a starting place. I felt like I wasn't picturing thoughts and random images so much and felt a lot more relaxed.

I'll be sure to listen to the podcasts and I'm going to do some more research today so that later on this afternoon I can sit down on a lazy Sunday and find some peace within myself.

I have actually done some of this stuff in the last few days. I havent read much about it, but I found a way naturally that works for me.

I take a bath in my bathtub. When its filled with water, I just relax and start thinking about my breathing. I close my eyes. I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. When you breathe out, you should try and imagine your negative feelings disappearing more and more for every time you do it.

When you feel completely relaxed, your mind should be pretty calm as well. Then you can start "watching" your thoughts go by. Try to just be. When a thought comes out, it may stir up some emotions, so just try and relax again. I also get random pictures in my mind doing this, pictures I do not recognize and they dont seem to have any meaning to me. No idea why.

I just use this to become very focused. Its a very nice feeling to have a quiet mind.


[edit on 7-10-2007 by Copernicus]

Originally posted by Copernicus
I also get random pictures in my mind doing this, pictures I do not recognize and they dont seem to have any meaning to me. No idea why.

I just use this to become very focused. Its a very nice feeling to have a quiet mind.

I believe this is because your brain waves have reached a different state of vibration/waves. It's believed that psychics and other spiritually gifted people are able to alter their brain wave state. Maybe these images are a result of such a change in the vibration of your body.

It's also, I'm sure, how shamans and other deep spiritual people 'tap into' the other side for answers and guidance. Let those images and thoughts appear. You never know where they might lead you in life.

Originally posted by Arawn
I believe this is because your brain waves have reached a different state of vibration/waves. It's believed that psychics and other spiritually gifted people are able to alter their brain wave state. Maybe these images are a result of such a change in the vibration of your body.

It's also, I'm sure, how shamans and other deep spiritual people 'tap into' the other side for answers and guidance. Let those images and thoughts appear. You never know where they might lead you in life.

Yeah, I like them when they appear. Its not every time, but I find it interesting that pictures pop into my mind that I dont recognize. It just means there is more to mind than what is known to me. So it encourages me.

But it doesnt always happen and sometimes I dont get anything at all. Just a peaceful relaxed state which sometimes leads to ordinary sleep.