Do You Find Meditation Difficult? Tell Me Why?!

Originally posted by wrdwzrd

1. What is the number one question you have about meditation?

If I'm doing it right.

2. What was your expectation of starting a meditation practice? What did you think it would do for you?

I didn't have real expectation, since I have never really been able to get a concrete definition of it from published articles or even from people who practice it. It's always vaguely depicted.

3. Did you have some instruction before starting? If yes, what kind?

All instruction resembles self-hypnosis techniques that I've already become adept at over the years.

4. Why did you want to try meditation?

To aid in spirit communication. ADC work.

5a What is/was your biggest “problem” with your meditation practice?

Lack of any real tangible results concerning an altered state of consciousness.

5b Why do you think __________ caused that problem with your practice?

I must be doing something wrong. That said, I'm extremely disciplined, and good at following instructions.

6. What are some of the common difficulties you have had in your practice? (ie painful legs, too noisy, etc)

No difficulties at all. Just never any tangible results.

7. How long into your practice did you stop if indeed you did?

Usually reserve between 1/2 and 1 hour for practice each day. For many months now. Almost a year. Still, nothing to report, except that I am extremely familiar with every tiny sound in my living room.

8. What was your main reason for not continuing on with meditation on a regular basis?

I'm still plugging away at it.

9. How long would you normally sit for?

Between 30 and 60 minutes.

10. When in the day/night would you normally sit?

Between 9 and 10 AM.

11. What posture did you most commonly use and was it comfortable for you?

Slightly reclined, head and neck supported, due to cervical spinal surgery back in November of 2011.

12. What amount of time could you realistically set aside each day for meditation?

30 to 60 minutes per day seems reasonable.

13. What could a meditation teacher do to help you?

Clear up what is different between what I think I'm supposed to experience and what it is that has been my experience, and why they differ - if they do differ, of course.

Thanks again, much peace...

Peace, I have. Meditation results, not so much.

reply to post by wrdwzrd


1. how do I turn my inner dialogue off ?

2 help me get to sleep when I'm worried

3 read a book

4 because other approaches weren't working

5a turning off my brain

5b I have general anxiety disorder

6 turning off my brain

7 1 month

8 turning off my brain

9 20 - 30- mins

10 before bed

11 lying down, yes I know it's a no-no but I'm trying to fall asleep

12 20 - 30 mins

13 how to turn off my brain

Originally posted by Unity_99

But doing dishes, a big pile

connected to water, can really open the third eye for one who is searching within for answers, and reporting for duty, asking to let go of all programming to help others. And also, its a good time to envision change, positive yearnings for a good world, vividly picturing, like the flow, things working out, positive activities, turning around negative thoughts to postive, and if its a habit, then seeking to learn what needs healing within us and if it has a pattern through our lives.

It's weird but water has a very odd impact on me as well. I've suddenly "learned" extremely unavailable insights into intractable problems, and even gained corrections concerning information suites that I didn't even realize (until that moment) required corrections, while showering or even brushing my teeth. Hell, I wrote an entire nonfiction metaphysics thesis as a result of a series of such water-inspired revelations, and it's remained unassailable over the last 4 years or so - which, as far as I can tell, is pretty definitive concerning its conceptual integrity. There's something important about flowing water and the human mind's capacity for processing residual information. I don't know what it is, but since my own experiences with it, I've read again and again about others (like yourself) who have encountered it.

Meditation is about non striving, so if you have already set a goal of what you want it to do for you, then you are striving for something.

You may have a really profound experience while meditating and are always trying to get back to that state. The idea is to treat all experiences without judgement, whether profound or mundane.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


Just to be open to experiences, even if it's about working your way through negativity upon you.

thanks very much everyone, ill try my best to respond to your questions later today. much peace!

Okay I have some questions

Do physical exercises (weight lifting, basketball, etc) really help on improving concentration on meditation?
Is Doing Arts and Literatures counterproductive to spiritual person?

I love doing them (especially writing stories and drawing comics) in some of my free time.
But if I have to abandon them to make myself more spiritual (keeping ego in check), I would gladly to do so.

How about foods? Do they play important role in Meditation?

I heard from many, being vegetarian will help a lot. I try my best to go on that path but I still consume some chickens during exercise day.

When meditating lately, I feel more vibration from heart instead from head.
It feels like it forces me to focus there. So everytime I meditate I focus on heart.
In daily life as well, I feel like I'm more comfortable if I focus on the beats, vibrations, energy from heart.
Is this wrong?

Originally posted by Angle
reply to post by wrdwzrd

 

so meditation is in fact the method to stop being impulsive.

very accurate! yes i would say that is a large part of it...

reply to post by amazing


it sounds like more than anything your living situation is a distraction to finding 15 minutes of uninterrupted silence. is it possible try early in the morning or late at night when the house is quiet? if possible i would recommend the morning, as its a good way to start the day and you are probably more prone to fall asleep meditating at night after a long day with the kids! as for meditation helping with an understanding of god, i would recommend against having such high expectations. i think having an understanding of your true self is probably a more realistic outcome of meditation but again i highly recommend against having any expectation at all rather just sit, breath, be present, repeat....

Originally posted by NorEaster

13. What could a meditation teacher do to help you?

Clear up what is different between what I think I'm supposed to experience and what it is that has been my experience, and why they differ - if they do differ, of course.

thanks for answering my questions! I think one of the main issues meditation has going against it is the way it is marketed, in particular, as a tool to help you achieve some spiritual enlightenment. this is something I am trying to help bring some clarity too. one of the main things immediately to do is to lose ALL expectation of what you are supposed to experience. you are not supposed to experience anything. no light, no sounds, no shining auras, no contact with spirits, etc. in meditation, these are all aspects of the mind and as we know the mind is amazing at creating stories, pictures, movies, etc for us to look at and be distracted by.

the hope of meditation is to achieve some experience of mindful present awareness, to disengage from the mind chatter, see past the distractions and see that we are not our thoughts. through this we hopefully gain some clarity and are able to not respond emotionally to every tale the mind weaves. we gain distance, we have equanimity and it is through this equanimity that true peace can be found. we are no longer slaves to the mind and emotion but we need quiet mindfulness to achieve this.

rather than babble on, here are the words of someone who can describe this much better than me -

Originally posted by dodol
Okay I have some questions

Do physical exercises (weight lifting, basketball, etc) really help on improving concentration on meditation?
No, I dont believe they do

Is Doing Arts and Literatures counterproductive to spiritual person?
definitely not!

I love doing them (especially writing stories and drawing comics) in some of my free time.
But if I have to abandon them to make myself more spiritual (keeping ego in check), I would gladly to do so.
please don't, if you love them, continue to do them and have that creative outlet. art is spiritual.....

How about foods? Do they play important role in Meditation?
No, I dont believe so though just in general maintaining a healthy balanced diet is good for anyone

I heard from many, being vegetarian will help a lot. I try my best to go on that path but I still consume some chickens during exercise day.
eat what you feel you should, none of this is any concern to your meditation practice

When meditating lately, I feel more vibration from heart instead from head.
It feels like it forces me to focus there. So everytime I meditate I focus on heart.
In daily life as well, I feel like I'm more comfortable if I focus on the beats, vibrations, energy from heart.
Is this wrong?
there is no wrong, if you are feeling a connection to the heart, great. if it is distraction and becomes the focus on your entire practice then do some investigation around this during meditation, why are you focusing on this? can you recognize it, be appreciate of it and then just let it go?

thanks for asking these questions, good luck!

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reply to post by syrinx high priest


we can never turn off our brains but we can choose to respond differently to those brains and their constant thoughts. instead of trying to turn your brain off, just watch it with distance, listen to the stories it tells, dont judge them or put a good or bad stamp on them, see them and then just let them go. breath in deep through the nose, exhale deep through the mouth, do nothing, expect nothing, let all the baggage down for a few minutes. be mindful and present and enjoy....

Originally posted by wrdwzrd

Originally posted by dodol
Okay I have some questions

Do physical exercises (weight lifting, basketball, etc) really help on improving concentration on meditation?
No, I dont believe they do

Is Doing Arts and Literatures counterproductive to spiritual person?
definitely not!

I love doing them (especially writing stories and drawing comics) in some of my free time.
But if I have to abandon them to make myself more spiritual (keeping ego in check), I would gladly to do so.
please don't, if you love them, continue to do them and have that creative outlet. art is spiritual.....

How about foods? Do they play important role in Meditation?
No, I dont believe so though just in general maintaining a healthy balanced diet is good for anyone

I heard from many, being vegetarian will help a lot. I try my best to go on that path but I still consume some chickens during exercise day.
eat what you feel you should, none of this is any concern to your meditation practice

When meditating lately, I feel more vibration from heart instead from head.
It feels like it forces me to focus there. So everytime I meditate I focus on heart.
In daily life as well, I feel like I'm more comfortable if I focus on the beats, vibrations, energy from heart.
Is this wrong?
there is no wrong, if you are feeling a connection to the heart, great. if it is distraction and becomes the focus on your entire practice then do some investigation around this during meditation, why are you focusing on this? can you recognize it, be appreciate of it and then just let it go?

thanks for asking these questions, good luck!

edit on 15-4-2013 by dodol because: (no reason given)

edit on 15-4-2013 by dodol because: (no reason given)

edit on 15-4-2013 by dodol because: (no reason given)

edit on 15-4-2013 by dodol because: (no reason given)

Thank you very much!! I truly appreciate it!!

to everyone - hopefully this video answers some of your questions better than I could. I am no expert but sharing my experience with meditation helps me continue to learn as much as help others. there is no goal, there is no reason to meditate for hours upon end or even at all. it is the attempt at the practice of stillness that opens up doors we didnt know were there and helps us facilitate a more genuine authentic self. one not bound by emotions and fear but love and empathy. through this practice of mindfulness we learn peace and a life with very little stress, confusion and frustration. expect nothing and get everything in return. peace!

This is actually exactly what I've been focusing on with my students right now, as they've had a lot of trouble meditating, and I've never had any issues so I find it hard to explain! The most prevalent theme I've found, when it comes to people who supposedly have problems meditating, is they took the time to convince themselves they have trouble in the first place. I think a lot of that stems from new age practices and Wicca in particular, of which I've studies several different kinds, and I find that once one person admits to having trouble meditating it kind of spreads like wildfire around the group, and everyone agrees that workshops need to be held about it, and asking for books about it... and it simply isn't necessary. Meditation is simply achieving a state of relaxation, trance, or openness, during which you are receptive to dialogue between the active consciousness and the latent subconsciousness. Of course, the consciousness side has free reign while awake, and the subconscious during sleep, so it is generally accepted that to commune between them one must be 'half asleep', but this isn't the case. You can achieve the same state of focus during physical activity such as qigong, martial arts, running, hiking, whatever it is you enjoy, you might not be aware that your mind is necessarily empty at these times... but that's exactly the point! Now, the trick is to apply your awareness and attention span, to your self, your inner world, while in this state, and I think that the reason people have a hard time with that is they are looking for something specific. The fact is, absolutely anything can be a focus item, everything in the universe is in some way relevant to you (matter is not created or destroyed, we are made of stardust etc.) but it's one thing to consciously know that, and tell yourself that, and quite another thing to form the symbiotic instinct that is so crucial to effective meditation, and adaptation to the changing environment. When you are meditating, and a thought crops up, you aren't obligated to go "Oh there's a thought! It's sabotaging my relaxation, squish it!" you are supposed to be thinking, the goal is not for the mind to be 'blank' as some methods prescribe. What they DON'T tell you, is that you are supposed to be ALTERNATING between thinking, and feeling, conscious, and subconscious, allowing the two to have a dialogue. This is especially crucial for very yang oriented, overly conscious or logical people who tend to repress subconscious phenomenon and only deal with them if they have a dream episode about it. What you are doing is giving the subconscious a chance to have the floor, and force the consciousness to hear it out, and by establishing a rhythm like this you are actually achieving greater objectivity and balance in your decision making. A lot of meditation teachers focus on breathing technique, because in essence you are etherically breathing, allowing thoughts to flow all the way through the different levels of the subconscious, and letting the FEELINGS bubble back up and escape instead of becoming pressurized. When these bubbles are adequately dispersed, you have a lot of fluidity and can switch between thinking and feeling based on the situation at hand, which of course is our defining characteristic as human beings. And I think all faiths do agree on this point: our ultimate goal, is to become human beings. Namaste