# Meditation Thread



## Kilgore Trout (Jun 25, 2010)

After reading the Tai Chi thread, I felt inspired to make a meditation thread. Talk about what experiences you’ve had with meditation, whether for your body and mind, or, spiritually. What _types _of meditation have you done? Is there any you do often? How long do you meditate for? How did you start? Have there been changes since you began? I’m curious about this! Feel free to share your ideas about meditating.

I have been recently doing (or maybe not doing) what Alan Watts has been talking about in this video:


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

It has been years since I've meditated, but I really need to start again...so stressed lately, and my thoughts are a hot mess. lol

I'm glad you started this thread, because it is a good reminder...


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## Spades (Aug 31, 2011)

I'm so excited there is a Health and Fitness forum now! Out of excitement and love of meditation, I am bumping this thread 

Meditation has the highest benefit-to-cost ratio of almost any activity I've done. Even 10 minutes a day makes a big difference. Laziness is not an excuse.


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## Kilgore Trout (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. I found this video pretty funny, but informative for those who never seem to have the time. It's about "One Moment Meditation."


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## CrabbyPaws (Mar 5, 2012)

I know this is odd, but I have tried meditation before and I keep ending up falling asleep lol. I don't know why that keeps happening. I think the only time I experience something like meditation is when I am having a bubble bath and I get to relax without being allowed to sleep.


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## Kilgore Trout (Jun 25, 2010)

CrabbyPaws said:


> I know this is odd, but I have tried meditation before and I keep ending up falling asleep lol. I don't know why that keeps happening. I think the only time I experience something like meditation is when I am having a bubble bath and I get to relax without being allowed to sleep.


This may help!


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## weednap (Aug 7, 2012)

CrabbyPaws said:


> I know this is odd, but I have tried meditation before and I keep ending up falling asleep lol. I don't know why that keeps happening. I think the only time I experience something like meditation is when I am having a bubble bath and I get to relax without being allowed to sleep.


Yo CrabbyPaws, I suggest that you look into the seven point meditation posture and also varying the times of the day that you meditate. I realized after a while that my night meditations were much stronger than my morning ones. Also check out material from Alan Wallace who is the Dalai Lama's old translator and meditation "expert". Also know that "falling asleep" in the beginning stages of meditation is normal and is just another obstacle one must overcome. Try taking three really deep breathes being mindful of each one and then continue on. You are falling asleep due to too much "laxity" and you need to to "tighten" your concentration with certain techniques depending on what type of meditation you are doing. Have fun! CHeers.


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## Ed S (Jul 27, 2012)

I'm a huge believer in affirmations. I guess thats not technically meditation, but I know it works. So I assume meditation works as well. I've seen evidence that Shaolin monks can actually control their body temperature through forms of meditation.


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## CrabbyPaws (Mar 5, 2012)

weednap said:


> Yo CrabbyPaws, I suggest that you look into the seven point meditation posture and also varying the times of the day that you meditate. I realized after a while that my night meditations were much stronger than my morning ones. Also check out material from Alan Wallace who is the Dalai Lama's old translator and meditation "expert". Also know that "falling asleep" in the beginning stages of meditation is normal and is just another obstacle one must overcome. Try taking three really deep breathes being mindful of each one and then continue on. You are falling asleep due to too much "laxity" and you need to to "tighten" your concentration with certain techniques depending on what type of meditation you are doing. Have fun! CHeers.


Thank you for the advice! I realise that now... I think that I believed meditation was another word for relaxation when I tried it, because everyone said meditation makes them feel calm and relaxed. However now I realise it actually involves concentration as well. I'll try out your suggestions! Thanks again. :happy:


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## NuthatchXi (Jul 18, 2012)

I used to do Transcendental Meditation, but I've been very lax about it lately. :-/ I really should start up again. It helps me center in myself so much.


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

Here's an analogy that I find fitting.

Everyone know how a manual transmission car works? In such a "car", each gear represents the various stories that we incessantly tell ourselves. You know what I mean; everyone does this. Some have a few stories, others have many. The sad part is that many of the stories we tell ourselves are either unconscious or have become so real to us that we think they are reality itself. We shift from story to story all the time and often get stuck on one. If you've had trouble falling asleep recently, I'll be it had something to do with the inability to disengage from a story. 

M_editation cultivates the capacity to disengage the clutch_. To arrest the continuous, circular loop of mental energy so that the mind so that the story-telling stops. It's not that we tell ourselves stories, this is important; it's that we p_erpetually_ tell ourselves stories. That is to say, we feel that we cannot stop ourselves from story telling. This is not true. _Meditation is the tool that stops stories_. 

The trick is that the conscious and unconscious find some common ground in the human body through sustained focus. There is still a story, but it is the story of the present moment, and in this story, _there are no loops_. Each instant, moment by moment, presents itself and that becomes the center of focus. This experience does not follow the same rules of our story telling mind, because nothing is recycled, nothing from this moment is _forced _or _projected _into the next. Instead of _permanence_, the mind focuses on _impermanence_. Instead of all of these stories about how _I_ feel, who _I _am, what _I've _done, there is simply the breath, or a mantra, or what have you. Not _my_ _breath_, but _breathing_. 

When an individual experiments with such training, new insights into the nature of reality and the nature of the self announce themselves with astonishing clarity. The insight I always keep in mind is that _I am not my stories_ _and that I can stop the stories any time I wish_. 

I hold it to be self-evident that if more people were to practice such a simple exercise, the world would be a better place.


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## Mr Canis (Mar 3, 2012)

Transcendental Meditation was a gateway for me. I had the formal introduction, paid for and everything in my youth and have practiced on and off since then. It opened my mind to other approaches and though I have explored many others, I do have to admit to coming back to TM on a regular basis.

For the past few years, my focus has been on various "no mind" techniques, "shikantaza", "zazen" ("just sitting") as well as the more martial "mushin no shin", among others.

My mind is a clear blue sky.
Clouds come, clouds go.
My mind is a clear blue sky.

Your mileage may vary, but I find great peace and strength here...


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## Agape (Jan 22, 2012)

I have been meditating for about 8 months or so now. I am reaching the point where meditating will not make sense to me because the meditative state is becoming the norm for me. I started meditating like most people...closing your eyes and doing some breathing counting. After that I found easy just to focus on my heartbeats. When I began I started to meditate twice a day for at least 20 minutes.

Later sometimes I meditated while eating and while I was doing the dishes. I move onto meditating while walking or doing errands...even while driving. I realized that meditating is about focusing on a single activity. It can be a visual, auditive or even a kinetic experience...it depends on what sense you feel most comfortable using. As long as you can keep your mind clear of thoughts and focus on one single thing, you are meditating.

The benefits of meditation are many but for me the most important was getting to know how my own mind works and realizing that I am not my thoughts. I am also more calm, happy and feel sometimes spontaneous burst of joy...kind of like an extasis that spread through my body. 

Once you have your head clear you can do some fun stuff and have a much fulfilling life because you are more in the present and the now. We live in a probabilistic and statistical reality. You can influence the outcome of results( think faith healing, creating a parking space, energy healing,etc) with your intention but to do that you need a clear head and that is not wistful thinking...it has been proved again and again. Once you realized that you understand how the placebo effect works or why went you do research that have to do with people, you need to applied double bind and triple bind measures to control variables. For more info read Princenton Engineering Anomalies Research.

So I invite everyone to meditate....it will change your life...but like everything else..it takes time. The best thing is that you can do it anywhere and it not requires any special skill...just a little practice.


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

EmotionallyTonedGeometry said:


> Here's an analogy that I find fitting.
> 
> Everyone know how a manual transmission car works? In such a "car", each gear represents the various stories that we incessantly tell ourselves. You know what I mean; everyone does this. Some have a few stories, others have many. The sad part is that many of the stories we tell ourselves are either unconscious or have become so real to us that we think they are reality itself. We shift from story to story all the time and often get stuck on one. If you've had trouble falling asleep recently, I'll be it had something to do with the inability to disengage from a story.
> 
> ...


This entire post is...amazing. 

I'm struggling a lot with my stories lately...and I know better. I'm in a vicious cycle, it seems...I need to get out of my own way. As a trained hypnotherapist, I know quite a bit about the subconscious mind and how to coax it to work in one's favor...and how it can work against you. I need to get back into that...


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## Kilgore Trout (Jun 25, 2010)

While doing research on Zazen, I found this video which may help those starting.


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## susurration (Oct 22, 2009)

I practice priming a mindful state, as well as focused meditation (though sporadically). I would say I try to turn mindfulness into a way of life.


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## Khalaris (Sep 9, 2012)

I started off with mindfulness meditation a couple of years ago. At the moment I'm doing a combination of that with a sort of centering technique that uses a biofeedback device (a little thing that monitors heart rate variability).


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## unINFalliPle (Jul 8, 2012)

I took yoga in school and loved it. Unfortunately, my teacher wasn't the calmest and made us focus on positioning. I went to a yoga studio. It was a great experience. I felt really light and free. Relaxed. More alive. Is yoga a form of meditation? I can't concentrate on my breathing well though. I don't like that. Listening to music makes me feel really good too. And because I work in a jewelry store and I find it interesting, there is such a thing as meditation rings. http://cdn.indulgy.com/pp/mF/vd/273523377338184721tzR5Wwk3c.jpg There are pieces in the band that move that are believed to calm you. I don't really believe in it but I'm planning on buying one at my store. It does feel nice.


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## Cher Zee (Feb 15, 2012)

Oh I wish I could meditate.

But...I'm an ENFP. We're not known for our calm minds and bodies. I have trouble when I try, my mind wanders so much that I never reach a state of stillness.

However, a guided meditation class might work. I need to be around people, I would focus more that way ironically.


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## Vathir (Sep 3, 2012)

Can anyone suggest a good introduction to Buddhism?


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

I recommend two. "What the Buddha taught" by Rahula and "Basic teachings of the Buddha" by Wallis. Rahula is a solid (but slightly dated) intro to basic Buddhist ideas and Wallis is probably the most "Buddhist" intro to Buddhism available. He goes right to the Nikayas and lays out the Buddha's teachings using the Buddha's words while avoiding all of the wishy-washy stuff that came later. 

What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada: Walpola Rahula: 9780802130310: Amazon.com: Books
Basic Teachings of the Buddha (Modern Library Classics): Glenn Wallis,Buddha: 9780812975239: Amazon.com: Books


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## Kilgore Trout (Jun 25, 2010)

Has anyone done Metta (loving-kindness) meditation? If so, what were your experiences with it? 

the Practice of Metta Meditation


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## Sedna90377 (Nov 14, 2010)

Vathir said:


> Can anyone suggest a good introduction to Buddhism?


This is actually pretty good as far as I can tell, and easy to understand. I don't consider myself a Buddhist at all, just someone that can't deny certain truths when they're defined and corroborate my own observations...

BUDDHISM


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## Thalassa (Jun 10, 2010)

Shavasana (ending, corpse pose) posture in yoga is meditative. Also taking deep restorative classes promotes meditation through long held non-standing postures. You focus on your breath, relax your tongue, teeth, jaw and lips, and close your eyes while trying to turn your gaze downward. This is a form of complete surrender if you can follow your breath. I sometimes have to start with Ojai/Ujjai breathing (breath of fire) so that my breath deepens and I am expanding my chest during inhale and contracting my core during exhale, so that I can really focus into a full surrendered relaxation, and my breath is not too quick or shallow. Eventually in shavasana you let your breath go, to fall to natural, so that you fall into a trance-like near sleep state. In these states I often feel complete peace, transcend thought, or if I do think, I have intensely loving thoughts about particular individuals, or see myself floating in light or something. If I can't control my thoughts while I'm in shavasana or another restorative pose, I say a mantra like "Om ...sa" Om on the inhale, sa on the exhale. Or peace. Or healing. Or a one word mantra I got from a meditation course I ordered on-line.

Before yoga, meditation was more difficult for me. Reading _The Power of Now _really taught me the importance of breathing and of the present moment, and my yoga practice has deepened this. And vice versa. I know my yoga practice would not be as deep if I did not grasp this concept of breath meditation. I didn't at first (when I started power yoga) and some people don't grasp it for a long time. I'm reading a book now called _A Life Worth Breathing _by Max Strom, and in it he actually describes A YOGA INSTRUCTOR who was snippy and high strung (which sounds like an oxymoron) because she had never grasped how deeply important breath is to yoga. I'm really glad I found _The Power of Now _and started taking vinyasa instead of power yoga, because I feel like it's changing me from within, probably some of the best therapy I've ever had, and for the first time in my life I really meditate regularly, and I think it's because I have a mind-body connection.

In _A Life Worth Breathing _Max Strom talks of three basic types of spiritual seekers: the intellectual, the emotional, and the physical. The intellectual type is best at meditation without physical movement, can meditate for hours, even over-meditate in poor postures, and learns exotic ancient religious languages, translates original spiritual texts et al. However, the intellectual type may lack emotional balance or displays of love, and be physically disconnected. The emotional type is very zealous, devoutly religious, and shines with love, but may also be physically disconnected and may not intellectually understand their religion (I feel that we see this a lot with the religious right in the U.S.) ...The physical type might be inclined to power yoga but never learn to meditate, or even become uncomfortable with spirituality in general. I am probably an emotional primary and physical secondary, who neglects my intellectual side in spiritual seeking, and connecting my physical body with my intellect helped to bring balance so I could learn to focus and meditate. I really needed it too, because I have intense emotional reactivity issues (common in the emotional type). 

Sometimes I "just know" things, too, things just come to me. I think this is the product of creating space through transcending thought. 

I've always been good at briefer sensory meditation, though. Like in high school, by my late teens, I was adept at meditating on colors, or could visualize and smell an orange (the fruit) for example, in my mind.


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## Thalassa (Jun 10, 2010)

Oh another form of meditation I've recently tried is kirtan. It's another more physical form of meditation, and it's a group meditation. There is music, chanting, and dancing. It's a euphoric form of meditation, I think it increases compassion and love more so, it's a different experience of course than still, solitary meditation. 

I highly recommend it, though it might freak some people out.


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