First Attempt at Meditation

[Paratus]

Well, like the title says, I've been trying my hand at meditation. Mostly just sitting straight, deep breathing. You know, the classics

Anyway, I'm just curious to what I'm looking for, if anything. What happened was that my whole body just relaxed; it felt like my body was asleep but I was wide awake....is this something I'm looking for?

[Syd]

Don't look for anything and stand up.

Best, Syd

[Kwajman]

The feelings during meditation are different for everyone. Most people say it is sort of like when you are in bed, not quite awake, but not really asleep. Kind of that in between state of relaxed, restful, peaceful of mind...

[Reiki]

also dont worry if yr mind wanders, just deal with it and go back to that quiet state..

[Reiki]

I forgot to add that make sure u are comfy before starting..

there's nothing like sore cramped legs for intruding on meditation!
:)

[silentbob3887]

When i try to meditate and get really into it i feel like i fall asleep but i don't dream and don't get that refreshed feeling you get after a good nap.

[CKava]

Warning: Just my rather inexperienced opinion.

You don't need to look for anything in particular but just generally stay aware and try not to let your mind wander wherever it feels like. Meditation can be relaxing but its not simply a matter of sitting down and having a rest for 20 odd minutes.

What meditation method are you practicing Paratus if you dont mind me asking? An exercise I found quite good when meditating is to count each breath the moment before you inhale then when you get to 10 go back to the start again. Your mind tends to wander all over the place but if you lose the count or find yourself daydreaming just bring yourself back gently to an awareness of your breath and start back at 1. Its one of the most common techniques taught when you first start meditating.

Hope any of that helps...

[bigd]

when i used to meditate i used to,imagine there was tis lightcoming toward me and it gets larger and larger and larger,and then it goes back it get smaller and smaller sort a like the technique when your counting but just a different way of doing it ,same purpose though

[gerard]

when i used to meditate i used to,imagine there was tis lightcoming toward me and it gets larger and larger and larger,and then it goes back it get smaller and smaller...

Hi Bigd, what you just saw was the energy point located in between your eyebrows, also called third eye or upper dantien

Just take it easy with your meditation, enjoy the path rather than looking for a destination. Things will unfold naturally.

[KungFuGrrrl]

When I work with my class I tell them to get an image in their mind to focus on. one lady picks a waterfall, I pick myself doing forms. another picks the face of Christ.

When your mind wanders gently bring it back to the image. eventually you will be able to meditate for longer periods of time and no need for an image.
KFG

[Buddroux]

yah... i do the same thing. i imagine me doing forms .

[Xio]

Basically you just have to confine your mind. Train it. Stop it wandering. It can be seen this way: Your mind is used to wandering around and thinking about whatever. By thinking about something simple and specific your confineing your mind and restricting it. Keep focus. Once your mind gets used to this kind of training meditation will become more flowing and natural.

/Xio

[pseudo999]

Ok, I'm popping into this thread. I'm also a beginner at meditating, so I apologize if I say anything stupid. I do standing wuji practice for taiji, the santi posture from Hsing-I and bagua, and sitting (on a chair) meditation, which I think is from bagua, or maybe Hsing-I... I'm not sure =P

From Kuk Sool Won, the grandmaster says there are three types of meditation: One for meditating on movements/techniques, like the visualizing people have mentioned, to help you get the movements into your body and mind, or to memorize stuff, or for something else I don't know of. Another one is for mind/awareness/enlightenment, which contains stuff like focusing on breathing / visualizing a light / etc. And the last one is for sensing/gathering/controlling your chi, which is what I do most of the time. All three have similarities, differences, and overlap, but they aim at different purposes, so not all meditation is the same. Meditating a form / movement / technique for years probably won't get you to enlightenment (it might, though), nor will enlightenment assure you of chi control on a martial level. I can see how meditating on certain movements can lead to better chi control, but I found that when I did that type of meditation before I had any chi training, I would be teaching myself movements, but not chi. Again, this is hearsay on my part, so take this with a grain of salt.

Anyways, since I'm practicing for internal martial arts purposes, I do the last one mentioned most often (calm mind; sense, relax, and align body; sense, move chi, etc.), followed by visualizing stuff, and enlightenment will have to wait :D .

[gerard]

To pseudo999,

Just sit down, relaaaaax, relaaaaax and bit more, and don't think too much.

[simonlarcombe]

The most important thing when you first start is not to get frustrated with yourself if you notice your mind wandering. It will wander, don't worry about it just bring yourself back to your breath...

It's good to start with your breath. If you have trouble holding concentration without your mind wandering try counting your breaths, in and out.

i.e. 1 in 2 out 3 in 4 out 5 in 6 out etc. Count to 10 and then start at one again. This is good at the beginning because you may notice yourself after sometime reaching 35, for example...this is pretty normal. Don't worry about it, just start from one again.

When you can hold this just concentrate on your breath, breath through your nose and feel the air, feel the breathing. You wont need to count anymore after some time.

Concentrating on the breath is a good place to start because it is something which your mind cannot quite "work out"...eventually your mind will just give up its ramblings :) It also gives you a feeling of connection between inside and outside....and it's something which happens within your body with no consious intervention, usually, but you can consiously get with it.

After sometime you can just use the breathing to reach a relaxed state and stay there etc.

Don't look for any feeling. Sometimes you can experience unusual feelings in meditations, don't grasp at them, just experience and let them go.

There is no objective to meditative practice.

It should be an enjoyable experience. If you don't feel contented with your practice your mind is still not quiet...just keep trying. With practice you will find it becomes easier and more enjoyable.

[madfrank]

There are basically only two different practices under the name of meditation.

One in which you try to empty the mind which is impossible and the other is where you try to hold onto a thought image sound etc.

Most people westerners and Easterners are under the dillusion meditation is to find peace or stillness.

MF

[simonlarcombe]

Meditation can occur in any aspect of your life. Walking, reading and other normal daily activities.

Peace and stillness are two side effects that can occur from the practice.

The practice of Zazen or any form of meditation practice IS NOT meditation. Meditation is something that can occur through the practice, you cannot make it happen.

[soggycat]

There are basically only two different practices under the name of meditation.

One in which you try to empty the mind which is impossible and the other is where you try to hold onto a thought image sound etc.

Most people westerners and Easterners are under the dillusion meditation is to find peace or stillness.

MF

And some individual are under the illusion they know the correct path but not prepared to describe it.

[gerard]

And some individual are under the illusion they know the correct path but not prepared to describe it.

Stop your winging soggycat :cry:

[madfrank]

Stop your winging soggycat :cry:



It's a sign of insecurity.

He should learn to meditate or learn something about Taoism that'd help.:)

MF

[simonlarcombe]

Stop your winging soggycat :cry:


It's a sign of insecurity.

He should learn to meditate or learn something about Taoism that'd help.:)

MF


You are both way off the mark.

He seems to be frustrated that people disagree with others, or say that they know much more about the subject...but simply that, with no explanation of what the alternative, or their approach, is at all.

There's nothing wrong with disagreeing, this can help us all to learn, but it's completely pointless if you just say "no that's wrong", pointless and very unhelpful.

Wanting to be given information could not be further from being insecure! Quite the opposite in fact.

These kind of useless comments clutter up the forum with threads which run on and on and on with absolutely no information what-so-ever.

[CKava]

One in which you try to empty the mind which is impossibleI think you may have missed the point somewhat here... Emptying the mind might be impossible but becoming aware of the inherint emptiness of the mind is not. Or to put it in more acceptable terms your not trying to stop all the activity in your mind your simply trying to become aware of the activity that is already there. Oh and you certainly can empty the mind of misconceptions for example, so to say its impossible to empty the mind would seem to me to be a bit presumptious.

[gerard]

You are both way off the mark.


From my point of view you're off the mark too! ;)


BTW this is a forum not Shambala. We are here to discuss and discussion implies disagreement, whether you like it or not. If you like to hear nice words I suggest you to join Hare Krishna (http://www.krishna.com/) :D

Take care.

[madfrank]

You are both way off the mark.

He seems to be frustrated that people disagree with others, or say that they know much more about the subject...but simply that, with no explanation of what the alternative, or their approach, is at all.

There's nothing wrong with disagreeing, this can help us all to learn, but it's completely pointless if you just say "no that's wrong", pointless and very unhelpful.

Wanting to be given information could not be further from being insecure! Quite the opposite in fact.

These kind of useless comments clutter up the forum with threads which run on and on and on with absolutely no information what-so-ever.




No you obviously missed my point read my post again with a dictionary by your side see if you can understand it


MF

[madfrank]

I think you may have missed the point somewhat here... Emptying the mind might be impossible but becoming aware of the inherint emptiness of the mind is not. Or to put it in more acceptable terms your not trying to stop all the activity in your mind your simply trying to become aware of the activity that is already there. Oh and you certainly can empty the mind of misconceptions for example, so to say its impossible to empty the mind would seem to me to be a bit presumptious.


Sorry I was assuming a certain level of understanding of these issues

Try meditating for a few years and studying the different traditions like i did then reply to my post


MF

[CKava]

One in which you try to empty the mind which is impossible
You define meditation into two rather general categories then seem to make a value judgement suggesting that one is wothless. If you were suggesting that the point of this type of meditation was to make you aware of the futility of trying to "empty the mind" then maybe that makes a bit more sense however that didnt come across very clearly in your post so I doubt that was what you meant.

Incidentally Id be interested to hear your meditation experience and what traditions you have followed as you do seem to consider yourself to be quite 'in the know'. Might be beneficial hearing a very experienced opinion. So what meditation have you practiced and for how long? And why has this lead you to your 2 classifications? And IF you are critical of one method do you offer a solution?

[Nissani]

i do bridging chi kung i focus usually on my breathing...i've read this is a sort of meditation (though as always i could be wrong)....i do know though that its not necessarily relaxing but definitely disciplining and actually a workout...mind is at ease and breathing is slow but the body is being worked i like it....like i said though i could be wrong

[gerard]

...mind is at ease and breathing is slow but the body is being worked i like it....like i said though i could be wrong

May friend, qigong is far more complex that that. One day you'll understand. Enjoy the path though. Don't get hurt.

Gan bei, Gerard.

[Pepsi32123]

From Kuk Sool Won, the grandmaster says there are three types of meditation: One for meditating on movements/techniques, like the visualizing people have mentioned, to help you get the movements into your body and mind, or to memorize stuff, or for something else I don't know of. Another one is for mind/awareness/enlightenment, which contains stuff like focusing on breathing / visualizing a light / etc. And the last one is for sensing/gathering/controlling your chi, which is what I do most of the time. All three have similarities, differences, and overlap, but they aim at different purposes, so not all meditation is the same. Meditating a form / movement / technique for years probably won't get you to enlightenment (it might, though), nor will enlightenment assure you of chi control on a martial level. I can see how meditating on certain movements can lead to better chi control, but I found that when I did that type of meditation before I had any chi training, I would be teaching myself movements, but not chi. Again, this is hearsay on my part, so take this with a grain of salt.

When you said that there are different types of meditation, which would be the metitation that would involve "iron shirt"? Where they'll be so deap into their chi that they can be hit with a great amount of force and not mind it at all? I had a DVD with a clan of monks doing a demonstration for a show, and one guy went into his chi and did a hand stand (he was supported by a bar against his legs so he wouldn't fall). After he was in the head stand for a few seconds for ballance, he quickly went onto a two finger hand stand; one finger on each hand was holding him up. They had a glass floor, so they shot the camera and the monk was just looking at his fingers. His fingers were white just like the next person's when people hold a glass/clear object.

[GeeniusAtWurk]

i have a weird way of meditating. i know some of you will think i'm crazy for starting this way, but here goes...

I start by picturing a wheat field with a stream in it, and a forest in the background. then i picture a green dumpster in the middle of the field, and in it i place visual renderings of all my worries/stressors/thoughts, and then picture myself in my meditating position sitting on top of it, keeping the lid closed. after a few minutes of this i start taking away the image of the forest, then the stream, then the wheat field, then finally the dumpster, so in my mind i just picture myself floating there. slowly i head towards myself until i pass through my head and into my mind (yea sounds weird i know). at this point my breathing is relaxed enough and i can keep a straight mind a lot easier. then i start the light technique someone else described here, and thus my meditation is more focused.

i don't know if this achieves the desired results of meditation, but it helps i suppose.

[HearWa]

Most people westerners and Easterners are under the dillusion meditation is to find peace or stillness.

MF

Considering the way of attaining un-attached contentedness (what you call peace or stillness) is by realizing dillusion for what it is, that statement really makes no sense.

[gerard]

Considering the way of attaining un-attached contentedness (what you call peace or stillness) is by realizing dillusion for what it is, that statement really makes no sense.


That is what is called in Eastern tradition Vipassana. Do a google search about the term and you'll find out one of the deviations of meditation per se The goal is not feeling like a rasta after having a good session of dope, it's far beyond that. Many lifetimes perhaps? :Angel:

[nzric]

I tend to agree with the drug-free idea.

I haven't exactly kept to the straight and narrow, and I've had my fair share of artificially induced "unattached contentedness" in a variety of ways, but I can honestly say that a good few hours of qigong and forms gives me a bigger and better "buzz", and makes me feel a hell of a lot healthier for much longer.

And as Gerard says, if I keep on that road for another 400 years or so, maybe I'll start to get the idea of what vipassana is really like.

[daftyman]

...... if I keep on that road for another 400 years or so, maybe I'll start to get the idea of what vipassana is really like.
Gosh! and there was me thinking that it was going to take a long time! :p