Strictly a begginer, I have been having trouble keeping my mind still/quiet/focused whilst meditating. My search for a solution (other than just trying harder, LOL) lead me to a health Spa yesterday. I had a 45 minute "dead sea flotation" and once settled I started using the main techniques I have gleamed from manuals associated with Buddist Zen and some from my study of Kung Fu and Ninjitsu (outward breath counting & using the observer, etc, etc). This really helped and I'm pretty sure I was sucessful for the first time and felt some pretty beneficial effects. If anyone else is having trouble getting started with meditation perhaps a similar session or two might help you also. Has anyone else done anything like this before? this was a pool rather than a tank and was in a very very dimly lit room with twinkling lights on the ceiling resembling the night sky, there was also some 'new age' music which I found rather distracting at first but soon relaxed and put my ears under the water - problem solved. Has anyone actually tried a flotation "tank" as opposed to a pool? the full "sensory depravation thing"? I have heard its possible to visualize objects and patterns? Anybody had similar experiences? Thanks. HJ.