How Do I Meditate Again...?

[Scibat]

Back in the day I used to know how to meditate. It was part of my martial arts classes when I was a kid. Now I try and try, but I just don't remember how I did it before -- Also when I try now, my brain decides that's a fine time to think, about everything.

Basically:


I don't remember how to meditate anymore.
What kind of meditation I should be doing (health, stress, spiritual awareness.)
How to breath.
How to get my brain to take a break and switch off.Any help?

[Sangress]

Three simple steps.

1. Go somewhere without distractions. Get comfortable and tense then loosen all your muscles.

2. Close your eyes and focus on the insides of your eyelids. If you get the gyroscope-like colour patterns behind your eyes focus on them too.

3. Breathe deeply through your nose and focus on the air flowing into you and then out slowly through your mouth.

Depending on what feels right, change the method to something that is more accustomed to you.

If you want your mind to shush up I find that listening to running water or some continuous unchanging sound and putting all of your attention into listening to it, makes your mind go blank after a while.

I often watch a campfire or a candle to make my mind calm and go still.

In earlier years I used blaring heavy metal rock music to blank out my chattering mental voice, but found that method worked better for AP than meditation because rock isn't essentially calming...tends to hype me up instead.

Hope that helps.

[Spiritlite]

I used to by a whole variety of dvd's to try out meditation. my favorite now is to relax my whole body, clear my chakras, then go "up to heaven" and talk to Jesus...yep I go and I talk to Jesus and get answers to my problems.
Another way I meditate is to say something over and over and while doing so ask questions in my head and I get clear responses. I usually say the hail mary over and over because's it's very close to me as I was brought up in a school where we would say it in prayers every morning.
Spiritlite.

[Xan]

Scibat... Here's a simple meditation practice that can get you consciously breathing, and connected again:

Three Steps into your true nature - http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=32551#post32551


blessings
Xan

[TheDivine]

There are many different ways to meditate. I can tell you about a very basic meditation that worked for me when I was first introduced to meditation. I still use this one.

If you are a beginner, you will need a relatively quiet space. (People who are experienced at meditation are better at filtering distractions, but in the beginning it can be hard.)

Sit either in a chair or cross legged on a soft surface, and keep your back straight. The straightened back will prevent you from getting sleepy and will help you to cultivate concentration.

Close your eyes, and breathe in and out through your nose naturally. As the air enters your nose, notice that it feels cool. As you exhale, notice how the air feels warm. Keep focusing on these sensations.

As you become distracted by outside noises, or the influences of your own mind, don't try to resist them. Resistance or punishing yourself for being distracted is how you disrupt the entire meditation. Instead, gently and lovingly bring your attention back to your breath. Do this each time you find your mind wandering or you are distracted by outside influences. (As an aside, there are also meditations whose purpose is to just watch your own mind and passively observe what moves through it, but the breathing meditation I am teaching you is for cultivating concentration, not wandering.)

This is a simple breathing meditation. It is used to clear your mind. In the beginning you may feel frustrated or distracted a lot, but I encourage you to keep practicing. Eventually you will experience emptiness, which is when your mind becomes blank and you are almost unaware that you are even meditating. It's somewhat like being unconscious, but it's nothing like sleep. When you come out of it, you feel peaceful and refreshed.

I use this breathing meditation at the beginning of ANY kind of meditative work. Clearing your mind is essential before you can work with the subconscious. I have even used it before various rituals, to ground myself in the present and in my inner peace.

Good luck. :)