What kind of meditation do you prefer?

[Ciqala]

And what is your meditating experience like with the way you are using?

I am becoming more learned on the subject, whereas i used to think concentration was "meditation". Concentration is where visualization falls into. I've heard some say, that concentration is a fine step along the way to meditation. That even, visualization is key to most magic, prayer, and spirit communication.

But true meditation is not thinking anything at all, to listen to the silence between thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and the ultimate goal of complete silence, and that is when unworldly inspirations come, or if spiritual, spirit contact, or even, finding the higher self. Or just silencing the mind to escape our annoying minds.

Thought it would be interesting to see what you all think about the differences, and what you prefer.

Also, Does anyone use Mantras? How do you choose the right one?

[spiritfirst]

I think this is a personal question and most people would have a different answer for you. I like to run energy through my body and for me meditation is not a passive thing. The quietness of mind that you are talking about happened for me while learning to read auras. And during meditation it helps to notice the distance between you and your thoughts and that you are not your thoughts.

[Native spirit]

:smile: Ive got to be honest i dont meditate much, but when i do its to music i just listen to Native music and thats enough for me.
but its going to be different for everybody, some find it easier to focus on one thing, some do the third eye meditation, its what ever works for you



Namaste

[Shantyaikya]

I've been chanting almost a year now. Various chants as it's part of my practice to learn them and charge them for future use. Once charged, they can be recited for others that are in need of them. Each mantra has a purpose. You select the one that focuses on what you want to work on. I have one for peace, compassion, various elemental mantras, and a few healing ones.

I also started silent sitting meditation a couple of months ago. Currently working on my focus as my mind is like a giraffe trying to stand on ice. Very soon I am going to do my best to attempt a full day of meditation. I think if I do that that as time passes by my thoughts will slower disappear.

[pre-dawn]

I am becoming more learned on the subject, whereas i used to think concentration was "meditation". Concentration is where visualization falls into. I've heard some say, that concentration is a fine step along the way to meditation. That even, visualization is key to most magic, prayer, and spirit communication.

But true meditation is not thinking anything at all, to listen to the silence between thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and the ultimate goal of complete silence, and that is when unworldly inspirations come, or if spiritual, spirit contact, or even, finding the higher self. Or just silencing the mind to escape our annoying minds.

Thought it would be interesting to see what you all think about the differences, and what you prefer.

Also, Does anyone use Mantras? How do you choose the right one?
Meditation, and then there is true meditation? I don't know about that. Neither do I know about not thinking anything, which is most likely thinking that 'now I am not thinking', and waiting for the silence is thinking 'here it comes' or 'there it was'.
I have done silent meditation in the past, have been on 5-day retreats, and nothing noticeable has come of it.
IMO, our upbringing and environment. Our minds are too active and even a regular hour of meditation is not enough to slow it down. The worst is however that it is just another form of mental activity and does not reach the core, which is that the things which need to be released are embodied.
Chanting, mantra recitation, aloud if possible, using mala beads, mandalas, etc. improve the possibility to reach these embodied elements because they are also physical methods. At the same time they keep the monkey mind much better in check than any silent meditation could.

[peteyzen]

hi Guys, my six penneth worth, Firstly, im sorry you havent had anything from the silent meditations you have done pre dawn, but to others reading this, I have had massive results, and it has now and always will be a major part part of my meditation practice. Obviously there are different ways of `stilling` the mind and im not party to which meditations you did pre dawn. But my message to others is, do explore this path as for many it is profoundly effective. I do concur with pre dawn on mantra, true mantras are very powerful, if in doubt any name of god is a good place to styart, and you dont need to say them out loud, saying them Internally is actually more powerful. these (meditation and mantra) are the tools for spiritual development and along with prayer are the most powerful ones.

[supernova]

Meditation to me is something that has to do with with emptying my mind of everything. I try to wander in a different domain of reality or there will be not physical realms.

Maybe through a series of meditations I can reach my state of consciousness. I will be non-physical, astral or unworldly. I will realize my celestial body.

Though I will still be physically rooted to the earth I will be spiritually somewhere.

I need to meditate for many hours to reach this state, a state of blissfulness.

I cannot say exactly or I run short of proper words to express that state of me.

[chadley]

As many have described, there are what I refer to as active meditations and passive meditations and there is also moving meditations

In an active meditation, you may chant, aummmmm, ooooohhhhmmmm, or as Peteyzen said, you may chant any form of god's name. Or, you may use your breath or your intention to move energy through your body. In some meditations you listen for parts of the body that draw your attention and you then focus healing them in many different ways. In Kriya yoga, you may put your hands in certain positions and say specific chants and such. They even sometimes use a piece of wood shaped like a T to hold their arms/elbos up so that there arms dont get tired during certain meditation practices.

In passive meditation, your aim is to sit in stillness and instead of visualizing or intentionally moving energy, you let the energy flow where it will as you let the mind flow where it will. Or, more commonly, you practice to quiet the mind so that you may hear the more subtle voice of spirit.


Moving meditations such as Tai Chi and Chi Qong are also just as much meditations as the rest. I have even sometimes become so deeply tranced in my movements that I have channelled kata or continued on with movements directed by spirit, you could say, not making conscious decision of what move I was going to do next.

I found out that what works for me is to combine them all. I get the best results this way for me.

I first do a moving meditation which really helps shake out all of my anxieties for the day.

Then, I will do an active meditation such as a chakra cleansing or sushumna cleansing where I move energy up and down my spine. I may also add a hara line meditation where I connect myself to the earth.

Then I either sound the ooohhhmmm, or uuuuummmmmm for about 5 or 10 minutes. This really helps focus my mind. If you are having trouble with stillness, I strongly recommend sounding either outloud or in your head for several minutes prior to your stillness meditation. It really makes it easier to calm the mind and its ramblings down. Another options besides sounding or chanting is to use a audio program such as holosync or hemisync. These recordings contain oscillations that lower your brains wave links and do a supurb job of quieting the mind and getting you into delta or theta or whereever you want to go.

At last, I finally stop sounding or shut off the holosync recording on my ipod (you cant really hear the oscillations, just the sound of the ocean or rain, great to go to sleep with), I sit in stillness and simply allow. This is the simplest practice but requires the most discipline. I experience really powerful meditations of stillness especially when I dont break between the sounding and simply stop. auuuuummmm. STOP....silence......stillness...

The whole process can take sometimes 45 min, sometimes a few hours and the amount I spend on each individual portion varies based on intuition. I usually spend only 5 or 10 min on the moving meditation, sounding, and a bit more time on the healing and the stillness.


Another really helpful thing I would like to share is a trick Iv discovered to help keep your back comfortable in long meditations. First and formost, you must, of course, have a good zafu meditation pillow. These keep your butt elevated and your back straight and more comfortable. Elevating you seat helps prevent your feet from falling asleep while sitting in Indian style or lotus, as well.

My trick is to then switch off my position by switching from the zafu to a boddhi or Seiza bench or just a meditation bench. If you haven't, you must try one of these benches. The look almost uncomfortable and if you watch someone on them you may think it is hurting their knees. Let me tell you, you must try one, they are amazingly comfortable and they do a great job of keeping your back straight. Its also just nice to have an alternate position when your back fatigues. It is about 6 inches tall in front and 8 inches in the back creating a perfect slight incline that props your back in the perfect position.

go to www.spiritualunfoldment.net and click on Seiza benches in the menu. They are very beautiful as well.

Another position to experiment with is laying down straight on your back. I only do active meditations this way as it is easy to fall asleep :)

Anywho, hopes this helps!