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-   -   A guy on the internet says something about meditation (https://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=137658)

Gem 29-10-2020 08:49 AM

A guy on the internet says something about meditation
 
Hi.

I believe it is helpful to have a method for practice, and breath awareness is convenient and simple. To avoid this thread being mere lip service, I suggest taking a few moments to notice what your breathing feels like. Having attention on the actuality of the experience abates wilder tendencies of mind and enables calmer dispositions.

This opening post is an attempt to create conditions that are most likely to be beneficial. We are all part of creating optimal conditions, and have the responsibility to do so. It goes without saying that kindheartedness is more productive than malice, and if we come here with reactive mind-states we are more likely to be antagonistic and hurtful. Hence, I suggest a moment or two's breath awareness to allay inner agitations and enhance the free flow of loving-kindness.

JustASimpleGuy 29-10-2020 07:13 PM

Breath is a fabulous anchor for abiding in stillness, and as you alluded to not only during formal sitting. Anywhere and anytime one feels anxious, stressed or any other negative emotion just take a moment to step back and take some time to not only breathe but experience the sensations of breathing. Could be a minute or two or even just a few breaths.

Gem 30-10-2020 08:05 AM

I think for the thread, a minute or less of stablising the mind is fine. My preferred method is to feel the breath in or around the nostrils. It's easier and more focused to feel a small area like that, so I prefer it.

I took a minute to feel the breath so that my mind would be a little bit more balanced when I talk to you - so I have a slightly better vibe. Now I started typing, I keep paying attention to what I'm doing, and feel my fingertips as I hit the keys. Paying attention to these small details centre me in the momentary reality of my experience as it happens, which helps me to be present as opposed to being swept off by the meandering mind.

BigJohn 31-10-2020 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gem
Hi.

I believe it is helpful to have a method for practice, and breath awareness is convenient and simple. To avoid this thread being mere lip service, I suggest taking a few moments to notice what your breathing feels like. Having attention on the actuality of the experience abates wilder tendencies of mind and enables calmer dispositions.

This opening post is an attempt to create conditions that are most likely to be beneficial. We are all part of creating optimal conditions, and have the responsibility to do so. It goes without saying that kindheartedness is more productive than malice, and if we come here with reactive mind-states we are more likely to be antagonistic and hurtful. Hence, I suggest a moment or two's breath awareness to allay inner agitations and enhance the free flow of loving-kindness.


When I meditate, I do not think I have ever noticed what my breath felt like.
Having said that, sometimes when I meditate, I like watching my breath ripple thru my Aura.

Gem 31-10-2020 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigJohn
When I meditate, I do not think I have ever noticed what my breath felt like.
Having said that, sometimes when I meditate, I like watching my breath ripple thru my Aura.





I don't what auras are, so can't reasonably comment. I think breath awareness is something literally anyone can do regardless of their spiritual skillz. I just want the thread to include actual meditation practice, and since breath awareness includes everyone, I reckon it suits the thread.

ant 01-11-2020 02:43 AM

Having suffered from stress for years,i found normal awareness breathwork,didn't cut the mustard.

I found myself hyperventilating and couldn't reach a natural relaxed rhythm.

Alternatively,i found alternate nostril breathing worked wonders for me.

I think this is a good start base for everyone.

An equilibrium,killing tow birds with one stone.: )

Unseeking Seeker 01-11-2020 04:11 AM

In my view, initially we may take up any practice consciously. It can be watching the breath or looking at empty space or a beautiful sunset, a flower or listening to a melody. In my case, I found looking at thoughts more useful ... not resisting, simply looking at them nonchalantly as they arise and fade away, to be substituted by another thought.

Ultimately, the usefulness of a doing is to relax ourself into an ambedo trance, releasing attention flow in as much as we are able, from control applied by lower mind. However, since the roots are embedded in a doing, no matter how subtle that doing is, it is still bound in limitations imposed by the identity (I’m avoiding using the term ‘ego’ since it will spin off into a discussion on what we think the ego is).

Thus, breath meditation is, in my view useful for softening our attention, consciously shifting away from habit borne thought patterns. We move from turbid to tranquil waters. But as long as we watch the breath, it is still an activity, no matter how subtle it is.

As we look at any happening within, be it breath or thought or sensation or void or manifestation, the innate aliveness is in the embrace-hold-release, imbibing, assimilating and releasing each vibration in an aspect of resistancelessness allowing. We may say that formless essence of presence experiences without clinging or stagnating or interfering. Our attention is poised and yet unexpectant in wonderment and astonishment, having rested even memory drawn imagery and with it anticipation and expectation.

Miss Hepburn 01-11-2020 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ant
Alternatively,i found alternate nostril breathing worked wonders for me.

Good to bring that up.
It is amazingly effective. I have used it 2 times while driving to scary
wisdom tooth extraction :icon_eek:...I was as cool as a cucumber when I arrived.

Gem 01-11-2020 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unseeking Seeker
In my view, initially we may take up any practice consciously. It can be watching the breath or looking at empty space or a beautiful sunset, a flower or listening to a melody. In my case, I found looking at thoughts more useful ... not resisting, simply looking at them nonchalantly as they arise and fade away, to be substituted by another thought.

Ultimately, the usefulness of a doing is to relax ourself into an ambedo trance, releasing attention flow in as much as we are able, from control applied by lower mind. However, since the roots are embedded in a doing, no matter how subtle that doing is, it is still bound in limitations imposed by the identity (I’m avoiding using the term ‘ego’ since it will spin off into a discussion on what we think the ego is).

Thus, breath meditation is, in my view useful for softening our attention, consciously shifting away from habit borne thought patterns. We move from turbid to tranquil waters. But as long as we watch the breath, it is still an activity, no matter how subtle it is.

As we look at any happening within, be it breath or thought or sensation or void or manifestation, the innate aliveness is in the embrace-hold-release, imbibing, assimilating and releasing each vibration in an aspect of resistancelessness allowing. We may say that formless essence of presence experiences without clinging or stagnating or interfering. Our attention is poised and yet unexpectant in wonderment and astonishment, having rested even memory drawn imagery and with it anticipation and expectation.



I think there is misplaced assumption because you are actually breathing regardless of your awareness of it. You could say you are you are already doing it, or perhaps it's just what nature does.

There is an assumption that breath meditation involves doing something which I think comes from most teachers' instructions adding actions such as controlling breaths, counting, applying belly breathing and so forth, but to be aware of what the already occurring breath feels like does not include additional volitional action.

Although for this thread the practice is a just few moments for the sake of slightly improving participants centring in the momentary reality of their experience, and thus abating somewhat the wildness of their minds, the meditation has deeper implications, because rather than it being something that you do, it reveals to the individual what they are already doing, and they learn what their habitual activities are.

In regards to observing the thoughts, when one undertakes breath awareness they start to become conscious of what their mind is doing and tends to do. If you undertake longer periods of practice like 45 mins to an hour, you'll realise that your mind wanders frequently - drifting into futuistic and retrospective fantasies which distract you from the real lived experience. After some minutes when discomfort starts to arise, you become aware of how adversely you react and become conscious of your impatience, frustration etc. You realise that this is a tendency you engage in all throughout the day, and how all that activity/reactivity generates tensions that affect all aspects of life.

Gem 01-11-2020 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ant
Having suffered from stress for years,i found normal awareness breathwork,didn't cut the mustard.

I found myself hyperventilating and couldn't reach a natural relaxed rhythm.

Alternatively,i found alternate nostril breathing worked wonders for me.

I think this is a good start base for everyone.

An equilibrium,killing tow birds with one stone.: )





There are different meditations that utilise breathing, but I don't know about all those so I can't speak reasonably about them. I talk about what I have practiced most extensively because that's what I understand.


The breath awareness I can talk about is the one that you said doesn't work for you, but it doesn't have the purpose of alleviating stress so much as it serves to illuminate your tendency to generate it.


For the thread we just take a superficial view - to calm down a bit to create more mindful discussions - but the meditation's deeper purpose is healing purification rather than immediate relief from mind's agitations.


It's usually the case that individuals' agitations magnify because they cease doing what they usually do to avoid them. When you stop trying and just watch, you stop all the usual doings to see for yourself what your breathing actually feels like. As part of ceasing the activity, we stop holding things down and the old junk we have stored up is released and starts coming to the surface. Hence, exactly as you say, a very strong response to pure breath awareness, and the preferred adoption of an activity which works prevent anxiety over one that ceases activity and doesn't work in that way.


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