Interesting or useful meditation aids?

[The_Wanderer_]

I'm a novice to meditation. My strong inclining is keep it simple. No fancy gadgets, trinkets or habit formation of using aids to the point of meditation being less effective if I were to lose access to them. I'd like my meditations to be effective sitting anywhere, no equipment etc.

That said are there some useful or interesting appliances? I've seen pleasant round rugs, cute meditation stools, mini chairs, I gather some people use incense?

I'm getting more into breathwork, been researching about the PNS and how when the inwards breath is shorter than the outer breath it's supposed to lower the heart rate. Thought it might be interesting to get a fitness watch and experiment with different breaths, breath combinations and watch, record my pulse. There's even brain wave measurement/stimulating devices.

And do any of you have a particular setup? A 'special place' or beautiful space you like to sit? I like to sit on my pine floor, pillow behind me, back to a wall.

[iamthat]

There is a lot to be said for keeping meditation simple. Breathing techniques, mantras, anything which we can use anywhere without the need for any gadgets.

Or simply finding that empty space of stillness in the heart area and just resting there.

Personally I use specific meditation techniques which I would not do in public, say on a bus. Which is where it helps to revert to using a mantra or simply being present.

Regarding the meditation environment then it helps to have a special place set aside just for meditation. So I have a small spare room which is my meditation room. Sitting in that place reminds us that we are sitting down to meditate and not for any other purpose. When it comes to stools, mini-chairs, etc, then use whatever works to keep the body comfortable. It is difficult to focus when the body is aching. I use a fairly flat meditation cushion, and I am fortunate in that the full-lotus is quite comfortable for me for up to an hour, and the half-lotus is even more so.

Regarding breathwork then there are all sorts of breathing methods and inbreath/outbreath ratios to produce different results. Maybe for some people these breathing methods are an end in themselves, but for me they serve to quiet the mind as a preparation for actual meditation.

And yes, there are all sorts of brainwave entrainment devices, binaural beats, etc. These can generate alpha/theta/delta frequencies as well as the less common epsilon/gamma/lambda frequencies. I do find them effective, but for me this is in addition to my usual meditation practice, not a replacement.

We are all different so I would say do whatever works for you.

Peace