How do you meditate?

Question

I heard meditation is good for anxiety. But what exactly do you do?

Answer 1

Put on some calm and quiet music. light a candle if you like. just sit very still (I suggest cross legged) and concentrate on your breathing. Shut out the world, make sure the kids can't bother you and there is noone around who is gonna be bugging you. Just sit still, breath, and relax all your muscles. sometimes it helps to picture a place you find relaxing.

Answer 2

There are multiple ways to meditate by focusing on a word, an object, or your breath, and anxiety is most definitely helped by meditation practice.

Many forms focus on the breath, as does the method I use called Vipassana: In a nutshell, you sit quietly, comfortably and focus on the breath/air coming in and out of your nostrils.

Other feelings, sensations, thoughts may cram into your brain/head and within your body--whether it's that overdraft at the bank, that itch on your nose, that ache in your back. Don't beat yourself up about it, just turn your attention again to your breath. Observe and then always return to observing your breath.

Over time and with practice you will more easily
concentrate and focus on your breath. Your mind may wander, you may still find it unbearable to go without scratching that itch. Go ahead and scratch, observe that event that has you preoccupied, but then return to observing your breath.

It gets better and easier and then you can ignore all or most all stray thoughts and sensations, and focus only on observing your breath in and out.

It is quite calming and empowering and it does take discipline and practice, practice, practice, even if only for five minutes a day. I've found that I can do it anywhere as well, on the bus to an exam or presentation at school that I'm on edge about, in a waiting room, etc.

There are surely books and tapes at the library for you and there may be a meditation group of some sort in your area; it may be free, just a group of people who get together. Sometimes they may be doing different meditation techniques, but that should be okay.

Or, there may be a teacher who organizes a group, gives a short lecture, and guides the meditation session. They may charge a fee.

(P. S. I also recommend that you avoid the Transcendental Meditation people as the poster above suggests, but not for the religious "hocus pocus" reasons they claim.)

Good luck. It's definitely worth the effort.

Answer 3

Meditation basically is a trap. All that meditation does is root you for a while in this moment, but why not be here now and keep being here now? Why not stay here? By paying attention to what is, you stop thought and simply be. So I'm suggesting this be done at every moment, not just while you sit in a quiet room, alone.

Answer 4

I want to steer you away from the middle eastern meditation towards the more useful American Indian meditation. Here a faster application of inner thought is used to connect to your people that have lived before you . Yes try to listen to your invisible grandfathers . Start with only yes or no questions and answers. You will find it is really quite easy . After all who else really cares about you anyhow?

Answer 5

All you have to do is this: Go by yourself into a quiet room.
Close your eyes and clear your mind
It's sort of like dreaming or sleeping. You just have to be in your own zone. If you are having a panic attack, just close your eyes and count to ten then, if you are still feeling tense later, do the previous steps, when you are home.

Answer 6

Turning your focus on your innerself. Being in a room by yourself, turning off all electronics and just being quiet and still and thinking about one thing.

Answer 7

I read Yahoo Answers, and most of the questions send me into this wierd crazy kind of buzz - like the world can't be real....
It works. I wake up an hour later and find that I have received 2 best answers....!

Answer 8

As long as you don't do transcendental meditation b/c demons disguised at angels will visit you- beware.

Answer 9

I work out. An hour at the gym gets my endorphins running.

Answer 10

Someone told me acid does the trick. I go to a specialist named mary jane.