My wife would like to start meditating but she has quite a short attention span (- her own admission i would like to add)
which she would like to change and would like to learn some simple meditation excercises that she would not lose concentration with.
2007-05-18 08:20:47 · 12 answers · asked by ? 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
There are various kinds of meditation and many good books she could buy. Mathew Flickstein, Joseph Goldstein (Insight Meditation), Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness) are some good places to start. She can also go to a web page www.audiodharma.org for some instructions she can listen to. Gil Fronsdal has some good ones at http://www.audiodharma.org/talks-gil.html. These are free downloads and very interesting tapes.
Meditation is called a practice because it does take time to develop the technique. The mind does want to think and wonder off into fantasies about the past or the future. Just don't worry, and gently bring it back to some focal point; often the breath as it leaves and enters the nose.
2007-05-19 07:37:17 · answer #1 · answered by Jim San Antonio 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Learning how to meditate takes practice, practice, practice!
Ram Dass has a book I use when teaching meditation called Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook. He offers many different style to try from sitting quietly to walking.
Best advise. Sit for 2 minutes quietly and just notice the thoughts that go thru your mind. Work towards 5 minutes and then work towards clearing your mind for a full 5 minutes of quiet time. Do it in the same place at the same time every day.
Believe me, every question will go thru your mind when you try this (and will continue for years!). It's not failure. The goal is to try to gently quiet that internal chatter.
My favorite way to meditate is to pull weeds in my garden. When I'm at my vacation house (where the garden is all natural) I wash dishes. Any routine chore can be turned into a meditation practice if you choose to meditate that way.
Good luck!
2007-05-18 15:29:29 · answer #2 · answered by Aileen C 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Short attention span is no problem. We all "start small" with shorter meditation sessions, and work our way up. A good place to begin the meditation journey is at the Buddhanet meditation site, URL below.
2007-05-18 15:25:40 · answer #3 · answered by buddhamonkeyboy 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Spiritual Exercises of ECK are particularly ideal for the lifestyle of people in the Western World where there is hardly time for long meditations. I am sure your wife, and any other person that is interested, will find the techniques listed there, as well as the spiritual insight, very valuable.
2007-05-18 15:31:52 · answer #4 · answered by RAFIU 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tell her to accept her own admission sincerely,
when she lost attention then just aware that she lost attention, that's all.
You (and her) will be surprised how many "meditating" people are actually busy thinking about something else.
Tell her not to judge her for short attention span,
if judgement comes up then study where that judgement came from...
2007-05-18 15:27:12 · answer #5 · answered by The Catalyst 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
sit crossed leg on the floor.
with ur back straight as possible.
put your hands in front of you. one on top of the other.
top palm face down, bottom palm face up.
about 3 - 5 inches apart.
now imagine your holding a small rubber ball in them.
you may feel a tingling, or like a magnetic like force pushing your hands apart a little. (similar to putting the same pole of two magnets together, they repel)
do this for 5 mins gradually increasing the time.
for further information search google for tai chi exercises. chi kung etc.
its actually easier than it seems when written.
2007-05-18 15:29:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Try soft music, or as some people do, try repeating one short word and concentrate your attention in it, or in your breathing.
Meditation is actually pretty good to relax and clear the mind though i don't believe any of the esoteric crap associated with it.
2007-05-18 15:25:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
What KIND? There are varying types. If you're interested in the Buddhist variety, there are online guided meditations at www.buddhanet.net
_()_
2007-05-18 15:23:20 · answer #8 · answered by vinslave 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
try the Bible on CD or DVD; she should still be hearing the word even though she felt that she wasn't. Over time she can be long periods of time meditating upon the Lord. Hope that helps.
2007-05-18 15:26:27 · answer #9 · answered by coffee_pot12 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋
pick and object and focus on it..look at all the details and imagine the object in different time periods
stare into a candle
chanting
2007-05-18 15:25:57 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋