How do you meditate? Breathing? Any particular guiding thoughts?

Question

If you cannot clear your mind, do you use any particular thoughts to guide yourself? For example, someone I know thinks of a decomposing corpse. or walking through a tunnel. i'm looking for more of these relaxation methologies.

Tommy - what is "shamanic journey"?

Answer 1

Just get comfortable - some folks use the same entry as for self hypnosis - you image you are getting on an elevator and the doors open into a lush tropical landscape - you walk along the path and you here the waterfall in front of you. The path opens onto a clearing beside the waterfall. You make yourself comfortable in the clearing on a pile of dry leaves and relax.
Meditation does not need to use a clear mind, you just need to get your mind somewhere, anywhere else. You can try to be quiet and see what thoughts keep entering your head and consider their source. You can just listen to your mind running on and on - but try to observe it. It will get quieter over time or it will get deeper and more meaningful, but that can take weeks and that is OK - not everyone gets somewhere right off the bat. You can also just sit and write three pages of any and every thought that comes into your head - stay there until you have three pages. If you do that every morning, it helps your concentration and you eventually move from "to do" lists to more meaningful ponderings.

Answer 2

Use what ever thought or image you want ot direct your energy or focus to. Or focus on negative stuff that is bothering you, with the object being to conquer the negative energy and become free of it. You want to breath more than the body requires, so as to go into an altered state and clear out or cleanse the mind of emotions and negative thoughts. Also be able to focus more on that which is a positive direction for you. Tensing the stomach muscle when breathing in, can intensify the meditative process, by making you breath just a little more than the relaxed body normally would.

Answer 3

When I used to meditate I visualized smoke and whenever mind chatter came up I would interrupt it will a "shhh" thought. Then when taking yoga, I found the vocalization of "om" (more like long drawn out ah-woo-mm) stilled the chatter.

Now instead of meditation, I use shamanic journey, but that is not really on topic here.

Answer 4

in the buddhist tradition their is a sutta called satipatanna sutta which is about the four foundations of mindfulness
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html
their are several techniques a good resourse of information and a weekly instruction is Aro http://arobuddhism.org/meditation/learn-buddhist-meditation.html
the simplest description i can give is to get comfy with a straight back, close your eyes alter your possition so their is no uneven tenssion then let the breath flow naturally without trying to controle it, just focus on the breath, you may find it easier to count the breath, from 1-10 then back again. try doing this for 10-15 minuets to begin with then move to a greater length by 5 minuets at a time, remember if your mind wanders and it will dont be hard on yourself just return to the breath.

Answer 5

I have several methods:

Counting
10, 9, 8...0
100, 99...0

The four-fold breath, in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, out for four seconds, hold empty for four seconds.

Doing one of the above and then focusing on the feeling of my body, then hearing, then sight and smell, while not leaving the sense before -- the opposite of all other techniques I know, to be consciously aware of everything (instead of pushing things out as distractions).

In the past I've used chi kung, with is not meditation per se but is meditative.

Answer 6

Deep breathing, stretching to relax my body... No particular thought to guide me...

When I meditate I simply try to discard all structured thought and let my mind skip about from random thought to random thought...

Answer 7

well what i do when i maditate or im about to do my yoga, i picture myself in a stress free place whether its a library or on a cloud, or even in your favorite room in your house like you room where you cant be bothered by stress. just think of a place that helps you relax because nobody can clear there mind completely. it jsut takes practice to learn how clearing you mind feels like to you. good luck
blessed be

Answer 8

Being brought up with a buddhist grandfather, I usually sit in the lotus positin (you know the one people take the mick out of). It really helps me to relax. I also listen to classical chinese music as it's relaxing.

Failing that, I just sit in my room and look out the window with incense burning.

Answer 9

I use a VERY ANCIENT art, practiced at one time by all Christians. It is the technique known as lectio divina - a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures which enables the Bible, the Word of God, to become a means of union with God.

This ancient practice has been kept alive in the Christian monastic tradition, and is one of the precious treasures of Benedictine monastics and oblates. Together with the Liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm.

Within this rhythm we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God is continuously extending to us in the person of his Son Jesus Christ.

Answer 10

Just let go of the past and future, and be aware (feel, not think) of as much as you can be aware of in the present moment.

Thought is only about the past and future...never about the now. So if you let go of everything but now...what is there to think about?

Accept everything that is as it is in the present moment...do not do anything. Make no efforts.

~ Eric Putkonen