Meditating

[SelfSeeking]

Meditating has always sounded like a good thing to do. Like exercise or not eating processed sugar. And like exercise and not eating processed sugar, it is something I have not tried to do since I was a teenager. But I did this morning!

My goal was 20 minutes. I sat on a cushion. Closed my eyes. Then sitting on a cushion felt funny, so I moved to the floor. Closed my eyes. Realized I needed to feed the cats. Fed the cats. Sat back down on the floor. Closed my eyes. Butt felt sore, moved back to the cushion. Sat there and counted my deep breathing. Opened my eyes to check how much time had passed with the breathing. Two minutes!

I found that if I kept counting with my breathing, my mind didn't jump from thought to thought, but as soon as I stopped, I was up and running again. Thoughts, anyone? Does this pass?

[ananda]

sitting meditation really helped me to get through cravings, and it helps with all the other stuff too....I think a big thing i expereince as i practice is that just because i have a thought doesn't mean i have to act on it....nose itches...just don't scratch

Now most of the time I do cave in and scratch!

But it is interesting to learn that I can sit and let things flow through my body and mind without grabing on to them.....sometimes...

I think the key is to practice practice practice...and coming back to the breath always helps me.

Great to hear you are doing this!

[doorknob]

Geez.. I don't even know how to relax! The closest I come to any kind of state where my mind is clear is driving down the highway with my bass slumpin' or mountain biking or snowboarding down a big hill, so that any break in concentration could be disastrous.

[jimhere]

Originally Posted by SelfSeeking

Meditating has always sounded like a good thing to do. Like exercise or not eating processed sugar. And like exercise and not eating processed sugar, it is something I have not tried to do since I was a teenager. But I did this morning!

My goal was 20 minutes. I sat on a cushion. Closed my eyes. Then sitting on a cushion felt funny, so I moved to the floor. Closed my eyes. Realized I needed to feed the cats. Fed the cats. Sat back down on the floor. Closed my eyes. Butt felt sore, moved back to the cushion. Sat there and counted my deep breathing. Opened my eyes to check how much time had passed with the breathing. Two minutes!

I found that if I kept counting with my breathing, my mind didn't jump from thought to thought, but as soon as I stopped, I was up and running again. Thoughts, anyone? Does this pass?

Pretty much my experience with the discipline that I practice. When I first started, it seemed like I had to open my eyes every thirty seconds or so to see how much time had passed.

[SelfSeeking]

I'm setting an alarm next time.

[zendust]

You should meditate with your eyes open. Here is a good instruction on an ancient form of meditation. Remember, it is a practice. Keep at it, there is no perfecting it...just keep practicing.

[ananda]

there are many many forms of meditation, yes...for the type i practice the eyes are open.

I do like the idea of a timer though.

In groups we have the time keeper....but alone can be a bit more of a challenge.

[zendust]

I use a stick of incense as a timer. When it is done burning, I'm done meditating. It's much more quiet than a jarring timer going off. You have to experiment with a few different kinds to find one that burns in the right amount of time.

[SelfSeeking]

Originally Posted by zendust

You should meditate with your eyes open. Here is a good instruction on an ancient form of meditation. Remember, it is a practice. Keep at it, there is no perfecting it...just keep practicing.

Ohhh... went to the website. That sounds much better than what I was doing! I guess the Buddhists figured out a few things, eh?

Thank you for that link!

[zendust]

You are most welcome.

Yeah, they figured that stuff out a few thousand years ago!

[jimhere]

Another reason I find these discussions so enlightening.

I have been told about meditating with the eyes open, but have not tried it. Thanks for the link, zencat. I also use a timer, not a noisy one, but I find the idea of using incense as a timer intriguing. I think I will try it.

[zendust]

Ahem...zendust, if you don't mind. Different member.

[SelfSeeking]

Originally Posted by jimhere

Another reason I find these discussions so enlightening.

I have been told about meditating with the eyes open, but have not tried it. Thanks for the link, zencat. I also use a timer, not a noisy one, but I find the idea of using incense as a timer intriguing. I think I will try it.

I had never heard of such a thing as meditating with eyes open, but it makes sense to me. I noticed this morning that with my eyes closed, they were darting about behind my eyelids. I need to pick a focal point or my eyeballs will keep looking for one independently! So annoying!

[zendust]

It has to do with not trying to block out the world around you, but to get still and be with it. Open up to the senses and observe your mind's movements. Does this sound or that one irritate you? Why?

Meditation is about being attentive to one's thoughts and eventually seeing through the folly and delusion of those thoughts. Don't TRY too hard to get rid of thoughts. It is a natural function of the brain. Sit still, watch your breath, give yourself a little time and your mind will NATURALLY settle. Practice.

[jimhere]

Originally Posted by zendust

Ahem...zendust, if you don't mind. Different member.

sorry about that.

[zendust]

No problemo!

[shockozulu]

A friend of mine is doing a paper on Mindfullness. Its a newer technique. You may want to look into it. I know that there are videos which show you how to begin this meditation online.

I was taught to close my eyes and do some deep breathing. Then I imagine a small red ball in the center of my mind. Every intruding thought moves the ball. I then use my "mind power" to simply move it back to the center. After ten minutes I am relaxed and refreshed.

[Zencat]

Some days I have better results with meditation than others. When my mental illness is less active I can meditate. Usually I'm able to relax my mind, thoughts arise from nothingness and go into nothingness without my mind attaching to them. But when I have mental illness flare ups, no success yet with maintaining a meditative state any longer than a few moments.

[zendust]

Just keep at it and try not to judge whether one session was better than another. Try not to judge any sitting. It will be what it will be.

Good sit, bad sit...just sit.

[stone]

I like it when I observe my thoughts and realise I am not really thinking them, I am not my thoughts I am the peaceful, detached observer of them.

I sometimes close my eyes and sometimes leave them open, I usually find concentrating on my breathing is the best way to start.

Alera, I always thought of mindfulness as a state of mind to be in as much as possible? Like being 'present'. Often I don't meditate as such but try to be 'present'.