CarryOn

I was wondering what others here do to practice meditation? I do pray, but think that I need to also find a way to truly clear my head to allow me to work my recovery. We discussed this briefly in a meeting a few days ago, and I found a great page in Hope for Today with examples of how people mediate. One said they would focus on an object and keep coming back to that object as other thoughts ran through their head, another said they imagined a pair of hands as God's hand, and placing all their thoughts, fears, etc. in His hands and eventually climbing in themselves. So, what do you do? I feel like a sponge trying to soak up information and this is an area I haven't explored much yet. Thanks in advance!

FireSprite

Well, I use a couple of different methods depending on how active my mind is, how much time I have, etc. I tend to do a deeper meditation as part of the end of my sessions when I practice yoga at home.

For that I use a lot of chakra visualizations/focus. I imagine the whiteness of Universal Energy flowing in from the heavens down through my crown chakra & through each one until I reach the root. My focus is to become hollow & feel that energy fill my central column that runs the length of my chakra system. As the energy passes each chakra point, I visualize that energy taking on their corresponding colors as it washes through.... purple, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red... (or sometimes use crystals/stones in those colors as an aid) I might focus on one area specifically if I'm having problems with the corresponding aspects to that chakra point - communication, creativity, etc. I have a great book that has breathing exercises to use with this method.

For a quicker, less intense meditation I have a couple of short 10-15 min guided meditations on CD. I keep copies on my mp3 player, at my office, in my car - wherever I may need one.

bi11fish

over and over and over--like any other discipline it takes practice.

Soberpotamus

I'm reading through this: http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/mindf...in_english.pdf

This is Vipassana meditation, or insight meditation. It's Buddhist, though different from Zen or *******. This pdf is highly recommended if you're just starting out. You can start on your own but you're encouraged to later find a teacher to instruct you further.

I bought a zafu and zabuton a couple years ago and so I'm finally getting to use them. They are meditation pillows. It makes it comfortable to sit.

What I like about this style of meditation is that it's all about mindfulness and acceptance of reality... and to me that's perfect for someone in recovery.

AnvilheadII

i don't meditate...well i can't at least...i've tried but i just can't get THAT quiet and THAT still and then stay that way. however i CAN be quiet...and i can be still...at times. i can sit completely captivated watching a rain squall move thru, or just gazing around my yard looking at things that grow. Nature is always a good thing to focus on, for me. my newest latest thing is audiobooks, and just going and lying down on the bed, closing my eyes and listening. i can DO that! my mind might not be empty, but at least its uncluttered.

i've heard binural beats are supposed to be very soothing...i find them kind of repetitive and annoying. which i guess is the point and while i just bomb at this mindfulness stuff!

i don't get the yoga thing either. sigh.

LifeRecovery

I took a class called Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction because this was a struggle for me. There is a book that goes with the class called Full Catastrophe Living.

I found them to be a great place to start.

Bubovski

First thing in the morning I converse with my Higher Power which encapsulates what I genuinely understand to be good rather than bad ( not too easy at times) and ask for guidance over the forth coming day.
I have been involved with many religions and take what is meaningful to me as part of my meditation. What is not meaningful ( things may change) I simply ignore.
I don't see any point in repetition by rote and try and allow my thoughts to have specific meaning relevant to my mind.........hopefully improvement here will flow on to others.