So I've been meditating for about 3 weeks now. At first the effects were pretty immediate and remarkable. Now i'm just not sure I'm doing the right thing. It seems my mind is drifting ALOT and I cant really sit quietly. I try to focus on my breathing, but in about 5 seconds I'm thinking of something again. Sometimes I fall asleep. Sometimes I can't seem to sit comfortably and get frustrated. I have done mantra meditation and mindfullness meditation. What type of meditation would you reccomend for a beginner? My goal is accepting my emotions and developping a different relationship with them (I avoid my emotions very much). I thought meditation would help remove distractions and help me lose some of this emotional burden I've been carrying around. Also, as a beginner, how long should I be meditating for? At the moment I'm doing about 20 minutes. Any other advice/guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you
First question! You seem to think that meditation should have a final outcome due asking if you are doing right. What outcome do you think that is? Second statements! So, you've decided to meditate. Good for you. Let me clear a few things for you. You will never, ever, ever, have a silent mind. Even observing the fact that you are not thinking of anything is still a thought therefore you have a thought about not thinking. Something is there. Sitting and focusing on your breath is good for beginners. Nothing too fancy. Avoid trying any advanced meditation techniques because it can mess with your mind. I've had experience with this and it is not fun. Many different forms of meditation are out there. Check out the wikipedia entry on meditation. It has a lot good starting points on different meditations. For what you are trying to do I would recommend looking up a guided metta meditation. It's about cultivating loving kindness. When it comes to the amount of time you are meditating twenty minutes is a good start. If that seems too much try ten, or five. Do what you can do. It isn't a race. Third Final Thoughts! I had practiced meditation for about one year each day for thirty minutes. I've been practicing zazen for about two months. They are two very different practices but each one has had a large impact on my life. It will change yours but I warn you that once you start to experience things you can never go back.
When you use an alarm clock sometimes you can become accustomed to the sound and sleep right through it. Sometimes it is necessary to change alarm clocks, or techniques to awaken. You have not been meditating long enough to necessarily need a different alarm clock but you have meditated long enough for the sense of novelty to wear off. What is happening now may be that you are seeing the frenetic contents of your mind with more clarity. The purpose of meditation is to learn about you. If you are trying to achieve trance states that is a different matter. There is a book called Passages that contains many excellent trance achieving exercises. I don't know the authors names but it was written I believe, in the early seventies. I recommend it if that is what you are seeking with your mental exercise. I can give you an exercise that you will find utility for. When you begin to meditate, begin by listening for any sounds that you might be able to hear. Pick one, recognize it, and lay it aside while you pick another to focus on. You do this for a little while and you will soon notice that you begin to run out of sounds, that you had relegated the outside world to kind of a on hold waiting area in your mind.
Well, I guess I should tell you a little bit about me. I guess we could say I'm at a bit of an impass in my life. I've been getting depressed and anxious on and off for a while. I don't really believe in chemical imbalances and genetic depressions and what not. I truly think (and feel) like there is some stuff caught up inside me. I am 25 and I haven't cried since childhood. My reaction to sad things are panic, avoidance if possible, and finally depression if they are inevitable I just dont know how to be sad. I think that because I fear and avoid the negative emotions, I get stuck in nasty situations (relationships, jobs) and I avoid things that I would want to do (such as going on tour with my band, travelling)... Obviously, this creates more negative emotions and a vicious cycle. This is my goal. To create a different relationship with these emotions. To befriend them, to welcome and integrate them instead of repressing them. Also, I would like to shed any emotional baggage that I may be carrying. Good to know, thank you, I will look in to that. Hmm... would you kindly elaborate on that? I understand that Awareness is a one way street, and that I may uncover some unsettling things, but isnt this the point? I uncover them, I experience them, I integrate them and I move on... no? Dope, you seem like a wise person and once again I thank you for sharing your knowledge. I will definitely try your exercise with the sounds. For the moment I am not looking to achieve trance like states. I am looking to clear away all distractions, ''purge'' any emotional baggage I may be carrying, as well as learn to experience any new emotions in a healthier way. I know this almost sounds like what I should be looking for is a shrink, but meditation HAS been making a difference in my life. I don't know if it's a coincidence but the last few weeks have been the most unsettling, sad, happy, blissfull, scary, relaxed, up and down weeks in a long time. I feel more emotional in general. Maybe it's a step in the right direction, only time will tell.
Unpleasant emotions represent a disparity between what is believed or anticipated and what actually occurs.
Shivaya, I definitely think that you are on the right path and are meditating for some good reasons. Pick one thing and go with it for a few months. See what happens, but don't expect any "outcome" other than serenity. You'll get attached to the idea of the outcome and your mind will never shut up. People unfold differently. theDope, Is this the book Passages? If so, thanks for the info, I'm checking it out now! dwaparaKid PracticingMindfulness
No it is not the same book. The book is a paperback the size of a magazine. It had several planned meditations designed to produce specific practical effects, not metaphysical effects. I remember one of the exercises involved listening to selected music at high volume to illicit emotional response.
I don't recomend 'mindfulness.' The single and only reason is that in all Earthly realities nobody can be perfectly mindful. And then mindfulnesss demands a certain ethos. It becomes too difficult. And it entails forced concentration for stilling awareness. And this is very important; if you concentrate on silence of mind it can make actual thinking hard. I used to do mindfulness and it took me years to get my mind fluid again. I like mantra meditation of the Maharishi Mahesh, Swami Amritananda, Sarkar schools. These schools use shakti mantras which mean power mantras. the main difference between mindfulness and shakti mantra is the power of the shakti. In shakti mantra there is a huge flow of bliss, and that just isn't so in mindfullness. But a mindfulness technique can be really excellent for a certain time. Like during Tai Chi, or walking meditation. It can wake you up and allow you to be in tune with your mind and body. But just for short time. Not all the time. No meditation should be all the time. There's other stuff to do. I see you do 20 minutes. That's good. It can be up to an hour twice a day. Do you do TM? Because the 20 minutes is how long one practices it 2x a day. There is a term in Tibetan Buddhism relating to meditation called, "warm." Meditation shouldn't be physically warm unless one practices "Tummo," however there should be a melting quiet. This is about all I have as based on your topic, I think. Let us know how you are doing please.
