My thoughts on meditation

[Mad_Hexer]

Many instructions for meditating say something like, "clear your mind, and concentrate on your breathing" or perhaps visualizing yourself surrounded by a white or blue light..
Well, how can you possibly clear your mind?? How can you clear your mind of everything when you have to think about clearing your mind?
And as for concentrating on your breathing.. Why?? Your already breathing.. You do it without thinking about it.. There is no need to sit on the floor, palms up with your legs crossed and think about the fact that your breathing.. Do you want to know what will probably happen? You will get cramps in your legs, and probably get dizzy or lightheaded by all that breathing!
People claim that by proper meditation, you can just wash away your problems.. That you will rise up and see the whole world in a different light.. That you will walk around a full complete, confident person for the rest of your life because you sat on the floor and let your mind go blank, while breathing "properly", and imagining a white or blue light surrounding you..
Well personally, I think that's bullsh*t..
Meditation will not make your problems go away.. They will still be there when your finished.. But it's possible that by meditating, that you might be able to come up with a solution, or at least go about solving your problem in a different way..
I mean honestly.. How can clearing your mind of everything help you to do anything?
I think the easiest way to look at meditation, is to look at it in an easier, simpler way..
One word..
Relax..
Instead of looking at it as a way to become one with the universe, how about thinking of it as a way to just slow things down, help you center yourself, and re-energize your brain for the busy day ahead..
Or maybe something to do at night to help you relax from your stressful day before sleeping?
So, you can sit on the floor in an uncomfortable position, clearing your mind, thinking about a light surrounding you, and visualizing yourself in a beautiful garden (which won't be easy if your clearing your mind of everything) or you can try it my way (or make up your own).. What have you got to loose?
This is what I do..
In the morning, after my coffee, my devotions, and getting my daughter off to school, I close the curtains in my livingroom, put on some soft music (I like native American spirit flutes).. Then I sit on the couch in a comfortable position, and just relax.. Instead of visualizing, and thinking about my breathing and all that crap, I just concentrate on the music..
It's much easier to concentrate on the music, than trying to clear your mind.. If I am really listening to the music, then my mind is on that, not wandering away, and then causing me to become frustrated because my mind isn't totally blank!
At night, I just take a nice long soak in the tub.. I put my daughter to bed, turn off the t.v., fill the tub with my favorite bubble-bath or bath salts, but a cloth over my eyes and just lay back and relax..
I don't try not to think of anything.. sometimes I think about what I did that day, what I had accomplished, or I think of a nice memory.. Perhaps a vacation that I took with my family, or a nice moment with my husband..
The one thing that I try not to do is think about what I need to get done the next day, or the bills, and stuff like that.. Tomorrow will come soon enough, and I can think about them then..
So, you can try it my way, or a new way that really works for you, or you can sit on your ass on the hard floor and chant stupid crap while clearing your mind, visualizing a whole bunch of sh*t while surrounded by crystals and candles..
Just relax, and try not to be so serious about it..

[~Belladonna~]

Wow, some strong views there :uhhuhuh:

If your way works for you then great, good for you, carry on doing what feels right and as the saying goes "what works works!" but please be careful of what you're calling bullshit... just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work for anyone else either, ya know?

Annnyway... I think the reason many books, sources, etc. say focus on your breathing is because it is a way of getting your mind focused and focused on just one thing instead of letting it run riot with all the days thoughts and hectic goings on. I could be wrong but this is what I think.
Also, I know for me that by focusing on my breathing and getting it into a regular pattern really helps as it seems when I first lie down to meditate my breathing goes manic (hell knows why) so slowing my breathing down and getting focused on it helps with this 100%.

As for clearing your mind and not thinking about anything... GREAT question :thumbsup: I've wondered that exact same thing myself and what I've come to realise is for me, thinking of nothing and clearing my mind means getting rid of all those annoying voices (ya know, the ones that say the ironing needs doing and I really should get up and start tea, etc. etc. etc). Not only that but when I try and think of nothing I just visualise a huge black whole, like a void which my mind goes into... yeah, I know, I'm still thinking of something, right? but this is as good as it gets for me. Maybe someone else has a better answer?

I think that's about all.

Whatever works for you is great, but seriously I like (quote) "visualizing a whole bunch of sh*t while surrounded by crystals and candles.." :hahugh:

[~Belladonna~]

Also, I just want to add. When I meditate I clear my mind at the beginning of the meditation and only then. Once I've done this and gotten focused I move on to the visulization part.

For me, meditation is about journeying, mainly anway, and without the visualization part I wouldn't go on much of a journey. Visualization leads my mind into a spiral of subconcious thought which takes over and in the end I'm not having to visualize anything at all... my subconcious has taken over by then and that's when the journeying starts.

So yeah, I need to visualize. Unless I just want to really unwind and totally relax and then I will lie down with some soothing, relaxing music and go with the flow...

Also, I don't see meditation as a cure all, make life perfect tool. Not at all. Can I ask, where did you get this impression from?
It sure helps me though and makes my days a little easier but it's far from a problem fixer, though it does gives me insight and helps with problems, just doesn't solve everything. I'm really intrigued as to where you've heard this?

[Mad_Hexer]

I don't see meditation as a cure all, make life perfect tool. Not at all. Can I ask, where did you get this impression from?


I wrote that some time ago.. There was a discussion in a group I belong to about meditation.. One person said:

"If you make meditation a daily ritual, soon you will find your problems dissolving and peace filling your life"

I even asked her if she meant that the stress caused by the problem would perhaps "ease up" through meditation and she replied:

"No, I mean your problems will no longer be there"..

Several others in the group agreed with her.. I learned later from talking to others in different online groups that several people also though the very same.. So I wrote it..

[Astara Seague]

for me meditation is relaxing..and relaxing is healthly it also clears my mind so I can think more clearly about what problems I have to deal with and ways to deal with them..also heres an interesting article although its a bit old I thought Id share

Meditation


Washington, DC, November 13, 2005 — The ohms and ahs of meditation do more than provide feelings of serenity and peace; they also transform the structure and function of the brain, according to a series of new studies.

Although Buddhist monks and many westerners have been meditating for years, only recently have scientists begun to study how the practice affects the brain. Now new research presented at this meeting provides evidence that meditation may be able to create important brain changes, perhaps including an actual boost in brain size as well as alterations in brain activity that aid mental performance and increase attention.

In one of the studies, researchers used the imaging technique, MRI, to examine the physical structure of the brains of meditation practitioners in the U.S. “Our findings provide the first evidence that alterations in brain structure are associated with western-style meditation practice, possibly reflecting increased use of specific brain regions,” says Sara Lazar, PhD, of Harvard Medical School.

...

“We found that brain regions associated with attention and sensory processing were thicker in meditators than in the non-meditators,” says Lazar. “Also, in one of the regions, the differences in thickness were most pronounced in older subjects, suggesting that regular practice of meditation might reduce normal age-related thinning of the brain.” This region is an area of the brain’s outer layer or cortex, which is thought to be
involved in integrating emotional and cognitive processes.

[aluokaloo]

because those are just instructions, mainly for beginners, think about it like driving,when you first start you have to think about what to do every time, then after a while you don't really need to think about it too much after a while because it all becomes habitual.

[Beemer_Man_Wong]

If you are concentrating on the music then the music is the object of your mind, correct? If you are concentrating on your breathing, it is the same way. When you practice mindfulness of breathing meditation, you do not have to be sitting specially, or doing anything any special way. It is good to be relaxed and comfortable, but no more. You can practice breathing meditation anywhere at any time. You do not force it, or make it happen a certain way. You let the breath come in and out, you follow it. You do not even have to count. :)

It is also not necessary to visualize anything. Thoughts come and go and you note them, but you keep returning to the object of your mindfulness. In your case it is the music. In my case it is the breathing. You are right, you do not need crystals and candles, you do not need visualizations or to sit on the hard floor. You do not even need a floor or a room, you do not need to be sitting. There is no other important aspect for simple meditation that mindfulness, and it is not too important what you are mindful of. Breathing mindfulness is the best for me, because my breath is always with me. :)

[iceskater12]

I don't think that your ever actually thinking about nothing, but I find the mind calms and has soothing thoughts and the feel of true peace when you reach the certain state of being in a seperate place, like not fully aware of your body, but just relaxation.

So in some ways I agree.

[Lunar Raven]

I have an incredibly hectic mind; it's constantly filled with racing thoughts, so sometimes concentrating on my breathing and "letting everything go" really helps. If music works for you, that' s great. I sometimes use music, sometimes I don't. I find concentrating on my breathing to work easiest. I do meditation because it helps me ease my stress..and when I visualize, I do it again, to ease my mind...just in a different, more creative way.

In general, my thought is..if it works for you, go for it. If sitting on a hard works, or laying on the couch works, do whatever is best in your eyes. Though I get what you're saying..meditation certainly won't miraculously eliminate your every problem. If only it were that easy.

[novimarra]

I imagine that those who've practiced for a very, very long time can reach a point where their problems really aren't that important to them. You could be focusing on 'being' as the Eastern methods tell you to do, instead of thinking constantly about the horror of all these problems that need solving.

In that way, I guess it would seem that the problems have really disappeared, once you stop attaching that feeling of dread to them. Just a theory.