Meditation
1) Prepare a quiet spot for your meditation. Meditating regularly in the same spot can help your mind to form a habit of relaxing. Sit in a relaxed, cross-legged position, Indian style. If you are not comfortable that way, lean against a wall or sit in a chair. The main idea is to simply be as pain-free in your body as possible, so that you can focus your mind without strain.
2) Begin your meditation session by taking some deep breaths. Bring your awareness to the space between your eyebrows or to your heart area. Choose a phrase that is relaxing or uplifting, or you may simply choose to observe your breath.
3) When your mind starts to drift away from the chosen phrase, gently bring it back to center, repeating the words. Gradually, you may be able to notice an increasing sensation of peace during and after the time you sit to meditate. It is this peacefulness that is the physiologic aim of meditation.
Meditation induces a hypometabolic state, with increases in serotonin, endorphin, and enkephalins.
Visualization
1) Depict the “problem” or goal.
2) The best time to perform visualization is after deep relaxing. You are then relaxed and calm, and can focus your mind most effectively.
3) Use general imagery. Breathe in healing, breathe out pain or disease.
4) Choose specific imagery.
5) Open visualization.
6) Depict solution.
Deep Relaxation
1) Lie flat on your back, placing your feet about shoulder-width apart; if lying flat is painful to you, you can practice this in a chair or raised bed. Your hands should be slightly apart from the trunk of your body, with palms turned up. Close your eyes. Gently move your arms, legs, trunk, and neck.
2) Focus on your body, part by part. First, think of your right leg. Inhale and slowly raise that leg about one inch above the floor. Hold it fully tensed with the breath held. After five seconds or so, exhale forcibly out of the mouth, and relax the muscles of the right leg at the same time, allowing it to fall to the floor on its own. Shake the right leg gently from right to left, relaxing it fully, and then forget entirely about the existence of this leg. Repeat this same process for the left leg, then buttocks, stomach, chest muscles, and shoulders.
3) Roll your neck from side to side. Squeeze your face muscles tight, open your mouth as wide as you can, stick out your tongue, and roll your eyes back; then release. Once again tighten your face muscles; imagine squeezing all of the tension in your body out of the tip of your nose. Take some deep breaths and feel your whole body relax.
4) Now use your mind to relax each part of your body, beginning with the toes and moving slowly up the body. Feel each body part relax even further, using your mind. Finally, focus on your breath. Observe it, and keep your concentration there. Then observe your thoughts. See how they come and go, but don’t follow them out, just witness them, and stay centered. Then go beneath the waves of changing thoughts, to the peace and stillness that doesn’t change, and just feel that peace. Stay there for some time, then deepen your breath, roll your arms and legs, give a good stretch, and sit up, alert yet relaxed.
Breathing Exercises
1) Three-part breathing: Let the abdomen expand, then the lower chest, finally the upper chest, feeling the clavicle rise. Exhale in the reverse order. Count to 10 breathing in, and then to 20 breathing out.
2) Bellows breathing: Rapidly and forcefully exhale, then have an easy inhalation, for a 20 count. Rest, and repeat 3-10 times.
3) Alternate-nostril breathing: Breathe in to the count of 10, then out to the count of 20, alternating nostrils by using an index finger on the unused nostril.
Meditation, letting the demons in
by free2beme 39 Replies latest jw friends
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MadTiger
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ithinkisee
Sirona hit the nail on the head. Freedomloverr has mentioned several times that when she has attended a friend's childbirth it was the most spiritual experience she had ever felt. Imagine being able to experience that weekly or even daily and then going to the Kingdom Hall and hearing the same regurgitated crap you grew up with and the spiritual insincerity of "the friends".
::Satanus said: "In fact, it seems to me that the main goal of meditation should be to acheive the ability sluff off all things."
I don't know if "sluff off" is the right term. Athletes perform a sort of meditation when in game mode. They "sluff off" outside issues (to use your term) - which could be family, money, whatever - in order to focus on their performance. You will see it with golfers when they take a deep breath before a shot. Basketball players on the freethrow line, field goal kickers in football, penalty shooters in soccer and hockey. It doesn't mean those issues are ignored, they are just put to the side temporarily to gain or regain focus and/or perspective.
Some people - that meditate daily - just use meditation as a conscious discipline in their lives. It's not lazy people either (though I imagine there are some) - many of the greatest minds in business and politics use meditation to help with clarity and focus.
I believe that gaining inner peace by meditation is much more satisfying than requiring an outside impetus like a "holy book" of writings or religious group to give us that peace. The individual relationship with the creator or supernatural is more in line with Jesus teaching of grace anyways.
-ithinkisee -
ithinkisee
Additionally,
I have been journaling my progress through my 8-week 8-minute meditation regimen. Here is an excerpt from week two where I started noticing significant progress. Before this point I would usually simply feel relaxed from breathing slow and taking a "time out" - that was about it:I missed journaling yesterday, but I still had about the same luck as on Week 2 Day 1. Today was a little different though. Actually a lot different.
So, I was trying to just let sounds pass me by but i kept running into the problem of identifying the sounds and associating them with things instead of just letting them be sounds and nothing more. ("Meditation is allowing what is.") I kept hearing cars pass outside and identifying them as cars. I would hear a door close and recognize it as doors closing. I began realizing that I was focusing too much on the sounds and not enough on my breathing. So back to breathing concentration. Once I did that then the sounds once again began to be just sounds. I liken it to when I am really in the middle of a programming project and I am wiring functions together and nothing outside of what I am doing matters. Sometimes I'll be programming in the living room and the TV will be on and it won't matter - because it's just background noise. Maybe that is a bad analogy - I don't know. But something happened when I once again refocused on my breathing:
One problem I had in Week 1 was that my mind would begin to wander on my exhales. Recognizing this I began to focus on my exhales more and make sure I was remaining focused there. Problem was, I focused so hard on my exhale that my mind was recovering from the exhale-focus and my mind switched to start wandering on the inhale. Argh!
Well, today I was actually able to focus on both inhales and exhales. It took a bit of time, but I was doing it. Then my mind did this really weird thing. I could feel it begin to open. Sort of like a sea anemone letting it's most delicate parts being exposed to the elements. I could actually feel it opening! In fact, as it got larger it began to expand at a rapid rate - a rate that quickened as my mind (or consciousness or whatever) grew. It began opening so fast that it actually scared me - I panicked - and my mind slammed shut. Strange sensations of feeling free yet subject, powerful yet vulnerable, all at the same time. I had never felt that combination of feelings before. It was freaky. You know on the Discovery channel, how sea anemones slam shut really quick when a predator is near? That is actually what happened. I actually "saw" it slam shut as I panicked. I inhaled sharply and flinched - like when a part in a movie scares the crap out of you. I tried getting back to that place where my mind opened, but I was so rattled by what just happened I could not settle down again.
This is a little strange and definitely unexpected. I am not sure if it is just that my brain relaxed, or that I actually opened my mind, or if it is a combination of those things. I can't tell. What I can tell you is that it is a place I am going to try and reach again. The brief feeling I got was nice - relaxing and exhilarating at the same time.
-ithinkisee -
Satanus
ithinkisee
I don't mean sluff off in the sense of avoiding or shirking responsibility in general. I mean during the meditation, to detatch from all cares, worries, beliefs, even emotions. Become completely ballanced, centered, during the meditation.
S
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bernadette
ithinkisee
you said
I had never felt that combination of feelings before. It was freaky. You know on the Discovery channel, how sea anemones slam shut really quick when a predator is near? That is actually what happened. I actually "saw" it slam shut as I panicked. I inhaled sharply and flinched - like when a part in a movie scares the crap out of you. I tried getting back to that place where my mind opened, but I was so rattled by what just happened I could not settle down again.
I'm glad that you are going to continue past that feeling of fear and freakiness. I have also been there. It is described as the egoic conscious mind trying to wrest control in the same way that your mind kept wandering when you were focusing awareness on your breathing. I understand that one has to surrender to get past that point.
bernadette
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hamsterbait
I do mantra meditation.
It is just mentally focussing on a sound in your mind.
A good meditiation leaves me feeling so ******* - sorry cannot think of a word here.
Not doing it makes me see how much it helps.
HB
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bernadette
free2beme
I have a question re Clam's point below
At a development circle I was taught to open my chakras but with important emphasis on asking for protection. Since spiritualists are almost always going down the route of communication with spirits, all the ones I know take very seriously the threat of negative spirits and energies
Now I personally feel completely safe and secure when meditating but want to know if you/Clam can expalin why the above is necessary.
I'm wondering if what we call 'demons/negative spirits' is actually collective negative energy from all the hate/insanity around us that we as humans have produced over the years.
bernadette
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Satanus
Bernadette
I actually to think that there are negative low level entities around, as well as a few spirits of dead people who are negative. But, these are no more serious threats than say, a fly or something like that. I have never had any indications of something like the demons that the wt goes on about.
The objective of channeling is different than meditation. While meditation may be used by the channeler to get into the right frame of mind, tha actual channeling is the asking of an entity to speak through the person, taking over a part of them. In meditation, it's pretty well only oneself, higher self lower self, ultimate self, although, the meditater may look at other things. So, there is very little 'other' to be concerned w.
S
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bernadette
But, these are no more serious threats than say, a fly or something like that.
thanks satanus, I like that analogy
bernadette
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exjdub
For anyone interested:
I received a gift for Christmas that may be helpful for those wanting to try meditation. It is called "Journey To The Wild Divine: The Passage". It is software that you download, but also has a biofeedback device that plugs into your computer through a USB port. The other end of the device has three finger clips that reads your pulse, moisture, etc. as you journey through the game.
Although I have been meditating for a while without it, I found it to be very a effective learning tool. There are times when I think I am relaxing enough to meditate, but just can't seem to "get there" and have to stop. With the biofeedback you can get a feel for when you are truly relaxed, as opposed to thinking you are relaxed. It is hard to explain, but it works. Also, the game teaches you yogic breathing techniques and relaxation techniques that are quite helpful. I have to say again that I have practiced meditation for about a year, but still got a lot of value out of this and would recommend it especially for those who are curious and would like to get a feel for meditation and relaxation. It sure chilled me out. If interested you can check out this Amazon link for more information:
exjdub