meditation,a means of settling into yourself!

most ppls have heard of it;Ive been at it many years and have found it a very important tool,
when coupled with psychotherapy.

Meditation is a Tool that helps the mind settle and relax
as well train your mind to excel in anything you want to achieve in life.

Psychotherapy is a Tool to clear ones blocked feelings
and bring about self understandings.

I liken these two practices to the 'Legs of a Human Being'.
Too much of one and not enough of the other,
makes one lop-sided and walk in circles.

IF ANYBODY WANTS
to understand and USE these practices
ASK HERE and I will give you
of my knowledge!

Some Meditations are designed to include psychotherapy and also visa-versa
for balance and intergration of Ones feeling-attention.

I'l try and get in each day
or night
if you leave a question.

If you dont,thats good too
as i have many things on
and dont wanna waste
my juice
here

Hi there, im one of those people who is up for anything, ill give anything a go ... once! Im too embarrased to tell you all the sports teams ive joined, instrument lessons, diets, language courses, etc ive tried and quit!

I have joined yoga classes but cant remember all that much.

I live in my own home, with my partner and 2 year old, we have a big yard i cant see or hear my neighbours so my home is my castle, my sanctuary, I have no interuptions from the outside world at all. I love it. It would be a perfect place to meditate but i dont know how! I quite often beg for time alone but yet when i am alone i dont know what to do and can never get myself to relax, i suffer from anxiety and my heart races and breathing is difficult. Lots of short fast breaths and then 1 big massive sigh, how can i get meditation to help me with my breathing?

Im not sure if that makes sense at all. I just know i have trouble breathing but only at certain times and i hate it. Im 28, reasonably healthy, i eat well, exercise regularly but i must admit i do smoke. I hate that i have trouble breathing and its not ashma.

Any advice you might have is appreciated or if im talking crazy talk. ignore me.

thanks
claire

sorry,
were active elsewhere but now back to read your open and honest letter Claire.
(a brilliant piece of writing)

Having investigated meditation and the various techniques that are available in the world,
from the Himalayas through Oz and NZ,
I will post the most simple and effective system I have learnt,
and that I myself utilise today,34years later!

back soon as I type-up the goods.

MEDITATION
is an age-old tool that people have created to know their mind and thus develope self understanding.Everyone can use it;one dosnt need to be religious,or non-religious or be of any sect or worship the Sun or the Moon,Its free for all to use.

Beguin the practice when you're 'feeling fresh and alive',
not tired or sleepy.
Its easier to learn when you're wide awake.(alert)
In the days following your first sitting,as you continue practicing,
sit for only short periods of time if you are experiencing tiredness.
There will be times you will 'feel tired' and at these times sit for only 10 or 20 breath cycles.
Anymore and you may feel sleepier.Thats no-good at all. Dont do meditation when youre tied-out.
Meditation is not about sleeping or dreamy-spaces at all,
its a dynamic-activity carried out with in your Bodymind.
Fatique is the advisor of the Body.(listen to it)


Find a quiet place,somewhere where there are no drafts,where you feel safe and comfortable,OR create such a place in the corner of your Living Room or in the Bedroom wardrobe if it has plenty of air circulating thro it.
Make it a place specifically for the purpose for your meditation,and make it a practice to do no other activity in the Zone you allot to your meditation.
This is important as the energy you build-up will be inducive to further meditations on that spot,
Your Spot!

Main thing to consider FIRST is the posture,
as 'the posture you settle into' will be with you for sometime,
and if you are stiff with it(un-relaxed about it)you certainly will produce pains and difficulty further along the track.
First sit up dead-vertical and then gently relax so your head remains directly above the Spine and hips etc.

Sit on a Hardcushion,
back straight,head directly above the Spine,so that your gaze is about 45 degrees down in front of you,and gaze through half-closed eyelids.Cross legs is good so long as it dosnt create stress.Its better to used a Kneeling Stool if crossing the legs is painful.That way,the hips are tilted backwards and the spine slightly arched in the lower back making for a comfortable relaxed posture.When you feel that you have the posture ok,and it isnt creating any stress anywhere,you can check the posture for vertical-ness by gently rocking an inch or so, to an fro,and then to the left and rt, to regain the vertical position if you have wavered.
Check and adjust yourself at anytime during the sitting as you may have leaned-off the vertical.
(Do this checking,its important.)
Meditation is Not about staying deadly-still or stiff.

CATCHING THE BREATH:
1.To slip into the state of meditation (bliss) focus your attention on your Bodymind,noticing first how your 'natural breathing' is functioning and make a mental note of the things you see inwardly occuring,
such as fast or slow breath,intermittant breathing,stopping and starting etc,and look for any large-gaps in your breathing cycle;raceyness or hardly any breath at all.

2.Apply a count to your EXHALATIONS,to gauge their length.
ie,as you exhale,say in your mind OR with soft voice,
1 2 3 ........however long the length of your exhale is taking you.
An exhale may last 'three seconds',and the 'seconds can be gauged' by saying them as 'Thousand'.
ie Onethousand,twothousand,threethousand,four....etc(a built-in timing device)

3.When you are certain of your breathes count,then extend that count by One,
ie, if it were three,make it Now four by extending the length of your exhale slightly,
and when you're comfortable with the length four add another one second to this and so on.
Dont push it beyond what is comfortable.

What we are doing with our bodynmind is EXHALING a little more air than usual,
pausing for a moment,and
awaiting the inhaleto occur;Inhalation happens all by itself.
One dosnt need to inhale,
and the focus is set-upon extending the length of the EXHALATIONS to the number you feel comfortable with,without stretching in any way.

What we aim for is to extend the exhalation by 1 or 2 counts and watch for the gap occuring,
just before the inhalation beguins.

4.When you have this happening comfortably,turn your focus to the INHALATIONS and apply an easy count to them.ie,1 an 2 an 3....however many it is,and then exhale.
We do the same with the inhalations as the exhalations,gradually.

5.When you are certain of the count,then extend that count by 1, and then 2 as you did with the exhalations,finding the length of your INHALATION without stretching it any way.

6.So now you have the Key to Your own Meditation Practice.
Write these two numbers down and paste them to the wall or table,where you are sitting for future referance, where you can review the Number each time you sit,and aim for that as your own personal Code!
Also on the table,
place a small valuable token that means something special to you,
a photo,a gift, a gem,
anything to remind yourself what this small space is reserved for!

enough for Now,
further useful information
comming soon as I can type it up!

Sound good ! I could do with this thank you.. As soon as i finally go to sleep and wake up i'll try it

Yes thank you greasemonkey! (interesting name??) I actually have to report back that my breathing has been undercontrol lately! The last time i felt myself getting all anxious i did what you suggested and tried really hard on listening and counting my breaths, usually i concentrate on whats around me and whos watching or where i can run and hide but i managed to zone everyone out and i will continue to do that slow breathing and counting then extended exhale.

I havent been under too much stres lately but i dontk now if thats because ive adopted this i dont care attitude. I think meditation is something i want to get into because, i already exercise, eat well, well-enough, tv bores me, social interaction i find hard to concentrate in conversation with people! So meditation will be all about me!

I look forward to hearing any other tips or techniques that a simple beginner might enjoy!

many thanks
claire

thank you for inspiring me to write,
claire.

Breath is good and safe as the more you breathe the healthier you will be.

You can count on it,If one dosnt breathe, you will black-out,and return in exactly the same body you held your breath in.

Yet breath,as we beguin to trust its 'natural life giving qualities' can also lead us into big understandings in our Lives...the way we present ourselves,as well as Nurturing ourselves by bringing our-conciousness into breathing.

In meditation,
we gently watch the breath,and extend it slightly to promote the release of tension in the body.
Your anxiety is identical to everyone elses anxiety;all humans work the same way in this order of things.

also
Watch and Observe Others....(say nothing).
You will see how they're all at various degrees of unconciousness to their breath,
when engaged in stress.
De-stressing can be done in many different ways without using ones emotions.

When stressed,
take time to get to know 'how you inadvertantly created this same stress'.

'We do this un-intensionally to ourselves'.


cheers
claire.

spacedman wrote:Sound good ! I could do with this thank you.. As soon as i finally go to sleep and wake up i'll try it

...so? did you Finally go to sleep?LOlololol.
Sometimes Im so alive sleep dosnt do anything for me also.
I have learnt to go with the times,and do what I can do,when I can do....That has worked for me.
Depression is a 'great teacher' to have when we can learn from it.
If you catch it young,
you will not only be able to survive but you will have a REAL LIFE WORTH living (at last)

Im thankfull for the 1999 home invasion,broken bones and the tempory loss of conciousness.
As now I can read into this-event that Life wanted me alive,
and Kicking,and helping out the way i had overlooked i could help-out from an earlier age in Life.

cheers
spacedman,
a goodname!

greasemonkey wrote:

spacedman wrote:Sound good ! I could do with this thank you.. As soon as i finally go to sleep and wake up i'll try it

...so? did you Finally go to sleep?LOlololol.
Sometimes Im so alive sleep dosnt do anything for me also.
I have learnt to go with the times,and do what I can do,when I can do....That has worked for me.
Depression is a 'great teacher' to have when we can learn from it.
If you catch it young,
you will not only be able to survive but you will have a REAL LIFE WORTH living (at last)

I tried it and loved it ! It made me feel fresh and nice inside.. Im also going to try it when i feel down as im sure this will clear my mind.. Everybody should meditate

greasemonkey wrote:Im thankfull for the 1999 home invasion,broken bones and the tempory loss of conciousness.
As now I can read into this-event that Life wanted me alive,
and Kicking,and helping out the way i had overlooked i could help-out from an earlier age in Life.

cheers
spacedman,
a goodname!

How can people do this You seem to be a very strong person i admire you

I admire ppl having a Go
spacedman
Im glad you have found some benefits
in trying out a meditation.

Starting out small is the Way!
Its like Lighting a Fire with wet-wood and you have only so much paper;best to start by economising on the paper and using the smallest twigs first,adding to the Blaze with bigger sticks as your strength becomes Owned.By trying to light a fire with all your Paper and all your wood at once you are liable to end up with a pile of wet wood.

cheers

ok, a bump for this stuff...
I do hope ppl are able to use it.
The Instructions are best absorbed by having a good friend read them to you when youre sitting following a couple of times.
This way Friends/husbands and wives can teach each other.

today I sneak-off to Rottnest Island in the Indian Ocean
with My family,for a Holiday.
Although I wont be in for a week I will call back about the 11th or 12th Dec.
Out there amonst unspoilt Nature,its always 2degrees warmer than the Mainland,and clothes are at a minimum.If you see me wandering about in a lavalava,or sitting in meditation amonst the quokkas surrounded by pastel blue ocean and limestone out crops,sit with Me and Meditate.
Placing your mind at ease is meditation,
That we owe to Ourselves.
There is Peace
in stillness
always.

if it helps
Get a New Car for your Spouse,it will be a Great trade.

Hi GM, Hope you have a lovely, relaxing holiday - I'm sure you will. Love the car/spouse thing .....!! ... Daze

Cinnar off trademe.
So lucky to be on holiday! Have a nice time.
I went to vanuatu with Kelvin Cruickshank in April and learnt a little of meditation.
I havent practised it though

when I first entertained the idea of Meditation,
I became very frightened!
what if I go some-where and couldnt get back,Will I be able to Return the same way I got there??...Would i have to borrow-money for a Plane fare back Home?
(obviously I were thinking that Meditation would take me far-away;in my mind I saw myself standing surrounded by mountains, in India.)

Where on earth had I got this weird idea,that meditation means going somewhere?
Were it on-earth that I gained this concept?...or some other place in another galaxy,many light years away?...
Sure i were a spacey-child when young based on others accounts that have followed me about but
I were not at all (that) young when i first ventured into taking time-out!

I had-to in the end,
as my Father had left me alone in the world
and i knew not where He went after His death via the heart-attack "they" said He had Had!
Always,
it were the other people who had information,knowledge they had read at University,
or heard from others about them;I never had any first hand knowledge about things.

I needed to find-out and this question puzzled me,

what happens to us at Death?

hello there velvet daze
kinda beautiful those Two Names together ehh!
The Holiday started 'full-on' with Me n my Son biking aound the island on our 21 speed hired bikes;the rest of the Day I laid flat-out in bed!lol
Bodies grow flabbly without regular exercise....

thank you both for your well wishing,
it were good to find you here on My return.

Yep!
Mostly relaxing,eating,relaxing,fishing,then eating and relaxing,an falling asleep,sometimes in the middle of the day,other times right after waking up in the mornings,
and of course,
lots of meditation amongst different bird life,quokkas and two huge pelikans that waddled up n dn the beach when not paddling about an around the expensive boats moored there.

'Melting in Nature' is always the best place to sit and practice meditation
when you havnt made a special nest for the activity,somewhere safe,even shrine-like if you like that kinda embellishment!
What ever works
we do to beguin with
to slip through the ever present nattering of mind.

Background music is seductive to settling Velvet!
No Lyrics though as lyrics mean something,
and feeding the Mind meditation is NOT!

meditation is 'mind training'
allowing the state of meditation to arise in ones Conciousness.The State exists NOW,permanently so,and all we do is practice the technique to bring us into bliss,where as a Dr practices medicine to convince Himself that it is He
Who is the Dr.
Dr Who?

Velvet Daze...I love it.....
Velvet is the name of my black quarter horse filly...was always my dream and i never ride her...I think i need some Velvet Days...lol

I hope it rains. Lots. And wind, yeah, lots of cold wind. And sandflies. Lots of sandflies.

Nah I dont mate, I'm just envious. I hope you're having an awesome holiday GM, you deserve it my friend. Have a cold one for me.

Cheers mate

lol
paddy,
you had too-many cold ones Me thinks.
We have been and returned yesterday.
Did you check-out the nu-breed utility gopher?

Paddy2 wrote:I hope it rains. Lots. And wind, yeah, lots of cold wind. And sandflies. Lots of sandflies.

Nah I dont mate, I'm just envious. I hope you're having an awesome holiday GM, you deserve it my friend. Have a cold one for me.

Cheers mate

errr, why NOT?How can you give yourself such an exquisite gift
and not allow yourself on Her?
Maybe you need to invest in some new riders gear
and a new hat,perhaps,
with a long red ribbon
off its spike!
Maybe Daze can do one of her
magic-happens on you lol

Velvet wrote:Velvet Daze...I love it.....
Velvet is the name of my black quarter horse filly...was always my dream and i never ride her...I think i need some Velvet Days...lol

Hello GM, Sounds like you had a great holiday - just going with the 'flow' - so pleased you got away from the usual routine. The wand has flat batteries - must do some thing about that! .... Daze

Dear Daze,
One thing Ive noticed about flat-batteries is that when heat is applied to the casing,(place in oven)alittle more juice comes to the foreground to empower our fantasies.

also

Have you ever day-dreamed infront of large glass windows
where the sun is streaming through
and fallen asleep
ONLY TO BE AWOKEN with a STARTLING JOLT
and fully charged?

The second idea mentioned
must be individually experienced
to know the human organism
as a giant battery
empowered
by our Solar System.

well,
now the opposite...

Hmmm,sure is so good to have a life to learn-from
But if i could understand my gut and its ability to create bloating
That would be Real Good!

Planning another Dr visit after this is over and get the tests for allergies underway!
Otherwise,I am benefitting alot from depression and ptsd.
They are good teachers
when we know how to deal with health issues in a spiritual manner.

Cheers ppls,
see you when Im stronger.

Velvet,

I havnt seen the show!
Was he a Good teacher for you?
Did you gain greater strength and grounding in the World?
would love to hear of your experience.