(no subject)

[mstakenidentity]

I want to learn to meditate properly. Does anyone know how I go about learning? Are there and books or cds you'd recommend? Are there any places or courses or teachers you would recommend? Anything I should avoid like the plague?

Comments

[insomnius.livejournal.com]

I have quite a lot of thoughts about this, and I will write an email to you about it tomorrow when I have access to more of my brain.

[mstakenidentity.livejournal.com]

Awesome, I look forward to the email.

I should perhaps have specified that I want to look into non-religious meditation, not sure if that will change anything you're planning on writing.

[harkon.livejournal.com]

If you don't want a religious/spiritual form of meditation, my advice would be to avoid those. As Mark has mentioned, there is a Catholic tradition of meditation if that is more appealing.

If you are after generic relaxation technique type things, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has a few different techniques which are in use. If you have trouble finding any material, I might have some basic notes and MP3s from when we were studying it at uni which I can sent your way.

[vox-diabolica.livejournal.com]

Learn tai chi. Mind is an extension of the body, so if you can't control your body, you can't control your mind.

Or yoga.

There are some good visualisation meditations out there, but it's a matter of finding something that makes you feel comfortable.

Avoid anybody who says 'Osho'.

There's a Catholic tradition of meditation as well, if you're interested.

[melbournian.livejournal.com]

I recommend any buddhist meditation or any yoga. Unfortunately I don't know of any specific beginner courses being run at the moment for just meditation, though I can recommend yoga at Crossways at 6pm on Mondays and Thursdays.

[vass]

There's a brochure here.

What it basically says, though, is to sit cross-legged and breathe normally and count your breaths (from one to ten, then start again, or start again if you lose count.) They don't recommend lying down because you might fall asleep - the idea is to be comfortable but not too comfortable.

Good luck!

[asmodel.livejournal.com]

Good points all of them. To add a little extra, here's what I do. I sit down on the couch comfortably, with my head unsupported (but still upright). I put my mobile phone on vibrate only, set the alarm for x minutes away, and put it next to me. If you like you can put on some music or noise, but it shouldn't be really distracting, and should go on for a very long time. I have windchimes and wind noises which lasts for 40 mins. There shouldn't be too much other noise. The idea is to focus on your breath, as it's something so obvious that you won't have (too) much trouble with the try not to think of a pink elephant conundrum. At some point your mind will blank, but you probably won't realise it. Then you'll realise you're thinking about something, at which point you go oops, then start focusing on your breath again. As my psych says, you cannot 'fail' at this, because there is no way to fail.

The Meditation Society of Australia has some online courses for free. I haven't tried them out personally, but from what I saw, they seem to be reasonable.

[mc-shamo.livejournal.com]

Check local learning centres/neighbourhood houses. I know the kensington one down the road has meditation. And (if it's still going) there's a bhuddist group at the Docklands Hub every Wednesday that's quite good I think.....

You'll find something quite easily.

Just checked the docklands one it's Wednesday 6:30pm - gold coin donation to participate with a Bhuddist nun who's a very likeable person.

[sols-light.livejournal.com]

Oddly, I learned how to meditate when I was 10 at a buddhist ashram and don't always forget how.

The way I learned was to follow roughly what other people have said here to let your body relax, then not to try and blank out everything as some people will tell you to do, but to craft a scene in a landscape you can control in your own mind. This is a great deal more relaxing and takes far less effort. The natural world in a place you feel at peace is a good start and for me, it's usually sitting on a clifftop overlooking the beach, on a warm summer's day with a light wind stirring the grass around me.

Other techniques I have heard, depending on how you think are to try and think of blackness and block out everything, but I find this a hindrance. hesepa has said she finds success with trying to think of everything at once and waiting for the state when your mind is overloaded and forces itself to relax, it comes much quicker than you think.

What "lj user="asmodel"> has said about breating is important, so much so I can't believe I haven't mentioned it, breathing gives you a constant rhythm to focus on and you need that to be able to wash everything else out of your conscious mind.

There are various types of meditations to relax you physically and mentally, depending on what you need. I've gone through the mental ones a bit and they work well before bed if you need to sleep. If I concentrate on my breathing, it never takes me more than about 5 minutes to fall asleep and I usually rest deeper.

Another thing you can do to relax muscle tension is to lie down and clench every muscle you can in your body, then slowly relax them section by section in increments as small as you can manage. Try to relax only one thing every cycle of breaths, say once every ten breaths. Make those breaths as deep and as long as you can too, so you can feel the tension draining out of you with every exhalation.

Meditation for me is about regaining the full control of my body and making it feel like home again instead of something I have to fight with to achieve what I want. There isn't a one way that will definitively work for you, but some combination of some of what I and others have said should make a big difference and help you find your own way of getting some peace back.