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Author Topic: Meditation?  (Read 2741 times)

Piprika

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Meditation?
« on: November 08, 2015, 06:44:29 pm »
Hello, I'm new to the paganism path and struggling with some things. It's been suggested before I go to deep I practice being  able to meditate. It's very hard for me and I was wondering if anyone could give any pointers? I can't seem to get myself to focus because my mind wanders off to any little given noise or to random places, or I fall asleep.

What's some suggestions you guys have?

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2015, 06:55:44 pm »
Quote from: Piprika;182053
Hello, I'm new to the paganism path and struggling with some things. It's been suggested before I go to deep I practice being  able to meditate. It's very hard for me and I was wondering if anyone could give any pointers? I can't seem to get myself to focus because my mind wanders off to any little given noise or to random places, or I fall asleep.

What's some suggestions you guys have?


Try just focusing on your breath, inhale and exhale. Don't worry too much about your mind wandering. The best thing to do is to just be a spectator. Watch your thoughts come and go, like ocean tides. Don't participate in them, just observe them. Eventually it will become a little bit easier to let the thoughts go.

Some people like to listen to music, or chant a mantra. This can help too.
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Piprika

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2015, 08:59:34 pm »
Quote from: Gaudior;182054
Try just focusing on your breath, inhale and exhale. Don't worry too much about your mind wandering. The best thing to do is to just be a spectator. Watch your thoughts come and go, like ocean tides. Don't participate in them, just observe them. Eventually it will become a little bit easier to let the thoughts go.

Some people like to listen to music, or chant a mantra. This can help too.



Thank you! I'll try that. Hopefully this will help out. I do appreciate the input.

MeadowRae

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2015, 09:05:18 pm »
Quote from: Piprika;182053
Hello, I'm new to the paganism path and struggling with some things. It's been suggested before I go to deep I practice being  able to meditate. It's very hard for me and I was wondering if anyone could give any pointers? I can't seem to get myself to focus because my mind wanders off to any little given noise or to random places, or I fall asleep.

What's some suggestions you guys have?

 
If you've ever been involved in a sport or another activity that required focus such as running, golf, tennis, singing, playing an instrument, etc, imagine the feeling of right before you hit the ball, or when you hit your stride running, or when you start to sing the notes. You are no longer truly controlling the action, but trusting your body and mind to do what they know how to do. It's how I used to sink into meditation when I first started.
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other-wise

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2015, 10:29:52 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;182056
If you've ever been involved in a sport or another activity that required focus such as running, golf, tennis, singing, playing an instrument, etc, imagine the feeling of right before you hit the ball, or when you hit your stride running, or when you start to sing the notes. You are no longer truly controlling the action, but trusting your body and mind to do what they know how to do. It's how I used to sink into meditation when I first started.

 
ViolaRae, I love that analogy!

When I was coming back to my meditation practice after not doing so for a long time I actually had a tendency to make myself nauseous I was focusing so hard on it, haha. Remembering to connect with my breath and focus on releasing tension from my body one part at a time (feet, calves, knees, etc all the way up to the scalp) before getting into any more intense visualizations has been phenomenally useful in grounding myself in the mediation.

Piprika, not sure if guided meditation is your thing, but Ariel Gatoga has some good ones of varying lengths on his podcast Ariel's Meditations. When I really can't focus or relax enough to meditate without being guided through it, those are quite helpful.

other-wise

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2015, 10:31:45 pm »
Quote from: other-wise;182060
When I was coming back to my meditation practice after not doing so for a long time I actually had a tendency to make myself nauseous I was focusing so hard on it, haha.

 
Meant to add here that in my experience too, it really is about letting the body do its thing and not overthinking it.

Piprika

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2015, 11:38:03 pm »
Quote from: other-wise;182060
ViolaRae, I love that analogy!

When I was coming back to my meditation practice after not doing so for a long time I actually had a tendency to make myself nauseous I was focusing so hard on it, haha. Remembering to connect with my breath and focus on releasing tension from my body one part at a time (feet, calves, knees, etc all the way up to the scalp) before getting into any more intense visualizations has been phenomenally useful in grounding myself in the mediation.

Piprika, not sure if guided meditation is your thing, but Ariel Gatoga has some good ones of varying lengths on his podcast Ariel's Meditations. When I really can't focus or relax enough to meditate without being guided through it, those are quite helpful.

 


I will have to look into that! Thank you!

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2015, 12:32:17 pm »
Quote from: Piprika;182053
Hello, I'm new to the paganism path and struggling with some things. It's been suggested before I go to deep I practice being  able to meditate. It's very hard for me and I was wondering if anyone could give any pointers? I can't seem to get myself to focus because my mind wanders off to any little given noise or to random places, or I fall asleep.

What's some suggestions you guys have?


So I suggest try to do it on a consistent basis, because practice makes perfect. I use the Calm App for Android, and it keeps tracks of meditation and how long I do it.  I use the ambient sounds like (ocean, rain, mountain lake) and the guided meditation that they have. I don't pay for the advanced stuff, but it's well worth considering it. Oh, and also if you use spotify, they have playlists of guided mediation and background nature noise for mediation as well.

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2015, 08:10:32 pm »
Quote from: Piprika;182053
Hello, I'm new to the paganism path and struggling with some things. It's been suggested before I go to deep I practice being  able to meditate. It's very hard for me and I was wondering if anyone could give any pointers? I can't seem to get myself to focus because my mind wanders off to any little given noise or to random places, or I fall asleep.

What's some suggestions you guys have?


There are many different kinds of meditation ... I know there's one that's done while walking, which would take care of the falling asleep ;) Or there's one that involves listening to the sounds around you.

I was leafing through a book recently, *searches* this one, which discusses several forms of meditation. Mind you, I have not actually read the book through, so I don't know about its quality.
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Froði Ingsson

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2015, 03:25:15 am »
Quote from: Piprika;182053
What's some suggestions you guys have?

 
Blessings Piprika,

I always tell people to find which sense they are most connected to. Following of the breath never worked for me, nor did watching the mind, listening to the breath, counting the breath, or any of the other breathing techniques out there.

It wasn’t until years of frustration that I finally realized that meditation is not about how we are doing it or what we are using as a focal point, but the results. Some of which are a focused mind, calmness in body, fluidity, clarity, insight, mental stillness, et cetera.

So what sense do you find yourself experiencing the world through the most? Is it listening, looking, smelling, tasting, feeling, thinking? I myself am a feeler, so I focus on the sensations of the body. If it is breathing, then I feel the sensation of the lungs filling, diaphragm going up and down, belly going in and out, and so on. My wife is a visual person, so meditating on symbols, imagery, auras, and such really helps her connect and find that beautiful meditative state. My son is more of a listener, though, not when it comes to listening to his parents. So for him, he can enter a peaceful state when listening to music.

Find what works for you and then use that as an anchor for the mind. That is my suggestion.

Blessings Be,
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LunaStar

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2015, 02:16:01 pm »
Quote from: Piprika;182053
Hello, I'm new to the paganism path and struggling with some things. It's been suggested before I go to deep I practice being  able to meditate. It's very hard for me and I was wondering if anyone could give any pointers? I can't seem to get myself to focus because my mind wanders off to any little given noise or to random places, or I fall asleep.

What's some suggestions you guys have?


I second guided meditation.  It's like training wheels for meditation.  Also music or a flame can be helpful, although music can be very stimulative for the imagination.  Eventually you'll figure out your own unique way of reaching a meditative state.  It's a journey as well.

Piprika

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #11 on: November 15, 2015, 11:15:32 pm »
Quote from: Yogisuba;182293
Blessings Piprika,

I always tell people to find which sense they are most connected to. Following of the breath never worked for me, nor did watching the mind, listening to the breath, counting the breath, or any of the other breathing techniques out there.

It wasn’t until years of frustration that I finally realized that meditation is not about how we are doing it or what we are using as a focal point, but the results. Some of which are a focused mind, calmness in body, fluidity, clarity, insight, mental stillness, et cetera.

So what sense do you find yourself experiencing the world through the most? Is it listening, looking, smelling, tasting, feeling, thinking? I myself am a feeler, so I focus on the sensations of the body. If it is breathing, then I feel the sensation of the lungs filling, diaphragm going up and down, belly going in and out, and so on. My wife is a visual person, so meditating on symbols, imagery, auras, and such really helps her connect and find that beautiful meditative state. My son is more of a listener, though, not when it comes to listening to his parents. So for him, he can enter a peaceful state when listening to music.

Find what works for you and then use that as an anchor for the mind. That is my suggestion.

Blessings Be,
Yogi Suba

 


Oh that makes sense! I seem to do best when I have music playing is when I'm most peaceful and can relax to let my mind wonder and slip into that meditative state. Thank you for the help!

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #12 on: November 16, 2015, 10:19:02 pm »
Quote from: Piprika;182053
Hello, I'm new to the paganism path and struggling with some things. It's been suggested before I go to deep I practice being  able to meditate. It's very hard for me and I was wondering if anyone could give any pointers? I can't seem to get myself to focus because my mind wanders off to any little given noise or to random places, or I fall asleep.

What's some suggestions you guys have?

 
I've long had issues with meditation, so I've mainly stuck to chanting a mantra while going through my mala, as it's been the only type I've been able to do. However, I just started using the Headspace app and have done the first 2 days. So far, so good; it's basically a guided meditation not in that it guides you to some inner world, but in that it guides you in how to meditate.

AFAIK you don't have to have a phone or tablet to use the app; it can be done on a desktop computer. The first 10 sessions are free and after that there's a subscription plan. The website is here.

I'm not entirely sure how the first ten sessions free/onto subscription plan thing works, if they'll let you listen to the first ten sessions over again or not. I'm not entirely sure if I'll subscribe or if I'll just take the lessons from the first 10 sessions and use it in my own meditations.

Anyway, I figured I'd point it out as a possible resource for an easier time meditating. There are many different ways of meditating, but if you're looking for the sort of standard "sitting in silence" thing that is seen as meditating by most people, Headspace helps with that.
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lady*leaf

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Re: Mediation?
« Reply #13 on: November 17, 2015, 08:43:57 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;182056
If you've ever been involved in a sport or another activity that required focus such as running, golf, tennis, singing, playing an instrument, etc, imagine the feeling of right before you hit the ball, or when you hit your stride running, or when you start to sing the notes. You are no longer truly controlling the action, but trusting your body and mind to do what they know how to do. It's how I used to sink into meditation when I first started.


I second this! I find just being mindful of your actions can be an easy way to start training your brain to relax and focus. It's helpful to focus on your senses when doing an activity, I've turned cooking and walking my dog into meditations just by being more aware of my surroundings.

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #14 on: November 20, 2015, 12:27:12 am »
Quote from: Piprika;182053
Hello, I'm new to the paganism path and struggling with some things. It's been suggested before I go to deep I practice being  able to meditate. It's very hard for me and I was wondering if anyone could give any pointers? I can't seem to get myself to focus because my mind wanders off to any little given noise or to random places, or I fall asleep.

What's some suggestions you guys have?


You could try a meditation with a  support. See mandala, yantra, trataka, mantra, or meditation about a name of god or goddess.......... try google. Or you could try meditation before sleep, like it was often don in some magick practices in ancient Egypt or Greece. See translantions ancient papyri and similar.
Interesting thing is meditation by Bhaktiyogis about a god/goddess they worship. See Ramakrishna and his vision of Kali.

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