meditation

[whiporwill-o]

what are some good tips on meditating?

i have only been successful once and it kinda felt like i was floating, is that normal?

the reason why i need tips is because i have a mild paranoia complex, i can't stand the dark or silence (i always hear/see/feel things that may or [hopefully] may not be there and its creepy). i always have to have the tv on, even if it's on mute and even when i go to sleep, but i find myself irritable and tired all the time and i was hoping that some form of meditation would help. if there are alternatives or you have any suggestions, please help heart  

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

Have you tried guided meditations so that it's not silent? Or keeping some candles lit or plugging in a soft-glow night-light so that it's not totally dark?

You might also get a small fan and run it on low or med. setting to give some low-level white noise.

What about meditating during the day?  

[whiporwill-o]

Violet Song jat Shariff

Have you tried guided meditations so that it's not silent? Or keeping some candles lit or plugging in a soft-glow night-light so that it's not totally dark?

You might also get a small fan and run it on low or med. setting to give some low-level white noise.

What about meditating during the day?

i do have a fan i could run, didnt even think about that, lol. sadly they dont allow candles in my apartment, but on the flip side i'd probably be paranoid about setting the place on fire if i had them, lol sweatdrop
i could move my touch lamp into the bedroom too >.> i would like to do a day-time meditation, but i work nights/evenings so i'm usually asleep during the day. kinda sucks when you get off work and the only places open are walmart and waffle house crying oh well...

thank you for your wonderful suggestions, could you elaborate more on 'guided meditations'?  

[Cranium Squirrel]

I wouldn't meditate in the dark anyway; that just lead me to falling asleep and tipping over. Almost hit my head on the wall that day. sweatdrop

I suggest turning a light on - it doesn't have to be a big one, just a small lamp with a soft bulb would do fine. I tend to meditate facing a blank white wall in a well-lit room, for example.

As for guided meditations, let me check my stash of things really quickly and see what I can pull up... Okay, these are technically Buddhist meditation specific, and for that, I apologize (all of my resources on this sort of thing are Buddhist in nature. xd ) buuut... this page contains a number of how-tos, alongside a series of guided meditation MP3s to download and listen to.

Hope that helps!  

[TeaDidikai]

whiporwill-o

i have only been successful once and it kinda felt like i was floating, is that normal?

This is a function of you physically relaxing, thus the muscles surrounding the vestibular apparatus in your inner ear relax, causing the fluid pressure to shift.

This typically occurs as you enter Hypnagogia, but it can happen during meditation.

Just as an FYI, often Buddhist Monks consumed tea because the caffeine was able to prevent Hypnagogia while still allowing the L-Theanine to produce alpha waves.

As for suggestions, how about a motion based meditation?
Something that can be done to music in candle light?  

[whiporwill-o]

Byaggha > thanks much for the link biggrin since i dont really have a set path or tradition, i don't think it being Buddhist will matter too much 3nodding

TeaDidikai > tea beforehand is a good idea, thank you. by 'motion based' do you mean like yoga or something similar?  

[TeaDidikai]

whiporwill-o

TeaDidikai > tea beforehand is a good idea, thank you.

Tea is always a good idea. wink

Quote:

by 'motion based' do you mean like yoga or something similar?

Yoga, dance, walking etc.  

[Cranium Squirrel]

Walking meditation is very popular. 3nodding Exercise for the mind and body at the same time.  

[redtearsblackwings]

When I first started meditation, I started with a guided meditations to help me ease into it.
Now I try to feel as light as I can. The way I do that is to feel my breathe going in and though my body and then back out again. Following it like that helps me to feel very light and like a feather.  

[ShadowCatSoul]

TeaDidikai

whiporwill-o

i have only been successful once and it kinda felt like i was floating, is that normal?

This is a function of you physically relaxing, thus the muscles surrounding the vestibular apparatus in your inner ear relax, causing the fluid pressure to shift.

This typically occurs as you enter Hypnagogia, but it can happen during meditation.

Just as an FYI, often Buddhist Monks consumed tea because the caffeine was able to prevent Hypnagogia while still allowing the L-Theanine to produce alpha waves.

As for suggestions, how about a motion based meditation?
Something that can be done to music in candle light?

For some reason I always thought caffiene was one of the things forbidden to buhddists?  

[ShadowCatSoul]

Try music. And it doesn't have to be just meditation music, it can be any kind. Even your favorite kind. My group once experimented with different types of music for meditation. Everything from opera, rock, nature sounds, etc.  

[CuAnnan]

Byaggha

Walking meditation is very popular.

Walking prayer likewise.
The friend of mine that got me interested in paganism when I was in my young teens asked me if I wanted to go pray with her. I was in my agnostic phase.
We went for a walk in the local woods. I got around to asking her, after about half an hour, when we were going to start praying. She told me we had to start again because, clearly, I had missed the point.
That experience, more than any I can think of, is responsible for my attempting to connect with the Gods.  

[Collowrath]

CuAnnan

Byaggha

Walking meditation is very popular.

Walking prayer likewise.
The friend of mine that got me interested in paganism when I was in my young teens asked me if I wanted to go pray with her. I was in my agnostic phase.
We went for a walk in the local woods. I got around to asking her, after about half an hour, when we were going to start praying. She told me we had to start again because, clearly, I had missed the point.
That experience, more than any I can think of, is responsible for my attempting to connect with the Gods.

That's beautiful.  

[Cranium Squirrel]

ShadowCatSoul

For some reason I always thought caffiene was one of the things forbidden to buddhists?

Not necessarily. Monks still drink tea today, and that pretty much runs across all sects.

My favourite tea story actually aknowledges tea's sleep-staving abilities, as well - the Great Patriarch of Zen, Bodhidharma, was a wicked meditator. Guy'd sit for days on end, staring at walls. Problem was, he also needed to sleep, and would often find his eyes closing while he was trying to meditate.

Legend has it he hacked his eyelids off in frustration and threw them to the ground - where they hit, tea plants sprouted. The leaves, when brewed, allowed him to stay up and concentrate as long as he needed. 3nodding  

[PsychischesWeibchen]

The way I was always taught is to center yourself. Focus on your breathing. Inhale blue (positive) and exhale red (negative). Music usually helps as well.