question on meditation..?
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BrokenGurl
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question on meditation..?
does anyone know how to meditate?....just wondering if this would be a good coping tool...
Last edited by BrokenGurl on Wed Jul 20, 2005 4:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
speak as though noone's listening....
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starrynight26
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It can work sometimes but often I feel too anxious to be able to do it.
If you want to try it, here's breathing exercise:
Focusing on the breath is one of the most common and fundamental techniques for accessing the meditative state. Breath is a deep rhythm of the body that connects us intimately with the world around us.
Close your eyes, breathe deeply and regularly, and observe your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Give your full attention to the breath as it comes in, and full attention to the breath as it goes out. Whenever you find your attention wandering away from your breath, gently pull it back to the rising and falling of the breath.
Inhale through your nose slowly and deeply, feeling the lower chest and abdomen inflate like a balloon. Hold for five seconds. Exhale deeply, deflating the lower chest and abdomen like a balloon. Hold for five seconds. Do this three or four times, then allow your breathing to return to a normal rhythm.
You will begin to feel a change come over your entire body. Gradually you will become less aware of your breathing, but not captured in your stream of thoughts. You will become more centered inward. You will just "be there."
There are a lot more here:
http://www.ahealingplace.org/meditation ... cises.html
If you want to try it, here's breathing exercise:
Focusing on the breath is one of the most common and fundamental techniques for accessing the meditative state. Breath is a deep rhythm of the body that connects us intimately with the world around us.
Close your eyes, breathe deeply and regularly, and observe your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Give your full attention to the breath as it comes in, and full attention to the breath as it goes out. Whenever you find your attention wandering away from your breath, gently pull it back to the rising and falling of the breath.
Inhale through your nose slowly and deeply, feeling the lower chest and abdomen inflate like a balloon. Hold for five seconds. Exhale deeply, deflating the lower chest and abdomen like a balloon. Hold for five seconds. Do this three or four times, then allow your breathing to return to a normal rhythm.
You will begin to feel a change come over your entire body. Gradually you will become less aware of your breathing, but not captured in your stream of thoughts. You will become more centered inward. You will just "be there."
There are a lot more here:
http://www.ahealingplace.org/meditation ... cises.html
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mallie
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I've had tapes and CDs with relaxation exercises. It has music and talking that guides you through breathing and to tense/relax your muscles. Once I got the hang of that, I just used CDs with gentle music, or nature sounds.
Thissite has an online course (free) on learning to meditate. Someone posted it once before on Felo I think, and I bookmarked it with the intention of going through it but haven't yet. Could be worth a look though.
Thissite has an online course (free) on learning to meditate. Someone posted it once before on Felo I think, and I bookmarked it with the intention of going through it but haven't yet. Could be worth a look though.
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BrokenGurl
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jaded melody
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When i meditate it really helps me to have something to imagine. I dislike meditating when im following somebody else's instructions or when im just being there calm but not visualising. I have a really active and visual imagination so i just let it run wild when im meditating.
Once you've learnt the relaxation techniques, why not have a go at thinking up some really great meditations for yourself. Think of a place that you'd love to go, what you'd do there, the kind of people who would be there, imagine all the things you would see and respond to them just as if it were real life, meet people and create scenarios. It helps if you have trouble focusing on nothing and putting aside your thoughts like i do. But other people consider it more "advanced" or tricky because it involves being mentally active while meditating (a paradox i suppose). But i find it so relaxing and refreshing.
For example one of my favourite meditations is to imagine myself at night standing in front of a forest . I say imagine but in my mind, i really take myself there. I run towards the forst and count down from 10 feeling more relaxed and going deeper into the forest at each number. Then when i reach 0 I come to an open area in the middle of the forest. After that i just go with my imagination. Sometimes theres a horse waiting there for me to ride or a broomstick to fly on or whatever. When i first started school and i felt really unsafe id imagine myself in a room with a soft white bed full of white feathers and everything was soft and comforting and id feel better.
Anyway its just a suggestion, but i find it can really help if you feel insecure or if, like me, sometimes you just want to escape and have an adventure, even if its just in your mind.
Mel x
Once you've learnt the relaxation techniques, why not have a go at thinking up some really great meditations for yourself. Think of a place that you'd love to go, what you'd do there, the kind of people who would be there, imagine all the things you would see and respond to them just as if it were real life, meet people and create scenarios. It helps if you have trouble focusing on nothing and putting aside your thoughts like i do. But other people consider it more "advanced" or tricky because it involves being mentally active while meditating (a paradox i suppose). But i find it so relaxing and refreshing.
For example one of my favourite meditations is to imagine myself at night standing in front of a forest . I say imagine but in my mind, i really take myself there. I run towards the forst and count down from 10 feeling more relaxed and going deeper into the forest at each number. Then when i reach 0 I come to an open area in the middle of the forest. After that i just go with my imagination. Sometimes theres a horse waiting there for me to ride or a broomstick to fly on or whatever. When i first started school and i felt really unsafe id imagine myself in a room with a soft white bed full of white feathers and everything was soft and comforting and id feel better.
Anyway its just a suggestion, but i find it can really help if you feel insecure or if, like me, sometimes you just want to escape and have an adventure, even if its just in your mind.
Mel x
"Between two worlds life hovers like a star,
twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge."
- Lord Byron
twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge."
- Lord Byron
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BrokenGurl
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Question of meditation to Broken Gurl.
Religion - christianity
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Hi, I have read all of your replies and you have recieved some very solid advise on how to meditate. You last reply to imagine being somewhere and projecting yourself there by counting down from 10 is very good. Even when life is at it worst it helps if you can project your thoughts to the future to a time when you will feel happy or just content. It is like knowing that you are going to have surgery and are afraid, but projecting your thoughts to the time that you know you will feel whole and well again. Think in small increments of time so that you know it will happen and believe that it will. See yourself in a better frame of mind feeling peaceful and at one with yourself and God. When you are at your lowest point say a prayer and know that God is within listening and will see you through it moment by moment. Live life minute by minute and day by day knowing that all things change and it is up to us to choose the next action. Action brings about reaction. Do not reject change but welcome it knowing that if you choose to live life without harm that you are moving forward to a better place in your life. Let the past be the past and look to the future with love and light in your heart. There is a peace that you can find within you if you choose to feel it, accept it and know that there is love within you. Once you begin to love yourself you will begin to see how many people love you also. Don't be afraid to ask those nearest to you for help or to listen to your problems. We are sometimes led to exactly the person we need to help us through a crisis and rely on God also to see you through it. My prayers, love and admiration for your strength to ask questions are with you. Know that you are one with God and believe that you can choose to be content and happy with who you are and the choices that you make.
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Hi, I have read all of your replies and you have recieved some very solid advise on how to meditate. You last reply to imagine being somewhere and projecting yourself there by counting down from 10 is very good. Even when life is at it worst it helps if you can project your thoughts to the future to a time when you will feel happy or just content. It is like knowing that you are going to have surgery and are afraid, but projecting your thoughts to the time that you know you will feel whole and well again. Think in small increments of time so that you know it will happen and believe that it will. See yourself in a better frame of mind feeling peaceful and at one with yourself and God. When you are at your lowest point say a prayer and know that God is within listening and will see you through it moment by moment. Live life minute by minute and day by day knowing that all things change and it is up to us to choose the next action. Action brings about reaction. Do not reject change but welcome it knowing that if you choose to live life without harm that you are moving forward to a better place in your life. Let the past be the past and look to the future with love and light in your heart. There is a peace that you can find within you if you choose to feel it, accept it and know that there is love within you. Once you begin to love yourself you will begin to see how many people love you also. Don't be afraid to ask those nearest to you for help or to listen to your problems. We are sometimes led to exactly the person we need to help us through a crisis and rely on God also to see you through it. My prayers, love and admiration for your strength to ask questions are with you. Know that you are one with God and believe that you can choose to be content and happy with who you are and the choices that you make.
My name is Tamara Lesley. It is my goal to learn from your experiences which will enable me to talk to my daughters' young friends and other people about self abuse that ask questions on my web site.
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BrokenGurl
- growing roots
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- Joined: Sat May 28, 2005 4:14 am
- Location: Oklahoma
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BrokenGurl
- growing roots
- Posts: 859
- Joined: Sat May 28, 2005 4:14 am
- Location: Oklahoma
So heres some updating on the mediatating...I've done it twice. Usually when im feeling a little edgy...I light a candle....a good smelling one...put some relaxation music on....i find it helpful to have it dark...helps me concentrate a bit better. I then close my eyes...take deep breaths....inhale slowy..then exhale....really focus on how it feels when the air is in my lungs....I keep doing this until i can concentarte in my mind of a place i want to go...really visualize the place...for instance i put my self in a field with bright colorful flowers.....the air blowing in the wind.....kind of like my breathing....i picture myself running...being free...all while im still breathing...ive become in that place...feeling as if im there..i find it really helpful...calming....Just thought id share...
speak as though noone's listening....
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jaded melody
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sounds really nice im glad meditation is working out for you-
reallycreamed
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meditation works great for me.
there's an author (a vietnamese buddhist monk) named Thich Nhat Hanh, who has a lot of good meditations to focus on. He's written a bunch of books, you can usually find them at any big book store.
it's a good way to get started anyhow.
good luck
namaste
b
there's an author (a vietnamese buddhist monk) named Thich Nhat Hanh, who has a lot of good meditations to focus on. He's written a bunch of books, you can usually find them at any big book store.
it's a good way to get started anyhow.
good luck
namaste
b
circles and circles and circles again 
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