Starting to Mediatate

[Doktormartini]

Hi everyone. I was thinking of starting to meditate in the summer. I've always wondered what it would feel like, and it seems to have beneficial results. Now, can anyone here help me with some tips or something on how to go about meditating? I can't understand how I would be able to clear my mind?

What should I do to help, like put on soothing music, or burn incense or something? Also, what are some of the benefits of meditating, other than making you feel good?
Thanx in advance!

[Lowlynobody]

Your best bet is to just do it.

Some links I have found helpful -
http://www.realization.org/page/name...ipe/mipe_0.htm
http://www.realization.org/page/topics/beginners.htm

[Scott R. Brown]

Hi Doktormartini,

Everything you do, see, feel, think and experience is a projection of your mind. It is our mind that perceives filters, analyzes, categorizes, and interprets all phenomena and experiences. Without our mind we would not perceive any phenomena or experience. The mind is the most integral human attribute. To understand the functions of the mind and to be able to utilize those functions more effectively would be the greatest benefit an individual could acquire.

There are many types of meditative practices and each has a different purpose, but most of them provide a common thread of benefit with additional side benefits. Think of the different aerobic activities you could perform, from running to swimming to cross country skiing, rowing, etc. All provide aerobic benefit, but each exercises the muscles differently, so they do not provide exactly the same result. They are similar, but different. The same applies to meditative practices.

The mind, like a muscle, improves its function with exercise. Meditation is exercise for the mind. Since all of our experiences are filtered through the mind all exercises or activities that improve its functions such as ability to reason, ability to perceive, ability to concentrate, etc. will improve our life and experiences.

Any activity that exercises the mind could be called meditation. Most people consider meditation merely sitting quietly and focusing the mind using various techniques. This is a narrow understanding of the mind and its functions. The mind is versatile and many faceted just like the body. So just and one may exercise the body, for strength, aerobic capacity, flexibility and agility, the mind can be exercised for various functions.

To start simply, the mind has the ability to look outward towards the world or inward towards itself. It can focus broadly or expansively and narrowly or focused. Different forms of meditative practices exercise these different functions. So, just as you would stretch to develop flexibility, but run to develop aerobic capacity, you would use a specific type of meditative exercise to develop specific mental capacities.

If I was approached and asked to devise an exercise program for someone I would ask questions such as, “What are your fitness goals? How much time do you have to exercise?” etc. The same applies to meditation. What is it you wish to accomplish?

It seems to me, from your post, you are most interested in getting a general introduction to meditation and to understand its general benefits, that is, find a reason to continue. Kind of like, “So what’s the big deal about this meditation thing?” Therefore, it is best to start with a basic form of meditation.

The simplest method of meditation is to sit comfortably or lie down, (If you lie down you may fall asleep, though.) and take about 10 ten relaxing breathes attempting to breath deeply and rhythmically from your stomach. That is, not raising your shoulders to breathe, but expanding your stomach outward with the inhalation and bringing it inward with the exhalation. Once you have taken a few minutes to sort of synchronize yourself, merely count your breaths to ten. Once you get to ten, start over from one and count to ten again. Continue for 5-10 minutes at first and with practice increase the time as desired. It sounds simple, but you will find that it is more difficulty than you think. Your mind will begin to wander and you will find yourself daydreaming or thinking about something else. Just gently bring your concentration back to your breathing. Don’t get frustrated or discouraged when your mind seems to continually wander, it takes time and practice just as all skills do.

This is generally considered the most basic beginners meditative exercise. What makes it difficult is you are consciously attempting to focus your mind on a specific thing. The fact is we do this same thing everyday with other activities, such as watching TV or if you play a musical instrument, while practicing, studying for a test or playing chess, even playing a computer game. Anytime we are totally focused on something we are in a meditative state. But since we are not considering it an exercise we don’t think of it as anything special. The zone that is talked about when an athlete is really on his game is a form of meditative state. So try not to complicate the exercise of breath counting by thinking of it as boring, or thinking of it as hard, etc. Try not to label the activity at all. The label you give it will affect the exercise by programming your attitude ahead of time and color the experience with that attitude.

If you like incense or sitting in a special chair or wearing special clothing that can be beneficial. Music is another thing. It can be helpful or a hindrance depending upon what meditative practice you choose to do. Generally, it will probably be easier without music to distract your concentration, but it is not a strict rule because we are all different. It may work for you so you may want to try it.

When using incense or sitting in the same chair or wearing the same clothing, and even things like meditating in the same position and at the same time of day, you are creating a ritual for yourself. The purpose of ritual is that it programs your mind to respond automatically to the stimuli. In this case the stimuli are the incense, the clothing, the chair, etc. By always using the same patterns or rituals your mind becomes accustomed to the patterns you have established and it becomes easier to reach a meditative state. This is the purpose of all rituals. So if you would like to ritualize your meditation practice it can be helpful but, you should only use these items for the meditation. That maintains the special mental associations you will have with the ritual. If you use the items for everyday activities it is not that you will not be able to meditate, however the programmed responses you are attempting to instill into your subconscious will not be as effective.

I hope this is helpful to you,

[David Jamieson]

"I was thinking of starting to meditate in the summer."

uh, it's not that big of a deal, takes a few minutes of your day and is the simplest thing you could do. Why not start today?

[_William_]

There has been great advice given above.

Meditate whenever you have the opportunity.... simply still yourself, clear your mind and pay attention to the present moment.

This has helped me to really appreciate the beauty of nature and of life.

[Doktormartini]

Thanx all so much for the information. I will try what you suggested with the breathing Scott. I didn't think you would put down so much, but it helped me learn a lot...so thanx.

And yea, maybe I will start sooner than the summer...

[Scott R. Brown]

Hi Doktormartini,

Yes, i apologize for the long dissertation. I am sure I annoy many readers, but that is how my brain works. I think of things in detail, so you will rarely find me writing a short reply to anything. LOL!!!

But I am glad I could be of some help to you! Good luck!!

[Shaolin Shi]

Sit upright but comfortably in a quiet place with no major distrations.

Place your hands on your lap in any position that allows you to relax the upper body... especially the shoulders.

Close your eyes if you like. If you leave them open, allow your vision to defocus and your eyelids to droop.

Relax.

Inhale through the nose.

Exhale out the mouth.

Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth on the exhale if you want to add a little Taoist esotericism to your practice.

Relax.

Repeat often.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

As others have mentioned, the mind filters all of our input.. one of the primary benefits of meditation, as is my experience, is that we can minimize the filtering process and have a more clear (clarity) experience of the world we live in.. this is a great assist in formulating opinions of our experiences.. too often our prejudices and preferences influence our perception of the experiences we have to the point that we really don't have a pure experience, we have a projection of our prejudices on the experience.. my goal, and i hope the goal of others, is to try to have direct experiences, as unprejudiced as possible.. to see the world clearly.. So, when someone says "still the mind", the concept is to suspend the thought processes and let the current experience impact us directly.. as we think about the previous experience the current experience slips by almost unnoticed (lost in thought).. to the degree that it is possible, i try to quiet the mental chatter we call thinking (although for me it's more like a committee debate.. all those voices...)..

Be well..

[Reggie1]

Sit upright but comfortably in a quiet place with no major distrations.

Place your hands on your lap in any position that allows you to relax the upper body... especially the shoulders.

Close your eyes if you like. If you leave them open, allow your vision to defocus and your eyelids to droop.

Relax.

Inhale through the nose.

Exhale out the mouth.

Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth on the exhale if you want to add a little Taoist esotericism to your practice.

Relax.

Repeat often.

That's how I do it. I also keep the back as straight as I can. TaichiBob also had something very insightful:

to the degree that it is possible, i try to quiet the mental chatter we call thinking (although for me it's more like a committee debate.. all those voices...)..

We are told, "Don't think about what you've been doing, don't think about what you're going to do, just concentrate on your breath."

Imagine you are a tree with strong, deep roots, in the middle of a small stream. Your thoughts are the water. They should just flow by while you stay centered and rooted. It's OK that they flow by, but you should remain as they go. Getting caught up in a thought is like getting caught in a current.

[David Jamieson]

visualization helps too.

go to your happy place.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Although i understand the intent.. i sense that visualization simply enhances the imagination without much in the way of benefits toward meditation.. it may be useful for a few moments to slow the mind down, but ultimately.. its just another distraction..

Be well..

[Scott R. Brown]

Hi TaiChiBob,

That presumes only one purpose for meditation. Meditation has many purposes not just stilling of the mind. It can benefit personality modification, body healing, and wish fulfillment to name just three. In each of these purposes visualization plays a vital role. It is possible to get around this by merely redefining meditation around these, but that would reflect a misunderstanding of the history of meditation. Further, visualization may be used as a preliminary tool for the purpose of obtaining a still mind.


I may have more to say later but for now i have to run!

[Scott R. Brown]

I should have said:

It presumes a NARROW purpose for meditation!

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Scott: I do assume a narrow purpose for meditation... i use it to still the mind for a clearer or more direct experience of the world.. if i choose to visualize, then i refer to it as visualizing, not meditating.. i have engaged the mental process for a specific purpose apart from the undifferientiated experience.. Healing, personality modification and wish fulfillment are crafted goals more akin to QiGong, a specific mental process with attachments.. there is no assumption on my part of values attached to specific goals, i simply differientate that process from my own narrow purpose for meditation..

Be well..