Whenever I meditate, I close my eyes and breath in and out. I don't have to be in a quiet environment, or even sitting down. I could easily stand and do it at a rock concert. Maybe saying a silent prayer, I let the peace wash over me, like waves. Finally, I get to the part where I clear my mind, sending away all my fears and emotions. Eventually though, I have to stop and get back to life.

How do the rest of you meditate?

DustyLady wrote:

My problem is that I can't meditate.  I can't clear my mind; thoughts keep crowding in to fill it even as I'm trying to empty it.  And the longer this goes on, and the harder I try to empty my mind, the more bizarre and even frightening the thoughts get that fill it.  Sometimes the same thing happens when I try to clear my mind to go to sleep at night.  My husband is a big fan of meditation; he says it took him years to be able to get there.  But I'm not sure I'm ready to see how strange my thoughts will get before I do.

Dusty

Dusty-
This is a very common occurrence; there's not a meditator I KNOW of who doesn't have a flood of thoughts occur to them immediately upon attempting to quiet the mind and just BE.

Some have called the process of quieting "soothing the restless puppy", while others refer to it as "sitting on the bank of a river, watching the thoughts sail by."

The key is to have a point of focus, whether it be a candle, a candle in your mind, the spot between your eyebrows where the pineal gland is located, a repeated phrase(Christian mystics, past and present, often focus their minds by the repetitive utterance of "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner") like a mantra, by "following the breath", or whatever.

What happens is that as soon as you attempt to concentrate and focus, the other thoughts immediately intrude; key to conquering this distraction is to simply acknowledge that your thought has strayed, and gently guide it back to where you want to place your intention and your focus.  Attempting to use force to do so is counterproductive.  Just every time your thoughts stray from where YOU want it to go, first acknowledge that it happened, and CHOOSE to place your attention back where it belongs.

Practice no more than 20 minutes at a time; I've also found it effective to create a "sacred space" somewhere in your house, a corner or closet where you can place objects or pictures that help induce a sense of serenity and of the Sacred/Holy/Divine, even if that be nothing more than a stack of books with a white towel tossed over them.

It is in the repeated practice that the Silence comes; it is already present, already in the background of all we say and do.  Go into it, unafraid.

Warmest regards-

Hatman

Hello,
I just started with meditation again. It was tough and still can be you know, clearing the mind and all. But what I got into was scented candels and oils. Smells can make such  big difference. It makes me calm and it makes me feel so relaxed. I sit in an indian style like I always do and for a few minutes takes deep breaths or sometimes fast breaths until my breaths get deep for a few minutes. If I am mad I chant. I say this chant over and over again until I loose my breath. With the smells, relaxing the mind, and breathing I feel as if I am in anoher world...a very safe world. If I feel I ned something by myside as I meditate, I grab that item and I am good to go.

Meketa

I do a kundalini set and then sit silently while focusing on my brow chakra or my spine (depending on what I am trying to accomplish). Sometimes I might recite a mantra. When I am ready to finish I focus on the sensations in my entire body. Sometimes if I am particulary stressed I imagine the negative feelings washing down from the top of my head and out of my feet, and then my body filling with peace and truth.

Is ther eanyone knowledgable about the meanings of different scents, gems, and color meanings of candles and their use with meditation?