Meditation and related practices
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 7:44 pm
You may not be a religious person, but the values of meditation are now ‘scientifically proven’—spend time if you can each day sitting quietly, being at peace with yourself, and focussing on something which is away from day to day concerns. Whether you label this a ‘spiritual’ practice is up to you.
There are literally hundreds of methods out there, under different religious umbrellas or points of view. ‘Quieting the mind’ may seem like an impossible goal when you’re in turmoil. But practice does help. It’s vitally important not to beat yourself up when you feel you’ve ‘failed’—I’ve found having a structure to the process is easier than the more free-flowing Buddhist meditation such as Vipassana which I did try-again this is a personal choice and you may have to try a few methods before you find something which suits you-for now. You may then change again! Buddha himself is worth quoting here: apparently he was asked what he had gained from meditation, and he replied, Nothing! But, he added, ‘let me tell you what I lost: Anger, Anxiety, Insecurity, Fear of Old Age and Death’
My own current practice focuses via imagery, natural sounds and ‘binaural beats’ which entrain brain frequencies, and I listen to a 20 minute session each morning.
There’s a book called Meditation for Beginners by Stephanie Clement (2002 Llewellyn Publications) that does what it says in the title, giving a range of techniques for mindfulness, relation and awareness.. good if you’re new to the idea and has good thoughts on how to start.
Amd here is another e book which may give you many good ideas:
and this guy has three words for a mantra which might help you manage your scars and let them go...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTCzpsgv5Vs
BONE BREATHING
I did this for a time (Michael Gearin Tosh-see library section for a review of his book)-did this for a time too. I used to do it in bed in the morning before getting up, but now do meditation and lymphatic drainage exercise instead—good to have a structure to the start of the day . There are various ways of doing it, all on the web, but here’s just one: http://www.healingtao.org/deutsch/artikel1.htm
There are literally hundreds of methods out there, under different religious umbrellas or points of view. ‘Quieting the mind’ may seem like an impossible goal when you’re in turmoil. But practice does help. It’s vitally important not to beat yourself up when you feel you’ve ‘failed’—I’ve found having a structure to the process is easier than the more free-flowing Buddhist meditation such as Vipassana which I did try-again this is a personal choice and you may have to try a few methods before you find something which suits you-for now. You may then change again! Buddha himself is worth quoting here: apparently he was asked what he had gained from meditation, and he replied, Nothing! But, he added, ‘let me tell you what I lost: Anger, Anxiety, Insecurity, Fear of Old Age and Death’
My own current practice focuses via imagery, natural sounds and ‘binaural beats’ which entrain brain frequencies, and I listen to a 20 minute session each morning.
There’s a book called Meditation for Beginners by Stephanie Clement (2002 Llewellyn Publications) that does what it says in the title, giving a range of techniques for mindfulness, relation and awareness.. good if you’re new to the idea and has good thoughts on how to start.
Amd here is another e book which may give you many good ideas:
and this guy has three words for a mantra which might help you manage your scars and let them go...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTCzpsgv5Vs
BONE BREATHING
I did this for a time (Michael Gearin Tosh-see library section for a review of his book)-did this for a time too. I used to do it in bed in the morning before getting up, but now do meditation and lymphatic drainage exercise instead—good to have a structure to the start of the day . There are various ways of doing it, all on the web, but here’s just one: http://www.healingtao.org/deutsch/artikel1.htm