How do you meditate?

[Plenum]

this question is a big one, and is sort of dependent upon *what* you want out of your meditation - for eg, meditation for 'relaxation', to just quiet the mind, or a meditation as a preparation for magical work ('white magician') etc etc.

but that aside, how do you practice meditation?

the most classical technique would involve a watching of the breath. And one can watch the inbreath, the outbreath, or the pause between the inbreath and outbreath, when the lungs are 'full'. It's all a matter of choice I guess. I read Osho's Book of Secrets a little while ago (or at least I read some of it -- it's a massive tome!) and he goes through some of the various breath techniques and what sort of traditions they come from.

My own preference just recently is to observe the breath at the pause point; that is, the pause between the inbreath and the outbreath. That moment of infinite stillness, where you can observe, perhaps, more closely some of the thoughts with which you are then 'programming' into your experience via the outbreath.

You can also choose to observe the outbreath; and if the exhalation is not full, deep, and complete (as in my case), you can sometimes key into the things that you are unwilling to let go of, and release back into the wider world. Sort of the anxiety, and the things being held back, for whatever reason.

The breath is symbolic; but at the same time, according to many traditions, the function of taking in the commonality ('the air'), how we extract it and then infuse it, and then re-release it can also be a metaphysical/energetic mechanism we are just ignorant of most of the time.

so how does one meditate? I've definitely meditated before without a focus on the breath - more using affirmations/tuning processes.

[Ashim]

Rituals and drugs.

Putting on the magical robes.

[AnthroHeart]

I focus on my tulpa, and talking to him. And visualizing him. I don't usually get into a meditative relaxed state, because when I relax, I get a dense energy in my body and my teeth that hurts. Thinking about massaging my tulpa or Chance massaging me relaxes me, and brings a love to my heart.

[BlueHeaven11]

I centre myself in my Heart space, feel the love as much as I can, and then bask in it. If downloads or uploads happen then fine, it's the 'being with my self' that brings the peace.

[michael430]

[deleted]

[AnthroHeart]

I almost always feel pressure in my 3rd eye when I try to get into that state. It feels very heavy and dense.

[Nicholas]

It is within everybody's capability to experience the One Infinite Creator. Its an indescribable experience and I feel very lucky when I feel the creator at play in the natural world because I don't need to sit with upright posture to experience that communion.

For me its about communion.

[mjlabadia]

Hi everyone,
I'm not sure what I do really is "meditating" per say, perhaps it is more a focused ruminating?
Jogging/hiking/walking/biking seems to be the only way I can get to that "zone of silence",.....but it has to be in a certain way,....otherwise there is still that "monkey chatter" going on. (Though in a less intrusive form).

Basically, when the intention of the trip is to meditate, I'll set up a "primary rhythm" with my stepping or pedal pace. It's just one/two one/two one/two,....etc.
You kind of instinctively feel the right tempo of the pace. (It may even be mood based, I can't say for sure.)
Then, INHALE on ONE,....hold on two,....EXHALE on ONE,.....hold on two,...etc.

It's simple to slip into an easy rhythm,...and it self regulates to the speed of your activity. (No distracting yawning or loss of breath).

Now on the focusing, you guys have me beat. I have a real hard time maintaining focus on breath, while in that rhythm. (It is so automatic/natural to the activity, that the effort of focusing, actually becomes distracting). (For me).

Instead, I slip into "full receive" mode and just let the thoughts come.

The thing is, (for me), I only realize I've gotten into that deep zone, WHEN I START TO COME OUT OF IT!
Additionally, it is much easier for me to get there while on the bike.

I've tried sitting and prone,...but my "monkey mind" disturbs me every time.

Have any of you heard of "panryhtmic" breathing. About 20 years ago I was attempting Golden Dawn/Enochian Magic Workings.
There was a whole course of study dedicated to this subject.
Basically, you monitor your heartbeat,....then INHALE for the span of 4 beats,..........HOLD for the span of 2 beats,.........Exhale for the span of 4 beats,.......HOLD for the span of 2 beats,....repeat.
I'm trying to find some info on this method.

[Conifer16]

this question is a big one, and is sort of dependent upon *what* you want out of your meditation - for eg, meditation for 'relaxation', to just quiet the mind, or a meditation as a preparation for magical work ('white magician') etc etc.

but that aside, how do you practice meditation?

the most classical technique would involve a watching of the breath. And one can watch the inbreath, the outbreath, or the pause between the inbreath and outbreath, when the lungs are 'full'. It's all a matter of choice I guess. I read Osho's Book of Secrets a little while ago (or at least I read some of it -- it's a massive tome!) and he goes through some of the various breath techniques and what sort of traditions they come from.

My own preference just recently is to observe the breath at the pause point; that is, the pause between the inbreath and the outbreath. That moment of infinite stillness, where you can observe, perhaps, more closely some of the thoughts with which you are then 'programming' into your experience via the outbreath.

You can also choose to observe the outbreath; and if the exhalation is not full, deep, and complete (as in my case), you can sometimes key into the things that you are unwilling to let go of, and release back into the wider world. Sort of the anxiety, and the things being held back, for whatever reason.

The breath is symbolic; but at the same time, according to many traditions, the function of taking in the commonality ('the air'), how we extract it and then infuse it, and then re-release it can also be a metaphysical/energetic mechanism we are just ignorant of most of the time.

so how does one meditate? I've definitely meditated before without a focus on the breath - more using affirmations/tuning processes.

When I do meditate, and I could probably do so more often, I tend to just sit up straight. Sorta relax my thinking. And then rest in silence. Sometimes I will focus on breathing in for 7 seconds, holding for 5 seconds, then breathing out for 7 seconds. At least for a little while. And then eventually I will stop counting and that breathing pattern will just kinda continue on its own.

I don't usually meditate on a specific topic or idea. I'm just kinda resting in simple "beingness". Kind of "feeling" and observing how it feels to exist and just "BE".

[Stranger]

I used to simply sit and focus on the breath and counting numbers (start with one, count one number on each exhale up to 10, then back to 1, as I had been taught by Ch'an monks). When a thought or a sensation arises, simply notice it and return your focus to the breath and number. The goal being not to try to somehow attain mental silence, but simply to keep doing this.

At one point I was given the guidance that I should be focusing on the Creator instead - best advice ever. Once I realized that our relationship with God is one of love, I started thinking of him as "dad" rather than "father" (later I learned that Jesus used the Aramaic equivalent of "dad" to refer to God). Even though I didn't feel lovable (still don't) I decided to trust that God somehow loves me anyway, and I don't need to feel unworthy of reaching out to him. I began to trust in that while meditating, and reaching toward God with love and longing. It was very effective. I think perhaps the reason it's effective is that by reaching towards him with love, we are activating both our heart and third eye chakras in a synergistic fashion. I am grateful for the relationship with God this practice has enabled me to develop.

More recently I've been guided to see all the evolving beings across the entire Universe, from the beginning of time until the end [since all of that happens in the Now anyway]; to see them as myself; and to radiate love from the heart toward these other parts of self. This exercise seems to work on the crown chakra, based on the strong sensations I feel there when I do this.

The first time I tried this, I began to envision love propagating through the network of beings until it reached the farthest reaches of the Universe, but was quickly told, "there is no network - all is One, there is no separation", i.e., the love could be radiated to the entire universe instantaneously because all separation is illusory. That really helped to drive home for me the unity of all.

Back when I didn't see meditation as a priority, my Higher Self told me, "when you meditate, you think you are just sitting, but you are actually walking the path to the Creator."

[Unbound]

I sit, be quiet, listen and observe.

Or I gather all my will towards the creation of balance and healing with love and light to fill my being.

Or just random stuff.

[Sabou]

I have started to begin each meditation with an intention prayer, and then after some breathing I do a heart meditation to align/send/bring in energies into mother earth and then again into a blue star. Then I ...

sit, be quiet, listen and observe.

[Elushis]

I sit, be quiet, listen and observe.

Or I gather all my will towards the creation of balance and healing with love and light to fill my being.

Pretty much the same for me, unless their is an actual intention for the meditation session apart from just relaxing, Generally direction of will before hand and during the beginning pushes my mind into the state of consciousness I'm trying to achieve.

But that usually is much harder to maintain as my mind wanders and over analyses a little to much lol

[anagogy]

this question is a big one, and is sort of dependent upon *what* you want out of your meditation - for eg, meditation for 'relaxation', to just quiet the mind, or a meditation as a preparation for magical work ('white magician') etc etc.

but that aside, how do you practice meditation?

the most classical technique would involve a watching of the breath. And one can watch the inbreath, the outbreath, or the pause between the inbreath and outbreath, when the lungs are 'full'. It's all a matter of choice I guess. I read Osho's Book of Secrets a little while ago (or at least I read some of it -- it's a massive tome!) and he goes through some of the various breath techniques and what sort of traditions they come from.

My own preference just recently is to observe the breath at the pause point; that is, the pause between the inbreath and the outbreath. That moment of infinite stillness, where you can observe, perhaps, more closely some of the thoughts with which you are then 'programming' into your experience via the outbreath.

You can also choose to observe the outbreath; and if the exhalation is not full, deep, and complete (as in my case), you can sometimes key into the things that you are unwilling to let go of, and release back into the wider world. Sort of the anxiety, and the things being held back, for whatever reason.

The breath is symbolic; but at the same time, according to many traditions, the function of taking in the commonality ('the air'), how we extract it and then infuse it, and then re-release it can also be a metaphysical/energetic mechanism we are just ignorant of most of the time.

so how does one meditate? I've definitely meditated before without a focus on the breath - more using affirmations/tuning processes.

I meditate in different ways, depending on the situation, and what I'm trying to achieve.

When I think of meditation, I tend to think of it more as opening my consciousness to the oneness of the universe.

When I'm interested in doing that, I usually sit or lie down. I find my ability to go inwards is *vastly* improved by physically exerting myself in some fashion before hand. At that point, I like to take a few deep breaths, and then say some kind of affirmation to myself to help tune myself to the purpose of the working, which is usually something to the effect of, "I now go within myself to dwell within the sacred confines of thought, and touch the Source from which I spring."

And then with every breath outwards, I let go, and try to open my consciousness to that which is. I try to place my consciousness on the feeling of being aware itself, which is like raw existence. In other-words, I attempt to rest in Beingness itself, which, in my understanding, is consciousness that has succeeded in transcending subject/object relationships.

The other kind of meditation I do, which I consider to be more like "prayer" because it involves consciously directing my thoughts to some kind of specific goal, is more like the white magician type of visualization. In this type of prayer, or meditation, I attempt to purely activate vibrations of that which is wanted, by visualizing things as I desire them to be. Sometimes, I use this type of visualization in the hypnagogic state between waking and sleeping in order to astral project or lucid dream (which are two sides of the same phenomenon).

I've had profound experiences with both kinds of meditation.

[Stranger]

Would you share some of your experiences, anagogy?

[isis]

i meditate horizontally. contemplative meditation, mostly

[anagogy]

Would you share some of your experiences, anagogy?

I don't ordinarily share many personal experiences, but some of the more interesting experiences occur after meditation is over and done with. It seems many of these meditation practices appear to carry a kind of "momentum" into our daily life.

One experience I've been having recently, which I attribute directly to this meditation practice of centering my consciousness in beingness could be best described as having occasional experiences of oneness in my day to day life.

It's actually kind of difficult to even describe the experience, but It would probably best be compared to "falling asleep", except, the exact opposite of that. It's like "falling awake", if that makes any sense.

The sensation is one of a complete melding of my consciousness with the environment. I compare it to sleep in the sense that if you try to be aware of the precise instant of falling asleep, that activity will tend to prevent the sleep from occurring. Also, if I become aware of myself during these episodes of "falling awake", it appears to instantly "reconstitute" my ego, or selfhood, and I come back to normal consciousness.

I really must stress that I feel like I'm failing miserably at describing this, too, by the way. It really has to be experienced to be understood. It's like being completely relaxed, yet hyper aware. Self-hood seemingly disappears, and its like all that is left is just pure functioning. There are seemingly no distortions of thought.

It is absolutely blissful when it occurs (often happens on long drives). It doesn't appear to interrupt anything my body/mind is doing (it's not like I just go off the road or anything ). It's like taking a step out of mind and body, and just existing as a spirit.

As near as I can tell, it appears to be some variety of satori or kensho experience.

I've also come out of deeper states of meditation with more knowledge than I went in with. I've come out of a deep meditation experience, and suddenly, I just understand some aspect of metaphysics or consciousness that i didn't previously grok.

The other thing I experience a lot is what I call "winks from the universe". I feel like the more distortions of separation I let go of, the more I experience what might be best be termed "divine timing". I'm drawn into perfect rendezvous' with events and times. I will constantly look at clocks and digital displays at triple digits. Or, as another example, I will show up somewhere at "just the right time" for some particular event to occur. It's like there is just a flow to things that was previously just a series of disconnected events. You begin to really see the "oneness shining through from behind the curtain".

Anyway, that is just a sample of experiences I've derived from meditation. Consciousness is a rich and vast resource with never-ending treasures to be discovered by the vigilant observer.

[Stranger]

Thanks for sharing, anagogy. Regarding your second type of meditation, which sounds like efforts to manifest desired outcomes. I have avoided doing that, because it feels like I should be trusting God/guides to provide what I need, since they can see the big picture. Asking for things seems presumptuous, like lack of faith or something. But, perhaps the alternative - letting things happen as they will - is too passive. I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts on this.

[anagogy]

Thanks for sharing, anagogy. Regarding your second type of meditation, which sounds like efforts to manifest desired outcomes. I have avoided doing that, because it feels like I should be trusting God/guides to provide what I need, since they can see the big picture. Asking for things seems presumptuous, like lack of faith or something. But, perhaps the alternative - letting things happen as they will - is too passive. I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts on this.

In regards to trusting and asking, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: whether you consciously ask for specific things or not, you do it unconsciously and automatically anyway. Every time you experience something you don't like, a vibrational preference is emitted from you, and becomes part of your overall soul pattern. So you're constantly asking for things, unconsciously and automatically, every moment of your life, and god/source/your inner being/higher self is becoming the vibrational equivalent of those things you are asking for.

Also, the guides/higher self/totality complex don't look down on you and say, "foolish mortal, who does not know anything about anything, here is your coursework which you must do!" Rather, your higher self is your cooperative partner, and trusts you, in your divine judgment as an incarnated being, to make pertinent inferences and judgments about your life. So if you, in your physical incarnation, decide something isn't right for you, you know what is says? "Who better than you, on the front lines of experience, to make such an inference!" So never believe you are at the mercy of forces beyond you that don't take your desires, interests, needs, and conclusions into account. You are a valuable and integral part of your whole decision making process of your entire beingness complex.

And once those preferences are queued up, the only thing that prevents them from occurring in your experience is your own resistance to thinking new thoughts/beliefs/perspectives, as your thoughts are creating your reality always. Also, your whole vibrational relativity has changed. You can't go back, and feel good anymore. Your higherself has found the new reality, and is holding the vibrational perspective of it like a bookmark for you, but it doesn't create your reality for you. You have to follow its vibrational bookmark to the thoughts/beliefs/perspective of the new reality. That is where your emotions come from -- the constant feedback of vibrational relativity between your thoughts, and the thoughts of your higher self.

So by focusing on the new perspective, you release the resistance to thinking the new thoughts which will manifest or coalesce the expansion of new experience that your higher self is already experiencing (and waiting for you to catch up to it).

And also, the passive technique of allowing, surrendering to god, finding happiness despite what is occuring *also* releases resistance. Much like a cork being held underwater, when you let go of the old thoughts, which equal your resistance, your consciousness will naturally float up to the new thoughts, and new perspective. So letting go, surrendering (i.e. the passive method of allowing) is another way of letting in the reality that you have *already* created or queued up for yourself, by simply living life and experiencing wanted and unwanted.

One method is like attaching a rudder to your boat and speeding towards what is wanted. The other technique is like stopping fighting the current and letting the stream turn you in the right direction and taking you to where you want to go. Both ways have their own strengths and weaknesses. Neither is superior or inferior.

So no need to worry! All is well! There is an inevitable vector forwards to new experiences, and even more joyous times.