Out of curiousity, how exactly do you meditate?
Zazen. A form of seated meditation associated with Zen Buddhism. I sit in a Burmese position with a little zafu (small round pillow), which you'll see in the pictures in my second link. I do not like half or full lotus positions as I have really long legs and it's extremely uncomfortable. And kneeling is just for chumps. Basically, meditation is sitting, and NOT thinking. You don't actively try to shut your brain up, you just sit, for as long as takes, for your mind to clear and then hold that. Thoughts come and go, and you just let them. You don't address them, dwell on them, or "think" when they come, you just let them come and go, and eventually they stop coming. You just focus on your breathing, your body, and your mind, and just feel the "oneness". You can count backwards when first starting out, as it helps people get into a calmer spot faster. Start from 100. To me, my goal and special spot is where I get to that point in my daily meditation where there are no other thoughts, and I'm simply just existing and nothing else. This is a good starting point, as always: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazen This website has some decent pictures and additional info:The posture of zazen is seated, with folded legs and hands, and an erect but settled spine. The hands are folded together into a simple mudra over the belly. In many practices, the practitioner breathes from the hara (the center of gravity in the belly) and the eyelids are half-lowered, the eyes being neither fully open nor shut so that the practitioner is neither distracted by, nor turning away from, external stimuli.
This is amazing.. thank you very much for sharing:) I guess what I was talking about on my own comment is a bit like what you're describing here as meditation. This is super interesting, and reminds me of after intense yoga sessions I used to take, the meditation we did got pretty close to what you're talking about. Do you go to a school or some other institution for this, whether to learn or practice? Do you use any kind of environmental equalizer like incense or some sort of music, perhaps in order to eliminate foreign distractions?
No, but that same question not long ago spawned a very large exchange between me and BLOB_CASTLE about Zen, Buddhism, meditation, and whether a master is necessary (link below). I started by saying no, and ended up looking up a center in my area and plan to attend in January. I've never been before, so I learned on my own and by reading materials in books and online. But I have meditated with other people before, just not in an official setting. http://hubski.com/pub?id=114668 My environment is my environment, there would be no equalization, because the incense or music itself would be no more of a help than any other distraction. So don't think of it as an equalizer or necessary, but if you enjoy it, it's fine. I'd say few use it, many just have the pillow. Music I would say is probably not a good thing, incense or a candle would be fine but not required. I find incense more of a distraction than not personally. :)Do you go to a school or some other institution for this, whether to learn or practice?
Do you use any kind of environmental equalizer like incense or some sort of music, perhaps in order to eliminate foreign distractions?
cool :) now I have a lot of reading to do!! I think discovering your own interpretation and comfort with it is just as important as learning the proper form and so on from a master. My mother is a psychoterapist and frequently uses yoga, meditation, and a combination of the two with traumatized kids in New Jersey's foster home system. I haven't seen her working her magic but apparently it's doing wonders :)
That sounds awesome and your mother sounds like she's doing very positive things with her life and for others. Interesting to hear she's using yoga and meditation. You'd get no arguments from me that both of those things are beneficial to anyone who dedicates some time to them.My mother is a psychoterapist and frequently uses yoga, meditation, and a combination of the two with traumatized kids in New Jersey's foster home system. I haven't seen her working her magic but apparently it's doing wonders