A meditation technique for minds that won't shut down

I thought I'd put this out there for anyone who's got the same problem I do - I want to meditate, clear my head, but my mind just won't shut down. I've done this the last few nights, and for the most part it worked, and I managed to fall asleep in under an hour (normally takes me 1-3 hours).

As usual, take it with a grain of salt & to each their own. This seems to work for me (at least right now), so it can't hurt to share.

Right. So, I get comfy in bed (doesn't really matter the position, altho it's easier for me lying on my back), and rest my hands on my chest/stomach. I feel myself breathing. At this point, don't worry about the breaths being even -- just breath.

Next, I envision myself in a large box made of clear plastic. I'm inside, and all my thoughts are outside. Like mini tv screens, they flicker and move, but I don't hear them. Some slip in, and I shush them away. Count backwards from 100 to 1 (or vice versa -- the numbers themselves don't matter, as I'm forcing myself to focus on something other than not thinking.)
Why clear plastic? Simply put -- if I try and black my thoughts out, then it's twice as hard to keep them at bay; like my mind is insulted by me trying to get rid of the thoughts, combined with me becoming afraid that I may forget a really good idea or something. However, by seeing them (and only seeing them), every thought is validated, my mind doesn't go ape, and I can experience a few moments of inner peace.
**Key part tho -- I don't get/try not to get mad at the thoughts for trying to get in. I feel like a librarian enforcing the quiet rule to a bunch of roudy school kids. Yelling at them only makes them madder, louder, more forceful. (besides, of course, frustrating yourself.) Patience, a good shush, and sometimes a gentle hand pushing them outside of the box seems to work.

Sitting in the box takes awhile, and sometimes my mind floats off, and I hafta say, 'I am sitting in my box.' The box is where I return when a random thought interjects.

Once I feel okay that the thoughts are staying back, I slip down through a trap door into the blackness of the universe. (A little explanation -- since I live in my head, and I think so darned much, it makes sense to me that there's a universe in my head. All those thoughts need room...) Upon slipping in (or out, depending on how you look at it), I feel a comforting wave wash over me (which sometimes triggers thoughts, and I end up in my box again).
Sometimes I keep counting, sometimes I don't. (Sometimes the counting is too loud and inhibits the peace I'm trying to find.) Totally depends on the moment.

Last night, I realized that I had no purpose beyond floating in the blackness (which, the last few nights, was so peaceful that it sent me to sleep!). I thought for a moment, realized that in my universe (aking to the big/real universe) there's energy everywhere. The blackness became such a bright white that I had to close my 'eyes'.. and the level of peace became higher. (of course, I was totally disoriented, but at least it's not monotonous.)


The only problem that I'm having with this method is that I can't keep my visions up for long. Noise, light, my cat, an itch.. they disturb me. Besides that, my mind is an impatient child, constantly nagging me 'now what? now what?' (Which is good for story writing, but darned annoying otherwise.) I sat and watched the images that I pushed outside of my box for awhile, realized that I couldn't clearly see one single thought, but rather a mashed kalidescope. That was neat, for about 3 minutes. Floating in my universe, like I said, is peaceful, but totally uneventful.

That's all I have so far. Lemme know how it works (if anyone decides to try it).

Does anyone have any advice for what could be next?
And what to do about not being able to keep the vision up for long? (comes with time, no?)

Wow - that there is one long post. LOL Thanks for taking the time to type it all out. I admit, I saw how long it was and didn't read it, but I wanted to comment on the title of the thread.

Meditation for those with the restless minds - excellent thing to bring up. If someone asked me to lay down, get comfy, and clear my mind, it goes something like this:

-Ok, now I'm comfortable - begin.
-Oops, not comfortable... wrinkle in the sheets under my arm. Fix problem, start over.
-Begin.
-The cat is licking itself ... it's driving me nuts ... damn cat!
-Ok, start over.....
-Begin.
-Can't start yet, still mad at the cat.
-Smoke a cigarette, get comfortable, begin.
-Wait. Better lock the dang cat out of the bedroom. Ok, Begin.
-doing well, thinking of nothing, ooops, still thinking - start over - begin.
-nose iches, have to scratch
Start over, begin.

This is a pretty typical 'meditation' for me. LOL It just don't work. It's enough to raise my blood pressure I tell you! If meditation is supose to be relaxing... this is NOT the way to achieve relaxation. I would end up cranky, agrivated and needing nicotine, coffee and a little 'me time' with my guitar just to 'get over it'. Oh my gosh, I know that's so imature of me, but I do, I get so darned agrivated I could just spit (as my granny use to say)

I just focus, like I'm sure you talked about, on something. Focus on something until you can let your focus become 'pay attention to' instead of 'consentrate on'.

Angela

i find this meditation helps me as well, i merely use different things to focus on, but have been doing this for a while, it is quite a great way to relax after a stressful situation.

wonderious post, great work, thanks for spreading good vibes! i hope many benifit from it even thoe i already practice it, igot to benifit from it knowing that others are practicing the same as i do, makes it that much more enjoyable.

have a great day an Love an light!

Shane

Always comforting to know that others are in the same boat.. (are you missing a paddle, too, by the way? *smirks*)

My apologies that my original post was so long (had to re-write a few parts to gain characters, to be honest).. I kept writing it in my head while trying to meditate! Thus, I figured it was about time I write it to get the thought out.

Angela -- With the itchies, I try to 'push them out', or just ignore them. I *try*.. sometimes, they're just bothersome and need to be scratched.

Here's the thing -- I can paint, dig, walk, whatever, and my mind floats. My body is moving, but my mind is someplace else. (Never figured out if that's a good thing or not.. I rationalize it as 'multi-tasking'.) So I try and utilize that while I'm meditating. If I hafta move an arm or scratch, I just do it but try and keep the focus on being in my box, at the very least counting.

I'm still trying to disconnect from the sounds.. hear them, but don't visualize where it's coming from. Thus far, I've made it to the point like.. *cat's licking* and I think 'cat'... and leave it. I keep debating putting on ear muffs or something, but I don't want to get used to that, to have it become a necessary part of the process. (Truthfully, I'd like to do this out in the forest/woods, by a river or something. Wouldn't wanna block out those sounds!)

I'm also trying to keep the emotions outside of the box.. frustration that the neighborhood can't shut its yappers for more than 2 seconds, and they wouldn't stand still for a good duct taping!.. I feel it, and try to let it go. (doesn't always work, but at least going thru the motions may be helping..)

*And if you don't mind my asking, what is it that you 'pay attention to' while meditating?

Trance -- Thank you, by the way. I felt kinda like a dink posting this, considering all the more important things happening in the world. But, it's truly a great honor having the support. Thank You!

kinda, sorta, sounds like self-hypnosis to me.

all is good....

your particular mental image is fine,
but two of youse say that the itchy-scratchies, lights, cats, noise...
all interfere with the meditation imagery.

this brings to mind that there is also the practice of imagining
that each muscle & part of your body-
from the tip of your toes to the top of your head
is imagined to become immobile or paralized or just 'detatched'
from your 'self' 'ego' 'active mind'...
in 15 minutes average. of this self induced 'paralysis'
one is either in the O.B.E. mode or just asleep (as it were)
from the lights/noise/sensory intrusions/worldly cares

see-ya. & thanks for your thread

Distractions can be a form of meditation as well, if you learn how to be aware and wait for them.

For example, when you sit and count backwards, do not be afraid of losing the focus. Meditation is not about focus, it is about letting go. When you meditation, and noise is coming into your ears, you just have to simply listen to it. You don't have to change the noise, you don't have to focus on it... You don't have to do anything to the sounds, as they simply 'are'.

A sensation, like an itch, can also be a pain to a sort. You should merely observe the sensation; Yet it leads us back to what? -> 'Focus'. After a time, the itch will disappear. An sensation of the body is just an impulse from your mind, telling you, that you are infact alive.

Remember; Meditation is to look at yourself, when you've fallen asleep.

Consider all the distractions a test by your inner self. Concentration is not an easy thing to learn, but focus on something happy if you want a relaxing session or a problem if you want to solve it. The possibilities are endless when you enter your subconscious so just let the ideas flow and take them for what they are. Don't hold anything against yourself if you think there's some crazy ideas, everyone has them .

They aren't tests. They are merely objects there to help you, or to exist in their own world. Learn to live in joy with dispair.

Yep, I did read your whole post, and I completely understand what you are saying.

It takes me a while to fall asleep as well, and meditation is nearly impossible. In fact, my "thought train" is so strong and active I can practically tune out of whatever I'm currently doing and completely tune into my thinking and still accomplish whatever it was I was doing!

I can daydream completely into a waking dream in fact, sometimes that is lucid, if I concentrate on it long enough. I rarely do this though. Most of the time I can't concentrate well because I have too much crap running through my head.

Here's one for you.. If you try to think of a voice, like try to imagine hearing a spoken voice, what happens?


If I do it, eventually I will actually -hear- a foreign voice in my mind. Let me explain.. Have you ever been doing something and a radio or TV suddenly came on or was turned on at really high volume when you weren't expecting it? That's how it is. I can clearly tell that I'm not controlling the voice and it's definitely not "mine". Now, I usually can't understand what it says, but I still hear it. Scary to me.

Sorry, got off on a tangent. I'm going to try this meditation tonight and see if it works for me. I've tried alot of other methods, mostly from Buddhism and Zen and had little success, so let's hope this will work.

Someone mentioned self-hypnosis - that's pretty much my method now.

About the itchies and all the other physical bothers... there is apoint in which my physical body almost seems to just blend in with the bed or something. Numb isn't the right word, more like a lack of feeling... better yet, a lack of assosiation with the feeling. Noise are harder to ignore - yet as you said, I can be driving or all kinds of things and have no idea how I've somehow managed to zone out and dissassosiate.

Emotions I can put on the shelf easily with focus and consentration. Then, when the focus becomes just paying attention to what I'm seeing etc, emotions seem to be a part of the information I recieve instead of my own emotions being in the way.


*And if you don't mind my asking, what is it that you 'pay attention to' while meditating?

I've tried many different things. Starting with the paying attention to the breathing, then bringing it down to the breath itself (in and out and filling and emptying of the lungs), I may be visualizing a particular intent. But I try to let eveything go and just pay attention to those colors and images that form behind the eyelid. I try not to conjur up thoughts as to what they are or why, just watch, kind of allow myself to 3rd party be aware of myself, my body (It's still very hard to do with thoughts).

Sometimes I pay attention to one particualr person or idea that I need or want to gain more insite on. This works well when it's time for bed and I want to wake up with inspired thoughts and ideas or understandings.

Dramier -- I had a thought.. (heh.. one of many, to be sure!).. you likened your thoughts to a train. Go with that image! Maybe put all the thoughts in the train, each to their own seat, and then try to get out of the train. ..maybe the walls need to be clear, maybe not.. to each their own. I'd suggest fiddling around with it until you find an image that seems to work.. even if only for a few seconds. (A few seconds of peace is worth it..)

For awhile, my thoughts were on a stage, and they'd run out, stand in the stationary spotlight, do their little dance, and then run away, with another thought trailing right behind it. If I had to work off of that image, I'd try to walk farther and farther back in the theatre.. maybe up to the box seats (always more comfy with better eats!)


Angela -- do you meditate in complete darkness?
The idea of watching colors and images is intriguing.. I saw pink last night and kept trying to dismiss it. (of all the colors in creation.. nothing against your avatar, but I dislike pink. Maybe it's the rebel in me rebelling against the 'girl' norm, I don't know, and have yet to figure it out.)
How do you know when the images are not of your thoughts? ..k, that sounds weird. Lemme re-phrase.. if I'm sitting in my box, and an image occurs to me, I dismiss it because I'm unclear whether it's my thought(s) creeping into my space, or an outside image (image from my deeper self). How do you know the difference?

I'm gonna try thinking about a story I've been mentally working on.. don't know if it'll help, but the idea is too cool to not attempt.

Yes, I almost always meditate in complete darkness. (I use every helper I can get). I've thought about the ... what is that called ... Some kind of chamber I've seen on tv. I thought it would be incredible to try one. In this chamber the person is completely deprived of all senses. You float in water that is body temperature - so it's the ultimate in comfort. No sound, no light - nothing at all.

Funny you should mention the pink. Certain colors at certain times are - I don't know - they stand out and I feel the need to see them. I'm not big into wearing bright color, and I wouldn't have it in my house for decoration (I'm earthy, natural) but the brilliant splash of contrasting explosion of color is like a feast sometimes. I put that avator on there just to get my picture off. I'm getting alot of calls and e-mails for help (which I absolutely love), but it kind of makes me wonder how complete strangers find me, and I think I'd rather them not know what I look like. LOL

*How do you know when the images are not of your thoughts?

I know exactly what you mean! When it strikes me as 'wow - look at that! Or "I wonder what that's supose to be" - that's a little clue for me. Or so I think it is. lol
But it's different than imagining it. I actualy do try to imagin these things to see how well I do. Not very well at all I'm afraid. I can't bring up a mental picture of those things clearly at all. I can think about the ones I've seen, remember things about them - but I can't bring them forth. It's also kind of the smae thing that happens now and again when sending to someone. I'll get a crazy notion about a color or I'll see a color. I really can't explain why - I don't know what it's supose to stand for. Red does not seem to mean love or blood or hot or cheeryness, it doesn't seem to have any meaning at all. So I just keep watching for some image to form from them - general it don't happen though.

I used to do meditation as properly as I could, in a Buddhist temple, under a monk's supervision.

You don't want to lie down or be in complete darkness. That's because you want to be awake. If you manage to sit cross legged, you can regulate the stimuli such as light etc by holding your head at the right angle, e.g. picking a point on the floor say 7 feet in front of you to look at.

Now, on a light-hearted note... If your mind just "don't quit", a stiff drink helps sometimes

Originally posted by Aelita
Now, on a light-hearted note... If your mind just "don't quit", a stiff drink helps sometimes

So funny you should say that.. For awhile, I 'd smoke myself retarded in order to shut my mind up. Threatened it with a q-tip on a number of occasions, but both of us knew that I wouldn't do it. (I'd probably only piss it off, or stab something truly useful!)

I've a question for you as well, maybe you'd know (maybe not ).. What kind of stretches would I do in order to be able to sit in the full lotus position? At this point, I can sorta sit half-lotus, and I know I'd just break myself if I yanked myself into the full position..
I've managed to get one foot near my hip, but my knee doesn't sink down. And Oooohhh.. the creaks and pains of straightening out!! (my knees hurt just thinking about it!)
Any pointers?

Thank you for the advice on light and sitting. Much appreciated!
BTW, are you still meditating?
What pointers did the monk offer? (I'm sure all situational.. but the scraps of info are just as helpful!)

Angela -- it's official name is Sensory Deprevation Chamber.
And frankly... I just don't know about them. My mind is difficult enough to deal with when I'm aware of my body.. can't imagine giving it full reign!
But ooo.. the possibilities!!!

The SDC is right up there with trepenation (getting a hole drilled into your skull where your 3rd eye is). Supposedly such a procedure releases the pressures in the skull, and opens your brain up to the energies of the universe.. like the skull is too thick of a barrier to trully allow for *full* connection. People say they feel such peace afterwards...

My problem is -- what if something goes wrong? What if I lose what few marbles I think I have? What if I drill too far? (since no doctor would do it, unless you had a drill with you in the office and a serious look in your eye..) What if I poke my brain (which I think would be super cool!!) and trip or twitch? Goodness forbid I get dirt in my brain.. or a bug!!! Granted, with trepenation you're supposed to have a plug in the hole.. but what's the fun in having a hole if you don't play with it!? LOL ..I don't think I need anymore 'dirt' in my mind.. *mischevious grin*

Edited to add the following -- I've heard that being in a red room raises your level of anger/aggressiveness. Maybe it's a clue to the levels of energy? Like light.. red is a low frequency, blue is high/fast.

[edit on 22-6-2006 by Diseria]

@ Disteria

I do not exactly understand what you mean by being unclear whether or not something is a thought. If it is the case that your thoughts are so vivid they combine themselves with reality, then you should be studied (joke of course...)

*And if you don't mind my asking, what is it that you 'pay attention to' while meditating?

The constant.

Constant = Something that isn't manipulated by your mind. It is usually the breath, as you only observe the breath, you do not control the breath. Some people tend to believe that you have to breath in through the nose, then out the mouth or vice versa. I don't know exactly if it works, but in my own oppinion, this is where you construct mistakes as uneven breathing, and disrelaxation of the lungs (most people tend to strain their lungs to the maximum when consciously breathing).

Breath
However there are two kinds of conscious breathing;
1. The controlled breath.
2. The observed breath.

The first, is the mistaken one that many seem to do. And the side-effects are mentioned above.
The second, is the right one where you observe the breath. You do not alter the breath as it goes in and out of your nose (YOUR NOSE! The mouth is for eating!). You can observe it by either feeling the cool sensation when entering the nose, and the warmth from exhale out the nose. You can observe by watching the abdominal regions rise and fall unmanipulated. Remember to not actually breath down your lungs, instead redirect the breath to go to your abdominal area (stomach).

Note: Conscious observatory of the breath for a LONG period of time, can be extremely healthy as it lays the nerves that control the unconscious breath to rest (they do NOT rest ever, as they constantly keep you alive).

Noise
Noise is a constant. Shamans use music as a trance-inducing method. Noise and music have been used for decades to enter other states of mind. When meditating, you should listen to anything coming in your ears. It is by far (in my opinion) the 'easiest' form of meditation, but it collides alot with trancing, so it doesn't correlate with meditation at 100%.

Trance-music (note: TRANCE-music), is what most new-age shamans use for entering another consciousness. What you do is listen to the beat, and distinguish the rythme of the music. You can't change the sounds of the music that easily, so it is a constant.

Noise you can merely listen to, and pay attention to. Listen for every bit of detail in the noise, but do not think about the details.

Sensation
Sensations are constants as they are things that can go agianst your will and invoke on your mind. You can pay attention to that sensation. It can be your heart-beat, as the sensation does not have to be anything bad of any sort. Heart-beat, pulse, vibrations are good ideals for sensation-meditation.

Visualization
If you're like Disteria, meditation with thoughts is also an option. If one suffers from the cluster of thoughts continuously countering your mind, one can begin to visualize all those things away.

One exercise is to wait for any thought to come to mind, and just observe that actually. Look at the thought as it continues, but do not manipulate the thought. I know this is the absolute hardest in my opinion, and I have not been able to do it. It is for the more experienced meditator, but none-the-less, try it.

Mantras are also forms of visualization corporated with visualization. Mantras are images that appeal to your consciousness. My mantra is a tree standing on a hill, in a summer day. I do not however use the mantra much.

Note: Mantras can also be vocal (Noise), as for example when opening the heart chakra one would meditate on the word 'YAM' and the "third eye" chakra would be 'OM' or 'AUM'.

*How do you know when the images are not of your thoughts?

Who says they aren't?

Everything lits up in full focus after I meditate. I have been told of a theory that my third eye opens up when meditating, and I can see in the dark after a short period.
There were however times where I would see light above my head (my crown chakra). I coulden't see the light as it was out of my eye-range, and it was sitting on the top of my head. I also remember one episode where I saw red light floating around. I've also seen something that looked like a white sand-storm whirling in front of me.

But back to main issue; Thoughts are not entirely vivid (or is it just me?), and I am sure you will know when something is a thought, and not. I am sure the light above my head was not clear to anyone else but me, but it was very vivid, yes, but I knew it was my mind.

[edit on 22-6-2006 by Volatile]

Volitile -- Regarding vivid thoughts..
it depends on what the thought is, and how long I'm 'in' it, or how often i think about it.
Example: If I'm trying to remember to mail something, I think about going to the post office. I've gone the route so many times that I've memorized the scenery. Now, the thought of 'I've got to go to the post office' is different than feeling the steps, feeling my legs moving, the weight of the package, et cetera. If I think about it enough times, I'm convinced that I've already done it!

In my head, I live on a farm. I *know* that house, and I've a very clear, colorized picture of what it looks like.

Same with my box.. I can see the reflections of my thoughts on the plastic! And altho the thoughts themselves are brightly colored, I can't make out individual images..

However, my dreams (whenever I remember them) are never as vivid as my thoughts. It's only in thinking about the dream after I've woken up that I start filling in the pieces, adding more to the images..

As for noise.. I know that some people use music, which is on my list of things to do. However, sudden, random noises disturb me, even physically jar me. Example: last night, Wyrdeone was playing video games, and I'm very used to the sounds of constant clicking, be it of a mouse or a keyboard. But when he knocked over the salt shaker, it startled me.
How do these noises play into meditation? It's possible to not expect the noise, but not be startled be it?

The only definition I've got in my head for mantra is the sound mantras.. Om and such. How can a visual be a mantra? Rather, how is your mantra of a tree on a hill (which sounds lovely) be different than a visualization of a tree on a hill?

Originally posted by Diseria
As for noise.. I know that some people use music, which is on my list of things to do. However, sudden, random noises disturb me, even physically jar me. Example: last night, Wyrdeone was playing video games, and I'm very used to the sounds of constant clicking, be it of a mouse or a keyboard. But when he knocked over the salt shaker, it startled me.
How do these noises play into meditation? It's possible to not expect the noise, but not be startled be it?

The only definition I've got in my head for mantra is the sound mantras.. Om and such. How can a visual be a mantra? Rather, how is your mantra of a tree on a hill (which sounds lovely) be different than a visualization of a tree on a hill?

Firstly; I can still not understand your question concerning vivid thoughts :/

Secondly; Noises can startle, yes, but they depend upon what noises are there. One can practice to become more adapt and fearless of noise. For the beginner, noise should be very low, and shifting and be like the noise from someone clicking the keyboard (exactly ). For the moderate, one should begin to practice sudden sounds, and adapt to it. If you have seen an advanced meditator, they do not fear noise... As in fact there is nothing to fear. It is just as worthless to fear noise, as it is to fear TINY spiders, or OOBEs. Fear of heights. Of course, one must only fear what is logically not to be feared. If one does not fear anything, one might as well die by that emptiness of fear, as we can learn from fear. But when we have learned that approximatingly the height of a skyscraper is something NOT to fall down from, we should no longer fear it, but neither test it. The advanced meditator can thus, meditate without interruptions from sudden noises.

Thirdly; Read the index of the place I wrote about the mantra, it says what?:
Visualization A mantra 'is' visualization when confronting thoughts, and not vocals.

Originally posted by Diseria
Angela -- it's official name is Sensory Deprevation Chamber.
And frankly... I just don't know about them. My mind is difficult enough to deal with when I'm aware of my body.. can't imagine giving it full reign!
But ooo.. the possibilities!!!

Yes! That's it I really doubt if I could actualy try it, I'm kind of closterphobic. (You wouldn't believe me if I told you the story of the first time I 'tried' to go into a tanning bed. That coffin looking thing with the timer and closed lid was NOT my friend!

Originally posted by Diseria
The SDC is right up there with trepenation (getting a hole drilled into your skull where your 3rd eye is). Supposedly such a procedure releases the pressures in the skull, and opens your brain up to the energies of the universe.. like the skull is too thick of a barrier to trully allow for *full* connection. People say they feel such peace afterwards...

It's amazing what people will do. It seems like they'd spend any amount of money, try any kind of pill or crazy hole drilling idea - they'll do anything so long as it don't involve time. And time is just what it takes.

Originally posted by Diseria
My problem is -- what if something goes wrong? What if I lose what few marbles I think I have? What if I drill too far? (since no doctor would do it, unless you had a drill with you in the office and a serious look in your eye..) What if I poke my brain (which I think would be super cool!!) and trip or twitch? Goodness forbid I get dirt in my brain.. or a bug!!! Granted, with trepenation you're supposed to have a plug in the hole.. but what's the fun in having a hole if you don't play with it!? LOL ..I don't think I need anymore 'dirt' in my mind.. *mischevious grin*

LOL!!! I think I'm still just vein enough to worry about weather or not they'd want to shave any hair and if make-up would cover it. LOL

Originally posted by Diseria
I've heard that being in a red room raises your level of anger/aggressiveness. Maybe it's a clue to the levels of energy? Like light.. red is a low frequency, blue is high/fast.

Color does do for us in the energy department. I did a pretty good study back in the collage days on the color ect (industrial psych). Certain hues of different colors do play on us. I find it amazing. And so much more we haven't learned (or don't believe) yet.

Originally posted by Diseria
I've a question for you as well, maybe you'd know (maybe not

).. What kind of stretches would I do in order to be able to sit in the full lotus position? At this point, I can sorta sit half-lotus, and I know I'd just break myself if I yanked myself into the full position..
I've managed to get one foot near my hip, but my knee doesn't sink down. And Oooohhh.. the creaks and pains of straightening out!! (my knees hurt just thinking about it!)
Any pointers?

1. Baddha Kona-asana (The Restrained Angle) : Is very good for removing the barrier between the hips that makes one unable to go into the advanced states of sitting. It is infact also refered to as "the Lotus", when seeing its meditative twin posture; Padma-asana.

2. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bending) : Stretches your spine and hamstrings which are essential for any leg posture. You might also try the Padahastasana posture, which is what I use.

These are good postures to 'foreplay' the lotus position. However, while Lotus might be really good for meditation, I found something that looks bizare when I was studying yoga. The posture is called Kandasana.

Note: Just google the names.

[edit on 23-6-2006 by Volatile]