Help Requested: How to Meditate?

Any help or insight that anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. As I speak, please bear with me and keep in mind that I am, for the most part, ignorant and unknowledged in human spirituality and consciousness. So please help correct any terminology or understandings that I have wrong.

For the last 6 years or so, I have wanted so badly to get in touch with my inner self, my inner consciousness, and discover who I really am. If reincarnation is in fact a true process, I would love to understand my past manifestations. I would love to experience other realms, consciousnesses, realities, or whatever we may be able to discover and experience.

I have so far taken the spiritual journey of studying the wisdom and guidance of the Bible, Islam, Buddhism, Universal Laws, Edgar Casey's Association for Research and Enlightenment, and the works of Ancient Western Philosophers.

I often read, and have many people tell me that the key to enlightenment is Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, combined with the tool of Meditation.

My problem is this: I am having an intensely difficult time learning how to Meditate, listen to myself, and listen to God or the Oneness. The reoccurring problem I am having is I keep falling asleep. I have tried most of the Meditation techniques I have come across, with no avail. I have tried Meditating while laying, while sitting, at different times of the day and night, and while fasting. I always reach this point of complete Peace, Comfort, and Relaxation, and end up falling asleep. The sleep I encounter from my attempts at Meditation have not resulted in any dreams, insights, or ideas as of yet.

I would be so greatly thankful if there is someone that can help guide me to personal enlightenment. I do understand that only I can open the door, but I haven't found the right key yet. Any and all help or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Well,with 6 years of readings like that under your hat, I wouldn't call you a novice in human spirituality!!

The only thing I can think of,is maybe a little beeper or something,to go off every 10 minutes while you meditate,just loud enough to keep you from nodding off,but not so loud as to be a distraction.

I started meditating using Holosync and it works great for me. I did fall asleep in the beginning but after a while it stops. Do you fall asleep during guided meditations as well? I have taken tele classes with a lady called Annette Rugolo and that was also a great experience. I think there's a free guided meditation you can download from her website to try it.

reply to post by Sahabi

It should get easier as your experience increases. I would suggest trying your meditation at the same time each day when you are well rested. One program that has had a lot of medical research associated with it is MBSR and a teacher can be found at www.umassmed.edu... A good book to start with is Catastrophe Living by Jon Cabot Zinn.

From what ive heard...meditating is nothing...thats what it is achieving, a void of self,so there is no *way* to do it...as long as you get there....one of the oldest i heard about is the vedas indian meditation.Thats supposed to be good.

Hi Sahabi,

I meditate in the Zen Buddhist tradition, so my observations come from that perspective.

What time of day do you meditate, and for how long? If you meditate very early in the morning, or very late at night, your sleepiness might be very natural and hard to overcome.

Do you meditate on a full stomach or while completely empty? A full stomach will lull you to sleep, while a hungry one will shut down your metabolism, and make you very tired.

Have you tried meditation in the lotus or half lotus positions? It's pretty hard to fall asleep in either of those, unless you are really limber and can sit in a stable full lotus style easily.

Do you completely close your eyes while meditating? That's a fast path to falling asleep. In the Zen tradition you leave your eyes half open and unfocused. They are half open to filter out the harshness of normal daylight, and unfocused so that your mind can relax. Most importantly, if they are completely closed, that will definitely lull you to sleep.

As for seeking visions and such while meditating, the Zen tradition tends to ignore those. They will come when you've learned how to still your mind, but they are just "makyo", illusions. They're no more important than the million other little thoughts that flit in and out of our consciousness while we sit and breathe. We just ignore them and get back to the task at hand, reaching enlightenment.

Kinda true, kinda not. Meditation grows from the ability to completely still the mind into a form of communication with yourself and your guides and anyone else out there that strikes your fancy. You can astral project while you meditate. You can regress into past lives and witness your soul in various situations. Well, I haven't actually looked *at* myself. I was me. The me I was then. I mean I wasn't looking at me.

Another thing you can do is to go forward and see your children as adults, for example.

You hear things and feel things and amazingly you can remember it all. I've received symbols and only learn what they mean later on, some time down the road when you've earned the right to know. I have one that I still haven't found and it's driving me nuts! lol

I mention those things because those are specifically things I've experienced. I've heard of a lot more but they are still hearsay for now. I look forward to many years of education to come.

Start now. It's really fun.

Sahabi . . .

I've been meditating for 10 years now and I personally use the Zen tradition, as well.

Toromos' post above has some excellent information.

I find that "guided" or "intent" meditation confuses more than clears . . . for me being able to "disconnect" from the natural world and it's distractions not only brings peace and compassion, but many insights. They might not come during meditation, as the point is to clear the mind, but through the moments after and throughout the day . . . usually because I'm not getting pulled into worldly dramas (except for on this site ).

Here are some good places to start with Zen, if you don't have experience with this tradtition.
Zen beginnings

The sitting postures are illustrated in several books on Zen meditation, includingThe Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau and Taking the Path of Zen by Robert Aitken.

The Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau is an excellent book for an introduction

Also Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki

As far as falling asleep . . . besides Toromos' instructions, I would recommend being "mindful" of your state. Focus on your breath and the path it takes through your body or simply count breaths. Any other distraction . . . let it pass . . . stick with being mindful of your state.

Good luck in your journey!
peace

[edit on 11/12/08 by solomons path]

The best invention EVER........

The "snooze" button of an alarm clock.

I've often found the most vivid and enlightening things come to mind when in a semi-sleeping and drowzing mood. The "snooze" button of my alarm clock provides the perfect solution. Enough of a "start" to wake me, but then, nodding back off to a light sleep.

It's amazing what goes through the mind in this "limbo".

Dreams can be returned to, and often become lucid and revealing.

I've done this for hours at a time on occasion and would recommend it to anyone who wishes to explore themself.

Good luck...

For me personally, what works best is prayer.
It's the ultimate meditation with added divine intervention.
Pray to God. Go into your room and kneel down (this'll keep you from falling asleep). Tell him what's on your mind. Talk to Him in your head or out loud. This one has helped me alot:

"Oh, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul…I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do…give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will."

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to you, and I promise He will.
And the peace you will feel is the best peace ever.

: )

Also, the three of the things you sound like you are searching for are part of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are:
Wisdom
Understanding
Knowledge
Counsel
Fortitude
Piety
Holy Fear of God

as mentioned above,if what you're doing is making a conscious effort to clear or quiet your mind,you probably won't achieve much.

i'm no expert,i was taught in 10 minutes one day by a great teacher and i don't practice as much as i know i should.that said,as also mentioned above the initial goal of a quiet mind needs a focus to bring it about.i use breathing until it's all i'm aware of.slow deep breaths in and out through the nose.it will get louder and louder and seem to engulf me in gentle waves.then i imagine a small candle floating in the air in front of my head.

imagine the candle floating up and towards you.take it in through the top of your head,slowly down through your neck,across under your shoulder and down your arm,back up again and throughout your body.it has a soft glow and warms you where it travels.take it back outside your body and play with it,do whatever you want with it.

then imagine you're the flame,moving yourself through your own body.at some point you and the flame just won't be there anymore and you're in the zone.i've left something out here as i think the experience should come however it does to the individual.it's not important to the process,just a natural progression thing i suppose.

imo you shouldn't be listening for anything as you mentioned,just go with it.

Check out my Freestyle Meditation thread, for example.

Cross your legs... stare at your belly button and hum.

Really there is no set way to mediate. You can walk and meditate... chop water/carry wood. All that is really required is to try and quieten the mind and to be attentive.

I prefer the active form of meditation... and I do a lot of it when I walk the dog... cooking also. I am too antsy to sit still.

Originally posted by grover
.. chop water/carry wood.

I know you didn't mean that!

Thanks for the laugh.

check this thread for some great tips

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by scientist
I actually started meditating before I even knew what it was. It started when I was on long road trips, bored in the back seat. I have no idea how it started exactly, but I remember closing my eyes with my face to the sun, and I could "see through" my eyelids - in that even though my eyes were closed, I could see an orange-flesh color (from the light going through my eyelids).

Then, I blocked the sun out expecting to "see" black, but then realized I wasn't seeing black - I wasn't seeing anything at all; not black, just nothing.

I began to focus on the "nothing" and would completely lose track of all time and surroundings. I have come to understand that mental state as meditation, and have been using the same technique for over 15 years now.

I have to admit though, I've mentioned this lots of times, and I'm still under the impression it only works for me... but certainly worth a try for anyone that wants!

Maybe you should try it standing. I like sitting meditation, but I find standing meditation helps with endurance, and that may be your only problem.

reply to post by nerbot


Its actually its:

"Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water."

and also the title of a book on the subject of mediation...

.... but what can I say it was early and the coffee hadn't kicked in yet.

reply to post by grover



I agree, I use a similar method now, trying to be attentive to breathing while carrying out my daily activities. I have 2 small children and so I don't always have the time to isolate myself to meditate.

I try to do yoga, which I can manage with the kids running around, sometimes


When naptimes were more strictly enforced, I could make a few minutes to sit and meditate. I noticed that very strange things began happening, though.

I was combining meditation with kundalini yoga, and not too long into it I saw a UFO, plus all kinds of paranormal activity in my home. My daughter, then 2 1/2 could see my third eye. One day she told me "mama it's spinnin' on your head." I asked her to put her hand where she saw the spinning, and she took her warm little hand and placed it right over my forehead where my third eye would be.

It seems like attentiveness works best for me.

I haven't been able to see my belly button for years so staring at it is not an option besides even if I could I could hear my mind now.... OOOOOOMMMMMM... hmmm there's lent in my belly button....and it would be all over after that.