Questions about meditation

Hi,
this is bulletproof_monk.
I began meditating a few months back. I try to have 2 20min sessions every day. One right after i wake up in the morning and the other right before i go to sleep. The way I have been doing it up until now is just by either sitting or laying down and relaxing. I try to focus on my breathing, taking slow inhales, holding for a few seconds, then exhaling. At first i listened to calm music and sounds of nature, but ive gotten to the point where i dont really need that, and instead i usually just sit in silence and try and clear my head of all thoughts.
I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on meditation, and maybe give me some different approaches? I want to try out different things and see what type i would feel the best with.
Also any advice on things like lucid dreaming and astral projection would be appreciated.
I have also heard about a book called "Cannabis and meditation: An explorer's guide". I was wondering if anyone has read it before. Sounds like a good read. Any advice on the use of cannabis for meditation, or would that affect your consciousness in a negative way for meditation?
Thanks,
Bulletproof_monk

Eh don't use drugs with life, doesn't mix to well together. As for astral projection and the whatnot why do you want to do it in the first place? Find the purpose then focus on it during meditation. Whether it happens or not who knows...

You really want your mind to be as clear as possible, so drugs are not required when meditating. Cultures all over the world do use consciousness altering substances, but truthfully, a sober mind can accomplish a lot when it comes to meditation.

I have some advice about mediation that I heard from someone, and I would be glad to pass it on to you. One is that if thoughts pop up in your head, pay attention to them. There is a reason your sub conscious is bringing it up.

Also, if there are sounds in the background, use that to your advantage when meditating. Let's say you can hear people walking or closing a door. Realize this is a part of your reality, part of your mediation. I hope that makes sense.

I hope this helps!

Well your messing up at trying to clear your head of all thoughts. Just let the thoughts roll through your head, you'll get random things that don't necessarily make sense that will pop in and out for a bit but just let it flow, don't focus on them. Just let them come and go.Eventually your mind will calm and then you'll reach meditation. Don't focus on anything in particular, just give it a shot and it should work, it does for me. Good luck!!!

Hey bpm, try not to hold your breath as you meditate. Make it circular breathing, in through the nose and down the lower dantien and right back up through the nose or mouth. Your stomach should move slightly out and down. Smile while you meditate and you will spread that smile through your entire being. You can hold your breath but do the inhale, hold, and exhale for the same amount of time. like 7, 7, 7 or whatever number you can do. Also, you can do inhale of 4 and exhale of 8. Giving more then you took. Check out Pathnotes of an American Ninja Master by Dr. Glenn Morris. Some really good meditation techniques in it. He knew his stuff for sure. Good luck with your practice. Peace

Thanks for all the advice.
When I said i try to clear my mind of all thoughts I meant trying not to talk to myself in my head. Ive gotten much better at keeping my voice quiet in my head, but when it comes to random experiences i try to observe them without judging them. I hope that's the proper way to do it.
Also i hear that intention is very important when meditating as with astral projection. What should I intend? For astral projection, I just want to experience it, but should I have a better intention for doing it in order for it to happen? As for meditation, My intentions are to expand my consciousness, but do you guys have ideas on what i should intend before starting my sessions?

Originally posted by bulletproof_monk Hi, this is bulletproof_monk. I began meditating a few months back. I try to have 2 20min sessions every day. One right after i wake up in the morning and the other right before i go to sleep. The way I have been doing it up until now is just by either sitting or laying down and relaxing. I try to focus on my breathing, taking slow inhales, holding for a few seconds, then exhaling.

It is important to relax your muscles with each exhalation in my own experience and also to focus on the simple act of breathing so that it becomes all there is to experience as to live in the moment allows the mind to become still. Eventually as you become skilled in this focus you will find that even sitting in intense cold is not a concern because the cold cannot bother you if you no longer notice it but it is a dangerous endeavour however so I do not advise it – just an example of the power of focus however.

Originally posted by bulletproof_monk At first i listened to calm music and sounds of nature, but ive gotten to the point where i dont really need that, and instead i usually just sit in silence and try and clear my head of all thoughts. I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on meditation, and maybe give me some different approaches? I want to try out different things and see what type i would feel the best with.

I quite like the visualisation technique in that I am utterly relaxed, my ears are ringing like a bell and the full body vibrations are rippling up from my feet to my eyes and then I see the red ball with the single seam in my mind, a vision so strong I am actually seeing it. Make the seam turn and twist as you will it and you will find that the more you practice this the more powerful a sense of vibrational awareness you become.

The singing in your ears will drown out the world and – Whoosh you have achieved lift off and if you are really lucky you will perceive a hidden but what feels to be a very important room that surrounds our waking spaces lined with in my own experience can only be termed brushed gold and bronze”. The mind is a very powerful thing and always wants to show you things if only you could forget the world for even a short while.

Originally posted by bulletproof_monk Also any advice on things like lucid dreaming and astral projection would be appreciated. I have also heard about a book called "Cannabis and meditation: An explorer's guide". I was wondering if anyone has read it before. Sounds like a good read. Any advice on the use of cannabis for meditation, or would that affect your consciousness in a negative way for meditation? Thanks, Bulletproof_monk

For lucid dreaming I found a very simple aid to allow me to lucid dream whenever I wish.

During the waking hours remember to touch a door as you pass one and say ‘I am dreaming’. Eventually with practice your mind will learn to associate any doors you might come across in dreams with this waking mantra and suddenly as you remember this sentence you said many time while awake you open your eyes within your dream and find the world is yours to do with as you wish and yet you may be shocked to find that your ego wants to educate you to its true desires by turning the dream into something less than wholesome so take care.

As to using drugs as an aid to meditation well some might subscribe to that path but for me I see no reason to poison the experience with an outside chemical as for me the reason for meditation is to cut the mind off from external influences and drugs therefore are quite a powerful external influence upon the human mind so I would advise that to the serious traveller that to use drugs to get there is to cheat only yourself and to pollute the true spiritual experience as it is meant to be experienced.

In my experience the serious meditator does not need to use drugs to get to where they wish to go and I am one of them! A drug induced state of meditation is not true mediation, it is just an escape that will teach you nothing about yourself in my opinion.

The above is the short version I have many tricks up my sleeve and I enjoy them all but to leave them in this post would be a serious overload and I would come across as a rambling self confessed guru and I am neither as my experiences tend to be for my eyes only. My own path into meditation was initiated many years ago for self healing purposes but now used to gain personal insight and answers.

My long term aim to make my own contact with shining beings I have met before during meditation and that I ache more than anything else to meet again but that said I am in no hurry as I am firmly of the belief that everything happens for a reason.
I am patient for now to wait and practice what I have learned – honing what I know to become second nature.

Happy travels my fellow traveller!




[edit on 26-3-2010 by SmokeJaguar67]

Your approach sounds good as to what you are doing now.
The only thing I would add is while you are doing your breathing,
try to visualize on your breath. As if it is coming out of your body or mouth, like smoke, mist, or a cloud. And if your really having trouble count of your breaths visualizing it.
Hope that makes sense.

Also if you were to use cannabis for this try eating some instead of smoking it, if you never really used it before.