Having read a lot about meditation for many years and never taking the plunge fully, only dabbling, I recently made the decision to introduce it into
my daily life.
However like a few here, I am trying a few techniques to see what I find the most benefits from.
Before sleep every night I am first relaxing by focusing on the breath, sometime I count, but I find that just completely immersing myself in the
breath is more natural.
Then after I’m relaxed I practise 'energy work' or 'new energy ways' by Robert Bruce. More information on that here:
www.astraldynamics.com...
Having had experiences with OOBE when I was younger and Chi as reported by eastern practises, I find energy work quite natural.
The system works great for me and I’ve been spending months just working on my 'secondary' energy circuit. I've yet to move onto my primary
chakras, but with every session the energy that I work on is felt more strongly.
My other meditation, for times when I’m stuck on the train or walking somewhere, is a loving-kindness meditation. Which I got from the first
chapter of a book called A Path With Heart - by Jack Kornfield. The meditation is reportedly a 2,500 year old Buddhist meditation. It is as
follows:
May I be filled with loving-kindness.
May I be well.
May I peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.
I take one breath both inhale and exhale per two lines of the mediation. But work out what suits you. You can also imagine or visualise that you
are, “a young and beloved child, or sense yourself as you are now, held in the heart of loving-kindness.” However change the images to ones that
best suit you.
This I’ve found to be really calming and the reported effects are gradually affecting me. I am thinking about others more, which is good for me as
I have become really selfish over the years and realised I was taking myself too seriously.
After you have used this sufficiently and the effects of the mediation have been felt you are then to expand upon this by sending loving-kindness to
other people. Firstly starting with close friends and family and then even to your enemies. However, I am a fair way from that yet.
Anyone else had experiences with these?
All in all, I feel I am benefiting from the early days in my meditation by being much calmer, my mind is clearer, I feel more content and have a
better awareness of my body. Wish I had dived in years ago. I didn’t used to enjoy facing aspects of myself when the mind was quiet, however as
I’ve matured I enjoy these challenges. Also I have found that it is best not to struggle or fight or focus on unwanted thoughts but to observe them
and return to the breath or whatever you are visualising on. The more you fight them the more you concentrate on them which is counterproductive.
I've also tried binaural beats and although they serve a purpose for putting me to sleep and in deep relaxation, I find them a bit artificial.