What purposes can meditation have?

I somehow don't know what the purpose of meditation is? Everyone is about meditation, meditation but I don't know what purpose it serves. I like the idea of praying more appealing.


What's the use of meditation?

I somehow came out confused about the matter.

Is meditating putting distance upon your soul?

I have the idea many started meditation without really knowing why.

reply to post by etherical waterwave


I don't know....but I sure can't do it. I've tried to do it many times and I just can't.

"Clear your mind!"

Uhhh....how? How is it possible to ever be able to clear your mind? There is WAY too much stuff going on in there.

"Go to a quiet place."

Ok, I'm in a quiet place. Now I hear my breathing.

"Hold your breath."

Ok. Now I think I'm turning blue...I'm......

Deep thinking, relaxation, refreshing. There are other words aswell but they are a few that come to mind quickly. A natural high maybe?

Reply to post by etherical waterwave

first off prayer is a form of meditation. Put simply depending on your intent meditation can be a tool used to focus on a goal, take sanctuary from the day to day, to contemplate something more deeply or to connect to your god on a more personal level. The latter is what most people use prayer for.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by etherical waterwave


does meditation have to be about saying om... cant one take a few min each day to reflect on the positive things in his/her life?

1st question have you tried mediation not looking to find anything but silence. Silence in one's life helps bring perception sometimes and when your in complete silence. what are you thinking about? Your whole time in meditation is spent thinking about how to pay a bill then pay the bill. If it's you wish you where closer to family then get close to family. No music, No speech, just silence.

reply to post by etherical waterwave


In recent weeks I've began practicing meditation to stimulate creativity. I tend to find I am most creative first thing in the morning - however I have to go to work.

Aside from being able to jot down some basic ideas, I can't get lengthier pieces down on paper - so I have to wait till I get home.

Once I get home, my brain is still wired from the humdrum of working life, getting through the rush hour, so regaining the focus I started out the day with had become a struggle. Meditation has helped with that.

It calms me down, clears the stress of the day, and allows me to focus in on the specifics of my writing. I've got into a regular routine with it and as such my writing has also. It gives me a more positive mindset whereas prior to this I was getting home and saying "I've been working all day, I can't be expected to write now can I?".

I wouldn't put my neck on the line and say it was for everyone. I will say it has helped me get out of a very sticky rut in terms of my approach to my craft.

Well, some say they feel good when they do it.

But I guess its because of the breathing techniuqe, that makes them feel good. They actually just get dizzy because of the breathing

Thats my take on the subject. But I do believe it does relax you, wether or not its becuase of the "high" you give yourself.

And btw, Here is a thread made on ATS.

Try check it out, maybe it can give you some more insight on the subject.

I think the purpose of meditation is to turn off all the noise in your head - like leaving a room full of noise and walking into a quiet room.

I think we need to clear the noise in order to know our true path.

It is like a refreshing cool shower on a hot day.

reply to post by etherical waterwave


stop thing so hard. sit on your porch when its quiet&sunny and say ahh!!

reply to post by weirdmark


thinking

You don't HAVE to do meditation the textbook method of legs crossed, eyes closed saying ommmmmmmmm in your mind

As each human mind is unique, each human mind has the capacity to meditate in a different way.

Sure some ways work better than others....but try out some of these


1. Sitting cross-legged under the shower, imagining yourself outside in the rain (basic meditation takes you to another place, the water falling simulates rain and it is easier to imagine you are somewhere else this way)
2. While having a smoke alone in a tranquil place (meditation generally links to breathing, so if you are a smoker, you can easily incorporate some meditative thought into your smoking while you breathe)
3. DJing or Playing a repetitive video game or cooking.....or whatever you do that naturally makes you feel "in the zone". When most people meditate, they put themselves "in a zone" so get a feel of what its like to be in a zone by doing things that give you that feeling.

Hope this information and that other thread can give you some ideas.

Meditation can be the absence of thought, or guided thought. Depending on what you're doing. If you want to try something easy that I like to do called "grounding". Stand up and focus on the feeling in your hips, knees, feet, (down your leg). Focus on where your feet meet the ground, feel yourself being connected with the ground. You'll notice a heavier feeling in your legs, like more gravity, a very secure weighted connection with the ground. It really relieves anxiety and tension for me. After you have been standing in place and achieve "grounding" you can try walking around while staying focused on the feeling in your legs of being connected to the ground. You can breathe normally or deeply.

Something different but also easy is doing "Calm/Relax" When you breath in think "calm", and when you breathe out think "Relaxed" and repeat. You can breathe normally while you do this, but It's more effective to take slow deep breaths (into your belly, not your chest. Do that for 5 minutes

Even though no one is probably going to try any of these my favorite is "side breathing".. You breathe in slowly over 8 seconds, Hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale slowly for 8 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds.. then breathe in for 8 seconds..etc.. over and over. This tricks your brain into thinking something is wrong and your body releases endorphins, and you become very calm and content. You can also do 10 seconds and 5 seconds.. or higher (or lower) depending on your lungs. Doing this for 5 minutes will put you in a very serene place.

These are more exercises than "traditional meditation", but it's a really abstract thing, in which prayers can be included as a previous poster mentioned.

Having your eyes closed while doing any of the above can greatly help with your focus and senses.

Have you ever sat an a beach on a warm summers day
gently listening to the waves washing upon the shore.
feeling happy and contented, without a care in the world ?

have you ever been in love and felt fully alive as though you where walking on sunshine ?

have you ever took the time to see the breath taking beauty in the way the sunlight sparkles upon the water ?

or stopped and listened to the silence of the falling snow or the sound of a bird singing. ?

have you ever lost yourself in creating or making something you truly enjoy ?

when trying to give a person a taste of what meditation is about this is the nearest thing I can find to explain it all ...it's kind of like ....time just vanished ..went flying by

like when a person becomes very aware of life right "now" with direct focus .

it's that sudden breath taking " WOW" !!! factor .


meditation is a "now" thing to become aware to tune into what is here right "now"

meditation is time out ...from the constant chattering of the mind

meditation is to bring peace on earth to yourself

and when you get real good at moving into this state of meditative ..peace on earth

ah !....then you have been given the ability to ...

move into this state of heavenly peace...any time ..even when stood in the middle of hell.

sitting for hours meditating is also a way to self-discipline the mind to become still enough
to get the taste of this peaceful state of being .

there are many benefits to meditation .

.

I have heard it said that prayer is how we speak to god, meditation is how god speaks to us. Meditation can often be uses to facilitate healing, physical, or more commonly emotional, or to develop intuition. However I think for most the point of meditation is consciousness expansion. This is the growth and development of yourself as a conscious and awake being, and is truly the only real path to wisdom and maturity.

Have practised meditation for 23 years and was a Buddhist monk for a number of them.

Meditation when stripped down to its bare bones is simply a form of conditioning used to create new ways of thinking, it is for all intent and purpose a form of self induced brain washing, the obvious difference being that you are the one in control.

For example - I may get angry at others in certain situations and by being angry I do not function as best as I can, I therefore use meditation to spend time focusing on those situations and visualise myself being patient, then when those situations arise for real I am slightly better at catching and altering an angry response. Over time the angry response does not even enter my mind in those situations.

That is an example of using meditation as a practical application without introducing any religious connotations.

If you wish to apply meditation for spiritual advancement the principles are exactly the same, there are many ways to meditate and half the fun is finding a method that suits you.

To feel at mental peace, to connect, to still, to open, to everything
Meditation serves many purposes, the only way to realize it's true purpose is to try it out my friend.
Never try never know