A Simple and Very Effective Way to Meditate

I just want to start by saying that the title of this thread may be a bit of a misnomer in that what is effective for one person may not be effective for everyone. I've discovered that this is an effective way to meditate according to my experience. Also, depending on the person, it may be simple for one but not for all. Just be aware that this type of meditation may not be for you. As a disclaimer, I also want to say that this type of meditation is not the usual type of meditation (it is somewhat based on what is generally known as mindful meditation). That said, let's get right to it.

Should I Sit?

When somebody begins the practice of meditation the first thing that you may ask is, how do I sit. I've found that it doesn't really matter. I personally don't understand why some are so dogmatic about even sitting up with your back against something. I think that if you are sitting up, yes, it is important to have your back against something, but you don't necessarily have to be in any sitting posture to meditate. I've found that it is quite easy to meditate lying down. This is what I tend to do by the way. Some people argue that if you lie down, it's easier to get out of meditation and go to sleep. However, I don't think that it's a big deal if you go to sleep. Besides, you don't usually go to sleep before having meditated for about 20 minutes (20 minutes being used as an example of the amount of time someone meditates). However, I realize that everyone is different, and what they want to achieve is different. I think that the most important thing is to be comfortable while meditating, and so I opt for being comfortable. I tend to get restless while meditating, so lying down for me helps me really calm down.

Visualization

Another important thing when trying my type of meditation is that you have to have strong visualization skills. If you feel that you don't already have that, I would suggest that in your preemptive meditation routine, try to visualize your thoughts. In other words, try to formulate a picture for each of your thoughts and feelings. When the visualization of your thoughts resembles something that can be illustrated or animated for example, then you can move on to try the type of meditation that I am proposing. If you already have strong visualization skills, then excellent.



Meditation

Once you feel that you have strong visualization skills, you are ready to begin. Start by experimenting with your thoughts. If there is something that concerns you, such as a strong feeling about something, try to visualize the feeling, and play with the feeling. In other words, try to mess around with the visualization of the feeling as if it were some kind of science experiment. I find it hard to put the idea of "playing with the thought or feeling" into words. I guess the best way to put it is, imagine that you are in a laboratory and imagine that your thoughts and feelings are the science experiments. You can visualize the feeling being stretched out, sliced as if with an imaginary invisible scalpel, compressed, twisted and turned, or turned into something that looks different from the initial visualization of the feeling. Feel free to be very creative with the different types of images that you can take to the various thoughts and feelings. If there is a certain type of thought that you think is important to have in your awareness, for example, then experiment with this thought in like manner. I feel that it is important to play with or mess around with your thoughts and feelings because it helps you master your thoughts and feelings, and it helps you view them objectively as something that you have control over. I also highly recommend that when doing this type of meditation, to not dwell on any one thought or feeling at any point in time. When you get really good at it, you will most likely visualize yourself experimenting with many thoughts and feelings at a time in a symphony of awareness. If you feel yourself being clear of thoughts, then try to imagine conjuring a visualization of a thought or feeling out of thin air and playing or experimenting with this thought or feeling. Sometimes if you simply visualize anything (not necessarily something you perceive as a thought or feeling), that thing which may seem like any visualization, will be the representation of a deeper thought or feeling from the subconscious that a deeper aspect of yourself feels that you may need to work on, or at least be aware of and view dispassionately.

Once you get proficient at this type of meditation as I've explained it, the beauty of it is that when you do, you can use this meditation as a base or touchstone to build upon. If you would like to, then you may use this meditation as a focus (or center) and go from there.

Simple?

And that's it! I know that this sounds very simple compared to some systems of meditation. However, the key is to do this type of meditation consistently. And that's the part that is not simple. The point is to do something simple that anyone can pretty much do, and make a regular routine out of it. I recommend that each time you do it, do it until your mind gets tired and easily distracted, which is a different span of time for everyone. This could be twenty minutes or an hour. Just don't try to be a superhero and go for too long; at least not at first. It's important to be honest with yourself and what you know you can do. The other thing that may not be simple is getting your mind to the point where you can visualize at a proficient level. If you feel that your skill at visualization is simply not getting optimized, then you may, if you like, exercise your visualization skills while attempting my way of meditating. There is one caveat if you decide to do this however. If you decide to just jump right into it without getting good at visualization, then you may run the risk of having this type of meditation feel like work and not like fun. So therefore, it may be worth it in the long run to enhance your skill at visualization if you want to get good at this type of meditation.

Isolation is Important

I've also tried to duplicate this technique of meditation while doing whatever it is that I normally do (surfing the web, watching TV, reading, etc.). But that is something very hard to do, if not, nearly impossible to do effectively (or as effective as the usual way). I find that it's very important to set aside quiet time without distractions to do this, and when that happens you will simply reap the benefits in your normal life.



So anyway, that's the simple way and a very effective way to meditate. I find that a lot of books and websites are vague as far as how to meditate (not all books are vague, but for the novice the right book may be hard to find). So therefore, I hope that this type of meditation is useful for you. You can play around with this way of meditating, I encourage people to adapt this method to their own if it doesn't exactly work for them. Happy meditating!

Meditation is not simple. Our senses resist it, our heart is not patient enough. But it begins simple enough.

Sit. Hands in lap. Close your eyes.
Stay in the room.

This is impossible in the beginning. It will take months to get to a point you can accomplish this simple task for twenty minutes at a time.

I don't mean accomplish meditation, I mean staying in the room.

Try it for a few minutes and see how your mind wanders. Bring it back to the here and now in the room.

Repeat.

Thats it.

Our minds have been trained our whole lives to wander. It will take some time to untrain that.

Sit. Close your eyes.

Stay in the room.

reply to post by intrptr


I think that definitely is true. That's why I think it's important to be as relaxed as possible. The genius is in finding different ways to relax.

I don't sit. I just lie down. I find doing body scans as the best way to maintain and develop some control over the wandering mind. I've been practising mindul meditation, basically zen practices for just over a year now and rarely sit down to do it. As long as you don't fall asleep, it doesn't really matter. Even if you fall a sleep, it doesn't matter, you may be sleep deprived.

reply to post by intrptr

Stay in the room. I like it.

I often wondered why we set to training the mind to avoid the wandering mental-stories, when we could more easily learn to focus on one Intent at a time. Sure you have to pull the focus back regularly. So I prefer meditation on a focused intent that opens the way long enough to begin to experience something.

It is simple, we've all been brainwashed into believing it can't be.

reply to post by brazenalderpadrescorpio

Oh, contrare… the point is not relaxing but becoming more aware. If you are relaxed in class you aren't going to learn as much as if you are alert. We have been relaxing (unawares) our whole lives. The key to meditation is practicing remaining in the moment. That is the hardest thing any of us will ever do.

Stay in the room.

Oldie
reply to post by intrptr

 

Stay in the room. I like it.

I often wondered why we set to training the mind to avoid the wandering mental-stories, when we could more easily learn to focus on one Intent at a time. Sure you have to pull the focus back regularly. So I prefer meditation on a focused intent that opens the way long enough to begin to experience something.

It is simple, we've all been brainwashed into believing it can't be.

It is that simple. So simple most people can't see it. We are a combination of all the input over our lifetimes, we drift in our river of thought all day long. The world is one big distraction for us that was designed that way to keep us enslaved to it. We are unawares of the real us. Oh, we focus (on worldly pursuits) we strive (to achieve) and we think we are independent of things, but really we are very dependent on our fabricated world. To live without it would be to die. And that is what we are supposed to do, I think…. die to the world. Be in it but not of it. Not a product of this world.

I'm no saint either. I know this but I am as hopelessly enmeshed as the next person, mostly. I am a slave to desire, too.

Meditation practice should be training us to come back to reality , to free our mind from the river of thought in our heads that isn't our own. Gently, slowly practice staying in the room. Come back to here and now every time we drift away. Most people will find this a painful process that they can't endure for very long. Thats how you know its working. Because we are un comfortable. The opposite of relaxing.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


And most people nowadays are sleep-deprived. So it doesn't make a difference. Exactly right.

reply to post by Oldie


And that's what I meant to say to intrptr. That's why I think that lying down is key. I don't necessarily think that it's key to this type of meditation, but I think that it helps avoid the mind-wandering as much as possible. If your mind is not focused too much on keeping your body up straight, you can start to focus on your mind.

reply to post by intrptr


My point about relaxing was more about not being distracted. Your mind should be alert for the most part, but your body should be relaxed.

So I have a question, or maybe it's an observation. Not sure exactly but I have something. Anyway, While reading the OP's method, I liked it, it seemed realistic to me. I am pretty good at visualizing, seeing pictures and such in my mind and I can easily see doing things this way. I can imagine seeing a vision or picture, and then changing what I am seeing. I liken it to programming a video game or filming a movie. You see what is happening on screen, you aren't really happy with it so you change it and then see the results of what you changed acted out. Basically a form of editing.

Then I read intrptr's method or instruction and it too makes perfect sense. This is more along the lines of what I've always understood meditation to be. The sitting, the emptying of the mind, becoming one with yourself etc. Not sure I'm describing that accurately but you know what I mean. I have tried and occasionally use a method very similar to this.

However, after reading both suggestion's and explanation's, it has led me to an observation or at the least, a need for clarity. It seems to me that the OP's method is more akin to something like "the secret". Similar to thought manipulation or laws of attraction. It then seems to me that intrptr's method would be more like what traditional meditation is supposed to be. So now my question, is my observation correct or am I looking at tis wrong?

reply to post by awhispersecho


To get to the root of your question, I have two questions to ask you. The first one is, have you ever tried to meditate before? And then 1a. is, if you have meditated do you feel comfortable meditating while sitting down? If you answered no to the last question then it would probably be best to meditate lying down. Also, the fact that you have good visualization skills makes you an excellent candidate for this type of meditation. You have a really good chance at being proficient at it. You can try intrptr's method, and mine at different times. I'm not saying that mine is better. The best one is the one that works for you.

I also want to say it again and again. I'm not saying that the mind should be relaxed. It takes a special alertness to achieve this type of meditation. What needs to be relaxed is the body. My opinion is that this is what is meant by relaxed-awareness when referring to meditation, but that is my own personal opinion.

reply to post by intrptr


Yes. You don't have to meditate to work on being in the here and now of each moment, as it is a waking exercise. Something we do in each second of the day. It does take a lot of effort to remind ourselves, but the gradual change that occurs is well worth the practice.

I find most people don't want to have that much self-control, or see it as not being viable in their world view. That's okay too. We know everyone is standing where they are for good reason. If and when they are ready to come to this practice I am sure their will be others who can show the way.

Also I notice many, many females struggling to practice being in the now. I do understand it's because they have been brainwashed to focus on their mind-stories. And few ever understand that what they are feeling then is only a product of their thoughts. My own daughter is one ofthe strugglers, but she has been learning for herself that her thoughts create her feelings.

Meditation I think is the reserve or path to remembering who and what you are as a soul. Practicing being in the present moment with full awareness is another part of the puzzle we are here to put together for ourselves.

Thank you for your posts, I am enjoying them.

reply to post by Oldie


The only problem that I see with certain catch-phrases, like "be in the now," is that very many people live very busy lives. And so therefore normal everyday life is very distracting. And so it's really hard to be in the moment when you have a million things going on. I live close to two major cities and for me personally, it's really hard to be in the moment of my very busy life with so many things competing for my attention. I think that a personal time set aside for meditation trains your mind to react to distracting circumstances. So in other words, you can't just rely on "being in the now" alone. You need to give your mind some experience to fall back on.

reply to post by brazenalderpadrescorpio


I understand your perspective and thank you for taking the time to go further into it with me.

Unfortunately the words used often as catch-phrases are all we have that we all understand, in order to describe these things. It's like using the word "God", we all know it isn't a personal name of a being, but we use it that way anyway so everyone has some understanding.

Stay in the Now, sounds corny, but it says exactly what it has to say, no read between the lines necessary.

All it takes is to realise that all you have is this Moment; this Now. Nothing else is real, past is not real coz it's gone, and the future is still only possibilities and probabilities to be chosen.

Tayesin's first teacher used to tell him he didn't have the right to expect his next breath. That realisation when you do get it, motivates the practice in every moment. Doesn't make it any easier, it just makes you See how far you were controlled by the mind's stories.

The key I think, is to practice in each moment so that the day to day stuff is done with your awareness focused, rather than half focused as per normal with the other half floating around in the head's stories. The symptom of not focusing in our day to day is that rushed, not enough time to do everything mental momentum.

As an example, while typing this, my mind is focused only on this task ignoring the mind's stories about what if, should I do that, etc. If I catch myself wandering into the stories, I pull the attention back and refocus, over and over again. The same applies for at work, talking with people, walking, etc, so that everything you do is done with concentrated attention.

That concentrated attention is a brilliant tool for meditative use. As intrptr said, Stay in the Room; it's an attention focusing practice. Something we can choose to do with every breath we take.

reply to post by Oldie


I thought that all of what you wrote is true. I actually believe that past and future are illusions, as you may believe as well. I believe that it is possible to know the future, but even still, since the only thing that is important is the present, when we get to that future it will be much different than we foretold. I believe that what scientists speak of as the beginning of the universe is actually something that we experience everyday and in our now. I believe that at this second the universe has begun. I simply believe that the eternal now is constantly perceived as different because it is imperceptibly getting better in ways that we can barely imagine. This may seem as being of my own original philosophy, but it's actually ripped off of the philosophy of someone relatively famous in esoteric circles and put in my own words.

reply to post by awhispersecho



reply to post by brazenalderpadrescorpio

My point about relaxing was more about not being distracted. Your mind should be alert for the most part, but your body should be relaxed.

I see. I agree with you the goal is to be more alert, more aware of our surroundings. For most though that is fleeting. We often daydream or are lost in thought, the opposite of "prescience", which is really more than just being aware.

In the beginning of meditation one of the escapes from practicing being in the room is to fall asleep. The more relaxed (lying down for instance), the more likely we will drift off. Thats why I recommend sitting upright in a chair with no arms and a straight back. Its harder to fall asleep that way.

As our ability to remain in the moment develops, then we can meditate anywhere. Even for a minute, at work, on the bus, wherever. Its a mode you can slip into that actually becomes very comfortable (and relaxed) once you overcome the need for distraction and dream like thinking. Once the mind has overcome the need for materialism or instant gratification.

It becomes beneficial like a flower unfolding in the sun. Like cruising down a tunnel of soft light , in the now. You can still hear the room, the people, the birds and horns outside. You see from the middle of your mind not your eyes. You encounter and live thru your soul, not your senses. You become the real you, not a slave to the world or desire.

Hard to describe. I think other religions miss the mark, they call it a state of grace. We see more clearly, respond without over reacting. See what to do in the moment… moment by moment.

reply to post by Oldie

I do understand it's because they have been brainwashed to focus on their mind-stories. And few ever understand that what they are feeling then is only a product of their thoughts. My own daughter is one of the strugglers, but she has been learning for herself that her thoughts create her feelings.

Exactly. The river of our mind. Some call it the thought stream. Its like we are along for the ride, in the river, floating along, clutching at ideas, entraining notions, most of which have been placed there by some means of programming from the world. Like teaching in school or church or TV advertising for instance. Others are born of trauma that affect the way we think or react. The trick is to get out of that river and sit on the river bank, we see better from there. We are not born by the current of our "river" but in charge of what we decide is appropriate.

That is true freedom.

Most people live their whole lives never questioning why they are "lost". Or what to do about it. Searchers and seekers though are different. They are being led up out of Plato's Cave, the Matrix, etc. towards the light.

I hope I didn't ruin it with the worldly references, they are meant to be symbolic. Their popularity reflects how powerful they are too. Ever seen this one? This is about waking up, too.

reply to post by intrptr


I think it all boils down to what works for each person. Sitting in a chair, for me, makes me think too much about the position of my limbs. I start thinking about the exact angle of my leg or my arm. I am very alert and aware, but not on the matter at hand... hahaha.

I have fallen asleep while meditating in a lying position, however, it has usually been after having successfully meditated. Personally, it's hard for me to go to sleep during the day so meditating while in a lying position is not that big a deal.

I also want to say that if you want to be in a sitting position while meditating this way, go right ahead. I think that people are mistakenly believing that I'm saying that you absolutely have to meditate this way while lying down. That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just outlining what I do, and laying out other options for people like me who get restless while meditating in the usual posture. Meditating while lying down is not integral to the type of meditation that I am proposing. That's a whole 'nother story.