As you can tell I can't conentrate very well, but I would love to start some form of spirtual practise. Where does this leave me?
The number of differnent types of meditation on the internet are rather overwhellming.
Thanks for any help
As you can tell I can't conentrate very well, but I would love to start some form of spirtual practise. Where does this leave me?
The number of differnent types of meditation on the internet are rather overwhellming.
Thanks for any help
Namaste Rudy
On What [actually Whom] do you intend to meditate ? The answer depends on that.
praNAm
|| Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||
Namasté Rudy
Smaranam ji raises a good question (again) .
My suggestion is to remove mental distraction. Try to keep the practice simple and to the point. We are more likely to make progress that way and return to enjoy it again.
Make a pattern e.g. 20 minutes before going to bed or when the house is quiet. Everything else will come as you need it. My favourite method is "Awareness watching awareness" (instructions are here I also recommend other articles on that site).
I wish you a steady focus!
Krsn talks of meditation which is different from renunciation and enlightenment leading to abandonment . Also sitting in posture of dhyan is not meditation, but it is like this....
Sarvabhootasthamaatmaanam sarvabhootaani chaatmani;
Eekshate yogayuktaatmaa sarvatra samadarshanah.
With the mind harmonised by Yoga he sees the Self abiding in all beings and all beings
in the Self; he sees the same everywhere...29/6
Here it should be kept in mind that remembering parmatma or focussing to parmatma is bhakti . Bhakti or devotion has been defined of 9 types in sribhagwatam and ramcharitmanas .
Vannakkam Rudy,
Firstly, there is no need to meditate. Millions of Hindus don't meditate at all. Even those who can often don't. Many try and are just somewhat successful. The basic reason is they are not ready, just as young children are not ready to walk. But that's not a bad thing, its just where we are. All great meditators were once non-meditators.
I don't think it is healthy to be too self critical over this. Personally, I meditate very little. Occasionally in temple or in shrine, I may sit still for a few minutes. Sometimes the stillness can encourage me, but its pretty rare.
How does one ready himself for meditation? The answer (or so I've been told) is through bhakti yoga, and selfless service. The point should be to do SOMETHING. Anything that will help propel you along the path.
Easier things may be japa, or small pujas, or even reflective observation walks. All these things are conducive to developing ourselves religiously.
I think many teachers make the mistake of teaching over the heads of students in general, and meditation teachers (genuine ones might be rarer than we think) are included in this lot.
Aum Namasivaya
Hari Om!
Yoga Nidra IMHO is the way to go! It is suggested that it is always done as a guided meditation from what I've read, so a good CD is essential. I use the one by Swami J almost daily. He also has regular guided meditations for 3, 7, 11 and 30 minutes on one CD. Certainly you could try the 3 minute meditation and have some success, eh? There are samples on his site - try it out.
More on Yoga Nidra. You'll find a variety of others, but Swami J takes you through two sets of body relaxation followed by deep breathing exercises, followed by the yog nidra experience in silence. If you don't have time for the full hour, try just one or two of the 5 tracks, especially the deep breathing. His site is at www.swamij.com
Another good one that I like because I am a devotee of Lord Siva is Yog Nida by GuruMaa at www.gurumaa.com - it's only 35 minutes in length and ends with a visualization where you see Lord Siva. It's very powerful, and embarrassingly enough, I've sometimes cried at its conclusion feeling like I have truly taken darshan.
Hope this helps in some small way.
Om Namah Sivaya!
I started with mentally re-living the day. Start with the time you wake up, your interactions at work/school, what you did after work, etc.
Recalling the days events in a peaceful location allows me to re-think the preconceptions I had during some exchanges. For example, if I didn't get something I wanted from someone else - why did I want it? Did I get angry about it? Who is this I to want and be angry?
Sometimes, past events come churning up and again... I ask myself, "Who is this I that deserves what I want? Who is this I to be angry? Who is this I to want?"
Just keep doing that every day until you can recall the days events and not have to ask yourself questions. At that point, your mind should be a little more peaceful and able to concentrate on something specific.
At least, that's my experience. Your mileage may vary.
In the "Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda" you can find some guidance on how to start with Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté Rudy,
I have quite a different point of view from some of the posts I have read above. If you can think you can meditate. You have all the equipment within your own nervous system.
Even if one meditates for health reasons ( as it influences your 1st house in your birth chart) one's health improves. One's mental clarity improves - one makes better choices in foods ( due to ārgala¹ on the 2nd house).
So, if you are suggesting that the mind is like a squirrel going from place-to-place , that is fine - this is where you start.
The mind is connected to the breath. We manage the breath, we manage the mind. Look to techniques that will do this. They are very straight forward and can be done starting from day one.
If meditation were not benefical, it would not be part of yama & niyama.
praṇām
1. ārgala is defined as a bolt, a lock; in jyotish it infers assured ( ~ locked in~) intervention
यतसà¥à¤¤à¥à¤µà¤‚ शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṠśivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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