Anyone out there do any of this?
I find it interesting but wouldn't mind exchanging a few pm's on the subject?
I find it interesting but wouldn't mind exchanging a few pm's on the subject?
Medatation
- Thread starter johnnytheboy
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i do it occasionally and it really does work. after ten minutes i feel totally refreshed, but it does take some time to practice blocking out all the other sounds.
Out of practice at the moment but i have done alot of tai chi and chi gong - awesome stuff. Yoga is great too - i hate excersize that leaves me out of breath (otherwise known as lazy) so these things sort me out.
Meditiation is regarded as one of the highest forms of medicine in traditional chinese therory - good luck mate!
Meditiation is regarded as one of the highest forms of medicine in traditional chinese therory - good luck mate!
Shambling Shaman
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I normal meditate by just lying very still and focus on my breathing, however my favorite method it to sit with my Boran and just tap a gentle rhythm 
It works for me
It works for me
I've always been intrigued by meditation and mindfulness but have never practiced it properly. the closest i have come would be listening to a 'a love supreme' by John Coltrane - in the dark.
can the practitioners posting on this thread recommend any suitable books for beginners?
can the practitioners posting on this thread recommend any suitable books for beginners?
After some high blood pressure issues and realization that I was too young to be so high strung and angry, I began Zazen meditation. It turned out to be one of the greatest things I could have done. I find it extremely easier to calm myself and feel more balanced. The method is simple and not to mention universal. You literally can use it anytime. Mundane tasks like doing dishes and ironing your shirts can bring about great moments of calm.
Give it a earnest try and time to work. I guarantee it helps you!
Give it a earnest try and time to work. I guarantee it helps you!
With the internet being what it is now I don't think spending cash for books is really needed. The concept of meditation is not a mystery of the universe. A little reading on method and some earnest time set aside to do it goes a long way.
I found this very simple explanation: http://www.aspire.org/zazen.html
IMHO the best information on Zazen is one you find that does not tell you to inspire to Buddha. Or involve the religion whatsoever that goes along with it. With the Zazen style religion has nothing to do with it.
Same with yoga, there is no connection to any particular religion. It is just about stilling the chatter of the mind and reconnecting with the true self within. A really simple but effective technique that I teach is to breathe naturally but to focus on the pauses or spaces between the breaths. With practice the pauses between the breaths can be lengthened and it is there that you can glimpse that perfect absolute stillness of mind. Can be done anywhere, anytime and is really easy to do.
I teach nature meditations too with the aim of re-establishing our dwindling connection to the natural world. Tom Brown Jr students will recognise this technique as 'sit spots'. Just find somewhere in nature to sit, against a tree is always good and focus all of your attention on the immediate area around you. Let go of any thoughts and just breathe and allow all of your senses to take in the sights, smells, sounds in the vicinity. This technique is usually used in order to reduce your 'presence' in the woods and bring the wildlife closer to you as well as to sharpen the senses, but it is also a great meditation practice in its own right. Just try not to become involved with the thoughts that pop into your head, be an observer of them instead, notice they are there and then allow them to drift away again. Bringing your focus back to the breath is a good way to achieve this.
There are loads of other methods from various angles but essentially the key aim is to still the constant chatter in our heads (monkey mind!) and get a glimpse of perfect peace - the feeling you get when you see a beautiful sunset and there is nothing in that moment except the beauty of it.
What a hippy I am!!
I teach nature meditations too with the aim of re-establishing our dwindling connection to the natural world. Tom Brown Jr students will recognise this technique as 'sit spots'. Just find somewhere in nature to sit, against a tree is always good and focus all of your attention on the immediate area around you. Let go of any thoughts and just breathe and allow all of your senses to take in the sights, smells, sounds in the vicinity. This technique is usually used in order to reduce your 'presence' in the woods and bring the wildlife closer to you as well as to sharpen the senses, but it is also a great meditation practice in its own right. Just try not to become involved with the thoughts that pop into your head, be an observer of them instead, notice they are there and then allow them to drift away again. Bringing your focus back to the breath is a good way to achieve this.
There are loads of other methods from various angles but essentially the key aim is to still the constant chatter in our heads (monkey mind!) and get a glimpse of perfect peace - the feeling you get when you see a beautiful sunset and there is nothing in that moment except the beauty of it.
What a hippy I am!!
just sitting round the camp fire can induce a meditative state too i suppose. it works for me anyway.
Did some as a sidebar to a lot of years TaiChi and still use it occasionally to get me off to sleep when my mind's churning. Remember thinking our teacher was taking the mickey when he told us half an hour had passed 
There's a couple of TaiChi classes in Falkirk but the meditation is more through the form and the sword form, it's not taught as a core discipline.
Cheers,
Alan
There's a couple of TaiChi classes in Falkirk but the meditation is more through the form and the sword form, it's not taught as a core discipline.Cheers,
Alan
