meditation???????

[Jon]

Hi Stewart.
There IS more to meditation than that. It requires practice and application.
I would recommend any of the books on Mindfulness by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Some of them come complete with audio CDs that will gently guide you through the meditation practices.
I've been practicing Mindfulness for two months and I would describe it as life-changing for me.

[stewart]

will keep trying, see if it starts to do anything, maybe im hoping for too much.

[Jon]

Hi Stewart.
It might sound odd but the best way to approach meditation is without any goals. If you think, say, "I want this to make me happy and feel peaceful," it tends not to work. It's best to meditate for the experience of meditating. The benefits then flow naturally. It's not for everybody. But I'm glad to say it's working for me. I wish you well, Jon

[Zaf]

Steve and Jon are both right Stewart, sometimes its necessary to learn to meditate in a group or be taught, sometimes trying a different method works better for some people than others.  Have you tried using a mantra or perhaps candle meditation?   Mindfulness works better for some people at first too.

Z xxx

[alex1973]

I started by going to a group once a week for first three week. It cost £7 a session which I think its abit steep. I know these people want to make abit of money but the person who did the sessions hardly lived in a crap house and was poor or struggling. Anyhow, go to a few paid sessions if you can just to get an idea of what its about. Dont expect to clear your mind till you've been meditating awhile during the session, as in you will start and relax and find your mind is full of random thoughts. Dont worry thats normal, it will start to clear abit more and more the longer you meditate for. It takes time.

I started doing meditation for ten mins a day. Best to start small and build it up. I plan to go up to 20 mins a day. It can be quite boring at first, hence why I started on just 10 mins so I can get used to it and build it up. Find a time and place where you wont be disturbed. If there is any kind of noise, accept the noise and hopefully it will go(the source of noise) and you can just move on from it in your thoughts. If there is a constant source of noise that will be distracting then pick a time when its going to be quiet.

Focus on your breathing, slower but natural breathing through the nose. Listen to the sound of your breathing through your nose and try to concentrate on how the breath feels as it passes in and then out through your nostrils. Try to be soft in your breathing but as you first begin take in deliberate, slow long breathes through your nose, count to ten in your mind on each breath and then go into a normal pattern of soft, breathing. Focus on your lungs inflating and then deflating, or on your navel and abdomen rising and falling with each breath.

Oh I forgot, sit upright when meditating prefably with your back against the wall, cross legged with your right foot placed on your left calf and your hands placed either palm down, relaxed on each knee or hands facing upwards and your thumb and first finger touching at the tips in the classic meditating posture. Make sure you are comfortable.