Difficulty Meditating?

[Martin]

Visualization is very powerful. It can bypass all the verbal defense mechanisms and can be a true meditation or a tool for psychological work.

Just curious, what kind of things do you visualise?

 

[Secret Chief]

It is a shame. I quite enjoyed the group sessions.

How well does Skype/zoom pick up drum sounds?

Maybe we can get a group going on RF?

I feel it needs to be a physically-in-the-room-together thing. Just my opinion.

 

[The Hammer]

I feel it needs to be a physically-in-the-room-together thing. Just my opinion.

Worth a shot haha.

But yeah, I can see you're probably right. You miss a lot of things with distance. Like the feel of the vibration, and it's hard to raise energy from a distance.

Edit: I can't spell

 

[Twilight Hue]

I just take the meditation techniques and apply them with my daily life.

Not just in the Zendo.

 

[savagewind]

No difficulty if you stick to simple words.

 

[Polymath257]

Listening to and watching the waves and breathing the salt air is one of the most therapeutic things I'm able to do.

How the Beach Benefits Your Brain, According to Science

While I have found exactly the opposite. The waves coming in feels incredibly disruptive and jarring to me. It's like I can never settle down because I know the next wave is going to make a bunch of noise.

I do like walking along he beach. The feel of the sand on my feet can be very nice.

 

[ChristineM]

I am very lucky in where i live, a forest valley with a river running through it in one of the most beautiful parts of France. There are so many tranquil places to walk that i can spend several hours a day (in warmer/dryer months) just meandering through forest, along river banks or sitting on a fallen tree trunk admiring the scenery and wildlife, rippling of the water or listening to the breeze in the branches. It clears my mind of the daily clutter but I don't consider it meditation though, more chilling out.

 

[sun rise]

Just curious, what kind of things do you visualise?

I first learned the power at a psychology training seminar when I visualized a house that I explored. The house is archetypal for the self. In it I explored rooms including the basement which was a serious experience that I had to integrate.

For the past few years, I've visualized divine figures standing either on my side or in front of me. There are no words, just a comforting presence.

 

[anna.]

While I have found exactly the opposite. The waves coming in feels incredibly disruptive and jarring to me. It's like I can never settle down because I know the next wave is going to make a bunch of noise.

I do like walking along he beach. The feel of the sand on my feet can be very nice.

I get that, because while I can listen to waves on the beach and enjoy it very much, when I occasionally use white noise to fall asleep, I can't use wave sounds for the same reason as you. When falling asleep I need a continuous noise that doesn't rise and fall, so I choose either brown noise or rain, nice and steady all the way.

 

[metis]

I get that, because while I can listen to waves on the beach and enjoy it very much, when I occasionally use white noise to fall asleep, I can't use wave sounds for the same reason as you. When falling asleep I need a continuous noise that doesn't rise and fall, so I choose either brown noise or rain, nice and steady all the way.

Seems nice, and what you say above resonates with me since in my Swedish tradition I try and get outside at least one hour a day regardless of the weather. However, since I'm still battling omicron, that'll have to wait somewhat longer.

Say hi to my relatives in Honfleur.

 

[anna.]

Seems nice, and what you say above resonates with me since in my Swedish tradition I try and get outside at least one hour a day regardless of the weather. However, since I'm still battling omicron, that'll have to wait somewhat longer.

Say hi to my relatives in Honfleur.

Feel better soon! I've been under the weather for a week myself with a cold that doesn't seem to be getting better, but I know it's not Covid so there's that. Of course I'd say hi to your relatives if I was actually in Honfleur... : )

 

[metis]

Feel better soon! I've been under the weather for a week myself with a cold that doesn't seem to be getting better, but I know it's not Covid so there's that. Of course I'd say hi to your relatives if I was actually in Honfleur... : )

I hope you feel better soon! Take care.

 

[JonSL]

You can make meditation more effective by doing a warm-up period. Just like exercise, helps to make the exercise experience itself better, if there is a good warm-up.


So....come home at the end of the day. Yes, you can just sit right down and go into meditation.

But, you can often make it more effective by doing a warm-up period first.

So, come home. First…take a nice long hot shower. That will warm up the muscle groups and give you some physical relaxation. And the sensation of the water itself is calming.

Next, take a walk in nature. If you can, go for a good 30 minutes.

Come back, do a few Yoga stretches.

Then, sit down and read some spiritual writing. Take a good 30 minutes.

Next, do some concentration exercises. Silent chanting is very good for that. It will clear and direct the mind.

Doesn’t have to be long. Could just be 3 - 5 minutes.

If you enjoy prayer, then go into some prayer for a time. Could just be a prayer or two for up to 5 minutes, or longer, if you feel like doing more.

And then, after all that, then try some meditation.

It will be an entirely different experience.

And yes, that becomes something like a 2 hour meditation session between the warm-up and the meditation. But that more precisely fits our real need. It takes time for the mind and emotions and body to be ready for meditation.

And, you can certainly try variations of this, doing a bit of these, but not all.

But at some point, like on a weekend, let yourself experience a full round like this and see the effect it has.