The lady i've been seeing (for Reiki and hypotherapy) wants me to meditate every day. To start with only five minutes. But i'm finding that i'm really struggling.
I've tried sitting up (uncomfy), lying down (fall asleep!) but mostly I find that I can't concentrate on just one thing.
She said to try and concentrate on breathing so i've been doing that, counting in and counting out, then I realise i'm thinking of something else and I can't let go of concious thought.
She said it may be hard at the beginning and to stick with it which I will but I was wondering if anybody had any tips?
Do oyou find it easier in silence or with music? Sitting or lying? I know that everyone is different but I was hoping for some tips!
I can do it anywhere, but I do it regularly.
Firstly, sit wherever you're most comfortable. If that's crouching on the lounge, then so be it. Close your eyes and only listen to your breathing. If you're thinking of something, that's ok, but just listen to your breathing. Take slow, deep breaths so you can concentrate on them.
There have been many times where I'll fall asleep while meditating, and that's ok. You'll be surprised when it does work, how fantastic you feel. You seriously feel like you're having an outter body experience.
I found it so hard to meditate at first as well CQueen. With practice it got easier though and now I just do it without even thinking about it.
I've found that the more you 'try' the more likely you'll not be able to do it. So maybe start meditating when you first go to bed before you go to sleep. When I'm really wound up I meditate myself to sleep at night and have the best sleep ever!
As long as your spine is reasonably straight, it doesn't really matter where or how you sit.
As for thinking... It happens to the most seasoned meditators. In fact, in some respects that's the whole point! It's really helpful to just notice how much our minds shift about. How thoughts intrude our consciousness constantly, even when we think we're being present. Just watch your mind - I find that if I can do it with an attitude of mild amusement it staves away frustration - just laugh at my 'monkey mind', notice what I'm doing and return to the breath. This act of observing self and calmly returning to the object of focus is one of the major benefits - teaches us self-awareness, calm acceptance and an increased ability to return to what we want to focus on in spite of our monkey minds.
I was told to practice breath counting to 10 when I started, but would usually lose count and get frustrated before I got there. So I stuck to 5 instead. Still lost it sometimes but if I could get to 5 a few times without too much interference, I knew I'd made an effort for the day.
It's worth it... persist and you will reap the benefits!
Thank you ladies! I've been practising but i'm still finding it hard. But I will keep going...Kat - counting breath in for ten!!! Wow, I stuggle gettting to 4! And I think thats a big thing, when I think about my breathing it becomes quite wobbly (for want of a better word) and shaky.
I have my first Reiki session today - very excited!
I downloaded some meditation pod casts which are mostly talking to tell you when to breathe and sometimes (depending on what the topic of the meditation is), using some visualisation. I have so far only done them at night when I'm trying to sleep.
I got them from themeditationpodcast dot com
Start off slowly. Sit at your favourite place whether it be at the beach, under a tree. Close your eyes and become one with nature. When your mind starts to wonder stop. take a few deep breaths and begin again. This could take a few days or even months depending on how often you can practise. I suggest practise this exercise daily even if its only 5 - 10 mins.
I highly recommend purchasing or borrowing from a library variety of relaxation CD’s.
Once you feel confident you are relaxing properly. Start with a guided meditation CD. Don’t worry about a meeting your Spirit / Animal guide or Angel. Go with the basic ones.
The guided meditation CD will teach you how to protect and ground . Which is very important when starting to work with spirit.
Prepare your family if you have children plan with your partner for him/her to take them out for a walk, take the phone off the hook. I also suggest have a glass of water near by to drink when you have completed the exercises. This will assist with grounding.
Don’t worry if you fall asleep while doing these CD’s as you will still benefit from them.
If you’re prone to falling asleep and concerned that you have other tasks to do. Set an alarm for 10 minutes after the CD is due to finish.
Start off slowly by planing to do the meditations once a week on the same day for a month, then gradually increase the meditation to twice a week on the same day for a month, then so on and so on.. This is just a guide as you know what your own abilities and other commitments.
Once you are confident with the basic meditation. You can start to explore other meditation CD’s
I suggest to stay clear of printed meditations until you are confident to do the above meditations. I have found a lot of them do not have the protection and grounding included in them.
Once you’re confident with your meditation abilities try the printed ones you could record them with your own voice, add a protection and grounding to them. By recording them in your own voices, you’re are listening to your higher self.
Eventually, you will be able to meditate with out any CD's or guidance tools
Get a notepad and pen. Sit down to meditate and when a thought pops into your mind, write it down. Then start to meditate again. Repeat this for five minutes. Then take a few minutes to review what you wrote down. Ask yourself if these thoughts were really that important to distract you from meditating, or could you have left them to think about later.
You can also use this as a way of saying to your mind that you as you have written down the fabulous idea that is stopping you from meditating, you can now meditate - if that makes sense.... You have written down the idea, so no longer have to store it in your mind.
You can also try being mindful about things. So when you next go for a walk, be mindful of what is happening around you. The sound of your feet on the pavement, the birds/cars/voices around you. What does it feel like to walk? Are your arms swinging? Do they make a sound on the fabric? How does your breath sound.
How do you meditate?
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