cant seem to meditate...can anyone give me some idea and tips

[UR_DESTINY_IS_COMING]

I've tried to meditate many times, I'm in a delevopment circle and we have a small meditation at the end of our lesson, I really try to focus but I cant seem to get it ...


I believe meditation is my key to opening more doors ( spiritral)

can anyone help me out on some tips or idea to help me focus more..


thanks 4  ur help

[Fedora]

Often your daily mind is too occupied with random things to reach a period of silence very easily. I would recommend breathing exercises such as the pranayama or some other similar technique because it draws your mind to focus on each breath and eventually it will clear. My personal technique isn't exactly pranayama, but it's along the same lines. I take a small set of Buddhist prayer beads and inhale/exhale on each bead until I've gone all the way around. By then the mind is completely clear and you can close your eyes and begin whatever meditation technique you want.

[UR_DESTINY_IS_COMING]

thank you I will try that

I hope I can do it


Chantelle

[tourbi]

Also, the more you meditate, the better you get.  It takes time to let the thoughts float away.  It takes time to learn to focus.  
Be patient.  Keep practicing.  

[Phoenix of Light]

Hello, A helpfull tip is to breath many times before, counting in interavles of four, or just focussing on breathing.  If it takes ten minutes to clear your mind, then let it.  On your days off or before work, meditate.  The mornings are when you don't have much on your mind.  Also, you can visualize the rainbow and pick the colors individualy.  You will hopefully be able to meditate now.  If not, listen to tranquil music or practice with hypnosis tapes.  Hypnosis tapes can possibly work on making your mind calm.  You will succeed, think with a positive attitude.  It helps!  Have a wonderful day!  Bye-

[kukure]

I would recommending attending a meditation camp if possible. I attended Vipassana meditation (www.dhamma.org), and that's how I got started with meditation. good luck!

[ksri10]

MEDITATION CAN BE EASY OR COMPLEX. ALL DEPENDS ON US AND OUR PSYCHE.
THE MOST EASIEST IS TO SIT OR LIE DOWN IN A DARK QUIET ROOM AND BREATHE COMFORTABLY, TAKING SLOW BUT DEEP AND COMFORTABLE BREATHS, FEELING THE COOL AIR GOING DEEP INTO YOUR BELLY AS YOU INHALE AND WARM USED AIR LEAVING YOUR BODY AS YOU EXHALE. THOUGHTS MAY COME IN A BIG WAY. BUT TRY CONCENTRATING ON YOUR OWN COOL DEEP AND COMFORTABLE BREATH.
SLOWLY LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF YOUR OWN BREATH. THE SOUND OF "SO" AS YOU INHALE AND "HAAM" AS YOU EXHALE.
FEEL THE BREATH CARRYING THE LIFE GIVING PRAANA ENTERING EACH AND EVERY CELL OF YOUR BODY AS YOU INHALE. FEEL THE NEGATIVITIES LEAVING YOUR BODY WITH EACH EXHALATION.
PLEASE PRACTICE EVERY DAY FOR A PERIOD OF ATLEAST 10 MINUTES. SLOWLY WHEN YOU FIND, OVER  A PERIOD OF TIME, YOUR MIND STILLING  YOU CAN GO FOR OTHER COMPLEX METHODS OF MEDITATION.
THE ABOVE TECHINIQUE IS ONE OF THE BEST BECAUSE IT IS VERY SIMPLE FOR ANY ONE TO PRACTICE FOR LIFE.
BUT PLEASE REMEMBER THAT MEDITATION, LIKE FOOD, HAS TO BE INDULGED IN, EVERYDAY, FOR BEST RESULTS.

[DragonKnight]

well ...

humm....

meditate

[Sweet-D]

Teachers on meditation will point out to you that subjects for meditation are everywhere, thus even distractions can become something integrated in your meditation when you first begin. I agree as well since these distractions will change over time if you keep up with your meditation and then you may find your self in deep thought one day, non-attached thought about how the distractions that come up for you evolved with your practice until you are able to clear your mind at will and are like wow! If you want to try this it may help to make your meditation more enjoyable as well...

When I first meditated I did not have the focus or concentration to even sit very long just counting breath, so I did not try to push myself, I wanted meditation to be something I would do and continue doing without discouragement even if I was not good at it, for health reasons, so I allowed it to be a comfortable amount of time (for me) sitting. I tried it on a little problem I had with what I call "waiting room anxiety.. which is where I would feel restless and anxious while in the waiting room of one health care provider I was seeing at that time. I would do a breathing meditation, about 15 minutes before leaving for my appointment and simply did a very simple breath counting exercise. This is the easiest thing to start with because it keeps your mind consciously focused on your breath and the count rather than trying to clear it completely.  Overtime my in breath and out breath count increased from a count of five, to seven or eight. But the best thing about this meditation is it worked the first time and it worked even if I could only sit for 5 minutes.  

One thing I picked up before I even tried it which made it workable for me, was I was taught not to chase distractions that pop up in the mind, nor to get caught up in trying to repress them, but just to note they are there and return the focus to the breath and count. In this simple practice, when your mind starts to wander you neither attach to that string of thought, nor completely reject it, you just gently note "wandering", or "thinking", and then bring your focus back to your breath and counting. This also helps you become more aware of the nature of the thoughts that intrude on your trying to quiet your mind, if you tend to 'worry', or 'analyze', or 'criticize' yourself, or whatever. With this practice you are bringing to focused awareness what ever is eating away at you inside that may threaten inner peace for you. This really works! You simply have to try it to believe it! And no matter how good at meditation you get, you can use this technique of re-centering your awareness whenever you need it forever.

I tried different meditation techniques and one that I found was easy to create real focus was a walking meditation. This was a whole new concept for me, who walks a lot. In a walking meditation you walk very slowly and deliberately while paying attention to every step you make, (slowly, slowly) your body movements, your feelings, the sensations of the ground beneath your feet, sounds and smells around you, and so on. It is something that focuses your mind here and now because you are really paying attention to what you are doing rather than trying to focus on not thinking or doing anything. It is a very rewarding experience. (The only thing is - it looks a little "weird", like someone on drugs looking at everything like Wow!, as if for the first time in their life, but if you can be serious about it, it is an awesome experience.)

Another kind of meditation which I found helpful is called "mindfulness meditation", and it is basically a lot like the two techniques described above, but in mindfulness meditation you become aware of everything, without judgement, without attachment,  you simply observe everything: feelings, sensations, thoughts, objects, processes, reactions, tastes, smells,  relationships, everything! It's helpful if you learn a little about it. I heard of it from several sources, I most of all enjoyed the book 'Emotional Alchemy' by Tara Bennett-Goleman a real page turner), which is all about using mindfulness meditation to overcome "schemas" and to heal emotions that often drive our schemas with mindfulness meditation.

What will work best for you in your practice I imagine will have to do with what kind of distractions keep you from being able to fully focus, so try to make even your distractions a focus for your meditation, become interested in ways to look at and process certain things differently than you have in the past and before you know it the distractions themselves will be in the past. After all, the point of meditation is to CLEAR the mind, not to bury its wayward contents - which is more like moving into denial.

It took me some years to get to the point of being able to completely quiet my mind at will, but I was eventually able to do so, and sustain this silence of the mind for as long as I choose to focus - which I am sure you can imagine feels absolutely great! Other people's experiences of a few weeks or months may or may not fit for you so don't be discouraged if you find that it doesn't happen that quickly in your own case. Everyone is processing many different kinds of things all the time and how the things most people commonly process affect individuals vary as well, so its safe to say "everyone is different."
Happy Meditations to you!

[student]

very well said Sweet-D..

[Barbaras Ahajustsde]

I still battle my wild mild! ;)  If I don't watch myself I will go off in the wild blue yonder.  :)  With practice & with dedication it will become easier and easier.

Like hypnosis for me...I can drop off in no time.  Then there are times I must intensely concentrate on a guided meditation or my breathing.  This is awesome if you start working with the Kundiline breathing.  

You'll get there in time!

Barbara