This will seem obvious to many I'm sure, but something it took me a little while to figure out is just how important monitoring emotion can be when meditating. When I started, I focused all of my attention on the thoughts I was having and my breathing, without taking note of my emotion. Any feelings of anxiety, stress, even hope for a successful meditation session can almost guarantee that you will cling to your thoughts and never achieve the passivity required for true thoughtlessness. I find that when I focus more energy on eliminating emotion and elss energy monitoring my actual thoughts, the thoughts naturally bounce off me like rain. Nowadays, before I start, I take a three step approach - first, I note anything that might be on my mind, such as relationships, projects, whatever - and I note how I can do nothing to fix these issues now, making an agreement with myself not to think about them. Acknowledging potentially intruding thoughts before I begin helps me deal with them if they come up. Then I make sure I am physically comfortable, taking special care to relax all of my muscles, releasing tension, etc. Then, finally, I focus on my emotion and get rid of all of those little wrinkles of anxiety that build up inside, often subconsciously. After taking those steps, it's always easy to slip into focused, peaceful meditation for a while. I hope everyone out there is doing well, enjoying his/her meditating, at peace and all of that Feel free to post your own tips, and I will do the same when I think of more that are worthwhile
Hi StayLoose - sounds like you have some pretty good techniques, but one thing that I would share with you is this. You said something about focusing on eliminating emotion, and what I have learned from my teachers is that eliminating emotion is not what you're going for. Elimination of our attachments to our emotions is. Even the most highly realized persons still feel happines, sadness, etc, but the difference is that they realize those things are transient, just like thought. They don't invest any energy in them. They still occur, but they're not concretized into something that reinforces our ego - something like "I'm angry" which quickly becomes "I'm angry because so-and-so did something to ME" and bam! - you reinforce the ego. I was taught that in meditation you acknowledge everything that comes up in meditation, thoughts, emotions, etc, you label them as such, and then you just let them drift away. This was taught to me as the way to not only still the mind, but to also show us that emotions are transient as well, and have no inherent substance. I know that different schools teach different things, and if your teacher is advocating that you do what your doing, please follow them - that's way more important. But if you're just sort of winging it, thought that might be useful to you. (BTW, it ain't easy!) Good luck to you, too. Persevere!!!
No you are right on the money - completely eliminating emotion is not really the goal, especially outside of meditation. The main thing is just those little almost undetectable flutters of anxiety - I find that if I'm anxious in any way (not happy to quit whatever I was doing to meditate, anxious to get to whatever activity I have planned for after meditation, etc.), it really hinders my ability to let go... and these little undercurrents of negative emotion can be difficult to detect, so I thought I would draw some attention to them
Yep. An avoidance response is very common in meditators. Usually it comes down to the fact that sitting dredges up sludge from the deepest levels of our mind, and some of that stuff - even if it's nearer the surface - can be very painful or stressful to deal with. I think everybody goes through a period of "freaking out" over their stuff (I know I did), but unfortunately, to paraphrase Robert Frost, the only way out is through. We are so powerfully conditioned and so invested in the reality of everything that it takes a huge amount of effort to make progress.
Hi, I agree with Dharmadrums' point that "sitting dredges up sludge from the deepest levels of our mind, and some of that stuff - even if it's nearer the surface - can be very painful or stressful to deal with." It is not uncommon to find meditators rising from their session with a sense of distress at times - for they come face-to-face with the sludge within! However, acknowledging the existence of the "sludge" and letting go, is the best way forward. My two pennies. Cheers, Sanjay.
My friend If you think meditation is too difficult, or just not your style, maybe you should reconsider. Meditation is essentially about being in the moment. Lying in bed, take a deep breath and extend the exhalation for as long as you can. On the exhalation say, “One,” in your head and visualize the number one. On the next exhale, say and visualize “two,” and so on.
one key thing to meditation is to realize that each person experiences it differently. there is no right way... the only stipulations is that you are happy with the amount of relaxation and inner clarity that your received. Honestly, in my opinion its nothing more than a moment of peace and relaxation that you use strictly for yourself in order to forget the shit that is clogging your mind and not allowing you to grow to your fullest potential!
Hi again, That was well put, dixie_pixy. Some meditators experiencing distress at the end of a session is one side of the story. Another side is the deep feeling of relaxation and sense of ease that others return with. So it is every individual's level of progress on the journey to spirituality that determines their particular experience. I am compiling a set of tips for meditation on my blog; you will find the link when you click on my home-page. I am sure you will find them useful. Cheers, Sanjay.
Thats a good idea. I usually end up telling myself not to worry about my problems during the meditation because its more easier to think, but to be able to do it before shows enlightenment. I do take note of my emotions and how I feel (like if I'm tired) before meditating. Sometimes, I will meditate because I am feeling depressed, and then I meditate and I become happy, but the medication I'm on is doing probably most the work in reguards to depression.
