I started meditating and also started working on lucid dreaming a bit over a week ago. I have been meditating for 30 minutes before bed so that I could relax better. 2 nights ago though, after meditating, while trying to sleep, all the mental rambling that usually pops up in my head wouldnt pop up. The problem was that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldnt really think in words at all. I usually use this mind chatter along with telling myself that I am really heavy and tired to help me phase off into sleep to try to lucid dream. But this time I just couldnt do it. I got so worried, I ended up feeling even more awake. I couldnt even fall asleep normally because I had no mental chatter. Is meditating right before sleeping maybe not the best idea? when is a better time?
lol your doing it all wrong if you meditate before your try and go asleep you will be wide awake for most people anyway, the best times to meditate is first thing in the morning as it will set you up for the day, and when you get home from work or if you dont work around 6pm, that way it while get rid of any stress you have gathered throughout the day, and you can mellow down
I personally prefer to meditation when I first wake up. To relax before bed I usually take a nice bath then relax with music on my mp3 player while laying on my bed in the dark... completely relaxes my mind.
I used to meditate before bed cause it helped me get to sleep. Everyones different. I tried lucid dreaming but I'd always wake up tired from all that horsing around.
I got another question. are binaural beats good to listen to while meditating, or are they meant to be a replacement for it? what is the best way to use them?
Don't get worried because you can't think the way you normally do. Isn't it better to just accept it and appreciate a break from your routine 'mind chatter?' Worries and all negative thoughts cause distress, and the antidote to distress is compassion. There's no problem meditating before you go to sleep if you can show compassion for yourself, and relax knowing that you're a beautiful, complex human being with complex, ever-changing thought processes. You don't have to have the background radio-dj on in your mind, and certainly don't worry if he takes a short, well-deserved vacation...
If you're listening to something external, you're not going to enter meditation. Not real meditation anyway. In real meditation, you won't hear external sounds at all. I recommend soft foam earplugs and a dark room. Don't feed the mind if you want it to be quiet. x
Sure, they are fine for listening to while meditating. They are also good to listen to at other times. You can't really "listen" to binaural beats, though. You can hear the carrier frequencies, but the binaural beat is something that your brain picks up on and entrains itself to. It helps to get your brain frequency down into the range where you would end up during meditation anyway. From what I've read, it also helps improve blood flow between the two hemispheres of the brain. I stay away from the delta frequencies during meditation because it tends to make me drowsy. Even theta is too low some days. I usually listen to either a straight alpha or straight theta during meditation. I will experiment with something else like a chakra step or one of the idoser combos once in a while. I also listen to them at work or while engaging in activities that take focus/concentration. I'm not sure if there is such a thing as too much. You don't need them for meditation or to increase your awareness/consciousness, but I don't think they hurt either.
