# Meditation



## ftr (Dec 18, 2017)

I am interested in meditation. I have tried it on and off for the past year or two but didn't stay consistent with it. However, the more I come back to it and research it the more I want to strive to develop this skill. Right now what I am doing is Vipassana meditation I think (I could be wrong). I just sit in a lotus position focusing on breathing and not letting my mind become sticky, just letting thoughts come and go without getting hooked onto them. I want to know if anyone else here is into meditation and does it often. Any recommendations?


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## odibrom (Dec 19, 2017)

Meditation... the art or action of finding your middle inner point... inside your mind/soul...

There are so many ways to achieve that, as many as there are men and women... and I believe some other animals also do meditation.

I don't do meditation, or not as you describe it to be. I've done that in the past. I found that in order to be able to do it as you describe it, one has to previously train the body physically, Yoga and martial arts working best in this area. Then, I started to bring meditation into my daily routine, as in being in meditation instead of doing meditation. It's like giving every little thing its time and care to develop and grow, it is not rushing things, it is respecting the balance and rhythm of all life. Then, one has access to universal love which is loving everything equally, to be thankful for being alive, day after day... it really opens one's eyes and perspectives on things.

It also helps to not to eat animal products...


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## ramses (Dec 20, 2017)

In case you haven't already, get a copy of "Mindfulness in Plain English" by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. It is an excellent practical intro.

Other than that, you have to commit to doing it daily, for at least 20 min each time (I have noticed that below 15 min is useless if you really want to make progress).


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## marcwormjim (Dec 20, 2017)

I remember meditating constantly in my teenage years. I ultimately found naps less esoteric.


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## Zender (Dec 23, 2017)

I've had quite extensive experience with zazen meditation (Zen). It's a lot like Vipassana, the differences being (highly simplified...) 
Vipassana - Just sit, and if any thought comes up, label it: "There is desire" or "there is pain" or whatever comes up. Beginning to identify emotions and thoughts, and realise that they are not you.
Zazen - Just sit, and count your exhales, starting and 'one', and going up to 'ten'. If for whatever reason your mind wanders, start back at one. Good luck getting past 'one' for the first months/years. Especially once you realize that "OMG, I just made it to 'two', is also the mind wandering, so you didn't make it." :') 

When I was doing this daily, it was two sessions of 20 minutes, one after getting up, one before going to bed. That's it.


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## marcwormjim (Dec 24, 2017)

Jokes aside, I try to make time for a meditation session each day. After auditioning numerous alternatives in dealing with the stresses of life, I settled on meditation as the most sedentary form of seeing improvements in myself that aren’t there.


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## IGC (Dec 24, 2017)

I like zazen and find it beneficial in small ways as of the last few months i'v experimented with it. -

https://m.wikihow.com/Begin-Zen-Meditation-(Zazen)

My tecnique- focus on breathing, stance, and what you see when your eyes are closed.


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## iliketofish (Dec 25, 2017)

I've been doing sitting meditation pretty much every day for the past 4 months, gradually increasing my time from 20 mins in the first month to an hour per session currently. The practice I do consists of going into half lotus and sitting there eyes open staring at one spot with the goal of following the breath, and allowing my senses to fully take in what is going on in the present moment. 

This practice was harder than I anticipated, but as I've gotten more used to it I noticed some interesting things happening to me which I can't fully explain. After sitting for a while in the session, I'll have swaying/river like visuals and color shifts in my field of view (sometimes very red to blue/purple). These experiences range from complete peace and tranquility with a warm/tingling feeling that washes over you, to very intense and terrifying, borderline panic-inducing. 

Meditation is no joke, be willing to take the bad with the good. But my recommendation is to be disciplined and stick with it, keep returning to your practice again and again. Like any art it takes a lot of time to get better, but by sticking with it you should start to notice the effect it has on you over time. So far, I notice that things physically look more beautiful, colors look more vibrant, and my senses seem more acute. And overall, meditation has impacted my life in a positive way. That I am very grateful for. As for the visuals, I'm interested to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences during their practice. Seems a bit unusual but I can't be that special


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## Tonal_Blasphemy (Dec 29, 2017)

Hi, cool topic. So about 17 years ago I had an incident that took me to the edge. While I was hanging onto life I experienced some things that I couldn't explain. Nothing seemed to help and the deeper I dove into modern religions seeking explanations the more out of touch it all felt. That's when I turned to meditation. Instead of looking out I decided to start looking in. 

Not sure what your seeking in a post, but I can tell you meditation can get addictive. Like guitar, there are many skill sets and levels that can be reached. 

I was able to reach the point of no breath. I gave it the name "mind drop" because I would feel like I was being sucked into myself. After I was pulled into my inner body my soul would start to turn. I think in Qi qong they call this the twisting trunk. If feels as if your spine and neck are breaking. You might keep opening your eyes to make sure your head isn't twisting around. My mind would become blank, no thoughts would enter unless I allowed them to. I often saw blue flashes in my third eye and heard echoing voices. 

In these stages you start to feel ego and shame and this is what Iliketofish in the above post could have been referring to when he said, "it's no joke." It gets like a heavy acid trip, you become confronted with your true self. You begin to judge and doubt your own character. 

Thing is this, once the unfolding begins it never really stops. Your awareness becomes heightened and you tend to become more cautious with your choices and path. How you treat others and just about every aspect of your life. 

I started getting sick again last year. I know I should probably return back to some form of meditation , but I'm resisting. I've resorted to drinking on and off again and being overall lazy with my health. Despite what meditation has taught me in the past I'm tired of fighting my own body. I am ultimately a stubborn human in control of my own destiny. I kinda like that. 

Good luck on your meditation journey. Not everyone is pulled toward meditation. If you're feeling the tug, take the plunge. 

Peace


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## odibrom (Dec 30, 2017)

@Tonal_Blasphemy you could make music lyrics out of this post. New stuff here for a Death Metal Tech band...


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## marcwormjim (Dec 30, 2017)

We just need a logo...


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## Tonal_Blasphemy (Dec 30, 2017)

odibrom said:


> @Tonal_Blasphemy you could make music lyrics out of this post. New stuff here for a Death Metal Tech band...



Hrmm. Hahaha.


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## Tonal_Blasphemy (Dec 31, 2017)

I was thinking about it further. A lot of people can get turned off by Prana and Kundalini and all the other crap that tends to come with meditation. Even though these techniques have been around for a long time, people tend to think of them as new age BS. 

Anyway, do you know much about the Wim Hof method? The breathing techniques could help you achieve deeper states of meditation minus the guru in a robe.


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## IGC (Dec 31, 2017)

Tonal_Blasphemy said:


> Hi, cool topic. So about 17 years ago I had an incident that took me to the edge. While I was hanging onto life I experienced some things that I couldn't explain. Nothing seemed to help and the deeper I dove into modern religions seeking explanations the more out of touch it all felt. That's when I turned to meditation. Instead of looking out I decided to start looking in.
> 
> Not sure what your seeking in a post, but I can tell you meditation can get addictive. Like guitar, there are many skill sets and levels that can be reached.
> 
> ...




I find this post intriguing! May I ask for more elaboration on the steps and progress of how you achieved those levels of meditation? Any info on how you passed any mental and or physical distractions.


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## Tonal_Blasphemy (Dec 31, 2017)

IGC said:


> I find this post intriguing! May I ask for more elaboration on the steps and progress of how you achieved those levels of meditation? Any info on how you passed any mental and or physical distractions.



Yea sure. I had a NDE from an undetected heart condition. I entered into a dreamlike state is the only way I can explain it. This happened while in the hospital. When I was revived, I was informed my vitals had dropped off. However , I wasn't dead or what I perceived death to be. I thought I was dreaming the whole time. 

Fast forward a few months and I was feeling like I had some unanswered questions. I began to feel the pull toward meditation. I used _Pranayamas, a breathing technique when I started out. Every time my mind would become distracted in meditation I would focus on the my breath and start over. Even if it took me hours. I would pass out all the time during meditation. Meditation can get frustrating because you'll start to get somewhere and your mind will throw some random BS at you. It's a serious mental work out. 

After awhile I started to notice my body was wanting me to hold my breath. I really think holding your breath is the key. So, I would take a lot of breaths through my nose and hold it. Release and repeat till I reached a point where I would just hold it. I'm talking comfortably hold it, with no desire to breath again. this is when my mind would blank out and the flashing would begin. I would start to sink into myself. I felt like I was being sucked into the ground is the only way to describe it. Then I would begin to feel like my spine was twisting , but it wasn't. Something inside me was. 

I came to learn this is what Yogis and crap consider to be unlocking your chakras or energy zones in the body. 

There was no secret trick to the deeper levels of my meditation experiences. Maybe my health crises allowed me to enter these states easier? I'm not sure. I just know that by using the breathing techniques and truly concentrating on that, while sitting and keeping my spine straight everything would just fall into place naturally. I had to get ok with falling asleep and ok with new thoughts creeping in. Sometimes the lower half of my body would go to sleep and coming out of meditation was terribly painful because of this, but I just kept doing it. 



When I heard about the Wim Hof method some years ago I immediately thought his method is a exactly what Yogis use to reach deep states of meditation. It's a great way to get in-tune with your breathing, body and mind. 

I'm no expert, I haven't used meditation in almost three years. I can't deny its power though, and I think it's a great tool for musicians or anyone really. I never used a book or method. I just sat down and started breathing deep with my eyes closed, and eventually holding my breath. I didn't even start learning the terms till years later.

cool talks, good luck. 

I would have never thought this would be a discussion on a guitar forum. 




_


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## odibrom (Jan 1, 2018)

Art is a form or a path/way of meditation, music included.

@Tonal_Blasphemy You should seriously consider turning your experience into lyrics... it would damn refreshing and awesome.


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## marcwormjim (Jan 1, 2018)

_♪ Hold my breath ‘til I see stuff
Must be profound ♪
_
..K, I promise to stay out of the thread, now. I’m not proud of myself.


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## IGC (Jan 1, 2018)

Tonal_Blasphemy said:


> Yea sure. I had a NDE from an undetected heart condition. I entered into a dreamlike state is the only way I can explain it. This happened while in the hospital. When I was revived, I was informed my vitals had dropped off. However , I wasn't dead or what I perceived death to be. I thought I was dreaming the whole time.
> 
> Fast forward a few months and I was feeling like I had some unanswered questions. I began to feel the pull toward meditation. I used _Pranayamas, a breathing technique when I started out. Every time my mind would become distracted in meditation I would focus on the my breath and start over. Even if it took me hours. I would pass out all the time during meditation. Meditation can get frustrating because you'll start to get somewhere and your mind will throw some random BS at you. It's a serious mental work out.
> 
> ...



Thank you so much for going out of your way to share your experience with us! I especially appreciate your reply because over the past two or three months that I have been experimenting with similar meditation tecnique as yours, I observe during the more "pure" sessions, my breathing pattern naturally changing and yes, lessening into short breaths. So thanks! You confirm that things are going in the right direction.
Hope your heart condition is going better
I know what you mean about chatting about this sort of subject matter on a guitar forum of all things. I guess humans are a diverse creature.


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## IGC (Jan 1, 2018)

odibrom said:


> Art is a form or a path/way of meditation, music included.
> 
> @Tonal_Blasphemy You should seriously consider turning your experience into lyrics... it would damn refreshing and awesome.



You may consider checking out Persefone-Spiritual Migration album. What would this meditation thread be without mentioning them. Oh yeah, really good guitar as well, like them or not


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## odibrom (Jan 2, 2018)

Good music... thanks...


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## ramis (Sep 18, 2018)

There are several ways to set yourself up for meditation.


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## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Sep 19, 2018)

Who farted?


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## ramis (Sep 19, 2018)

If you have a busy day, then meditate better in the morning, until you are not tired. The training of meditation in a state of tired consciousness is simply impossible. If thoughts actively attack you (which in the morning is infrequent), try to focus your attention on the breath count. Consider inhaling up to four or eight in a circle. With the account you have to displace the extraneous thoughts from your head. I started yoga at the university when I was preparing my progress report writing on the economy, and I have not quit this occupation for 7 years. And one more thing: if you begin to dive into sleep, open your eyes and blink a few times - the light stream will cheer your brain. Remember, meditation is the cessation of active consciousness.


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