Starting Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation
#1

Hi Guys,

I am fairly new to meditation but have been spiritually active almost all my life. I inherited the spiritual side of things from my family in India. My grandfather was a renowned guru of his times and used to preach religious and spiritual education. I was very young when he passed away but I have recollections of him ‘healing’ me when I used to be sick and have heard a lot of ‘stories’ from locals and my family about miraculous healings and his meditation techniques of which i have vague recollections. Anyways, I am referring to all this since I have just started reading Autobiography of yogi and I can directly relate the supernatural phenomenons mentioned in the book to that of my grandfather’s times.

I had a strong inclination towards spirituality and meditation since I was very young( I wont say I am too old now but I feel i have wasted a lot of years in my life by not devoting it to the god, I am 27 by the way)

Trouble is that I do not know of any meditation techniques…can you guys guide me how do I start meditating?any books I can refer to…I know a lot of disciples of my grandfather who ‘claim’ to know inside out of meditation techniques but I would not trust them and wish my grandfather left a book on the same. I remember people telling me that he used to go in samadhi for days long and I would like to go back to India and try and meditate in that room…

Thanks a lot for your help :slight_smile:

#2

[QUOTE=eternal_flame;81299]Hi Guys,

I am fairly new to meditation but have been spiritually active almost all my life. I inherited the spiritual side of things from my family in India. My grandfather was a renowned guru of his times and used to preach religious and spiritual education. I was very young when he passed away but I have recollections of him ‘healing’ me when I used to be sick and have heard a lot of ‘stories’ from locals and my family about miraculous healings and his meditation techniques of which i have vague recollections. Anyways, I am referring to all this since I have just started reading Autobiography of yogi and I can directly relate the supernatural phenomenons mentioned in the book to that of my grandfather’s times.

I had a strong inclination towards spirituality and meditation since I was very young( I wont say I am too old now but I feel i have wasted a lot of years in my life by not devoting it to the god, I am 27 by the way)

Trouble is that I do not know of any meditation techniques…can you guys guide me how do I start meditating?any books I can refer to…I know a lot of disciples of my grandfather who ‘claim’ to know inside out of meditation techniques but I would not trust them and wish my grandfather left a book on the same. I remember people telling me that he used to go in samadhi for days long and I would like to go back to India and try and meditate in that room…

Thanks a lot for your help :)[/QUOTE]
That’s actually a very inspiring story and I am sorry to hear of your grandfather’s passing, even though it was a long time ago.

You are not too old to devote your life to god at 27. No age is ‘too old’ or ‘too young’ to start meditating. You may have even done some of that in a ‘past life’ anyway, who knows?

I could give you some books to read, but I stopped reading a long time ago and don’t know what’s ‘current’ these days.

I have written a small article on here about meditation and I hope it can help you.

How much do you really want to do this? I know the question is stupid, but find those reasons in your heart. That’s the start of it.

Aum Namah Shivaya.

#3

Eternal flame,

Start meditating with something gross, solid and tangible. I was going to suggest, considering your name, why not meditate with a candle flame? Place a lit candle at arms distance away from you and concentrate and gaze on part of the flame without blinking(the bottom part works best) When your eyes start to water, close your eyes; the after-image of the flame will appear in your mind. Try to keep the after-image of the flame completely still and dead center. You will note that whenever your concentration or focus sways, the after-image will begin to move and fade. Do this until the after-image disappears and then repeat again.

This exercise is known as trataka it is a form of meditation, but it is more to develop your concentration power. After you have achieved some success in concentration from this exercise, then move onto the following breath meditation: The breath is the most natural of meditation objects to focus on, as well all breathe. It is also one of the most powerful meditations. Sit still in a comfortable posture(cross-legged works best) and bring your attention to the tip of your nose at your nostrils, become aware of the breath coming in and the breath going out, the different feel and temperature of it, put all your attention here only. When your concentration begins to wander, acknowledge it and bring it back to your breath. Do this for 10-15 min for your first meditation, and then increase the time up to an hour gradually when you find you can effortlessly sit for 10-15 min.

#4

http://www.yogaforums.com/forums/f20/meditation-101-a-10744.html

There we go, a link.

In that, I have touched on Trataka (amazing technique by the way) and other things.

Yes, start on something solid and tangible…something you can ‘relate’ to.

I can ‘relate’ to an image/picture of Shiva, so I meditate on that.

Then I feel that love which [I]is[/I] Shiva, pour my heart out because of it, then get blasted all over Yoga Forums for being so ‘unscientific’. lulz

Such is my life…

#5

Thanks guy for these valuable tips…I do lack concentration and would certainly start by using these techniques…

Nobody, I do remember my grandfather telling me that I was connected to him in the past-life in some ways…

There have been a lot of occurrences in my present life that compel me to take a spiritual path and stay away from the evils…the moment i deviate from my grandfathers principles, I suffer so its like an obligation for me to stay in this path…I would say that I am very interested in meditating and want to find my true self. I believe it would also help me to keep away from worldly evils since its very hard for a person of my age to stay focused especially in the present western world…

I would also like to ask if seeing flashes of green light upon closing eyes normal? I mean whenever I try to meditate by closing my eyes I see these lights coming on and off…

Thanks a lot guys! Much appreciated!

#6

[QUOTE=eternal_flame;81305]Thanks guy for these valuable tips…I do lack concentration and would certainly start by using these techniques…

Nobody, I do remember my grandfather telling me that I was connected to him in the past-life in some ways…

There have been a lot of occurrences in my present life that compel me to take a spiritual path and stay away from the evils…the moment i deviate from my grandfathers principles, I suffer so its like an obligation for me to stay in this path…I would say that I am very interested in meditating and want to find my true self. I believe it would also help me to keep away from worldly evils since its very hard for a person of my age to stay focused especially in the present western world…

I would also like to ask if seeing flashes of green light upon closing eyes normal? I mean whenever I try to meditate by closing my eyes I see these lights coming on and off…

Thanks a lot guys! Much appreciated![/QUOTE]
Those green flashes of light you are seeing is only your visual cortex playing tricks on you. It’s the opposite colour from red which is our ‘default way’ of looking at things. It’s normal.

You will also notice this when you stare at a shiny object for a while, then stare at a black wall/surface. That shiny object is still ‘there’ even though it is not. It’s nice to meditate on this via way of comparing our thoughts to Samskaric impressions left on Chitta, but that’s about all.

See them for what they are, tricks. Don’t try and get rid of them or focus on them…just watch the ‘light show’ until it is over. It doesn’t take too long.

Just go ‘oh cool, thanks for that, so, are you quite done now?’

If you apply that mentality to [I]every[/I] aspect of your meditation, you will have no worries. Just bring your attention back to your breath, your candle, your picture of Shiva or whatever and go ‘okay, so let’s try that again’.

#7

Another technique I occasionally use to get into a meditative state, I call it “A Night At The Box-Office”.

Visualisation and imagination is also a very powerful tool in the very early stages of meditation.

Close your eyes and slow down your breath…

You are sitting all alone in a dark movie theater (with or without popcorn, your choice). lulz

Suddenly, the curtain rises…what’s on the bill tonight? why, your thoughts are, of course.

So, you sit and watch your thoughts on that big screen there (about where your brow chakra is…between your eyes).

Some are important…some are boring…as all movies are…

So, you are still sitting there, watching all that. You can see yourself watching your own thoughts right? eating popcorn maybe?

So who is watching?

Damn, I didn’t know there were commercial breaks scheduled in this feature…

#8

Pranayama is very good for concentration as the mind gets boring fast ,if we keep doing it eventually mind will be less dominating. So pls start with 5 min of pranayama (anulom vilom) before you try to meditate. After some days or weeks depending on you you will see its easier with meditation with the practice of pranayama.

#9

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#10

A beginner might want to start out meditationfor at least five minutes a day. Starting with only five minutes will allow you to get used to it. It will also help you commit to your meditation practice without creating too much pressure, which helps reduce stress levels, making meditation more accessible for beginners..for more about meditation search on..