[QUOTE=wickeddeath2;77567]Then you shall suffer… stop playing video games and go back to school !![/QUOTE]
Calm down, no need to get upset.
I meditated this evening, and it was nice. Forgot how peaceful it is.
Gurus say to be “alert” yet “free from thoughts” when meditating. How does that work? Sometimes I get sleepy during meditation and I have to keep bringing my mind back to focus on my breathing.
Can anyone explain being “alert” during meditation?
zentost, I find it easier to stay alert if I focus on something. Chanting a mantra - either aloud or quietly - or looking at the flame of a lit candle, usually works quite well. The mantra So Ham is very good with breath awareness - you should say or think “So” when you inhale and “Ham” when you exhale.
[QUOTE=Aurora B;77577]zentost, I find it easier to stay alert if I focus on something. Chanting a mantra - either aloud or quietly - or looking at the flame of a lit candle, usually works quite well. The mantra So Ham is very good with breath awareness - you should say or think “So” when you inhale and “Ham” when you exhale.[/QUOTE]
Yes! This has helped me immensely today. Amazing session. When I started I thought "there’s no way I can sit quietly and keep saying ‘soham’ for 20 mins.
But my mind cleared and it was good.
I think zentost what you also need is to join yoga classes or meditation classes and personally talk to a teacher. Your concerns will be addressed well when you have a relationship with your teacher who will understand where you’re coming from.
There's a saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." I've thought a lot about that phrase recently.
In February, I started meditating. It's hard. Mostly it's mind-wandering, and meditation is a skill that teaches you to focus on the present. But the meditation teacher who is teaching me has a saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
This makes sense. If you meditate in order to calm your mind, the teacher will come.
But if you're meditating in order to learn about yourself, the teacher won't come. You can't force a teacher.
In meditation, you learn a lot about yourself. I learned in meditation that I'm bad at focusing. I learned that I can forget about things. I learned that my mind wanders. I learned that I can't force myself to meditate.
Meditation doesn't teach you anything; it teaches you about yourself.
This is your Kundalini.
Get your Self Realization and will open up.
Self Realization - Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
Hey, if you're having trouble concentrating while meditating, I can suggest some tips that I have learned and practiced through the years. Here it goes:
Start small. Take baby steps. This is the most important step of starting something new and people often forget that. I have read a book called 'Atomic Habits' (really popular) which says that to start a new habit, you have to improve yourself just 1% everyday. So I suggest, the moment your thoughts start to go bad or you begin feeling weird, you should stop. It's completely alright.
Don't worry about the perfect posture. Meditation is mind game. Yes a good posture definitely helps but if you're just a beginner, you should not worry too much about your posture. Sit however feels comfortable.
Try guided meditation. Listening to a meditation coach will diver your mind and it'll keep your mind occupied. So these weird sensations won't have any place on your mind.
I can go on and on about this. These are some tricks that I have learned in my Yoga University in USA, Vivekananda Yoga University. So these tips are full proof and I've seen it work with many of my students. Let me know if you need more tips like this. All the best.