Meditation

[nailit]

Does anyone on here meditate on a regular basis? I keep reading about the health benefits of meditation and have tried but find it more irritating trying to still my mind than just letting my thoughts run riot...perhaps not doing it right.
Any thoughts, tips, experiences etc.
Thanks.

[society]

Continue practising, you would eventually get to the point of controlling your mind to not have wandering thoughts.

It used to be like that for me in the beginning. Now it has become easy to let things go and not have thoughts when I'm at that meditative stage.

[nailit]

how do you get to that meditative stage society? I just find it irritating. Would love to be able to quieten my mind at times.

[Old_Geezer]

If you find yourself thinking about the this and that, just note that you did so, accept that you did so, and then clear your mind again. Try not to fall into the trap of thinking about how annoying it was that you were thinking about .... :-)

Unsure the health benefits are any greater than any scheduled regular period of relaxation away from the world's cares, but it is certainly as good as any.

[Old_Geezer]

practice, practice, practice

[yogasun]

You are trying too hard, I know what you mean.
Start simply by focusing on the breath and your natural rhythm and then count the breath in and out, e,g, in 1,2,3,4 out 5,6,7,8
The brain's like a computer, in Yoga we call it the 'monkey mind' jumping from one thing to another. The very act of trying to 'clear' it is a process. You need to centre on one thing only. The breath or a mantra is the best start. Bit difficult to help at a distance!

[Nibble]

found it worthwhile to just think of an area of black, (not on a surface - just a feeling of black), then pull it over you

[nailit]

Thanks guys, if at first you dont succeed etc I suppose.

[heathfield]

It's better than sitting around doing nothing.

[Answerprancer]

Yes Heathfield, indeed it is.

[lcg]

try mindfulness.....you can let your mind run riot and n0t care about it! still takes practice tho. meditation is overrated.....x

[nailit]

// It's better than sitting around doing nothing.//
Haha, love it.

[mrs_overall]

One of my friends doesn't practice meditation but she has a meditation tape (whatever that is). If she wakes up and cannot get back to sleep she puts the tape on and it always does the trick

[Old_Geezer]

Didn't need to buy a tape for that. Freeview channel 81.

[elliemay1]

Icg, what exactly is "mindfulness" and how does it help?