I cannot meditate.  The trouble is I do not know what to focus on.  I am told the breathe but I feel uncomfortable with this.  Can anyone suggest what to concentrate on. Or any decent websites? Many thanks
134045
Try this experiment to start with:\n\nhttp://www.sahajayoga.org/experienceitnow/default.asp\n\nthen read some more about this method on the same website or at:\n\nhttp://www.sahajayoga.org.in/SYIntro.asp\n\nand if u get interested, here's how to find a centre if u want to take a course, which would be the best (they are usually free, too):\n\nhttp://www.sahajayoga.org/worldwidecontacts/default.asp\n\nGood luck!
654770
The whole aim of meditation is,\n1. to calm your mind, and\n2. to focus the mind on one thing.\n\nThe mind of a normal person is like an uncontrolled monkey jumping from one thought to another. To process all these thoughts a lot of body energy is used. Thus if your mind cease to process thoughts you will be saving a lot of body energy which can be used to cure a lot of ailments in your body. That is why a person who continues to meditate regularly even gets a nice body complexion.\n\nAnapana or concentration on the breath is the best form of meditation.\n\nIf you sit down and close your eyes you will notice that your mind is jumping from one thought to another. Even though you want to concentrate on your breath you will find other thoughts also coming in between.\n\nIn learning to meditate you must first learn to calm your mind. You do this by following every thought that comes into you mind. You must be like a Manager of a Hotel who stands at the entrance and observes the customers coming in. Without getting attached to the thoughts try to observe them. You will find that a thought comes in and that it goes nowhere and another thought follows it - try following that too - with same results. This way you will find that your thoughts gradually subside. Do not try to force out your thoughts.\n\nOf course do not expect results in one or two days. Practise it for at least 40 minutes every day for at least 2 months you find that you have 'killed' your train of thoughts. I have practised for 1 1/2 years and still vagrant thoughts come in.\n\nThereafter start concentrating on your breath. Notice the breath coming in and going out. You should not concentrate only on the tip of your nose. Notice the breath coming in and thereafter your lungs getting filled and then gradually exhaling the breath.\n\nAfter you finish that for the day start to think of a person or several persons whom you hate most. Having those people in mind start to think in a compassionate manner "may he be healthy, may he be happy, may he go up in life, may he live long". Keep on doing this for about 10 minutes a day for a few months you will find that you do not get angry even when you have to get angry.\n\nYou should be able to get some guidance from the following sites,\n\n1. http://www.dhamma.org/vipassan.htm\n2. http://www.meditationexpert.com/   and click on the free articles on yoga meditation - it includes articles on all types of meditations including christian and muslim meditation.
610116
Hey nisha,u look pretty puzzled to  me.I've tried this positive  thinking,n similar stuff,but they ACTUALLY don'  help  1  at  all.My funda is ...don' take ur life too  seriously.every body faces problems,u r  not the  only 1,ok.Take life as it comes.U can  not TRANSFORM  urself  completely   by  any of the methods,ok.Hope u've heard somthing about PRANAYAM(similar to YOG ).Try it,n  don' xpect results from day 1.Give it a  year or so.Meditation is the best way to get relaxed .
134576
Yoga and meditation are powerful, but since the cause of the tension is unclear, it'd be unwise to assume that they alone will cure your problem. \n\nNonetheless, they should be able to help relieve it indirectly by improving your physical and mental wellness overall. These benefits are founded on 2 things:\n1. Time to try, experience and explore\n2. A good yoga teacher
514
I've read a ton of books on the subject, that was quite a few years ago so I don't know what to recommend.  I had quite an experience that has stayed with me ever since that's too long to talk about here, but it was convincing enough, and I'm not prone to falling for supernatural explanations to explain what I don't understand.\n\nIn a nutshell, you need to be very relaxed and not in a place you can be distracted.  A breathing excercise helps, I use the "breath in to count of three, hold for four, breath out for 5" routine.  Get as relaxed as possible and concentrate on raising yourself up out of your body.  If you can concentrate easily it takes less tries of course, but you will actually feel it happen.  Whether that's a dream or not I don't know.  When you get to that point pick a place in the house to go to and concentrate on going there.  It's really simple, and doesn't take a great deal of effort.  This is the stage I was able to achieve, around 1986, when I stopped and never did it again.  Nothing really scary, I guess it just convinced me enough and I left it at that.\n\nGood luck.
407299
i like to help you, but i need little more inf. about you. one main thing is i was in this same condition but i never used any of the  above mentioned ideas, because it only make you nervous.( 3)\nfor 1 &2, It up to you (music). \n\nyou can study anything if you have interest in it. otherwise practise YOGA. it gpood for you.
388488
Try meditation.  I have a spiritual master, well for all of like eight days now and it's working pretty good.  It's helped me to calm down some.  She doesn't charge, if you want to speak to her msg me and I'll give you her email.
655348
The whole aim of meditation is,\n1. to calm your mind, and\n2. to focus the mind on one thing.\n\nHealthwise it will help you to control anger - high blood pressure patients will realise that their pressure is coming under control.\n\nThe mind of a normal person is like an uncontrolled monkey jumping from one thought to another. To process all these thoughts a lot of body energy is used. Thus if your mind cease to process thoughts you will be saving a lot of body energy which can be used to cure a lot of ailments in your body. That is why a person who continues to meditate regularly even gets a nice body complexion.\n\nIf you sit down and close your eyes you will notice that your mind is jumping from one thought to another. Even though you want to concentrate on your breath you will find other thoughts also coming in between.\n\nIn learning to meditate you must first learn to calm your mind. You do this by following every thought that comes into you mind. You must be like a Manager of a Hotel who stands at the entrance and observes the customers coming in. Without getting attached to the thoughts try to observe them. You will find that a thought comes in and that it goes nowhere and another thought follows it - try following that too - with same results. This way you will find that your thoughts gradually subside. Do not try to force out your thoughts.\n\nOf course do not expect results in one or two days. Practise it for at least 40 minutes every day for at least 2 months you find that you have 'killed' your train of thoughts. I have practised for 1 1/2 years and still vagrant thoughts come in.\n\nThereafter start concentrating on your breath. Notice the breath coming in and going out. You should not concentrate only on the tip of your nose. Notice the breath coming in and thereafter your lungs getting filled and then gradually exhaling the breath.\n\nAfter you finish that for the day start to think of a person or several persons whom you hate most. Having those people in mind start to think in a compassionate manner "may he be healthy, may he be happy, may he go up in life, may he live long". Keep on doing this for about 10 minutes a day for a few months you will find that you do not get angry even when you have to get angry.\n\nYou should be able to get some guidance from the following sites,\n\n1. http://www.dhamma.org/vipassan.htm\n2. http://www.meditationexpert.com/     and click on the free articles on yoga meditation - it includes articles on all types of meditations including christian and muslim meditation.
115216
I was taught to sit in a comfortable crosslegged posture with a straight spine (Head, neck and trunk straight, sitting on a cushion if necessary..). Then to observe the breath flowing deeply and evenly with full exhalations, eliminating all pauses and jerks in the breath. \n\nThen the trick was to observe the flow of your thoughts and be aware that you are not the thoughts but merely an observer. These techniques should enable the meditator to quiet the mind and reach a deeper state.\n\nSome like to concentrate on the syllable "so" on the inhalation and "hum" on the exhalation at the point between the eyebrows. Be careful not to be too swept away by your thoughts. Always remind yourself "I am not the thoughts" and return to being the observer.\n\nI hope this is helpful, Goodluck!
60087
Breathing exercises and breathing meditations have been important ways in helping me cope with stress.  When I wasn't doing some sort of breathing exercise, I noticed how sensitive I was to any kind of stress.\n\nAwareness of breath is essential for developing control of the mind and body. When the mind has feelings of anxiety, negativity, loneliness, and unworthiness breathing is shallow and fast, and the body responds with an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and fear hormones. But when the breath is deep and slow, the body relaxes and the mind quiets the noisy churning and comes to rest.\n\nI had chemotherapy and radiation in 2001 for non-Hodgkins' lymphoma and realized how crucial it was for the mind to be calm and proactive in my responses to the effects of the treatments on my body.\n\nI became paraplegic because my body was vulnerable from the radiation treatment.  The necrosis to the thoracic area of my spinal cord was triggered by stress from living in Washington DC, and from living less than 10 minutes from the Pentagon.  Imagine how hard it was to breathe when you felt the impact of a plane hit the Pentagon building.\n\nI can't stress enough what doing breathing exercises and meditation have done to help me recover from the treatment, cope with physical therapy for a spinal cord injury and move across the country within a 6 month period by myself.\n\nIt's only when you have experiences like that do you realize how important it is to BREATHE.
397238
I just wanted to say that meditation is not something that has helped me personally, I know many of these posters recommend it though. For me, I cannot get my mind to "quiet" enough to meditate, unless I take some of my tranquilizers (I have OCD and GAD along with depression). This is not the "best" solution, but as I'm sure you've experienced, sometimes these negative thoughts and the stress from them are debilitating. \nWhat helps me most (medication aside) is doing something else. I most often have to force myself to do it and it is hard, but throughout whatever the distracting activity is it will get easier. When I'm lucky enough to have the oppurtunity I call a funny friend. Making me laugh always distracts me. Good luck.
356361
The whole aim of meditation is,\n1. to calm your mind, and\n2. to focus the mind on one thing.\n\nIf you sit down and close your eyes you will notice that your mind is jumping from one thought to another. Even though you want to concentrate on your breath you will find other thoughts also coming in between.\n\nIn learning to meditate you must first learn to calm your mind. You do this by following every thought that comes into you mind. You must be like a Manager of a Hotel who stands at the entrance and observes the customers coming in. Without getting attached to the thoughts try to observe them. You will find that a thought comes in and that it goes nowhere and another thought follows it - try following that too - with same results. This way you will find that your thoughts gradually subside. Do not try to force out your thoughts.\n\nOf course do not expect results in one or two days. Practise it for at least 40 minutes every day for at least 2 months you find that you have 'killed' your train of thoughts. I have practised for 1 1/2 years and still vagrant thoughts come in.\n\nThereafter start concentrating on your breath. Notice the breath coming in and going out. You should not concentrate only on the tip of your nose. Notice the breath coming in and thereafter your lungs getting filled and then gradually exhaling the breath.\n\nYou should be able to get some guidance from the following sites,\n\n1. http://www.dhamma.org/vipassan.htm\n2. http://www.meditationexpert.com/   and click on the free articles on yoga meditation - it includes articles on all types of meditations including christian and muslim meditation.
203021
Well, I guess there are different practices with different contents and purposes.\n\nHere's the one I've been doing for the past 14 years and I can warlmy recommend:\n\nhttp://www.sahajayoga.com.au/level_1/meditation.shtml\n\nGood luck and may u find what u r seeking for!
284016
i THINK THAT MEDITATION IS VERY HELP FUL TO THE SOUL. i ALSO BELIEVE THAT CAN BRING INNER PEACE THIS COMING FROM MY OWN PERSONAL TACTICS . IT HELPS ME WHEN I AM ANGRY OR UPSET.MY DAY ACTUALLY BEGINS WITH MY MEDITATION TIME AND THAT DICTATES HOW MY DAY WILL BE..  TAKE TIME TO YOURSELF SO YOU CAN BE YOUR SELF...........
363048
It does sound like an anxiety attack. It is scary, and confusing. You sound like a sensitive person, as I am, and we have warm hearts! Things effect us deeply, and that's good and bad I guess. \n\nAll you need to do is learn a few coping skills, breathing techniques-important, a good person to talk to-a good therapist, and you'll be calm and cool in no time.\n\nI have had this quite a bit, and kept looking in the wrong directions for help. I finally realized all the Drs and their pills only gave me more side effects, and the anxiety was worse.\nThe root of the problem was never addressed.\n\nBreathing, believe it or not, is huge. Talk to a good therapist. Don't get discouraged if you get a loony or two at first. Sorry, therapists, but I have. Wearing oven mitts was just not going to help.\n\nI never knew how much breathing, meditation and relaxation could help. \nThe therapist can help you figure out why they occur, then how to cope. Coping is the key.  Whether it's your issue at present, or the next one that comes along, it's figuring out how YOU respond to these, and why.\n\nFind a good yoga class. I found one very peaceful, very positive and sort of spiritual. Nothing weird, just learning how to find inner peace.\nIt wasn't in a gym, but that could work too.  Now I'll lie down in my living room on a mat, with my candles, dim the lights, my CD's on relaxation ( I rent them from the library) and try to slooow down; the more I relax, the clearer things become, my breathing and heart rate slow.\nI also began swimming at the YMCA. It is peaceful to me. I just glide around, practice breathing and it feels good overall.\n\nGive it a try, give it some time, and know that you are normal.
13366
HAHAHA.  I read this pretty late last night.  I thought you said "medicate."\n\nTo mediTATE, you can check out some of these simple methods:\n\nhttp://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/Meditations/index.html
35658
there are many many kinds of meditation. i'm doing pure concentration meditation, designed to quieten and clear the mind so that i can use it to look deeply, to see what's going on in my mind, and develop mindfulness & insgight. its a difficult form of meditation @ the beginning, but it's well worth becoming competent in. it forms an ideal foundation for further practice in the future, and it's also very conducive to a happy, stable life in the present.\nchoose a suitable place in your home where you can practice meditation uninterrupted. it needs to be quiet, not too bright, and out of sight of other people.\nonce you found the spot, find a good firm cushion, so that you can sit cross-legged, having something to cushion your ankle.\nto start, sit down on your cushion, sitting towards the front of it so that your body is sloped very slightly forward. experience will show you the optimum position. fold your legs so that your knees & ankles are touching the floor. the important thing is to have a good straight back & reasonably comfortable legs, so that your pgysicaly energy isn't blocked. place your 2 hands in your lap, palms up, one on top of the other.\nonce sitting there, wriggle a little bit to find an effortlessly comfortable position for your back & arms. you don't want to feel tension anywhere. then you can begin.\ntake a breath, hold it for a moment, then let it out gently. pause for a moment, then take the next breath. again hold it for a moment, and let it out again. do this for 10 breaths. once you've got the rhythmn, start to count your breaths. a breath is a complete cycle-- in, hold, out, hold- and most meditators find it better to count towards the end of a cycle rather than @ the beginning. in other words, you are counting complete breaths. simply count 1 to 10 in this way. when you've reached 10, start again. if your mind wanders and you lost the count, start again from one.\ndo this for 10mins @ a time for a week or so. when you are ready, increase your sitting time to 20mins. you can do it anytime, but most people do it regularly @ the beginning of the day & @ the end of the day.\nthis is all there is to it, and @ first you'll wonder why on earth you are doing it. your mind will wander, you'll probably feel twitchy, and you'll be bored. but persevere. ther's absolutely nothing better than this for calming the mins & opening mental doors that you never knew were there.\nwhat comes after this? once you've got to a stage where you can follow your breaths effortlessly, so that you can say, 10-20mins, and not lose count even once, you'll be ready for the next stage. in this, you start to observe the contents of your mind. you'll still be using the method of following your nreaths, but now, beacause of the concentration you've already developed, you'll be able to add in a new activity. it's not possible to do this until you've gained control of your mind.