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Different Meditative Practices: What Works For You?

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Nathanial.Dread

Nathanial.Dread

Esteemed member
I'm currently looking at different meditative practices to complement my psychedelic voyaging, and also help learn to live with some anxiety/OCD issues I've had my entire life.

I've tried a few different things (focus on breathing, mantra, and compassion), and I'm interested in what different meditations Nexians do. I'm trying to soften the boundaries between myself and the rest of the universe and cultivate the feelings of connectedness and involvement with reality that typify the psychedelic experience.

I hope both to quiet my overactive (and occasionally crazy mind), and help myself become more involved in the lives of the people in my life (and all things, really).

Not everyone is looking for the same things, of course, but I'm curious as to what you guys get up to.

Blessings
~ND
 
My primary formal practice is self-enquiry and the closely related practices awareness-of-awareness and choiceless awareness. When my mind is jumping all over, I'll incorporate object-directed mindfulness practices like awareness-of-breath, awareness-of-body, and awareness-of-thinking.

During the day, my "informal" practices consist of (again) self-enquiry, acceptance/surrender, and daytime dream-yoga.

eH
 
Nathanial.Dread

I practice a combination of techniques:

Bodhicitta meditation
Phowa meditation
Tantra techniques (Vajrayana)
Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) techniques are incredibly effective. Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb that I would recommend looking into and researching. I hope this helps even if its only in some small way, wishing you the best of luck.


Much Peace and Kindness
 
exhaling mostly and doing my everyday work as i go on letting everything be on autopilot , even the work

i never control the inhale ( no doubt i do inhale , yet its on automatic )

i have tried yoga (postures) , concentrating on my senses ( vision & sound mostly ) , also many different types of breathwork

yet eventually i started just doing my work on autopilot as i maintain relaxed exhales ,and eventually in the higher stages of this practice even the exhale becomes on autopilot leaving nothing but complete absorbtion into my work , everything on autopilot

i have perfected this technique so i can do my work without any distraction from the analytical side of my brain and also suppressing my imaginative self to leave nothing but total absorbtion in work

this technique is very constrictive as it blocks everything but 3d reality , yet i don't meditate/concentrate to see the astral realms , they are always accessible to me for free

this technique does result in excellent work in 3d reality , no matter what work you do
 
All meditation comes down to is raising awareness. Through what means is not so important(yoga, breathing, chanting etc), they're all different paths to the same gate.

The most effective way of meditation for me was constantly bringing myself into awareness of every moment of every day (as best as I could) until it became natural to me. Whatever activity I was doing (whether it be driving, eating, exercising, working etc), I would become completely absorbed by it through my senses. This leaves very little room for your ego/mind- which must be discarded if you wish to rid yourself of your anxiety.
 
I use my own version of mindfulness combined with listening to a didjeridoo meditation track and recent use of some power stones held in my hands for added focus. The didjeridoo tracks droniness has done wonders to focus my mind and drop it into a deeper alpha and sometimes theta state, probably as I am a musician by trade and spirit, and music has always been a way for me to regain centre and focus in my life (no lie, as a 6 month old baby, my mum would plop me on the couch in front of a videotape of ELO and various other bands to calm me down when I was upset and I would stay quiet and focused for an entire hour or more, pretty rare for a baby of that age!).

I know I'm starting to zone in when I feel my mind drop into a blacker void like state of thoughtless awareness and my eyes start involuntarily rolling back in on themselves. Sometimes I'm not as strict on myself during meditation if I'm having difficulty focusing and allow my self to go on a visual dream like journey triggered by the didgeridoo track I have playing, still a nice way to take time out from this crazy world.

YMMV of course... Peace and good luck with your meditation practice.
 
I know that feeling of dropping into a void -- I find that as soon as I notice where I am though, I loose it, which I suppose is the point.

I also find that whenever I start meditating, I begin salivating and my nose starts running really hard, which I guess might have something to do with decreased activity in my sympathetic nervous system and consequent activation of my parasympathetic nervous system.
 
Nathanial.Dread said:
I also find that whenever I start meditating, I begin salivating and my nose starts running really hard, which I guess might have something to do with decreased activity in my sympathetic nervous system and consequent activation of my parasympathetic nervous system.
Click to expand...

The best way I've found to stop salivating is to keep your tongue gently pressed against the roof of your mouth. You'll only have to swallow once every couple of minutes once you experiment a little bit and get the placement right. As far as your nose running...I've never experienced this, but I HAVE experienced post-nasal drip, which I made a topic about in regards to meditation here:


Not sure if this is the same thing you're talking about, but it might be beneficial to check it out anyway.
 
Methods, methods, methods...

Honestly, I've tried most of the time honered ways of meditation, themselves born of the myriad world traditions and found that while there are distinct differences betwixt the various paths, the perceivable effects are quite identical. How does one effectively expand further beyond the gross limitations of ones transient form of self? Entheogenic usage aside, there are sure ways to elicit our spiritual growth. As much of our mesmerism is based on data culled from the five senses, intellect, feelings and intuition... there rises an urge to reach beyond and to embrace the ineffable, the undifferentiated core of all manifestation. We are quite like the proverbial moth who is drawn to the self-obliterating flame of Sacred Knowledge. 😁

Whether we concentrate our focus and attention upon a mantra, a visualize a cherished symbol, seek the inner light, listen to internal sounds or by incrementally bringing one's clarity of awareness to an empty state of impartial observation of the natural organic biological functions, as with one's breath or heartbeat... there is a direct shift in attention taking place. This allows for a far deeper and more expanded perception of one's own existential being (as well as the existential beingness of all that is existent outside of oneself). This leads to a more profound understanding of the interconnectedness and symbiosis, which unites all as one. Stopping the mind often equates to experience in another dimension and/or plane of reality.

Tried n' true techniques to arrive into a moment of sheer transparency of intent, certainly do vary from culture to culture and mindset to alternate mindset... but the essence is the very same in transformation of sudden awakening. What is surely KEY, is to depart from the conditioned patterning of one's illusory dream-world and in so doing, awaken to a primordial state of pure clarity. On the outside looking in, many subtle neurological changes take place within the human brain and it's partner in crime, the mind. All thought ceases and conscious-awareness blooms exponentially. Relative self dissipates within the dreamscape of oneself and upon interphase within the fulcrum of the Absolute cause of all existential being, Ergo, mundane egoism effectively evaporates, wholly transfixed in the eclipsing of the Iso-self and the Omniself... themselves the very same fulcrum seen from opposite vantage points, thus perpetuation a paradox of epic proportions!

For when the mind becomes wholly still (suspended if you will), it's really all the same state of conscious-awareness, itself discovered by the infinite spark of soul-hood residing quietly within each sentient being. At least, I believe that this is so from an experiential point of view. Now, just WHO witnesses this powerful shift in attention is subject to much contemplation! That is, when the ordinary self or ego-self, returns to material consciousness, once more to measure the distinctions between this and that. Furthermore, without one's thinking process perpetuating it's habitual modality, an awareness older than time itself resides freely and unbound, to an awakened level and degree of perceptual knowledge. A new paradigm blooms... to experience existence without corralling the mind within it's customary compressed patterning. And it is not merely a subjective quantification I allude to, it is a pure state of heightened and clear mode of consciousness. :thumb_up:

Thus we meditate for a kind of indescribable release. By finding an empty center deep within the effulgence of the Clear Light of the Void, all notions of finite individuality are shattered. A blossoming of exuberance replaces the dichotomy of oneself and an other. Internal stillness and silence of mind yields complete surrender and in so doing, the witness to all of this universal play is freed of the prison of ego identification. Yet... we still live and breathe as physical entities traveling a seeming labyrinth within the time-space-continuum. It seems a miracle to traverse the gulf and return to compare notes. So, here we are. We reside in this eternal moment, forever, touching souls and reveling in our sheer spiritual symmetry. In this sense, I have come to truly love you all and honor your creation of reality, as we share it's unfolding.

Namaste to you all! 8)
 
Simple breath meditation - focusing on and slowing the breath. No need to complicate it.

Bringing the wandering attention back, over and over to the breath while gradually slowing the breath from 6-8 breaths/minute to 2 breaths/minute. Slowing the breath down to that level, ime, allows you to delve deeper and deeper with ease. Deep from the belly breaths.

This practice ime has given me the most benefit. Thoughts eventually thin out, one by one; more and more light comes about, complete body loss as you go deeper; eventually, there is no thoughts, no "I"; just experience. Like an onion. Eventually - the thinker - the you - becomes suspended; unhinged from it's faculties, sinking deeper and deeper into the ever-moving stillness.
 
Tattvamasi said:
Thoughts eventually thin out, one by one; more and more light comes about, complete body loss as you go deeper; eventually, there is no thoughts, no "I"; just experience. Like an onion. Eventually - the thinker - the you - becomes suspended; unhinged from it's faculties, sinking deeper and deeper into the ever-moving stillness.
Click to expand...
Exactly! We loose ourselves in the unfolding. The "I" becomes less fixated on the body and mind frequencies of manifestation, less locked into a finite fulcrum of relative ego-self. Such peace, such serenely poised, sheer ecstasy awaits in silent rapture! :thumb_up:

And to be fair to the OP, Nathanial.Dread, this is a thread about particular practices, techniques and methods. I'd have to say that what meditative technique I use is wholly dependent on the specific day and to what degree I already feel spiritually attuned. I sometimes begin with some loosening up movements like Hatha Yoga or Tai Chi Chuan. Often times this is completely unnecessary. Like jamie says, a walk in the woods or by the seashore can do wonders for a soul, meditatively so. If the mind seems particularly restless, I do a variety of pranayamas, mudras and chakra energizing/activating routines.

I am fond of Inner Light and Inner Sound meditations. And like embracethevoid wisely emphasizes, one can focus on the Carrier Wave as a mantra or central point of focused attention. This is mirrored by traditional Yogic, Tantric & Buddhist practices, through absorption upon the all-pervasive sound of OM/AUM or HU. I myself, utilize some Kriya Yoga techniques, some Surat Shabd Yoga methods and some Sufi practices... but usually I end up doing Zazen meditation, allowing the breath to flow and simply become still. This pause in cognitive thinking yields a tremendous emptiness, a quietude inside of the whirling buzz of the roaring silence.
Easily as much undoing as doing. 😁
 
A powerful BM followed by a half hour luke warm/cool shower.
I would like to have a pump that can cycle the water to extend the time in the shower without wasting water.

For me this is very effective, sort of drowning myself in sensual stimulation.
 
Chronic said:
I find Self-inquiry to be the most affective practice as it is the most befitting, it all boils down to who you are so solving that one thing gets to the bottom of everything

I find it the most liberating of practices as it goes beyond all tangibility, beyond using thought to reach somewhere, beyond effort, i find it's like it becomes an intuitive sensing of how to stay true to oneself, how to stay totally open

Really i see everything as Self-inquiry, it's just a matter of directness
Click to expand...

:thumb_up:
 
Tibetan Buddhist practice of Dzogchen

A good description by Sam Harris, in this excerpt from his blog;

Taming the Mind

Looking for the mind, or the thinker, or the one who is looking, is often taught as a preliminary exercise in Dzogchen, and it gets your attention pointed in the right direction. It’s different from focusing on the sensation of breathing. You’re simply turning attention upon itself—and this can provoke the insight I’m talking about. It’s possible to look for the one who is looking and to find, conclusively, that no one is there to be found.

People who have done a lot of meditation practice, who know what it’s like to concentrate deeply on an object like the breath, often develop a misconception that the truth is somewhere deep within. But non-duality is not deep. It’s right on the surface. This is another way the window analogy works well: Your reflection is not far away. You just need to know where to look for it. It’s not a matter of going deeper and deeper into subtlety until your face finally reveals itself. It is literally right before your eyes in every moment. When you turn attention upon itself and look for the thinker of your thoughts, the absence of any center to consciousness can be glimpsed immediately. It can’t be found by going deeper. To go deep—into the breath or any other phenomenon you can notice—is to start looking out the window at the trees.

The trick is to become sensitive to what consciousness is like the instant you try to turn it upon itself. In that first instant, there’s a gap between thoughts that can grow wider and become more salient. The more it opens, the more you can notice the character of consciousness prior to thought. This is true whether it’s ordinary consciousness—you standing bleary-eyed in line at Starbucks—or you’re in the middle of a three-month retreat and your body feels like it’s made of light. It simply doesn’t matter what the contents of consciousness are. The self is an illusion in any case.

It’s also useful to do this practice with your eyes open, because vision seems to anchor the feeling of subject/object duality more than any other sense. Most of us feel quite strongly that we are behind our eyes, looking out at a world that is over there. But the truth—subjectively speaking; I’m not making a claim about physics—is that everything is just appearing in consciousness. Losing the sense of subject/object duality with your eyes open can be the most vivid way to experience this shift in perception. That’s why Dzogchen practitioners tend to meditate with their eyes open.

Dan: So I would look at something and ask myself who is seeing it?

Sam: Yes—but it’s not a matter of verbally asking yourself the question. The crucial gesture is to attempt to turn attention upon itself and notice what changes in that first instant. Again, it’s not a matter of going deep within. You don’t have to work up to this thing. It’s a matter of looking for the looker and in that first moment noticing what consciousness is like. Once you notice that it is wide open and unencumbered by the feeling of self, that very insight becomes the basis of your mindfulness.

:)
 
What works for me? Hard to say, as I'm still researching (~5 years of practice now).

The first 2h in a floating tank was good. Sitting 2h in half lotus in a spa whirlpool had a great effect on my backpain. Listening to binaural beats is sometimes helpful, so is walking in the forests.

Also the psychedelic/entheogenic family certainly helped me open up to "the bigger picture". 4-FA had an interesting calming effect on me, but certainly isn't a good tool for meditation, as I fear its destructive effects. But I heard from an ADHS guy that ritalin helps him to focus while meditating. Also listening to experienced practitioners of meditation was helpful (Osho, Jon Kabat-Zinn, some Zen monks etc.)

Actually, I discovered the best talk (imo) on meditation yesterday. It's a 30min time investment, but the best explanation I've heard in 5 years - the interesting segment starts 2:55 and ends around 36:00.

[YOUTUBE]
 
I definitely think "sitting" meditation can be a great tool, as one can see from all the comments above.

They are not necessarily mutually exclusive (they can actually complement each other well), but for me I've always had a harder time doing 'sitting' meditation versus practicing martial arts, which seems to make me reach a seemingly equivalent 'flowing/aware/thoughtless' state. On the plus side, the results of the exercise itself also help combating anxiety in an amazing way.

So if you feel inclined, do try out some martial arts. Brazilian jiu jitsu is what I've been doing, and I think it is very fitting due to the lack of impacts/strikes and 'using positioning, strategy and leverage instead of strength', but I bet you could get similar psychological/spiritual results from other disciplines.
 
Meditation is not reflection or discursive thinking necessarily. It's pure concentration, training the mind to dwell on the interior focus without wandering, until it becomes wholly absorbed in the object of it's contemplation - consciousness. An intense inner wakefullness.

Kind of akin to when your studying for something, or become fully absorbed in a book and at some point someone calls out to you or says your name with you not even hearing it. Meditation is very similar to that. It's focusing deeply on consciousness itself...that's all, eventually all senses closing down, like unbuttoning a jacket until it barely weighs on you at all.

As you deepen, the senses close shop, one by one. The ears hear but YOU do not hear, your extremities feel but YOU do not feel, the nose smells but YOU do not smell; becoming fully unhinged of the various senses.
 
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