|
|
| am very much into most of asanas (physical yoga exercises) but not much into meditation .. my yoga teacher just asked me the other day why am not attending the meditation classes .. i didnt know what to say .. would Not meditating effect my asanas or breathing exercises ?
any thoughts about this ? |
|
| |
|
| Rebecca,
Your asans should not be affected nor your breathing if you start meditation. You don't have to do meditation however, among many other things that I notice after meditation is calming of the mind. Meditation like asans is very varied. |
|
| |
|
| Hi,
Like you, I am into yoga, but never tried meditation before. Last week I spent a week at a yoga retreat in Costa Rica and they had a class that incorporated meditation with the yoga class. I found it very grounding and it helped me to get in touch with my intuition. I am a big believer in it now!
good luck! |
|
| |
|
| hi
sanjay here
hello sir My name is sanjay . i wants some tips to do meditation , sir actually my problem is i was very tallent when i was in eight standard but when was fallen ill that time i was in std 10 th i got very less marks and also i was failed in one subject but than also i have never depressed .i have i have fight against it but today i have completed my graduation.and also working in god company but i fill that i have lost memory what ever i try to keep in mind within few second i forget it .this is my dull problem. so please i want your help and i am sure that you will help me
seee you bye
wish you happy new year |
|
| |
|
| hi
sanjay here
hello sir My name is sanjay . i wants some tips to do meditation , sir actually my problem is i was very tallent when i was in eight standard but when was fallen ill that time i was in std 10 th i got very less marks and also i was failed in one subject but than also i have never depressed .i have i have fight against it but today i have completed my graduation.and also working in god company but i fill that i have lost memory what ever i try to keep in mind within few second i forget it .this is my dull problem. so please i want your help and i am sure that you will help me
seee you bye
wish you happy new year |
|
| |
|
| hi
sanjay here
hello sir My name is sanjay . i wants some tips to do meditation , sir actually my problem is i was very tallent when i was in eight standard but when was fallen ill that time i was in std 10 th i got very less marks and also i was failed in one subject but than also i have never depressed .i have i have fight against it but today i have completed my graduation.and also working in god company but i fill that i have lost memory what ever i try to keep in mind within few second i forget it .this is my dull problem. so please i want your help and i am sure that you will help me
seee you bye
wish you happy new year |
|
| |
|
| Try A mantra start out by sitting in any comfortable position that you want.
Then sit still for 11 minutes or as long as you can and work up to the 11 mins.
hers how I do it i center myself by putting my hands in prayer position. Then i start chanting Ong Na Mo Guru Dev Na Mo, after about 4 mins I start paying attention to my breathing trying to slow down my breathing to 4 or less per min. Look and listen to yourself.  |
|
| |
|
| You absolutely do not need to do additional meditation to have a yoga practice. Also be weary of the so called guru's, there is one on every corner now, all with their special techniques and mantras. I imagine it must be quite an ego boost to have your own following. To quote Lao tzu, "those who speak do not know and those who know do not speak"
Edited by Man of Tao 2004-01-12 9:48 PM
|
|
| |
|
| Hi.
I have always been very curious on meditation and where i come from, there are hardly any classes on teaching you how to meditate. Can anyone out there give me some tips on how to meditate?
Thanks. |
|
| |
|
| Dear Mr. sanjay. I red your quote. Did you receive any solution by someone. Actually I have same problem as you are facing. If you got any solution please mail me at eteza2000@yahoo.com.
Thanks |
|
| |
|
| are you Mr. Bedi?  |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| Sanjay - 2004-01-03 10:29 PM
hi
sanjay here
hello sir My name is sanjay . i wants some tips to do meditation , sir actually my problem is i was very tallent when i was in eight standard but when was fallen ill that time i was in std 10 th i got very less marks and also i was failed in one subject but than also i have never depressed .i have i have fight against it but today i have completed my graduation.and also working in god company but i fill that i have lost memory what ever i try to keep in mind within few second i forget it .this is my dull problem. so please i want your help and i am sure that you will help me
seee you bye
wish you happy new year |
|
| |
|
| Dear Sanjay:
For this memory problem you must consult a Yogi personally. Also, please notify all of us whether you took any medication during your treatment.
Thanks. Neel Kulkarni www.authenticyoga.org |
|
| |
|
| you have to meditate at least two hour a day i am also same but i start meditation and i got good result |
|
| |
|
| you have to meditate at least two hour a day i am also same but i start meditation and i got good result |
|
| |
|
| What meditate, I asked about Medication?
neel |
|
| |
|
| christineccp - 2004-02-22 9:43 PM
Hi.
I have always been very curious on meditation and where i come from, there are hardly any classes on teaching you how to meditate. Can anyone out there give me some tips on how to meditate?
Thanks.
It's unfortunate, some of the views advocated about meditation in this thread. The practice of hatha yoga was formulated and taught specifically to support the practice of meditation. Yoga asana is a preparatory practice and, when done as intended, a meditation in itself. Practicing yoga asana without cultivating meditation is, in the eyes of the masters who handed the practice down to us, a waste of time, a dilution of the teachings, and will eventually lead to further suffering.
Christine, on the off chance you check this thread again, I'll give you a basic meditation practice to follow. The first step in meditation practice is to tame the mind. I'd be wary of people who want you to do mantras and visualizations, etc, prior to attaining stability in a basic meditation practice. In various buddhist systems, this basic preliminary practice common to all of them, is called samatha/vipassana and it is based on the anapanasati teachings. A good book on this method is Breath by Breath by Larry Rosenburg (in print avaialable at amazon.com) if you want more indepth information.
Basically, first you get yourself into a comfortable seated position with a straight back. There are various yoga asanas, but as a brief working model, sit cross-legged, using a cushion to elevate your hips higher then your knees. Rest your hands on your thighs without gripping. Imagine a thread coming out of the crown of your head pulling your spine straight and roll the shoulders slightly back, letting them fall down like a coat settling around a coat hanger. Rest your tongue so that the tip of your tongue touches the back of your top teeth (helps prevent saliva accumulation, amoung other things) and relax and unclench your jaw and facial muscles. Rest your gaze about two or three feet on the floor in front of you. Some systems advocate closing the eyes, but I recommend against it at the start, as it tends to let the mind daydream. You are cultivating awareness and mindfulness in this practice, awareness meaning being aware of your breath, your body and your surroundings. You don't want to disappear into your head.
Once you find a comfortable posture that you can sit in without discomfort (although discomfort will eventually come if you are inflexible or not used to sitting cross-legged), the practice consists simply of following and being aware of your breath. It seems to be helpful to locate a point in the respiratory system where you can physically feel the air moving, such as the tip of the nose. It may also be helpful at the start to think "breathing in" and "breathing out" when those actions occur. Let the breath be natural... in other words, don't consciously make it deeper or more audible. Rather just observe it. Practice this for 10 minutes as a start.
If you try to do this, you will notice that the mind wanders incessantly. This is ok and it is normal. It is how your mind already is all the time. In meditation practice, you become more conscious of the nature of mind. The practice is simply... when you notice you have stopped following the breath and strayed off into thinking about something else, say in your mind "thinking" and bring your attention back to following the in and out breath. When you first start, it may be that you have difficulty doing this consistently even for a few breaths. This is normal for western culture. Do not judge yourself or get lost in thoughts about whether or not you are good at this or capable of it. This is a process of taming your mind just as a horse trainer tames a wild horse. With time and consistently, it will happen.
What I've shared here is just the beginning, but if practiced consistently, it will bring enormous benefit to your sanity and peace of mind. The book I recommended up above is another good resource. Feel free to contact me with any questions about what I've said or about this practice.
Hope this helps.
Warmly,
James |
|
| |
|
| "Asana without meditation is lame. Meditation without asana is blind." - Swami Rama. Meditation IS the primary practice and aim of yoga. There are many elements of yoga that are unknown or not understood. Meditiaton is a wonderful practice; it is the source of true knowledge and peace. The asanas strengthen and stabilize the body in order to allow one to meditate. I teach meditation and asana as an integrated practice. When they are combined - properly - the results will blow you away. This is not easy to do and takes a lot of practice and the right teacher. Hardly anyone teaches this way. It is very difficult to find, and this never fails to surprise me. Meditation is a great gift worth striving for. Don't undervalue it. |
|
| |
|
| I think this advice, given by James, is so awesome and right on!! Especially the things about keeping the eyes open during the Samatha Meditation time. That was the single most important factor in my meditation practice, learning to meditate with the eyes open. The wandering "monkey mind" is hard to get into shape without having a single point of focus (breath, a flower, a flower part, a statue, etc.).
Sometimes it is also hard to deal with the differing states of mind at the exact time that you meditate. Some days one is mentally tired and sleepy-like (torpor) and some days one can be too busy in the mind (excitement). There are ways to help with this. For torpor quickly move the open eyes up and right (or left). This gives a "lift" to the mediation. For excitement take a deep breath and say (or think), "My body is on the zafu (pillow), my mind is in my body, and my mind is relaxed." Doing this 3 times in a row seems to really help calm the mind.
That is the advice that I would like to add. |
|
| |
|
| After approximately a year of practicing yoga purely for the physical benefits, I noticed that my mind was becoming stronger, more flexible and focused--just like my body. I worked with that for approximately one more year before going to a meditation retreat given by a very credible meditation guru (after trying to practice on my own). Now it seems that I am addicted to meditation and the resulting mindset that it brings.
In conclusion, one needs not not to have separate meditation practice to do yoga, because the yoga IS the meditation practice. However, a separate meditation practice can bring more stability in the mind. It seems that one practice simply leads to another. It seems good to meditate for about the same amount of time that one practices the physical yoga (i.e. if you practice yoga for 45 minutes per session, try to meditate for approx. 45 minutes BEFORE the physical postures). Sometimes one can sit in meditation at the end of the physical asana practice(during lotus pose) for another 10 minutes or so.
I like the Lao Tzu quote in Man of Toa's reply #388.
Namaste |
|
| |
|
| Thank you James,
I started according to your description and could in fact sit still for over 12 minutes, amazing. I felt refreshed and calm afterwards, thank you again.
Babs |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 21
| Rebecca - 2002-04-24 2:43 AM
am very much into most of asanas (physical yoga exercises) but not much into meditation .. my yoga teacher just asked me the other day why am not attending the meditation classes .. i didnt know what to say .. would Not meditating effect my asanas or breathing exercises ?
any thoughts about this ?
It is strongly advised for beginners to start with a serious course in meditation in a centre or group under the guidance of an experienced teacher first before trying how to meditate properly at home on your own. This should give you a genuine feeling of the effect that meditation can have on the mind. Many have tried to self-study but they are most likely to fail in reaching the goal of meditation. In fact, it may have adverse effects, which you don’t want to. Before you start to learn how to meditate properly, make sure you are not too tired or hungry. Wear loose comfortable clothing as well. Lastly, make sure your seat is comfortable for you to be able to do the steps on how to meditate properly. |
|
| |
meditation
