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| I have recently started doing yoga and have started to become increasingly interested in meditation. The form of yoga I am learning (Kriya yoga) is based to build you up to meditate deeply in the more advanced stages, but I am also interested in general meditation. What are the different forms of meditation? What are the differences between each one? What does each one achieve? How effective are they? I have heard of all sorts of different kinds. Just focusing on your breath, on a candle, mantra, music, guided CD meditations, brainwave entrainment meditation, osho active meditations, walking meditation etc etc...and I am very confused! If someone could answer my questions I'd be very pleased.
Thankyou
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Member
Posts: 26
| I have not much knowledge about different forms of meditation, since I'm practising "my own" form. I simply get inspiration from different forms, and use what I think suits me. Stubbornly sticking to only one type is in my opinion not necessary. Though, it is important to have patience and not switch too fast between different ways of meditating, since this might be confusing. You must give what you are doing right now a chance, before you try something else.
It is not strange, jwardmagic, that you are confused, considering all the different types of techniques and forms out there. I suggest that you before choosing between all these types, look at, and try to understand, the core of meditation.
The foundation of meditating is to by being attentive to the repeating of something like your breath, or a mantra (sound, word) get to a state where your mind (thoughts, sensations) is completley relaxed and natural. In this relaxed state you have a chance to see things, and life with distance, and the true, and simple beauty of it.
The above is the core of all forms that are worthy of being called "meditation". The above is meditation. Though, you can performe meditation in thousands of ways. How you performe the above is less important. If you are interested in learning to meditate, the important thing is that you meditate. In which way you do it is simply what suits you, and your personality.
My recommendation is not to make things complicated. Start out by sitting comfortably, be attentive to your breath, count every outgoing breath from one to ten and repeat. Don't meditate for too long in the beginning. Do this in a daily basis (or how often is suitable for you), and see where it takes you.
You don't really have to do anymore then this to meditate! That is part of the beauty. Meditating is simple and effective. Always remember the simplicity!
A recommendation is that if you are going to meditate at home, by your self, to invest in a well written book of general meditation. That will be helpful! "Simple" is not always the same as "easy".
Good luck!
Edited by Nidlo 2009-03-24 8:25 PM
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| I have posted this quote from "Yoga - The Art of Balance" before, but it may help answer your question:
We experience our perceptions, not what actually is. All our perceptions are subjective and we can perceive almost anything that we believe by filtering out everything that does not fit our beliefs. The exterior world projects itself on our minds and our minds project their content on the exterior world. It is vital to perceive our world as objectively as possible and not color our perceptions with our prejudices, both personal and cultural. Only then can we act and react in our own best interest and in the best interest of others and our environment. Direct perception (seeing without editorial comment, judgment, condemnation, identification, memory or desire) is as close to reality as we can get. Once our minds start interpreting, we get further and further from reality.
The observer and the observed are the same. They are both your mind. Even though what you observe may have an independent existence, what you are observing is in your mind, created by your mind. Your thoughts are your mind. The “you” that observes those thoughts is also your mind.
Your eyes see a flower. They don’t actually see the flower, but they do see the light that is reflected off the flower. That image travels through the optic nerve to the brain and is recreated by your mind in your mind. Your mind views the image and interprets it, calls it a flower, defines it as a rose, judges its qualities, remembers happy or unhappy memories related to roses, and your body reacts to those memories by tensing or relaxing, secreting various hormones and you experience various emotions. This entire movie that you just created is now stored in your mind and body. It has very little to do with the reality, the flower.
What happens if you see a flower and don’t name it, don’t use words in your head about it, don’t involve memory or desire, just see it? Find out for yourself! This is meditation.
Sitting meditation- Just sit with your eyes closed and see what happens. Do not make anything happen. Do not stop anything from happening. Just watch without comment.
Breath meditation – Sit quietly with your eyes closed and breathe calmly through your nose. Watch and experience the air entering your nostrils, filling your lungs, and exiting. Repeat as long as you want. Just observe.
Listening meditation – Sit quietly, close your eyes, and just listen, really listen to a piece of music or to nature. (Classical music, whether Eastern or Western, usually works best because of its more developed form). Focus on what you are hearing in the present moment.
Science meditation-Sit quietly with your eyes closed and contemplate the vastness of space and the universe, or the worlds within worlds down to atoms and beyond.
Nature meditation-Find a quiet spot in nature. With your eyes open, using the flower technique above, just observe.
Physical meditation-Totally immerse yourself in a creative physical activity with a minimum of mental chatter and maximum openness to discovery. Examples:
Singing or playing a musical instrument
Art
Dance
Intimate activity with a trusted partner
Yoga poses linked into a flow can become meditation in motion.
Your entire life can become a meditation.
I am not giving more specific instructions for meditation as it is important for each individual to find their own. You must experiment to discover. To simply follow another leads to mindless repetition not self-discovery.
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| Hi jward 
I teach meditation, and I would say that meditation practices fall into the following general categories:
body awareness meditation - which includes breath awareness and other practices that involve becoming aware of, or moving, chi
visual meditations - including visualizations and eyes-open techniques
sound meditations - using mantra
moving meditations - including walking meditations
mental techniques - including affirmations & tonglen
There is tonnes of information on the internet about these different types of meditation, the benefits and efficacy of each. Ultimately you'll have to find a technique that suits you/your personality/resonates with you. I would suggest starting with breath-awareness meditation, since it's the foundation for 'basic' meditative practice.
Hope this helps!
Namaste,
Miriam
www.miriamverhaar.ca
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Beginners general question on meditations
