Meditation Basics |
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You should set aside a block of time-preferably fifteen minutes until you become proficient at reaching a meditative state-during which you can be completely alone. This is a time during which any phone in your immediate vicinity is shut off and other phones are set on the answering machine. There should be no radios or TVs on within close earshot, nor shouting or other loud noises. Early morning or late evening may be best. Find a quiet place where nobody will interrupt you during your allotted time frame. This could be a room or a forest glade, or you might even use your car. For beginners, it is best to have a room or even a large closet that is isolated. Some people start by using the attic in their home. Once you get the hang of meditation, you can do it almost any place you can scrape out ten to twenty minutes for yourself.
Teachers of meditation usually have students assume the relaxed lotus position: sit on the floor with your back relaxed, arms on your knees, which are raised somewhat, and your feet with soles facing each other about a foot apart. Alternatively, some people sit in a soft chair. If you’re meditating in a forest glade, sit on the ground in the lotus position, or on a rock. In any position, your hands should be relaxed and preferably resting on your legs.
Teachers of meditation usually assign students a mantra to recite over and over. These mantras are, as a rule, more sounds than words; they become the focus of your attention. Instead, you may focus on a feeling, possibly even visualize a nice scene, such as a mountain lake where no wind can reach. Your eyes should be closed throughout this period of reflection.
Our world is filled with distractions, and meditation is sometimes assisted by what is called white noise. This is not music, but noise that becomes a background setting for your meditation. Meditation tapes of background noises such as quiet surf a wooden sailing ship, or wind in a forest are often sold in shops and catalogues. These sounds create a background that helps you relax.
To say that’s all there is to meditation would be untrue, of course. If you are interested in pursuing meditation. you can find beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes in your area.
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