- Original WF Link
- http://wizardforums.com/Thread-Lay-Man-s-Guide-to-Meditation
Meditation has many uses, as reading the other threads in this section (posted mainly by Boss) will tell you. It has many benefits as well, including a greater control in general over your mind and body.
The goal of this guide is to give the people with even the shortest amounts of time on their hands an opportunity to take advantage of something as wonderful as meditation.
First of all, you need to have a place you are comfortable in, or a place where you can make yourself comfortable. This can be in your living room, your own room, or even the throne (read: toilet).
Second, you need to see how good you are at filtering out outside noises and disturbances. Are you very good at it? Great, close your eyes, and try to focus your mind. Not so great at it? Join the club. I use a big pair of over-the-ear headphones whenever I go somewhere, and they are rather muffling, even with the music off. When I turn music on, often the only thing I can hear is the music. This serves to isolate me, and to sever me from my surroundings, so the only indicator that I am still indeed there is my eyes, and my sense of touch, and smell.
Once you've managed to work on filtering out the outside disturbances and noises, perhaps smell might be bothering you. Well, fear not, as the human nose can generally get acclimated to any smell within a period of 5-10 minutes. If that is too long, it is suggested you find another place. I've never experienced this problem, mainly because my sense of smell is terrible.
After you've removed hearing and smell from the equation, next comes sight. Which is quite simple. You close your eyes, and you point your face towards a dark part of wherever you are. Closing your eyes while facing a light is not suggested, for obvious reasons.
Alright, now we're onto the last part of isolation. The sense of touch. This is often done best by getting into as comfortable a position as possible, and then moving your arms and legs close to your torso. If you are sitting, simply cross your legs or keep them together. Put your hands in your lap, or rest them on the armrests of the chair, if they are comfortable enough.
Now that you are as comfortable as your position will allow you to be, keep your eyes closed. Don't screw them shut, merely close them as if you were relaxing and going to sleep. The trick here though, is to not go to sleep. Now here is where you start to focus your mind. Think of a single thought, a single place, or a single person, or whatever helps. Clear your mind of all the clutter of your daily day, your worries, your stresses. Once you've achieved this, you should feel very at peace with yourself, and you should be comfortable in your state of isolation from the world. Essentially, in your own little pocket of existence.
Now that you've gotten into your own little special place, you can begin to let your mind truly flow. Sort out the thoughts in your brain, and in your calm state, your mind will find very creative and new ways to deal with problems, as your perceptions will be as untainted as possible.
The above is only if you've got a lot on your mind, or a lot of things bothering you, however. If all you require is a respite from the world, instead imagine a "happy place." It should be serene, filled with things you like, and should be very comfortable in general. And also, you should usually be alone in this "happy place."
And there you have it folks. A very rough, very rudimentary introduction to meditation. If you can grasp some of the concepts here, I highly suggest you pursue further readings and research, and to read some of the wonderful, informative posts that Boss contributed.
Keep in mind this is merely the way that I meditate. It's rather crude, but it gets the job done, and it is very easy for a beginner to approach it. Here's to hoping you find peace and respite and whatever else you may be searching for!
The goal of this guide is to give the people with even the shortest amounts of time on their hands an opportunity to take advantage of something as wonderful as meditation.
First of all, you need to have a place you are comfortable in, or a place where you can make yourself comfortable. This can be in your living room, your own room, or even the throne (read: toilet).
Second, you need to see how good you are at filtering out outside noises and disturbances. Are you very good at it? Great, close your eyes, and try to focus your mind. Not so great at it? Join the club. I use a big pair of over-the-ear headphones whenever I go somewhere, and they are rather muffling, even with the music off. When I turn music on, often the only thing I can hear is the music. This serves to isolate me, and to sever me from my surroundings, so the only indicator that I am still indeed there is my eyes, and my sense of touch, and smell.
Once you've managed to work on filtering out the outside disturbances and noises, perhaps smell might be bothering you. Well, fear not, as the human nose can generally get acclimated to any smell within a period of 5-10 minutes. If that is too long, it is suggested you find another place. I've never experienced this problem, mainly because my sense of smell is terrible.
After you've removed hearing and smell from the equation, next comes sight. Which is quite simple. You close your eyes, and you point your face towards a dark part of wherever you are. Closing your eyes while facing a light is not suggested, for obvious reasons.
Alright, now we're onto the last part of isolation. The sense of touch. This is often done best by getting into as comfortable a position as possible, and then moving your arms and legs close to your torso. If you are sitting, simply cross your legs or keep them together. Put your hands in your lap, or rest them on the armrests of the chair, if they are comfortable enough.
Now that you are as comfortable as your position will allow you to be, keep your eyes closed. Don't screw them shut, merely close them as if you were relaxing and going to sleep. The trick here though, is to not go to sleep. Now here is where you start to focus your mind. Think of a single thought, a single place, or a single person, or whatever helps. Clear your mind of all the clutter of your daily day, your worries, your stresses. Once you've achieved this, you should feel very at peace with yourself, and you should be comfortable in your state of isolation from the world. Essentially, in your own little pocket of existence.
Now that you've gotten into your own little special place, you can begin to let your mind truly flow. Sort out the thoughts in your brain, and in your calm state, your mind will find very creative and new ways to deal with problems, as your perceptions will be as untainted as possible.
The above is only if you've got a lot on your mind, or a lot of things bothering you, however. If all you require is a respite from the world, instead imagine a "happy place." It should be serene, filled with things you like, and should be very comfortable in general. And also, you should usually be alone in this "happy place."
And there you have it folks. A very rough, very rudimentary introduction to meditation. If you can grasp some of the concepts here, I highly suggest you pursue further readings and research, and to read some of the wonderful, informative posts that Boss contributed.
Keep in mind this is merely the way that I meditate. It's rather crude, but it gets the job done, and it is very easy for a beginner to approach it. Here's to hoping you find peace and respite and whatever else you may be searching for!