Things i do while meditating

sajor · September 5th, 2012, 00:06

Hello everyone, i been meditating for a lil over a month now, started with 5min once a day, currently i mediatate for 25min x2 a day , I noticed now that i can meditate over 20min per session, i do a lot of things to pass the time, for example: i do different affirmations, then i do the counting your breath tecnique, i also tell myself "my thoughts are not me" many times, the time passes rather quickly , that is a good thing, i guess it means im being in the present and im concious, my question is , this way of meditation , is it good or should i change things up. THank you for any input. Namaste.

GilesC · September 5th, 2012, 16:08

Hi Sajor,

I would say that what you are doing is a form of awareness training rather than a deep meditation. It will have some meditative effect, but not as deep as some other meditation techniques, especially if you are keeping your mind occupied with affirmations, counting and telling yourself things. Have you tried downloading the "Discover Meditation" CD's that are free from this website? they will teach you a mantra based meditation that can allow you to get to a deeper state of meditation where time itself isn't something you'll be keeping track of.

Hugs

Giles

sajor · September 5th, 2012, 21:53

HI, i did download the free cd's on this site, from fastforwarding i noticed most are timed aswell, i believe it starts with a 10min meditation and goes forward from there. I noticed i do affirmations and keep my mind occupied while meditating because i believe if not I will get bored , loose concentration and open my eyes prematurely , I would love to get into deep state, but from what i read here and online that could some times months or even years (im only 1 1/2 into meditation)I even read i believe here, that a lot of people nomrmally just think while meditating 20min or less, I noticed that i dont pay too much attention to time anymore, just the last 5min of my meditation i start getting anxious. I would love to get into deep state and just relax my mind any links or ways for me to do so. Thank you.

Namaste..........................

GilesC · September 6th, 2012, 01:39

Hi again Sajor,

[quote=sajor;41014]HI, i did download the free cd's on this site, from fastforwarding i noticed most are timed aswell, i believe it starts with a 10min meditation and goes forward from there.
[quote]
That's correct. That allows people to start with smaller meditations and progress as they become more comfortable at meditation.

I noticed i do affirmations and keep my mind occupied while meditating because i believe if not I will get bored,

Belief is not necessarily the truth. If you are truly meditating then there is no such thing as boredom. Boredom is something the mind constructs, but if you are meditating you are simply being aware and the constructs of the mind have no place to take hold of you.

loose concentration and open my eyes prematurely ,

While you keep believing it, your mind will make it happen.

I would love to get into deep state, but from what i read here and online that could some times months or even years (im only 1 1/2 into meditation)

Could... but not always. Different people take different amounts of time to practice and get proficient at meditation. Some can reach deep states within weeks, others take years.... so why judge yourself on what other people do?

I even read i believe here, that a lot of people nomrmally just think while meditating 20min or less,

Meditation is often referred to as "quietening the mind", but that doesn't mean that thoughts disappear. Thoughts will arise, but having thoughts arise is not the same as actually thinking. Rising thoughts you can simply be aware of and less the pass and then simply be aware of the next thought and let it pass and so on... whereas Thinking is taking a thought and getting attached to it, so you start to focus on it and follow that train of thought. Ocassionally when meditating we all get attached to a thought and it brings us out of deep meditation, but we can learn to recognise this happening and step in with our mantra or whatever technique we are using, to detach from that train of thought and get back to the meditation practice.

I noticed that i dont pay too much attention to time anymore,

That's good. You don't need to either. The body's own body clock is perfectly capable of knowing when the time is up, so simply stating you want to meditate for e.g. 20 minutes before you start will allow the body clock to signal to you when the time is up. Sometimes this can be distracted by the mind, but with practice it is noticably easier.

just the last 5min of my meditation i start getting anxious.

A slight contradiction. If you know it's the last 5 minutes, then you are paying attention to time.

Let the time go... simply meditate.

I would love to get into deep state and just relax my mind any links or ways for me to do so. Thank you.

Links can't do it for you, only a will to do it and practice. Often people think that meditation has some hidden secret, and if they can only read about it and learn that secret then they will be able to magically reach a deep meditative state... but really... meditation is so simple that people completely miss the point... constantly searching for something that isn't there. Meditation is, in a simple description, about being present, being aware, and being free of attachment to the physical or the mind.

So the way to do it... practice... practice and a bit more practice... twice a day... starting with a time that you are comfortable with (no point in overdoing it) and gradually building it up. Some people say that they can meditate for hours at a time, but in truth many wise experienced practitioners of meditation actually say that meditating more than about 30 minutes in one sitting provides no additional benefit and only takes up valuable time when you could be doing something productive with the hightened awareness that meditation gives us.

Hugs

Giles