Meditation has been something I have been interested in for years, but I have never had the proper motivation or mindset to begin any meaningful practice. On my morning commute today something changed in me. I think I am finally ready to turn within to heal myself and work with my existential problems. It is one think to think this but quite another to feel it.
I know there are lots of meditative beings in the nexus. Any advice for a beginner?
Many thanks.
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Meditation...
I sit somewhere calm and comfortable AFTER stretching out. The stretching eases anxiety, tension, stress, and the feeling of wanting to get up and do something.
I will sit either half-lotus, or full lotus, depending on my mood and how well stretched I am. I also enjoy sitting on my knees. Always with the back straight. Having a vertical spine allows for things to flow easily, and generally it's just good for your body, even things like your digestion. Beware of posture. Over time you will get better at it. Indeed, over time it will only feel "right" having proper posture.
So now that you've stretched, had some water, maybe smoked some cannabis if you do that sort-of thing, you can sit in your preferred position. Whether it's on your bed, on a pillow, or underneath a redwood tree. With your back straight, slowly focus on your breath. Allow it to slow and deepen simultaneously. I like to inhale and extend my belly outward, while bringing it in upon exhalation. This creates an orbital feeling in my solar plexus. It feels like a solar system or something. A perfect gravitational balance. This sensation deepens in intensity the longer you meditate, and of course depending on substances involved. Many believe you must meditate sober, and you can, it's really just a personal preference. Both sober and high/psychedelic are good ways to go about doing this IMHO.
The main things you focus on are posture, your breathing, and total relaxation. A lot of people think you need to clear your mind, this is not the case. Just allow your mind to do whatever it is that it's doing. A cool trick for converting mind chatter is pretending you are playing instruments in your head. You can conduct entire symphonies if you want. This completely blocks thoughts I have found. I have even designed instruments that can not exist in this physical reality in my mind and played them. It's a really fun and easy way to get lost.
Meditation is great because even if it feels like nothing is happening, the stillness is very good for your muscle memory and general overall well-being. It can be used as a way to decompress from stress, or a way to travel into the mind as far as you can go with psychedelics.
This would be my advice, I think this is a good place to start.
Hatha yoga and pranayama may also be of interest to you.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
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I've been through some tecniques/yogas(such as buddhist vipassana and kriya yoga) and I find that the best way is simply sitting, closing one's eyes and relaxing the mind and body. I've found that all the techniques I've been through only seem to take me away from the meditative state.
Stretching is good, though.
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I find this "program" very straight forward if you want to do it on your own: http://www.aypsite.org/ It begins with building a basic meditation practice, then you can go on if you want to optimize.
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