Meditation

[Calla]

I have been trying to get into meditating as a way of relaxing and calming "the chatter". I've brought a CD which is quite good. However I do find it hard to relax and I'm also trying to find a time of day when I can actually do it!!

The most convenient time is the morning but I find it very hard to wake up and get out of bed in the morning so feel it makes me a bit drowsy again! During the day I like to be out and then in the evening I'm going to the gym and then eating when I get home. And I gather before bed is not the best time to do it! Anyone know the best sort of time.

And I guess it takes practise because my mind will not stop completely!! But curiously my physiotherapist says it will help my shoulder problem as a lot of that is down to tension!

Any tips welcome thank you.

[Luna-]

Since it's calming and relaxing I can't see why just before bedtime is a problem? I would've thought that was a great time, to wind down before bed. As you say, in the morning it just makes you drowsy again.

I was very into Tibetan Buddhist meditation once (I guess different from a CD because ours was silent) but there are probably enough similarities. I got lazy, yeah, yeah.

It takes practice to learn. At first your mind goes crazy chattery especially once you aren't moving around any more! If you keep refocusing on whatever your "support" is (is it music or speaking on the CD? - we used the breath or sound) things slowly calm down, the more you practice.

Don't try to "control" your thoughts. Let them arise - what we tend to do is grab onto them and start thinking about them. When you find you've done this, let it go again, like a leaf flowing down a river, and refocus on the support. The next leaf will arise, do the same thing. As you become aware of having engaged with the thought earlier and earlier, it gets easier to see them coming and let them flow on by - the less you grab them, the more relaxed and "in the moment" you can be. Oh and you NEED to be patient with yourself and not judge yourself when you find you're lost in a daydream. Just refocus and keep refocusing each time it happens.

[Calla]

Thanks for that. At the moment I'm using guided meditation as a start. It takes you on various imaginative journeys. So that you are drawn into them. I find that good as a start as I think just lying in silence would be VERY difficult for me!! Even with the guided stuff it's amazing where the brain takes you. I wonder "how on earth did this scenerio make me start thinking about that!!?" But you can quickly get back to where you were as it's guided. Like you say it's learning to let the thoughts flow by.

They are 20mins each which I suppose is enough per day. I'm sure I read somewhere that doing them before bed wasn't as good because you go to sleep and not get the benefits from being relaxed...or something like that. Although I suppose in the long run it all helps, getting a good nights sleep etc.

It is so difficult to relax sometimes. I seem to always clock watch with everything I do, even enjoyable stuff. "Is it nearly over yet" sort of thing.