Meditation

[Nemoide]

(I hope this post doesn't go over people's heads. But be warned in advance that it might.)

It's probably better for a person to experiment with what does/doesn't work for them, but some tips from my experience are:
1) Don't meditate immediately after eating.
2) Don't meditate just before going to bed.
3) Keep your spine straight!
4) Try to control your breathing (easy first step: In-2-3-4, Hold-2-3-4, Out-2-3-4, Hold, 2, 3, 4)

After that, it largely depends on if your are following a certain pre-existing spiritual path or not.

First, the question of religious affiliation, belief in deity, etc. shouldn't matter for meditation. The only concern should be if meditative practices can have certain effects and that's something every will have to figure out for themselves.

I consider myself to be spiritual and think meditation can be an invaluable tool. There are many different meditation techniques out there and they generally serve a different purpose. I'm mostly familiar with Western methods, such as Qabbalistic pathworking. In Hermetic Qabalah, The Tree of Life is often considered a "map of reality." I've found that meditation upon the Sephiroth can help bring understanding to their meanings and meditation upon the paths can bring understanding to their connections. These connections, though discovered in the realm of the mind, can correlate to external reality as well, inspiring a sort of increased understanding of the world at large. There's also a practice called "The Middle Pillar" (probably formulated by Israel Regardie) which I think can really improve one's mental well-being, although it requires a little bit of occult know-how to be effective.

Also, I've found that just learning to REALLY RELAX on a physical level can make a person feel much better about nearly anything. So even simple "closing your eyes and staying still" practices can have value. If nothing else it should teaches discipline and patience.
There's a book called "Undoing Yourself With Energized Meditation" by Dr. Christopher S. Hyatt that has some relaxation methods that can really improve your meditation session.

[Korpi]

I don't think atheism or religion either have much against or much common with meditation. Meditation is more objective and open-minded practice. It's about emptying your mind of ideas, sense of time, fear. So that mind becomes like this peaceful meadow through which information flows in and out without complications. It allows you to focus on your body, mind and actions, so you can perform better, and to seek happiness, or rather realize you are happy all the time and unhappiness is only creation of your mind.

Basically you just have a comfortable position (nothing too lazy like lay in bed preferably, but there are no rules really) and practice breathing and letting go of those many thoughts going on your in mind. Perhaps focus your thoughts to some problem you've had and solve it. I don't know what meditation exactly is, it differs from person to person how you practice it. Someone has religious ideas involved, someone does it to prepare for something, to relieve anxiety, to seek happiness, to seek answers...

Meditation can also be incorporated to any action you are doing. You can focus on chopping logs and leave everything else out.

That's how I've understood it anyway.

[Inazuma]

I'm not completely against the idea of using your mind to improve your health. I know from experience that stress can cause me to get sick. The opposite is also true. The placebo effect is proof of this.

If something like meditation helps calm you and get you in a better state of mind, that's good. When I notice myself getting all stressed out, I try to relax and think more positively so I reduce the chance of getting sick.

For me, jerking off works much better than meditation though.

[J T]

The point of meditation is that you focus your attention on the present moment, so it's not really something you do "in order to" do something else, such as relax. It is often the case that people feel relaxed during or after meditation, but I wouldn't say that is the point of it. It's quite possible to meditate while not feeling relaxed at all. Some meditation instructors from many generations back used to tell the samurai to meditate as if a sword were raised above their head because that was the degree of alertness they wanted to attain.

Meditation occurs in many forms, there is sitting meditation, walking meditation, and various activities that require one maintain a present time focus and flow with the actions unfolding. There is a long history of debate over the best ways to meditate, though many of the traditions hold a special place for quiet sitting meditation, largely because it leaves you with just your senses and your mind to contend with. In the Soto Zen school (which is what I'm most familiar with), the practice is called Shikantaza, which translates roughly to "just sitting".

You sit with a balanced posture with your legs folded in a "lotus position" to provide a solid base. This posture will help you sit with stillness for extended periods of time without needing to move. While sitting, you are simply aware of what is present. You observe sights, sounds, smells, feelings, tastes, and thoughts.

Thoughts are tricky though because they can pull you out of the present moment. Any time you think with words you are describing something that has already past, or trying to predict something that will happen. Those are past and future focused activities, not present focused activity. Thoughts are incredibly difficult to turn off. Much of the practice of meditation is to observe your thinking and notice how thoughts come and go. You begin to realize that we are constantly evaluating and judging things. Many people find themselves thinking about whether they are meditating correctly or not, comparing themselves to others, deciding whether they think they are comfortable enough or not, thinking about what to do afterwards, ruminating on something that happened earlier, or judging ourselves for thinking too much. It's really quite difficult to be in a state of pure awareness because our thoughts are there almost always. Though the body may sit still, the mind does not.

Meditation is a practice of being aware in the present moment. There are various techniques for wrangling in control of your awareness so that your mind doesn't take over. You learn to control your attention instead of your attention controlling you. Some people recommend reciting a mantra over and over that you learn to associate with meditative states and over time can help cue you to that state of awareness. Some count to 10 repeatedly as the counting helps them stay present. Some try to expand their sensory awareness to include as many senses at once as possible leaving little room left for thought. Some imagine their thoughts floating on leaves down a river. Some focus on a specific point on the wall and work to hold that focus.

It's important to keep in mind that meditation is a practice. Having thoughts and bringing your attention back to the present moment is part of that practice. Over time, you may find more stillness of mind, more depth of perception, calmness, and a greater sense of oneness with all things, but the practice is always the practice. You meditate to meditate.

[elmagicochrisg]

In that case I guess even playing videogames can put you in a meditative kinda state. I've had moments when playing a game (especially puzzle games) where I just stopped thinking and I started playing on automatic. Rather than watching the screen, I started focusing on a point beyond the screen. I love those moments. But as soon as I start thinking again things start going wrong... lol

Come to think of it, Mr Driller on Dreamcast was one of those games that did that to me...

For me, jerking off works much better than meditation though.

Maybe you should start practicing the golden pole of enlightment five finger palm technique then...

FYI I just made that up, before you start googling... ><

No, in all seriousness, maybe tantric sex might be something for you?...

As for all the others, thanks for your input so far. Much appreciated... ^^

[Gamerforlife]

I guess I worded things wrong in my last post. I didn't mean to imply that spirituality and religion are the same. I actually consider myself to be a spiritual person, but I don't like religion

I personally believe that religions are just a tool that eventually leads everyone to the same truths. However, I think it's much easier to get there without religion personally. I have nothing against religious people though

[Jrecee]

I medi-masturbate. It puts me in a spiritual nirvana while I orgasm to how awesome being atheist makes me.

[elmagicochrisg]

I medi-masturbate. It puts me in a spiritual nirvana while I orgasm to how awesome being atheist makes me.