Meditation Methods - What Works? What Doesn't?

What are the best meditation methods?

Do you find it hard to meditate? I used to find it almost impossible. You see I have an extremely active mind which doesn't take kindly to being told to stop thinking for even twenty seconds let alone twenty minutes!

Even fifteen minutes seems like an eternity when your sitting cross legged in an uncomfortable position, screwing your face up in a huge effort to shut that wretched mind up! I actually used to end the session feeling more stressed that I was when I started it!

Still I persevered with different meditation methods. I read books on meditation. I tried a meditation music MP3. I tried mantras and spinning wheels. I tried binaural beats, but somehow felt that I was cheating. I tried visualizing which helped a little, although I could never do it for very long. I tried counting my breaths but found I got bored and my mind went racing off in other directions.

I wasn't looking for a connection to my "higher self" or seeking a metaphysical "happening" - I just wanted a peaceful experience and to be able to get away from my stress for a little while. I knew about the health benefits of meditation and wanted them for myself. However the mysteries of meditation continued to allude me.

Eventually however I seemed to make a little progress. One of the most useful thing I learned in the books on meditation was "Don't fight your thoughts, just acknowledge them and they will pass out of your mind."

And this to me was the secret of meditation. I was causing myself so much stress trying to get rid of my thoughts, no wonder I couldn't relax!

The advantages of meditating are there and worth the effort. Clarity of thought, stress relief and the wonderful ability to stop resisting everything. I also felt like I the barrier between my conscious and subconscious mind was sometimes lifted, allowing me a glimpse of wisdom and the spirit within.

The advantages have flowed into my everyday life. I can now just allow negative situations to just BE. I no longer resist everything, If I have no control over a situation, I can normally relax and just let it exist. This has all done wonders for my stress levels.

So try meditation, however you do it. Guided meditation is a good start as it stops the mind from wandering. Just make sure you set a little bit of time aside a few days a week. It's not a lot of time to improve your life.

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