4 Answers

  1. Oh… The “best meditation experts in the world” are upsetting me with their advice, so I'll have to add a little meaning to this thread of answers.

    1. You can learn to meditate on your own. But difficult.
      At the same time, the most difficult thing is to sort out the rubble of fictions about meditations. However, the meditation itself will not work in 5 minutes. And it won't work in 5 days. And even in 5 weeks. You need to be prepared for this. And focus on a period of about a year (provided at least 3 classes per week).

    2. To learn to meditate, you need to learn not to meditate, but to stay awake and attentive + accept the idea that absolutely everything that happens in your head (except wakefulness and mindfulness) impairs your mindfulness. Well, as much as possible to remove all distractions. It's not technically difficult, but it's hard to focus without the focus object.
      To simplify your life, some schools have started with mindfulness practices with a certain object (books often mention a burning candle, but I would recommend something less dynamic).
      But it is worth remembering that focusing on an object is not a final meditation, but a preparatory exercise.

    3. Regarding the pose: the meaning of the meditation pose is not to distract you with unnecessary bodily sensations (somewhere something is scratched, somewhere something is numb, somewhere something is sick, etc.). It is worth remembering that if you get off the ground, then you will still have feelings of itching/numb/sick, etc., you just need to survive (from experience I can say that somewhere in a month to overcome this stage completely).
      If the pose is unsuccessful, you will simply provide yourself with more distractions. Therefore, it makes sense either to sit in a classic pose with a straight back (but in no case in yoga lotuses, etc.) and slightly bent knees, or you can try to start lying down (although in this case you may start to feel sleepy).

    4. Still, it is better to do this under the supervision of a skilled person. If, of course, you manage to find such a person who will not ride on your ears. It just seems to me that nowadays finding a good meditation instructor is a more difficult task than learning to meditate on your own.: (

  2. If you are a beginner, then it is best to consider the practice outside of a religious or esoteric context. If you discard all the tinsel and sacredness, then the usual training of the “attention” muscle remains.�

    Start with 10 minutes once a day with concentration on the breath for 4 cycles (1 cycle inhale, 2 cycle switch to exhale, 3 cycle exhale, 4 cycle switch to inhale). You can try it with a mantra, it's like a prayer, only in Sanskrit. One of the simplest “baba nam kevalam”, translated as – ” everything is a manifestation of love or higher intelligence(consciousness)”, try at the first stages with the mantra easier. �

    Sit cross-legged, if you can not, then on a chair, and if you are flexible, then in the lotus position or in a half-lotus(only one leg is thrown on your hip, the second is tucked under you) – always with a straight back, if it is difficult to put a pillow under your ass. Gradually increase your practice to 20 minutes per day. Then double it, do it in the morning, after waking up (but not immediately, first wash your face with cold water, wipe your stomach at the navel with cold water, hands-this will wake you up or do exercises, otherwise the practice will turn into a sitting dream). The main thing is regularity, practice every day the optimal time for you, if you feel that you are not sitting out, you do not need to force yourself.

    Breathe in the yoga breath as you practice. This is breathing with a full chest and stomach.�

    Never scold yourself if you fail to catch your concentration during practice. Any practice is useful, because it improves you.�

    At first, thoughts will catch your attention and move you away from the object of concentration (breathing). The chain will consist of 2-5 thoughts. Example: I want to eat – – – what will I eat for dinner – – – I need to go to the store – – – – I'll buy cabbage – – – oh, I have carrots in the refrigerator – – – – oh, I'm meditating. Over time, you won't go further than one.�

    I wish you a good practice

  3. Let it not seem contradictory to you, but all the people who say that they know the secret of meditation, or only they have sacred knowledge, then both will be right. Here everyone has found their own way. Therefore, as the first thing that a person starts from, it is the very concept of what meditation is and what it is needed for. You can talk a lot about the taste of watermelon, but it's better to try it. And you are on the right track when you decide to collect information and ask everyone about it. The truth is that your path will not be similar to any of the previous ones. And the only true criterion of knowledge is practice. You will learn about dynamic meditation, transcendental meditation, classical meditation, external meditation, internal meditation, etc. And the answer to your question is Yes. And only so. You will have many teachers, but only your heart will say – I have found it, it is mine. There are also many interpretations of the essence of meditation, and the answer lies within you in your deepest Self. There is a good comparison that meditation is like a bird sitting on a branch, which is approached by a person, another half step it will break and fly away. This means being extremely alert and aware, in the absence of an internal dialogue. That's all there is to it. Very simple and clear. There is only one thing left to realize.

  4. You can learn how to cook scrambled eggs, and meditation is an art. As a result, mastering meditation is an endless process. I've been meditating all my life, but I feel like I'm at the beginning of it.

    What can I recommend to you ? Do not waste your time on any “two-week courses of psychics of the international category”. There you will only waste your passion and energy. Find a practitioner in your environment. And read a lot of real masters. Not Internet theorists, but real masters. I advise you to ignore authors with European surnames or beautiful pseudonyms. For example, there is such an author named Yogi Sutarama (in the world of Sidorov). Into the oven…

    Learn masters from Southeast Asia. For example, Takuan, Daitaro Suzuki, Shui Min Tan, Negyeon Senzaki, Zhang Zhen Zi, Song Chol Seunim, Sekida Katsuki, Yan Jun Min, Mantek Chia…

    Don't get too carried away by Indian masters (Vivekananda, Prabhupada, Osho, Sai Baba and other “Swamis and Anandas”). They are talkative, and strong in theory. Some of them are outright scammers. You won't figure it out right away…

    Iyengar may be an exception. This is a great yogi and two of his books (“A Look at Yoga” and “A Look at Pranayama”)they should become your desktop books. The fact is that for effective meditation, POSTURE IS CRITICAL. If the pose is wrong, then all your attempts will be in vain. It will take many years to master the pose, and in this search more and more new facets will open up (meditation is an art, remember?) Iyengar is good for finding a pose.

    Tips on the pose are also given by oriental masters. But their advice will seem empty and sometimes frankly contradictory. But you will understand all their depth when you make progress in the study of meditation. Then, many years later, you will re-read their advice and make sure that they are right. And their advice will no longer seem contradictory.

    It is also important to read ancient texts. Well, here in my preferences, too, the roll is mainly in Yu. V. Asia. But this is “too deep water”. I don't want to load you…

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