Spirituality, Mediation, Prayer?

D

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hey so I was wondering anyone into spirituality, meditating or prayer?

I do try to pray and I find prayer helps me sometimes with discipling myself

whenever I try to meditate I tend to hyperventilate and get panic attacks

for those of you know are into mindfulness and meditation do you have any tips?

Also I hear conflicting things, some people say it's about quieting the mind and some say it's about observing the thoughts, is there any that's better or is it just personal preferences?

Sorry for my ignorance I'm just not clued up
 
I like to go deep inside a forest and try and connect with Roman and Celtic Gods. Once I saw, or probably hallucinated a golden bird that resembled a Hummingbird or Kingfisher. I should have embraced it, but instead I was startled and jumped.
 
I like to go deep inside a forest and try and connect with Roman and Celtic Gods. Once I saw, or probably hallucinated a golden bird that resembled a Hummingbird or Kingfisher. I should have embraced it, but instead I was startled and jumped.
How old were you then?

I do find the Viking history fascinating and ineresting, I think watching the tv show Vikings contributed to that lol
 
I think just being in nature, especially forests, lakes and sea, or up on a mountain, has immense benefits for the mind, soul or spirit.

Straight up meditating always seems to be difficult, as you try to empty your mind stuff just rushes in and it gets frustrating rather than beneficial (to me anyway). Trying to not think anything seems impossible. I think mindfulness emphasises being aware of your thoughts and quietly accepting them as just thoughts. Then again you could write down what I know about 'proper' meditation or mindfulness with a marker pen on the back of a postage stamp to be fair.

If you are finding yourself hyperventilating then you're possibly focusing too much on your breathing. From my own experience I also have had periods in my life where being alone with my thoughts would lead to extreme panic attacks which is very unpleasant obviously, and you need someone to pull you back down.

Quietly observing natural beauty, and simply being grateful for that experience and its existence is probably as good. To add a more direct spiritual or religious element you could give thanks to whomever you believe created it, or simply for its existence however it got there.

Mountains or beaches work best for me. Seeing the world from high up somehow gives you perspective. The seemingly boundless ocean, the repetitive crash of waves on the shore, and the inexorability of them can be either calming or melancholy, but it can take you out of yourself if you let it.
 
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I think just being in nature, especially forests, lakes and sea, or up on a mountain, has immense benefits for the mind, soul or spirit.

Straight up meditating always seems to be difficult, as you try to empty your mind stuff just rushes in and it gets frustrating rather than beneficial (to me anyway). Quietly observing natural beauty, and simply being grateful for that experience and its existence is probably as good. To add a more direct spiritual or religious element you could give thanks to whomever you believe created it, or simply for its existence however it got there.

Mountains or beaches work best for me. Seeing the world from high up somehow gives you perspective. The seemingly boundless ocean, the repetitive crash of waves on the shore, and the inexorability of them can be either calming or melancholy, but it can take you out of yourself if you let it.
Yea I like natural sounds like rainfall or waterfalls etc, think they call it white noise?

Yea I try to do Islamic prayer which is called dhikr as in remember God by saying his name's etc, so I use traditional prayer beads as well as digital tally counters

I have prayer beads ranging from 33/99/500/1000

Obviously some people use it to chwnt whatever they want, also they're known as worry beads not just prayer beads, I supposed it's a bit like a fidget gadget to sort use as like a relaxing tool and stress reliever?

I did get some stress balls but don't use them much
 
I use breathing meditation before I go to sleep, it helps me relax enough to sleep.
It's very easy to do, it's all about just thinking about the breathing and when you do this there is nothing else in or on your mind and even if your mind wanders for a second and let's something else in like the sound of a car passing by I can just pull my mind back to concentrating on just breathing again to clear my mind. I lay down on my back with my legs slightly apart and my arms down by my side.
Take a full but slow breath in through your nose and hold for a couple of seconds and then exhale slowly through your mouth, concentrate on just your breathing and do this for twenty minutes or longer if you wish to, just concentrate on your breathing.
If you get distracted for a second or two don't worry just re focus on your breathing and your mind will become clear, your body will relax and you will feel calm.
Give it a go, just focus on your breathing and relax.
It works for me.
This can also be done sitting up in a straight backed chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands folded on your lap, handy for the train journey to work!
Try it out and let me know how it makes you feel :)

Paul
 
You know sometimes when you are shaving with a DE or straight, ahead of going somewhere important, you really want to make super sure its the best smooth shave with no nicks or cuts - so you go extra slow and carefull, blot out the world and put all your concentration on watching and thinking about the razor on your face to do the job exactly perfectly.....

That's meditation and mindfullness, right there.
 
For those that have difficulty sleeping, I recommend herbal sleeping tablets. I take Valerian, Passion Flower and Hops tablets. The recommended dose is 2 tablets, but as I have been taking them for 20 years I am now up to 5. I fall asleep pretty quickly and jump out of bed when my alarm goes off. I do find I need a long weekend sleep, I am not sure if it's related or just a health/age thing. I have tried two other supplements - Lemon Balm and Chamomile tablets without success.
 
For those that have difficulty sleeping, I recommend herbal sleeping tablets. I take Valerian, Passion Flower and Hops tablets. The recommended dose is 2 tablets, but as I have been taking them for 20 years I am now up to 5. I fall asleep pretty quickly and jump out of bed when my alarm goes off. I do find I need a long weekend sleep, I am not sure if it's related or just a health/age thing. I have tried two other supplements - Lemon Balm and Chamomile tablets without success.
My mrs has those kalm tablets,
I've had them a couple of times but tbh I couldn't really appreciate it as I'm on strong mental health medication

I do think that natural remedies are the way to go and are sort of gaining popularity
 
I like to zone out for an hour or so with a cat on my lap.

My old Kenya had a purr that could hypnotise; she liked to sit right up with her head under my chin and purr up to my ear. Most therapeutic. Gosh, I miss her. That purr resonated somehow with my pre-frontal cortex, or something (I'm not a brain surgeon), triggering calm and happy. Bliss. Gosh, indeed! I miss her. Daily.

I tried transendental mediatation once ... properly, you know, as in researched and really did it right. I must have done it right as I did feel really zen, but had the most awful headache for days afterwards. That rather put me off another go. I gather the headaches are related to cleansing the pineal gland or flushing bad energy, or something.

Another thing I like to do through the summer evenings, or indeed any day there is a good, strong, low sun, is sun gazing. Lightly close your eyes and look directly at the sun, consciously focussing on the middle of your forehead. Another good pineal gland cleanse, apparently.
 
I don't really know anything about him or is teachings and beliefs, I think some of you spiritual people may know of him,
Thich Nhat Hanh has passed away a few weeks ago

Seen even Russell brand did a vid about him and his passing few weeks back

Can anyone tell me about Thich Nhat Hanh? Is he a Buddhist or a pagan?
 
I like to zone out for an hour or so with a cat on my lap.

My old Kenya had a purr that could hypnotise; she liked to sit right up with her head under my chin and purr up to my ear. Most therapeutic. Gosh, I miss her. That purr resonated somehow with my pre-frontal cortex, or something (I'm not a brain surgeon), triggering calm and happy. Bliss. Gosh, indeed! I miss her. Daily.

I tried transendental mediatation once ... properly, you know, as in researched and really did it right. I must have done it right as I did feel really zen, but had the most awful headache for days afterwards. That rather put me off another go. I gather the headaches are related to cleansing the pineal gland or flushing bad energy, or something.

Another thing I like to do through the summer evenings, or indeed any day there is a good, strong, low sun, is sun gazing. Lightly close your eyes and look directly at the sun, consciously focussing on the middle of your forehead. Another good pineal gland cleanse, apparently.
What is zen to you that you felt?
 
What is zen to you that you felt?

Hard to describe without context, but zen is part of all things, including how we present ourselves, how we interact, peacefully or with force, how we rest, where we get our internal strength from and how we give out that energy. Zen flows through all things from martial arts to calligraphy to making tea ...

The result of practiced transcendental meditation left me in a state of mushin, the depth of which I have been unable to reach otherwise. The mind without mind, as it's called; a clarity of thought and vision, absolutely unhindered by conscious thought, or doubt, or almost ... awareness. It was akin to the sort of flying sensation runners can get when their mind and body click and they just run; breathing almost irrelevant, it's just happening exactly as it should be. I get to that state during Epee Fencing and know that's the clicker to push on to fudoshin ... in essence, what will be will be.

You've seen The Matrix, right? Neo is shoshin, willing to learn and wanting to progress. He does. He becomes mushin, where he can see the matrix and clicks into it. That's mushin. He achieves fudoshin at the end, when it almost doesn't matter what he does because it will ... well, it will be.

Some might call it an element of instinct, and there is a certain giving in to primal instinct, unlearning convention. Instinct is learned, by repetitiion. A good swordsman or archer can only pull off such instinctual actions having practiced and practiced and practiced ... that is not fudoshin, but I don't think fudoshin can be achieved without.

Bruce Lee talked about "flow like water" ... water has a life and a purpose, but it will flow where it flows. Fudoshin. Anyway, mushin is about a crystal clear mind. Absolutely devoid of anything that detracts from its purity. Transcendental meditation got me to a purity that I have not experienced in any other way ... but boy, the headaches afterwards were not fun.

Sheesh! That's not a bad impression of someone who knows what they're talking about ... impression of ... I really don't. I've dabbled, but I do practice elements of zen with my fencing, and it does reap benefits ... not just for the fencing, but for my life generally.

Still searching for satori ... the kick in the eye.
 
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