| Chandra 2005-07-20, 2:08 pm |
| In my opinion, what you've heard is accurate.
It sounds like you're experimenting with a number of approaches, and I
think that's good as well. When I first started I tried literally
dozens of approaches and techniques before finding one that suited
me. Something else that helped me quite a bit was committing to a
sitting time and making it non-negotiable. I sit for at least an hour
every day. In the beginning, understanding that I was going to sit
regardless of outcome for 60 minutes allowed me block some of the
paths my mind had a tendency to wander down, i.e., 'nothing's
happening,' 'how long has it been,' 'just give up,' etc.
Also, my meditation tends to be a little more yang in that the
approach is less about 'trying' and 'doing' and more about 'settling'
and 'surrendering.' I don't engage in meditation as much as I release
tension and expectation in order to become aware of meditation.
Do you remember 'Magic Eye' images? Geometric designs that produced an
almost 3-Dimenshional image? Well, I had a similar experience with
those types of images years ago. I looked, no I searched those images
every chance I could get, frustrated that I couldn't 'do' it,
squinting my eyes in different ways, crossing them, stepping closer,
moving further away...it wasn't until I let go of the expectation of
seeing the image, that the image finally appeared. First out of the
corner of my eye, and eventually as I looked directly at the image.
Even after seeing my first Magic Eye image, it took a bit of practice
to be able to see them at will....or more accurately, gain the
ability to relax my perception at will which inturn allowed the
images to appear.
It's always a little strange to discuss meditation. I think the
experiences tend to be so personal that often the best you can hope
for is a sort of vague familiarity with the descriptions offered.
And, of course, at worst, it ends up sounding like hooey.
Keep trying, relax, release and surrender. 8)
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