My Spiritual Journey

Meditation - How To

I don't meditate regularly, and when I do, it's usually around three to five minutes, never longer than ten minutes. However, I still find meditation extremely helpful, whether it's to remove negative emotions, de-stress, or to focus/concentrate better.

My Goals:
     -     Meditate longer
     -     Meditate more frequently and more regularly
     -     Experiment more: with or without binaural beats (which is better?)

IMPORTANT NOTE: The recommendations below are just recommendations. You can use them if you want, but it is important to find what works for you.

Binaural Beats*

Binaural beats are basically two tones that are slightly different from each other, played at the same time through two different ears. If the left ear receives a 200 Hz and the right ear receives 205 Hz, the brain will produce the difference of those tones, or 5 Hz. 5 Hz falls into the category of Theta waves, so a 200/205 Hz binaural beat is known as a Theta beat.

Important: Because binaural beats only work when both ears simultaneously hear marginally different tones, you need earbuds or headphones that are capable of producing two different tones (the ones that have an R on one side and an L on the other).

 https://www.binauralbeatsmeditation.com/the-science/ (for more detailed information)

With Binaural Beats:
     -     Theta beats should be used if your purpose for meditating is to calm down, relax, or to kill time (although  if you're just killing time, ordinary music is probably better)
     -     Gamma should be used if your purpose is to develop psychic abilities (but first, you should meditate with theta beats to relax your mind before switching to gamma beats)

Without Binaural Beats:
     -     You can do it in a quiet, calm setting, or you can use meditation music and/or a guided meditation soundtrack.

IMPORTANT: If you've never used binaural beats before or you've never seriously meditated, you should experiment many times before coming to a conclusion. Don't just depend completely on my advice, since everyone is different. What people need and look for while meditating varies greatly, so you can use my advice as a starter, but eventually, you need to find what works for you.

What I do: Sometimes, I use binaural beats (if I have earbuds handy and I feel like it). However, most of the time, I meditate in silent settings without any audio aids. Occasionally, I use calming piano/flute/violin/cello music (no words) and/or guided meditation.

General Tips (again, only use this as starter tips)

While Meditating
     -     Sitting or Laying Down: I sit cross-legged or in a chair. I prefer having a wall or a chair back behind me to lean against, but again, that's just my preference. The important thing is to BE COMFORTABLE.
     -     If you're using a guided meditation soundtrack, do what they say. It works.
     -     If you're not using any audio aids, focus on something (sounds around you, breathing*, flashes of color you see behind your closed eyelids, 7 chakras*)
     -     CLOSE YOUR EYES. Visual sights are distracting and prevent you from entering the proper meditative state

Coming Out of Meditation
     -     Slowly get your fingers moving, then you hands and toes, then maybe your arms
     -     Blink a few times WITHOUT ACTUALLY OPENING YOUR EYES
     -     Finally, open your eyes, blink as your eyes adjust to the light, move your head a little
     -     Now you can start moving your body (sitting up if you were lying down, stretching, standing up, etc.)
     -     It should be a peaceful transition from the meditative state to complete wakefulness (nothing should be sudden or abrupt).
     ***If you did it right, you should feel like you just took a nice, refreshing nap.***

Breathing

Don't try to force your breathing unless you use it to calm yourself down during the first few seconds --- just be aware of your breaths without controlling it (feel your chest rising and falling steadily)

7 chakras