A trick I use when I meditate (And when I WILD this weekend...)

When I first started meditating, I breathed normally, but focused on it. My thoughts kept moving off my number, or my breath, or whatever I was focusing on at the time, so I developed a trick that worked for me (yay).

When I first start meditating I breathe sharply inwards, hold, breathe sharply out, hold, rather then slow, calm breathing (the holding is to prevent hyperventilation, that would be bad). After a while I find it a lot easier to focus on my breathing, and I can calm it down to normal levels (and maybe lower... it kinda all blends together at that point).

Just tossing my bottle into the endless sea that is the internet, hope it helps someone :D

While I appreciate your contribution, I wouldn't recommend looking for shortcuts to meditation; the hard way is the only way.

The goal in breath counting meditation is to focus on your breath while breathing naturally, because it's about getting in tune with the feeling of your body's rhythms and focusing completely on one thing. You can't focus on the feel of your breath as effectively if you're also focusing on controlling or altering its tempo. It's true that one's breathing often becomes shallow during meditation, but this is something that will happen to you effortlessly, so there's no need to try to force it.

I'm glad to hear that this technique works for you. For me, it would keep me awake when LDing, and distracted when meditating.

Okay... I'll try the old way, this one just takes me less time. :P

I use a technique my old art teacher taught me before I begin meditating(I don't use it for LDing though). It's a technique you can use to steady your hand when it's shaking.

She said it apparently actually release a chemical in your brain?!?!?

You're supposed take a deep breath in through your nose(slow and steady). Then hold it in for a a split second, then release it through your mouth really slow like you have a candle in front of your face that your trying not to blow out while exhaling. It definitely works for art, I dunno about lucid dreaming though. :P