Katsuno's Meditation Workbook

[Katsuno]

So I've been meditating for some while but I stopped because I haven't got that much time lately and now I can't do it right anymore. When I saw that the Academy offered this meditation course I decided to start it again I'm very stressed at the moment and also I've got ADD so meditating is just the right thing for me (Yeah you can meditate with ADD!) This DV Academy brings a whole new feeling to DV, kinda like we are all a big family now Looking forward to the meditation lessons!

[A_Citrus]

Hi Katsuno, thanks for posting your workbook. Meditation will certainly help you with your stress, and it can improve your concentration and focus skills and relax you more in day-to-day life. I hope my class will help you get back into meditating, and that it can teach you more about meditation . ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Tried the void meditation a couple of minutes ago and it was much harder than I expected because I always do focal meditation. I was sitting on a mattress in the sun and relaxed for a few minutes. Then I tried to clear my mind of all the hundred of thoughts I had. At first I didn't know what to do because I always started to focus on something (haha focal meditation ftw -.-) but after about 10 minutes it worked (my mind still wasn't fully cleared). I felt very relaxed and about 10 minutes passed by while it felt like only a few seconds. For some reason my inner voice always began observing myself (yeah I was talking to myself ) but I could manage to ignore it. I definetly have to try void meditation more because I'm so used to focal meditation. Anyway, I'm trying again when I go to bed and maybe I'll get better results

[A_Citrus]

Sounds good so far . The hardest part is acknowledging the thoughts that enter your mind, but dismissing them without focusing on them too much. It does get easier with practice, so keep trying and I look forward to your next entry. ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Tried again last night: I was sitting on my bed (I was veeeeery tired) and tried to relax a little bit. I then started to clear my mind of all thoughts and it worked better this time. I felt how I slowly lost track of time and forgot everything around me. It was an amazing experience (as always when meditation really works ) I stopped after about 10 more minutes and layed myself on my bed. I tried it again but fell asleep immediately I wonder if you can get lucid when you manage to fall asleep conscious while meditating O.o

[A_Citrus]

Sounds like your meditation is getting better . And that's an interesting theory, I'm going to look into that for lesson 4, and get back to you on that. ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Wow, what happened last night was awesome and fascinating at the same time. I was death tired (I wanted to go to bed at about 12 but I pushed myself another 2 hours more ) and wanted to do void meditation. Because I was so tired my head was almost clear of thoughts at the start so it was very easy. The strange thing was that I knew from the start that I could fall asleep and after about 5 minutes I was almost at the edge of falling asleep in the sitting position. I was fully conscious however all the time. After about 5 minutes I noticed HI was kicking in but I ignored it (my mind was so empty at that point ). Then I noticed auditory hallucinations started and at that point I stopped the meditation because something felt not right (maybe it's just that I'm not used to sleep while sitting ). When I slowly got out of that "trance" I was pretty amazed because I was almost wilding just through meditating O.o Definetly my best experience I ever got through meditating and I'm gonna try again tonight (I have to stay awake alot longer tonight because I slept so long). Maybe I can wild this way!

[A_Citrus]

That's interesting, something similar happened to me a week or two ago. After a while of meditating, my arm went numb and I couldn't move my hand, then I couldn't move my arm either, as if sleep paralysis was spreading through it. After half a minute or so, I did break out of it because I didn't want it to go any further. All I can say is, keep practicing . ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

I tried it last night again and this time I went further. I was again death tired and pretty relaxed (I stretched before trying it). At first it was like always, sorting out thoughts and so on and after a while I could stop all thoughts. Then it happened like last time: I got slight HI but didn't put focus on them but this time there was no auditory hallucination. After maybe 5-10 minutes I noticed that my body was partly numb and my heart began beating fast (maybe it was just hallucination). But then I stopped because it felt like there was some kind of dark presence in the room. Even though I wore ear plugs, I could hear noises in the room. I immediately stopped because somehow I was scared of getting into sp while sitting. My whole relaxation was gone however because of the adrenaline rush I got Anyway, it was an amazing experience and if I can get used to the damn scary sp this might be the wild technique I've been waiting for the last half year Also I'm trying void meditation during the day when I'm tired now to see if it works when my room is lightened up.

[A_Citrus]

You shouldn't be scared to enter SP while sitting . A wise old man (me) once said this: Sleep paralysis is scary if you are scared of it. Anyway though, you're doing well with void meditation. This week's lesson will be on focal meditation, and it'll be posted on Wednesday. ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Had another great meditation session last night. I wasn't trying to get lucid or anything but just to forget all the stress I had that day. I sat on my bed and relaxed a little bit. I took in some deep breaths and then cleared my mind. I felt veeeery peaceful after about 10 minutes and stayed in that state until I got tired and stopped meditating to sleep. "Sleep paralysis is scary if you are scared of it." Haha I had sp sooo often and I was used to it some while ago but lately I only have very scary hallucinations (one time I felt a creature like thingy on my chest and felt it's breath in my face until it started to scream at me and I forced myself out of sp O.o). Maybe meditation helps me with staying calm and turning the scary things into good hallucinations I'm looking forward to the next lesson tomorrow!

[A_Citrus]

It sounds like you've got the hang of void meditation now . The lesson tomorrow will be on focal meditation, but I would suggest keep practicing void meditation as well as focal meditation, if it helps you. More will be explained in the lesson. ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Sorry, couldn't find any time to try focal meditation on the weekend because I've been very busy. Gonna try it tonight and post my results then.

[Katsuno]

I gave it a try about half an hour ago while I was sunbathing. I focused on a spinning pen I imagined. At first it was easy to focus on just that thing but as the time went on all kinds of other thoughts interrupted my focus. Everytime I noticed that my mind wandered I re-focused on the spinning pen again. It was pretty relaxing but I have to say that it is a lot harder now after getting used to void meditation. Well I'm gonna give it another shot tonight and I'm looking forward to it.

[A_Citrus]

It may help to do maybe 5-10 minutes of void meditation before you start focal meditation, as this will get you relaxed enough and help clear your mind so it's easier to focus on the object. ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Tried it again last night with your tip. I did about 5 minutes of void meditation and then I started with focal meditation. This time I had fewer thoughts so it was not that hard to keep the focus up. After about 10 minutes I got into some kind of deeper stage of meditation (I was more calm, my breathing got deeper and slower and I felt somehow warm). After about 5 minutes in that stage I started to loose focus and the "trance" ended. The strange thing was that as soon as it ended, I felt cold and got scared of the dark room and the silence (haha I watched the movie "Insidious" before) so I stopped and went to bed. Maybe I need to meditate with some light on Well at least it was an success

[A_Citrus]

That's good, I'll actually be covering a technique that uses both void and focal meditation, in the final lesson for the class. Also, I usually meditate in the light, but just because it's easier to see the object I'm focusing on. Keep up the meditation . ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Did it again last night. This time I was pretty calm when I started so I got into a relaxed state much faster. As always, at some point I felt deeply relaxed and peaceful Next week my holidays start so I'll have more time to practice for the last lesson. I'm trying to get into a deeper state of meditation tonight and one of my goals is also to fall asleep while meditating (of course while staying conscious )

[Katsuno]

I couldn't try meditating in the last days because I've been pretty busy planning because today is my 18th birthday I also haven't slept for the last 24 hours and won't do it for the next hours so I won't be able to meditate properly until I'm finished partying I'll post again when I'm done with all the stuff

[A_Citrus]

I couldn't try meditating in the last days because I've been pretty busy planning because today is my 18th birthday I also haven't slept for the last 24 hours and won't do it for the next hours so I won't be able to meditate properly until I'm finished partying I'll post again when I'm done with all the stuff Take your time and have a good birthday! Make sure you catch up on your sleep, and don't stop meditating completely. ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

I'm finished partying now and I've gotten into my regular sleep pattern again. Haha I dreamed last night that you put your last lesson here on DV and that it was awesome but I can't remember what the lesson was about though Also I tried focal meditation a few times again and I had some success. But personally I think that void meditation is better for me because .... well I can't describe it. Let's say it just feels better for me somehow :p I can't wait till the last lesson is up! ;D

[A_Citrus]

Haha, the lesson is coming, trust me. I've just not had much time to work on it . Also, that's fine if you prefer void meditation. Focal meditation isn't for everyone, and likewise for void meditation. ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Take your time with the lesson. It's not like I want this great course to end anyways I meditated last night again. At first I started with focal meditation but my mind was so flooded with thoughts that I went over to void meditation for a few minutes. After my mind was cleared out I started with focal meditation and focused on my breath. It was pretty relaxing and I slowly got deeper and deeper into meditation. When I felt that I couldn't get further I started void meditation again and enjoyed the relaxing feeling. The whole process took about 15-20 minutes and after that I was able to fall asleep in no time

[A_Citrus]

It sounds like you're really stepping it up with the meditation, because you basically did the inverse of the technique that will be covered in the last lesson! I would say keep going, and maybe try starting out with focal, then switching over to void, and then finishing with focal meditation, maybe using a mantra as a focal object . ShockWave.

[Katsuno]

Haha okay I'm gonna try that next time