JesterKK: Meditation

Ok so I've started meditating to rest myself and get rid of stress while revising. It makes me feel slow and calm, but not for long. I hear my heartbeat and I can feel it in my ears which tickles quite a bit. I also get a tingling at the front of my head towards my hairline. I use mantras but sometimes I make them complicated so that while I am learning them other thoughts don't surface. Once I've learnt the mantra I try to not let my mind wonder by making the mantra louder and faster if I notice myself losing focus. I notice that if I slow down the mantra, it feels like I am getting more relaxed. I am finally starting to notice grey movement in the darkness of my closed eyes. Then my mind starts to drift off in imagery, but as soon as I notice that I've lost focus, I am forced back into darkness (I'd rather get lost in the imagery). Another thing I've noticed is that if I concentrate on certain parts of my body they start to feel different.
I don't know if meditating has affected my dreams, but I have noticed I am much calmer in my dreams.
I have different methods of meditation I want to try out, but the one I discussed is what makes me feel the most different.

Ok I was meditating last night, and I was getting that odd sensation in my hands. When I stopped meditating my left hand was completely numb, I'm pretty sure that the blood had stop flowing around it. I think this probably happened because my arms were slightly elevated (I was lying down and my hands were resting on my body) so the blood would have to flow against gravity to reach my hands. Seeing as my hands aren't moving there is no reason for blood to be sent there. And all along I hoped that I was just losing a sense of my body. I had a bit of trouble going to sleep after the meditation session. I tried to go straight to sleep, but I was so relaxed it was like I couldn't relax any more.