Trance is not quite the right word. There is no proper word in English. Samadhi or dhyana are the right words. It is not the same as hypnotic trance. In fact, you want to get OUT of trance into lucid awareness.
There are basically two categories of meditation: concentration and insight meditation. The practice you are doing, counting the breath, is a concentration exercise. You are tuning into the breath to the exclusion of all else. The breath is the classical object of concentration, but I find it easier to concentrate on a candle flame. Concentration should be relaxing. Like ironing out your restless mind and resting your weary mind in heart on the object of your concentration. Original Poster gave you good advice, but first you need to build up your concentration skill. It should be easy, an hour everyday and before the week is over you will reach what is called 'access concentration'. Access concentration is the first dhyana. This is when concentration becomes effortless and smooth. Once you have access concentration the world is yours. Then just keep on concentrating and you can travel up the ladder of dhyanas and into the formless dhyanas.
But.... that is concentration. You can only attain temporary states through this. Which is great! There is so much possible with this technique. So much. Imagination is the limit.
But meditation proper is insight meditation. You need access concentration to enter into insight meditation. In concentration you ignore everything except the object of your concentration. But with insight meditation, you relax, take in everything. Your peripheral vision opens up, colors and other sensations become more vivid, and many people experience seeing thought their closed eyelids at some point. With insight meditation, you just keep allowing all sensations to rise and fall as you passively note each one. Each passing moment. This is what Original Poster was talking about. So that was good advice.
But with the insight meditation, be aware that you are on a path towards enlightenment, and that path is not always easy. And once you come to a peak experience there is no turning back. After the peak experience you enter into the dhyanas of suffering. This is called "the dark night of the soul". If you don't keep meditating you will be stuck there. But if you make it though, it is an easy ride to enlightenment. So insight meditation is lake a wave form. There is the highs and then the lows.
So many people here, whether they know it or not, are in the dark night of the soul. We call them 'dark night yogis'. The reason is because lucid dreaming is a peak insight into the nature of the mind. Then after this comes the dark night. Symptoms of the dark night include fascination and obsession of reading everything you can about meditation/lucid dreaming, etc. Seeking, seeking, seeking, is the major symptom of a dark night yogi. They had a peak experience and now they are seeking to understand it and recreate it.
That is why I am here! To help all you dark night yogis to go forward and come out of the dark night into enlightenment!
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