Thread: New to meditation? Need help?

I've tried various forms of meditation and the ones which involve focus and concentration are ones I'm not terribly good at. I don't like to approach it with a method. I just think of it as rest. It helps me get rid of stress and negative feelings. I like to use music or sounds of rain, or sea or birds during my 'rests' and then close my eyes, sit down cross legged on my bed, or lie on my back. Lying down can make you want to go to sleep afterwards though, so I'd suggest that if you need to do something afterwards you should sit down. The music gives me something to lose myself in and sounds of nature help me feel serene. What I use depends what mood I'm in. I also like to recite mentally recite a mantra to get rid of other mental chatter. It could be anything that doesn't have emotion or meaning behind it. I say the letters, 'F, C, G, D, A, E, B, E, A, D, G, C' over and over again. But you could just say, '1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2' it doesn't matter.

What it does for me: gets rid of physical and mental tension. I sometimes feel a bit slow afterwards though. I can get rid of headaches, anxiety and nausea. sometimes my body goes numb, but i think that is just because of physiological causes and lack of novel stimulation rather than any mental magic. it's not pins and needles type numb, it's just unfeeling. this helps people feel like part of their surroundings, something that many schools encourage. Sometimes you can feel hypnic forces such as your body moving or feelings of weightlessness.

Anyway I'm still a novice. This is my own sort of 'meditation' because the other types seem to frustrate me. one piece of advice is to time your sessions. I want to re-attempt chakra meditation soon when I can be still for longer periods.