meditation?

[mellyonion]

hi there.
i want to learn to meditate.....am not sure where to start. just wondering if anyone can point me to a good starting point for a basic kind of "grounding" or sort of protection meditation.

i often work with people who have huge problems in their lives, and i'm finding i'm taking on lots of kind of heaviness from them after listening.....

i hope someone understands what i'm wittering on about!!!
thanks.

I do, but I really need to be off here and at Tesco! . I'll come back to this thread later.

I just had a quick google and this describes it really well here.

It does sound like you do need to protect/shield yourself from their energies. Some people visualise a big bubble around them - make it whatever colour you like, some do pink, I do a bright white light.

If you want some guided meditations (I have some on my ipod) you could try one of the "new age" shops that sell crystals and the like, or I'm sure there'll be something you can download online. I did get a free download of a chakra meditation, so they are out there.

I will have a ponder and see where else I can direct you to.

fab. thanks so much for taking the time to do that.

i have a few problems with it really....not sure if you could advise or not....i'm very tired and not making much sense today!

my one sort of problem is that i can't seem to focus enough,switch off enough or get calm enough to actually start to learn to meditate.... (i have 3 young kids, a messy house, and work evenings!!)

and secondly, which may answer my first problem, lol, is that i'm kind of scared about what i'll find......i'm very spiritual, have been told by a few people how much energy i have about me....i had my tarot cards read for the first time recently...i picked up the pack and it was hot in my hand. the lady who gives me reiki thinks i'm fab because i can feel so much energy, have amazing visions of colour and have also seen my third eye.....

i know i'm not ready to explore too deeply into anything yet, but want to make a small start to see if i like what i find iykwim....

jeez. i'm sure most people who read this will think i'm barking mad!!!!!! i'm not, honest!!!

thanks for listening....i'm off to eat my very organic chicken kebab now.....

will be back in the morning. x

I'm not mad either, the mumsnetters I'm meeting tomorrow will vouch for me. They might tell you I'm a pi**head but other than that I'm pretty normal .

How fab that you feel the energy. I'm starting to, especially now I've done a Reiki course - I tend to yawn to release energy or if I'm receiving it. Last night 2 friends and I were giving dh a treatment and he had to choose some cards, and one in particular that he chose made his fingers burn.

I remember being quite scared too of what would happen when I was told I had spiritual gifts. But I can honestly say, it has been fantastic. I've found a faith, and I've done nothing but benefit.

Meditating is a good start, but I agree it's hard to find time. Maybe think about going on a Reiki course yourself? Or an Angel workshop. I just had a weekend away doing one and it was brill.

oooh ohh. an angel workshop? i like the sound of that.

was actually going to look into doing a reiki course in september when my little girl goes to school..... anything inparticular to look out for or avoid with them, or are they all much the same?

its so great to chat about this...my friends are all very tolerant of me, lol, but they do all think i'm a bit of a laid back free spirity type......i think thats the excuse they allow me for always being late and having a disorganised manner!

you say you've found faith...do you mean spiritual faith or religion? i'm so dead interested in this.....

Hiya, I am a bloke who has been into the Reiki, Indian head massage, Jinshin Jitsu, tarot, aromatherapy, yoga, and some therapy with some woman twiddling my toes once. I was at one time into astrology that I was learning about moon signs... then I bought a telescope. Now astrology is one of my pet dislikes. All right if the person does it for free but when they take advantage of vulnerable people for money then it is unethical.

We tend to lump them all into one bag but there is more to one than the other. don't confuse meditation which is a very valid practice with some of the others. I have a bookmark on Theravada Buddhist meditation which you may be interested in, mail me and I can send it to you.

At the moment with two kids and being a stay at home Dad beer chills me out but I'd like to obviously get back to meditation when I get more time to myself (if ever)

I also found that art classes relaxed me. I did courses in pottery and stained glass. Something about creativity which is so positive.

I don't really know melly about Reiki courses. My boss (who's now a friend) is a Reiki Master so did the course for me. Where in the country are you? The Angel workshop was in Somerset and run by a lovely lady, and my boss helps on some courses locally in Dorset too, so I'd recommend those.

I think I've found a spiritual faith. I have something to believe in now and things all of a sudden make sense. I went on a meet up last night and they commented on how relaxed and happy I looked. They hadn't seen me really since I really got into this "stuff". And while I don't doubt that beer chills you Jeremy - crikey I've drunk gallons to chill myself in the past! - I was completely sober last night so must be doing something good to myself.

And while I know what you're saying Jeremy, about unscrupulous people, it's not necessarily the case that because someone charges it's unethical. It's about giving and receiving to get a balance. If we give too much and don't receive something in return - whether that's money, an exchange of services (eg I did a reading for someone last week and she did hopi ear candles for me) or doing things for free in order to practice skills - then the balance is all wrong and not good for us.

But even if you don't do anything else Melly, try a quick grounding and shielding meditation, and see how you go at work. It need only take a couple of minutes, and it's all about intention and visualisation.

thanks both for your msgs.
jeremy...i appreciate what you're saying, but i'm not lumping anything together..i'm genuinely interested in reiki having benefitted hugely from it on the receiving end...... i'm thinking, from my understanding that reiki and angels work nicely together....... i agree that some people will always target vunerability in others, but like surfermum, i don't disagree with people chaging for their services (or exchanging for a favour, or a treatment or whatever...)we all need to make ends meet!

surfermum....good on you....i wish i could feel so sure about everything. i'm in cardiff....not much of a chance at the mo for weekend workshops etc...hopefully in the future though.

will try very hard to get the meditaion working for me.......really stupid question.....do you need to be perfectly still and quiet to do it, and should you be sitting or standing or what??? am i able to do it in the car before i go to work?

thanks so much for responding to me.
x

I tend to sit or lie down if I'm doing a long meditation. But if I'm just grounding and shielding I can do it stood in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil, so yes perfectly possible to do in the car (not while moving obviously .

I do a "red light" meditation on the way to work. There's a certain set of traffic lights that I can sit at for a while and I sit and breath deeply while I'm waiting for them to change. It beats getting stressed because I want them to change quickly as I'm late for work!

Some time ago I did an introduction to meditation run buy the FWBO (Friends of the Western Buddhist Order). Check to see if they are in your area. Mediation can be really difficult, so a supportive environment and advice for when your mind wanders is invaluable. There is also some useful info in the book "Buddhism for Mothers" (Sarah Napthali), especially fitting mediation practice into your everyday actions. Good luck!

Hiya - I've found meditation is the best medicine!

A lot of people say it's really hard to do and that you have to do it right and in a certain way etc.. but that's all baloney really. Some people like to look at meditation as a very strict religious practice, where you have to sit cross-legged and wear robes, and chant mantras (and it can be done that way, like in the Theravada Buddhism sect), but in reality we are all Buddhists - all of us have the ability to meditate and be mindful.

meditation is simply being mindful - whether you are driving, walking, feeding your kids, baking, hovering etc etc. If you are going to meditate for a while it's best to be comfortable - and with your back as straight as possible (in order that your energy can flow more freely)

Meditation is just being aware of what you are doing when you are doing it - and being aware of light and energy in your body and all those around you. See? easy peasy!

Anyone can do it - you might like to start by just taking a minute every hour and being mindful of your breath and your thoughts and trying to access your energy and light for those 60 seconds

Don't berate your self if you start thinking about your 'lists' of things to do, or wander off into thoughts.. just gently bring yourself back into the moment and become aware of your breath and the energy inside you and everyone else.

There is nothing to be afraid of - you have the ability to access your energy very easily - this is a gift - you may as well be afraid of your left leg - it's just a part of you!

Good luck and namaste!

oooh. how exciting!!! hadn't realised that more people had responded.

zazen....how do you bring yourself to focus...my mind always wanders. and how do i access my energy......where to i start to feel it?

on a tangent...when i stand on the steps of a local cathedral, i get the most amazing rush of energy starting to flow upwards through my feet....i only get it in one particular area of the cathedral....am not religious at all, but am wondering what it is, and why i get it there.... any ideas?

i'm buzzing now...can feel it in my solar plexus!

so...do you want to cart me off now or later???