i started by joining a meditation group, there are several that people host in their own homes, and even just having one other person present sometimes help in the focus...
i did a 10 day vipassana meditation retreat a few years ago, and if you google that, you'll find so many places that teach and host, free.
what i learned there, was that people first and formost had to sit comfortably, whether in a chair, or on bunches of pillows, some people were completely covered in blankets. and your body will undoubtably tingle and legs will fall asleep, but then you do move them just to find the comfort zone once again...
vipassana does teach that you should be aware of everything that is happening to your body, and just observe, so the more experienced meditators just observe their leg cramps(!) and other discomforts, and the discomforts eventually dissipate... and others arise and then fall, and so on.
one other technique i've learned there, was when super comfortable and dont want to fall asleep, is that instead of fully closing my eyes, i keep them just slightly open, so the light falls in throw the slits... this brings me to the reality that i am purposefully paying attention to my breathe, how it feels when it hits my upper lip, and how the breathing feels in my nose and how it feels down my throat... and so on, i go through and visualize each and every aspect of my body as i breathe... down to the circulation, and then to the biological pangs that your body naturally, in its organic living form, goes through... these sensations happen all the time, but we're never quiet enough or calm enough to ever really experience them.
its amazingly just how aLIVE our bodies are when our minds stop thinking for those moments, and just be with our selves.
Posted at Thu Jan 24 2008 07:01 AM
