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buz66
United Kingdom
8 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 05:42:47 AM
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Hello all,
I've just come back to DM after having about a year of not practising. I previously practised 2 sittings (morning and evening) and found that I got disgruntled. I can't specifically say why other than it just felt clunky and not natural. I really have a desire to bring meditation into my life, hence why I have returned. I think part of the problem i'm having is truly knowing if i'm doing it correctly. My wife tells me that I'm over thinking it and should just go with it but now I'm resitting twice a day, i'm finding that thoughts are strong and erratic and the mantra isn't there unless I manifest it. I'm finding it hard to just let thoughts drift through, more so than before. Any advice or guidance would be appreciated or if anyone has had time off and experienced similar things that would be good to know also. I'm gonna stick at it but just want to make sure I'm getting it right. |
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jusmail
India
491 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 07:05:22 AM
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| Welcome again. Just take it easy. Repeat the mantra. If thoughts come, acknowledge them and go back to the mantra when you realize it. After the 20 minute period, do rest for 5 to 10 minutes before going back to the daily activity. Initially, a lot of purification will happen, so emotions can rush without provocation. Be gentle on yourself. Your guru is within you |
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Blanche
USA
873 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 07:14:27 AM
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Hello Buz66,
Welcome back to DM! The fact that you are starting again meditation is a good sign of progress: You are taking care of yourself - and of everything else. You might want to read again the AYP lessons. Yogani writes very clearly, and the lessons are inspiring and motivating. So make a habit to read a lesson every morning, and this should help you keep up the practice.
When you sit, be nice to yourself. Meditation time is a short vacation from "yourself," from your public persona. You can just relax into being, without any demand. Then you can introduce the mantra. As about the intruding thoughts, letting them drifts by means not getting involved with them. However, the best method to deal with intruding thoughts and any other obstacles in meditation is to cultivate an one-pointed mind. Patanjali says in Yoga Sutra:
1.32 To deal with obstacles and their consequences, it is recommended to cultivate the one-pointed mind, training it to focus on a single principle or object.
Best wishes for your chosen path!  |
Edited by - Blanche on Nov 25 2015 07:31:37 AM |
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sunyata
USA
1513 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 08:36:55 AM
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Hi Buz66,
Welcome back. I would start with 5-10 mins and then add to it later depending on how it feels. I've been practicing AYP for over 3 years and still have sittings where thoughts are strong. The procedure is to easily come back to the mantra. If thoughts are too strong to go back to the mantra, just stay with it, do not add to it but hold it in awareness. Self- pace and ground when necessary.
Sunyata
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Edited by - sunyata on Nov 25 2015 08:39:42 AM |
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Apkallu
France
108 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 11:59:55 AM
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After 11 months, I often have to wait till the last 2/3 minutes to reach a little bit of satisfying inner silence.
As I only experienced the first levels of inner silence, I imagine there are plenty others I cannot even imagine.
The road is long my friend  |
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buz66
United Kingdom
8 Posts |
Posted - Nov 26 2015 : 04:04:28 AM
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Thanks for your replies. In my sitting last night I tried to stay with the mantra, gently going back to it when thoughts came in. Somebody had told me before to release your attention to the incoming thoughts and practising this as well as taking your advice Blanche I deffinately had an experience of travelling inward. I felt like I had penetrated a thick fog and entered an area of clarity, peace and stillness. Only very briefly but it was a result of cultivating that one pointed mind and going with the mantra. This morning was completely the opposite. Bombarded by thoughts but I feel very encouraged by last night. Thanks again. |
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kensbikes100
USA
192 Posts |
Posted - Nov 26 2015 : 11:55:39 PM
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The way I have learned it is to repeat the mantra when you can. If thoughts (any non-mantra content) begin, just follow them or let them proceed until you become aware that you are not "on the mantra." Then quietly and peacefully return to the mantra. This may repeat only a few times, or many times, in the course of a sitting.
The goal is not inner silence or to remain on the mantra for the entire sitting. The goal is to continue the process, which is inherently cleansing. My interpretation is that there are no "performance metrics" for this, other than to do the process. |
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Blanche
USA
873 Posts |
Posted - Nov 29 2015 : 8:54:12 PM
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Hi Buz!
Very good description: Yes, it feels like one graduallly penetrates a thick fog and gets to an area of clarity and stillness. With practice, the fog gets thinner, and there are more and more patches of clarity. In the end, the experiences do not matter much. What matters is the practice. The daily practice removes the fog, and the clarity will come not only in meditation, but everywhere else in your life, in ways you cannot even imagine.
Each meditation sittting is different - it is likely that no two sittings will be the same for you. Meditation is a journey, and you will not travel on the same road twice. Keep you mind open - be open to let the meditation happen to you - surrender to the process. Then everything will happen faster and better than any human mind/ego could do it.
Best wishes for your chosen path! |
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