Greetings and respect to all members. I would be deeply grateful if anyone who felt comfortable to, could share with me techniques used to meditate. I would also love to hear any experiences members have had, ie; visual images, spiritual experiences, epiphanys of thought , increased calmness of mind whatever. It's an area of my program that I now feel compelled to delve into deeply. Although step eleven has never been over looked in my case where prayer is concerned, in respect to meditation I have never before gone beyond occasional dabling in this practice and I'm curious of the results that can be acheived .
Jamie
-- Edited by Jamie D on Thursday 17th of March 2011 05:04:59 AM
Greetings and respect to all members. I would be deeply grateful if anyone who felt comfortable to, could share with me techniques used to meditate. I would also love to hear any experiences members have had, ie; visual images, spiritual experiences, epiphanys of thought , increased calmness of mind whatever. It's an area of my program that I now feel compelled to delve into deeply. Although step eleven has never been over looked in my case where prayer is concerned, in respect to meditation I have never before gone beyond occasional dabling in this practice and I'm curious of the results that can be acheived .
Jamie
-- Edited by Jamie D on Thursday 17th of March 2011 05:04:59 AM
Personally I used a few books, for the "nuts and bolts" I used a book called "The Relaxation Response", now this was many years ago, so I may incorrectly paraphrase or may even have the title wrong but what I remember is he culled through meditation practices to find out what they all had in common
It was written by a Harvard Professor who then started using his students as a study group, he found the benefits innumerable, he explains that out autonomous nervous system (flight or fight) is constantly triggered, and when we don't fight or flee the energy is stored up as stress, and meditating "lets some of the air out of the ballon" as it were, heartrate is lowered, blood pressure goes down etc, there are actual measurable health benefits
I have personally found it has mental benefits as well, in training my mind how to actually think, when we sit down to meditate we don't "turn off" our thoughts, we can't, we learn instead how to watch them go by like the new york stock exchange, I can't even begin to convey the importance of this in my own persoanl growth, generally speaking when we have thoughts, we believe them, (he doesn't like me, he/she just insulted me/I have money problems blah blah blah) and I have found that my A) my perceptions are frequently wrong and B) The truth of the matter is my mind just about never shuts up
So learning to just watch this stuff "go by" is...as I said....I couldn't live without it, I'd go crazy or have to drink, it's that important to me, in AA it's said we aren't responsible for our first thought, we are responsible for what we do with it, we are responsible for our second thought, meditation gives me that tool, to not react, to watch that thought go by and even be amused...-you should punch your boss- ....hmmm....maybe not a good idea, it gives us a tool to align our committee
As far as mystical or spiritual experiences as the result of intense meditation, ...ummm....yes, but I only speak about that stuff to VERY close or trusted friends, otherwise people would think I was -crazy-, but I have gotten tot he point where I could -feel- other peoples thoughts and emotions, and had people walk up to me that I didn't know and ask in a wondering voice "who ARE you...you have NO ego, please tell me how to do this"..I can't explain, but intense meditation has allowed me to see "God's wiring" a few times for lack of a better word, it a very intense and persoanl experience and quite frankly one I would doubt if in many cases I didn't have witnesses that stood there and watched this stuff with their jaws just hanging open asking "what the HELL is going on Andrew?"
Don't eat for an hour before you meditate I inhale in through my nose, out through my mouth, when I inhale I "pull" a word to the back of my brain (eyes closed) when I exhale I push that word out of my mouth
inhale "carpe" exhale "Diem"
for example, there are MANY books written about meditation, and there are many types of meditation, I like "driving meditation", walking meditation, and staring at a candle flame as well
truthfully meditation is a seriously underused tool, the emotional, physical, physiological, and spiritual benefits are immense, my only problem is what started as an afternoon practice has turned into the afternoon nap, and now the afternoon nap is entrenched in my life, I lay back, close my eyes, meditate for awhile then zzzzzzzzz
__________________
it's not the change that's painful, it's the resistance to change that is painful
Aloha Jamie...good post and I hope to read a ton of feedback from the others in this membership.
For me prayer and meditation came thru the practice of my early "born into" religion. Prayer was mostly kneeling and repetition, head bowed, hands folded and in a murmur; quietly. It was a position of humility and the repetition for me was good as I was attention deficit (unknown at that time) and forgot easy. As I started to pray from memory I also lost any sense of prayer being converstation with God (while I learned later in recovery) and took on the sense that it was special occasion pleading to God. I hardly ever, if ever, felt attached to God...God was up there or somewhere else. We didn't have call waiting or recording back then so who knew what was happening to and with my prayers. I did not do any spontaneous conversations with God just the stuff I was taught by repetition. Alcohol consumption started at the age of 9 for me and the first blast to my brain and nervous system pretty much convinced me that maybe God was in the bottle...I got an answer to all of my prayers a grand feeling of euphoria and esteem and my youthful dispair and depression (my real Dad died when I was six and I was missing something or one huge in my life) went away. I was extreemly confident and then self contained. I needed no one and nothing else until I found my way into recovery. Along the way I learned a few things all by myself (God participated yet I had not made a contact with God yet). One of the things I learned was that God, the God of my own youthful understanding was not angry and hateful but loving and I had full confidence in that. Later on God, Godself would emphasis that to me; in recovery. I started taking over management of my life at an early age and pretty well burnt it all to the ground. I didn't have the manual on how to do it and didn't listen to anyone's ESH or directions. I had developed ODD Oppositional Defiant Disorder and my most uttered word to everyone and God was "NO! and then HELL NO! and then NO get the HELL out of my face or..." I was becoming toast and having much trouble in society...praying stopped, conversations with God stopped and in fact I went the other way giving myself over to satanistic association. God couldn't and wouldn't do for me what I wanted so I asked someone else out of defiance. My drinking accelerated and so on. Long story made short...
I got into recovery and was pretty sure it was another religious attempt on my life which was not what I needed. I had no idea what I needed even to and including not drinking. I was clueless.
The people in the meetings opened and closed the meetings with innoculous prayers and during the meeting sometimes spoke of a "Higher Power" and then "God as they understood God" and made suggestions which I followed because they had what I could better use than what was going on for me. The prayers were easy and easy to memorize and different that what I was raise on which didn't work. It was suggested that I pray for certain things and I decided to give it a try. I was by this time deeply fearful and so in earnest I prayed (once) to be released from fear and in the next 24 hour period it was gone. Never had that happen before so I got very excited and tried putting together a list of other stuff that would make me feel grand and listened to. I didn't get any of it and I got more of other things...recovery things. I got a picture of humility along with a willingness to be of use to God with out ego; without pride. That was an about face for me...the picture with the humility. I started receiving conversation from my God. Once when I was praying with my head hung down just as I was taught, my God said, "let me see your face, don't hide it from me". The guilt and shame and no self esteem went away with that one and I have never tried to hide my face from my God since. Another time I started the conversation with the question "So who is my father?" "My first father died and my step-father has never really been a father for me." God responded, "I am your father and your father's father and your step-father's father and your mother's father and...." I was sitting at a red light just off of my office on that one and then God doesnt' do red lights. My Higher Power felt it very very necessary that I do my forth step and at one time asked me the question "So who are you?" I was in the mens' room at work at the urinal and I expressed that I thought the place and time was kinda unusual but I'd go ahead with the question. "Why do you ask?" I asked. and HP asked "Are you Jerry with a J or Jerry with a G?" In my emotional and mental illness while I was drinking my personality had split...I had become a double and one of the symptoms was a change in how I spelled my name along with my self expression. I did not know who I was but the conversation reminded me who I had been and I was elated and laughing as I walked out of the door and then 20 feet later I was sobbing because I didn't know what I had then become. I had to go and find out and redefine myself with counseling and my sponsorship and the 4th and 5th steps (a series of 6 of them) I came to understand overtime in the program with my God and with my sponsors and with the literature and the fellowship and meetings and all the other stuff who I really was as I was created by this father.
In meditation one of my sponsors showed me around that along with what I had learned and what others were saying that they were doing that for him meditation was a 24/7 practice. I doubted that because my belief and practice when I would try it was "a sustained focus on a spiritual truth without disturbance". During the lesson my sponsor asked me to arrive at a spiritual truth that I could focus on and maintain that focus 24/7. I have a couple of weeks to investigate before I arrived back at his doorstep so I did. When I arrived back at his doorstep he asked "So Jerry F, have you discovered that simple spiritual truth?" I had and I have never not been able to meditate 24/7 since then...I am practicing it now as I type this...The Spiritual truth? "God Is". Think about that. There is nothing to add to it (for me) that isn't already mentioned. "God is."
I have had many two way or just being a receptor conversations/contacts with God... many. So many of them have come about with others who have witnessed what was going on. I am not special in that sense...I don't think I am. I believe that there are an untold number of God's creation that are in a constant relationship with God...giving and receiving, moving in constant contact and harmony. I believe this from experience not from imagination. I believe we are all worthy.
If you would like I would gladly share some of the other experiences I have had on this subject here on by PM. If you are on the journey of finding out that God is "Real" I'm in support of that. This is a spiritual program...only a spiritual program. I had to be sober to understand and then "get it".
I learned to meditate before I crawled into a twelve-step program, that was a very good sequence of events for me. Important thing to remember... it's a "practice," it's not going to come at once, at least it didn't for me because I had a terrible monkey-mind that would NOT be still. And sometimes, when life gets real hectic, it's still difficult to get quiet. To me, its about practicing precision of the mind, and that takes time. Also, don't be tempted to judge it as a "bad" meditation, its all good when we take the action of getting still.
Mantra meditation worked best for me in the beginning. Most often, I use the So Hum meditation, which is sanskrit for "this - that" but my guru gave it a translation of, "Like God, I am." To myself, I say, "So" on the in-breath, and "Hum" on the out-breath.
There are other mantras I occasionally use "Na Hum" is "I am not that." And "Vee Rum" is "Brave among the brave." (I like this one, it takes courage to work this program!) Every day, the meditation experience is different.
To begin, I was taught to choose the same time of day and place each day. There are many schools of thought on how long the meditation should last, I was taught to do at least 24 minutes a day, one minute for every hour. Personally, I choose to do 20 minutes a day, twice a day... sometimes its more, sometimes less. Sit up with your spine straight. (I have two dogs who join me every day on my lap, so my feet are up on an ottoman.)
There are many ways to meditate, this is what I do... I use a white, unscented candle, it immediately changes the energy in the room with its light. My guru taught us to begin by closing our eyes and seeing ourselves as beautiful (my translation: happy, joyous and free.) After a few cleansing breaths, I sometimes imagine the flame of the candle coming into the 6th chakra, the third eye (between your eyebrows.) And then I begin the mantra, observing the feel of the breath, letting the energy of my breath go everywhere in my body, exhaling any fear or tension. Over the years, its gotten easier to empty my mind to nothingness. Feels amazing. Everything is light.
I also like Pema Chodrons technique of only focusing on the exhaled breath. And when thought returns, simply say to yourself, "thinking." And go back to the focus on exhaled breath. Important to remember, do not be harsh with yourself when thoughts come in, just let them flow back out to where they came, gently go back to breath. The meditation is about being present, which requires lovingkindness with ourselves.
I cant begin to express the experiences and the guidance I've received from this practice. And during the day, the power of it takes over especially if I become really stressed. They used to call me the Queen of Calm at work... well, they had no idea what was going on between my ears!! But, I would focus on my breath when things got crazy in the office, I completely credit my meditation practice for my ability to stay calm.... getting with God, I can't do better than that!
My guru always said, "Realize what you are." Meditation helps me to do that. All of us, a beautiful creation.... so hum
Good luck!
-- Edited by gladlee on Thursday 17th of March 2011 07:07:10 PM
-- Edited by gladlee on Thursday 17th of March 2011 07:14:34 PM
In AA our prayers are very short and focus on doing God's will, accepting his will, and our divorce from character defects self seeking/fear, maintaining our spiritual condition, growing our faith.
Prayer = talking to God Meditation = listening to God
Where should most time be spent?
Most good ideals are simple
Personally, meditation is not complex for me. It's not a action, its passive and I can do it anywhere or anytime I have a few moments to relax. I close my eyes, breath deeply, listen and let God come into me. (Oh yes turn the cell phone off also)
The key is to just "exsist", humans and sometimes the pets who live with humans are the only animals who rarely do this...we are always focused on the next stimulation.
This always relieves any anxiety or negative emotion for me, occasionaly I will feel a bright light come over me.
Great topic, probably the least used tool in the program, took a long time for me to figure it out!
__________________
Rob
"There ain't no Coupe DeVille hiding in the bottom of a Cracker Jack Box."
There's a nice chapter on meditation in a new book written by one of our own (the book is currently submitted for the AA conference approval process). It's called Living the Twelve Steps of Recovery. http://www.livingtwelvestepsrecovery.com/ "Every day of each month has a thought provoking meditation on the steps and traditions in consecutive working order. Special original appendices on prayer and meditation offer historical reference and new insight."
So last week I was asked to paint a Double bed and a Stand alone closet as part of the renovation job we were doing. We are a painting company and usually it's not the furniture as well that we paint only the home itself. Anyway I was amased when I painted this furniture how present I was during it and how much joy it gave me.
So I've cleared a corner in my garage out now for Jamies hobbie corner. I just spent an hour sanding down my first piece of furniture ( a coffee table with three sliding draws on it ) and I was amased again how present I was during the process. This was like a kind of meditation and now having only fininshed my first hour long stint with my first project that I feel really whole. If that makes sense. I found this very relaxing and maybe this is a form of meditation as well as the more formal "sitting".
