Meditation for placating your emotions and getting you into Focus?

[arithhuh]

Hi All,

I've just been wondering if meditation could help in calming a person down and getting into control, one's various emotions like Anger,infatuation, depression, etc?

If it helps, that what are the ways in which one can meditate? Practising for how long will help?

Awaiting your replies Eagerly!

Aditya.

[Brendon Colby]

Originally Posted by arithhuh

I've just been wondering if meditation could help in calming a person down and getting into control, one's various emotions like Anger,infatuation, depression, etc?

Just a quick example... I'm not a consistent meditator but am intending to be. I'm experiencing the benefits first hand. Last week, I was scheduled to fly out of town to a new city to meet some new people for an employment situation. I was really nervous - almost to the point of cancelling the trip! I think I was nearly overcome by fear (I was fixated on it)! I really wanted to get this fear under control so I just decided to sit in a chair, set a timer for 15 minutes and meditate by focusing on my breath. The results were dramatic. I felt much better after just 15 minutes of meditating. I was able to go about my day not really thinking about the trip. I did end up going and it wasn't bad at all!

There are many ways to meditate. I'm starting by just sitting upright and focusing either on my breath or on my body for 15 minutes, quieting the mind of course. Sometimes I feel like going longer, sometimes not. Hope this helps.

[Antarananda]

Hi Aditya,

Meditation has been the bedrock of my life now for over a decade. It definitely does help with stabilizing the mental-emotional states which you have asked about. If you're new to meditation, and have strong emotional volatility presently, then dynamic, cathartic meditations would be much more useful than watching the breath or meditating on a mantra. You need to purge your body/mind of the deep seated anger, frustration, fear etc before you can be prepared to sit in silence and achieve a deeper stillness and silence.

Good luck!

[Larry]

I've been heavy into Halosync meditation for about six months. And I can honestly tell you, I had a big problem with "letting go" of things. But this program has really helped me. Most things don't get to me the way they used to. I believe any form of meditation is one of the most powerful things you can do for entire outlook on life.

[Traffic]

I've been reading a few threads around here and there seems to be a lot of posts on procrastination with people picking up a lot of knowledge but failing to utilize it. It's a familiar story and one I know well. It's also usually a story common to meditation. Everyone wants the benefits of meditation but few are willing to sit in boredom for twenty minutes.

The whole point of meditation is to calm your mind, lose excess baggage and maintain focus on the present. If that's what you want then I suggest you try it and assess the results for yourself.

Originally Posted by Antarananda

If you're new to meditation, and have strong emotional volatility presently, then dynamic, cathartic meditations would be much more useful than watching the breath or meditating on a mantra.

Is there any resources for these kinds of meditation?

Like most other people, I'm an inconsistent meditator due to a massive ego that doesn't like to be shut out, even if just for a short period. Oddly, I'm growing increasingly fond of zazen, which doesn't use any gimmicks to grab your attention, well known for its difficulty in practice. I'm always open to suggestions though.

[Traffic]

Originally Posted by arithhuh

If it helps, that what are the ways in which one can meditate? Practising for how long will help?

I missed this bit, so I'll try to give you a brief introduction to meditation (although you'll find many reseources on the net). I might be an inconsistent meditator myself, but like many others I've built a wealth of knowledge on the subject over the years.

Although you can go deeply into the subject, the basics couldn't be more straight forward. The most basic form of meditation that I'm aware of, is zazen, which basically means 'sitting'. And that is what you do; you sit and stare at a blank wall for a wee while. Couldn't be simpler. However, it's also one of the most difficult because it's easy to drift off when you have little to focus your attention on.

More commonly, you probably have a picture of a buddhist monk sitting and repeating a mantra, such as 'ahmmmm'. You can use anything for a mantra, and english world if you like: 'Calmmmmmm'. The 'ahmmm' sound is commonly used because of its naturally relaxing qualities. It has been said to be the answer to the ancient zen koan 'what is the sound of one hand clapping?', as it's the natural sound of of air passing an object, and also the natural sound of air passing out of your body.

Alternatively, one of the most common forms of meditation, is to focus on your breath. You can think of this as a mantra if you like.

All of the above techniques have something in common; they focus on something which is present. When you do that, it has the power to take you away from your thoughts that manifest within your ego and instead of wondering what you're going to be doing tomorrow, or about that girl you met last week, you begin to become aware of what is actually happening right now. You may be very surprised at how rarely you do this!

Don't get me wrong, you'll still have thoughts passing through (very much so in the beginning) and if that happens, just notice them and let them be. Don't get frustrated, just when you notice them, go back to your mantra/breath/whatever and continue. You'll drift off quite a lot, but it's all part of the process and nothing to worry about. Eventually you'll begin to become aware of your thoughts, and when this happens you can see them for what they are (usually worthless) and you let them go. Your job is not to try and succeed in anything here, but merely to be.

It's complicated I know, and I'm going way off, but if any of this helps, then it's cool. Back to basics...

Ten minutes is good to start off with. Slowly work your way up to twenty minutes. Doing that twice a day is enough. If you're keen to do any more at any stage, then it's recommended you find a teacher. However many positive aspects of meditation there is, if you do a lot, then you begin to open doors in your mind that you always intended to keep firmly closed.

Oh, and posture can be important too. I used to discard this, but your posture has an effect on your state of mind. You lie down, you're more likely to feel tired afterwards. You sit straight, back straight, it's an alert posture and will help you focus.

[demk]

meditation is great for greating a gap of awareness between your reaction to events and your conditioned behavior. The more you train your awareness, the greater control you have over the way you act. You realise that you dont need to behave how your emotional reactions are telling you and you free yourself from your past conditioning.

The practice of sitting in the same posture for 15-20 minutes is great because it trains your ability to accept itches, uncomfortable sensations or slight pain. You learn to observe boredom or anger or your own thoughts and recognise them as physical senstaions or just stuff that happens in your head. This helps you maintain your commitments and do what you really value without your past getting in the way in the form of old patterns of thought.

[Antarananda]

Originally Posted by Traffic

Is there any resources for these kinds of meditation?

Like most other people, I'm an inconsistent meditator due to a massive ego that doesn't like to be shut out, even if just for a short period. Oddly, I'm growing increasingly fond of zazen, which doesn't use any gimmicks to grab your attention, well known for its difficulty in practice. I'm always open to suggestions though.

The dynamic meditations I referred to are taught in the meditation programs conducted by my Master (click my signature for more info). While it is not my primary practice, it was such an intense inner cleansing that it brought about a profound shift in my consciousness, and as a result impacted my silent meditation practice. I believe it can be a great enhancer of your present zazen practice.

Personally, I started with Transcendental Meditation back in 1992, and now practice a more esoteric method that allows me to completely transcend body awareness and enter samadhi (superconsciousness characterized by deep silence and bliss). But as mentioned, it does take time and patience to entrain your nervous system to this deep state of rest.

[arithhuh]

Hi All,

It was really nice of all of you to reply!

I know one method of meditation which i've tried to follow. Basically, I can see that I've always procrastinated on Deciding to meditate regularly. Im really interested and right now, im in my Intermediate Course (The Indian Year 12). So right now, Im busy applying to colleges, and preparing for exams! So i've kind of postponed diving into the practise. Ive kept practising meditation as one of the priorities.

My goal is to reach a level where i can meditate for 4 hrs continuously - I want to each session of meditation to last for eternity, as if im swimming in an ocean of bliss. If i want to calm emotions, its so that i can focus. If i want to focus, its so that i can set my priorities correctly. And if i wanna set priorities correctly, its because i've already decided that God is my priority in life.

Hehe, long link, I know...

Thanks once again, all who replied, I will keep in mind all that has been said and proceed accordingly.

My Best Wishes and Warm Regards to All.

[Turismo]

I second Antarananda advice to also try dynamic forms of meditation.
The dynamic mediatations i was introduced are kind of group mediatations (or at least i had more positive effects when doing them in a group). They helped me to really get out the emotional stuff that dragged me down. And i also experienced deeper and more relaxing silent meditations when i did the dynamic meditations.
I still tend to procrastinate on meditating regularly but i really see the benefits it has to me, because meditation is one of the key points that help me to control my stuttering.

[JohnnyJimJams]

An excellent meditation technique that I use when I'm feeling anxious is to sit down, and spend 10 seconds focusing on what I can see. Only my sight, and gradually increase my perception of what is around me right now. Take it all in, what else can you see.... Then switch to hearing for 10 seconds, and do the same thing, then to physical feeling (your weight on your chair or soles of your feet, chest rising and falling), and repeat for as long as you like.

The best thing about this method, is that you can do it while driving, while walking or while waiting in a line... or reading a web forum.

I love the calming feeling this gives me, and it centres me in the present moment.

Hope this helps.

[JJH]

This is a great thread, with some great methods.

I thought I'd share some of the benefits that I've experienced since beginning the practice nearly a year ago. I no longer experience road rage, and I'm far less likely to be brought to anger. My emotional outlook has risen to a highly positive state with far less chances of being "brought down" by external events. I find it very easy to concentrate and maintain focus for longer periods of time. My posture has straightened, and the back pains I used to experience have ceased. And perhaps the greatest benefit for me, being a filmmaker, is the greater access to my own creativity, expecially right after meditation.

I began meditating with none of these "goals" in mind. They simply occured as the "false" in my ego began to slowly fall away. I find it very easy to find the time to meditate twice a day because the experience is so enjoyable to me.

I feel that I'm only just scraping the surface of what is possible, as I have many years of "false thinking" to dissolve. But this journey of discovering myself is constantly surprizing and satisfying. I cannot reccommend it enough.

[zactlymyself]

I'm ten days into a 30-month trial of meditating twice a day, and the effects I've gotten haven't really been entirely positive...

I've woken up 3 times in the past week from dreams of yelling at people in different circumstances. Eye-popping angry yelling with emotions running over after I wake up - completely contrary to my character, and very different then any dreams I've remembered before. I've also noticed myself becoming more judgemental and less patient with friends and myself for not maintaining peacefulness.

I trust in the positive results of meditation, but this seems rather opposite. I'm trying to let go my attatchment to the results and just meditate for the sake of doing so. I'm working on it, but it's not easy - does anyone have any suggestions?

[clemens]

Here is a post with some research info about why meditation could make sense:
Meditation and Happiness

[Mark Lapierre]

I'm fond of Mindfulness in Plain English as a good introduction to the reasons behind meditation, the benefits to be gained, and a thorough run-down of one method of meditation. Traffic gave a good summary of the contents of that link, but it's still worth reading in order to gain a more in-depth understanding.

[Mercury_Rising]

Greetings Arithhuh,

I hesitate to reply to this thread simply because it will be repeating what has already been said, but maybe there is usefulness in the repetition.

I too am a big proponent of meditation. It has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. I feel more centered, more fluid, more spacious, more able to be with difficult emotions, etc. So, I do believe it is worthwhile.

Please consider getting a meditation teacher to guide you through the journey. I feel this is very important because the ego can move us into an unhealthy practice. So, please do meditate and please find yourself a good meditation coach. One can usually be had free of charge. Most Buddhist schools offer the training and I'm sure other "meditation schools" offer similar programs.

Here is a link to a great directory of Buddhist schools throughout the world:
World Buddhist Directory - Presented by BuddhaNet.Net

Here is a link to a variety of articles on meditation in general:
Meditation Articles

Good Luck!

Dave