When meditating......

[Green Fairy]

do you use music, or sit in silence?

i find that the music does help to relax me, and to clear the mind, what i'm trying to do now, is to have myself in some way remove the music, to where there is no sound, or that i'm not really in the room that i'm meditating in.

[Ma'at's_Feather]

music also helps me when i am meditating alone. see where i am it is very noisy so its never entirely quiet. did i mention i live really close to a train track? so i kinda still need the music to block out the mundane sounds (oh yeah, on the other side of my place is a busy street. gee did i pick a flower of a place......) but i have been in guided meditations that didnt use music. maybe at first you could be guided into a meditation w/o music and work your way from there.
i know its not much help but thats what ive got at the moment :hahugh:

[Lunacie]

Guided meditations are good. Music can be helpful.

But honestly, my best meditations (or conversations with goddess) have been while I was washing the dishes or mowing the yard. Keeping one part of my mind busy with a simple physical task lets the higher part of my mind think about things without being distracted like I would be if I were trying to still my mind. I've heard that rocking a wonderful way to do that, having a physical activity that frees the mind to commune with spirit.

[Green Fairy]

Guided meditations are good. Music can be helpful.

But honestly, my best meditations (or conversations with goddess) have been while I was washing the dishes or mowing the yard. Keeping one part of my mind busy with a simple physical task lets the higher part of my mind think about things without being distracted like I would be if I were trying to still my mind. I've heard that rocking a wonderful way to do that, having a physical activity that frees the mind to commune with spirit.

you know i have noticed that before, that if i'm busy with some task especially a noisy one, like washing the dishes, vacuuming or whatever my mind is definitely more clearer and i would notice myself talking to myself.

and of course when i tried to sit and meditate, it took longer to calm my mind and open myself up

[Lunacie]

Yeah, because when we try to be quiet any little thing can distract us, like a noise or a smell or the way our clothes feel or a memory or anything. But when we're busy with something that doesn't take a lot of thought it keeps our minds from noticing all that other stuff so much. Cool, eh?

Could be why monks and nuns and other contemplative folks do so much gardening and chanting and use prayer beads.

[Elaira]

Guided meditations are good. Music can be helpful.

But honestly, my best meditations (or conversations with goddess) have been while I was washing the dishes or mowing the yard. Keeping one part of my mind busy with a simple physical task lets the higher part of my mind think about things without being distracted like I would be if I were trying to still my mind. I've heard that rocking a wonderful way to do that, having a physical activity that frees the mind to commune with spirit.



I liked to do meditation spontaneously. Like when i'm particularly stressed out, my body kinda like tells me that i need to go to a isolated place and JUST be alone. Then after that i will automatically meditate. Sometimes i meditate when i'm on the school bus home, when i felt tired but not TOO tired to fall asleep. But yeah, i agree with you that my best insights usually dont come when i'm sitting still/doing nothing. I just cant find the patience and time for that. :lol: i used to wonder if that was a bad sign that i wasn't really disciplined in meditating...

[Lunacie]

"Different strokes for different folks" as they say. Some people are better at being quiet and still and going within. Me... I have ADD and that doesn't work for me.

[Theres]

silence.

i can't clear my mind while adding more input.

[Njorun Alma]

For me, because I live so closly to the road and in an apartment where there are a lot of loud people I really prefer music.
I've always had good meditations when listening to my Sarah Brightman records or my elemental music album.

Silence works when the rest of the apartment complex is asleep.

[Bix]

I usually just meditate in silence. If I do use music, it has to be music without lyrics in it...or at least lyrics in a foreign language. If it's in English, I find myself focusing more on the words of the song rather than the actual meditation.

[star_belfire]

Depends on my mood. Sometimes I want total siclence, I'll get annoied if a car goes past.

Other times I meditate with music. I fall into the song. Does that make sence?? What I mean is I'll pick something like...um Serenity by Godsmack and I'll focus on the theme of the song and meditate on that, like an affermation that someone else is saying for you.

[Tranquility]

I prefer just meditating wherever I am.. Outside is always my first choice though. I definitely enjoy listening to the birds and the squirrels and wind while I meditate. If I get into a deep trance, and then a truck goes by (for example) it almost 'jolts' me back into my body, like whoa. After that, I need to refocus and relax. Also, if a highly unnatural or sharp sound occurs, my ears will perk up (almost like an animal's does) and I will cringe because it hurts to hear it after being so relaxed. I prefer meditating outside though because at one point in my meditation I just relax and focus on all of my senses, and I find birds definitely raise my spirits. The best thing to do is just make mundane tasks a meditation.. Lots of the Zen sayings and such revolve around simple tasks that bring about enlightenment (chopping wood, bringing water from well, mopping floor, etc.) Good luck and practice, practice, practice! Do it every day, and try to do it in different situations.

[Zebi]

I usually use meditation tapes; I find that they are very helpful to me. Most of them have some background music, but I have one where there is no other sound than that of the narrator's voice.

[jcldragon]

What you should do, depends upon what phase of the process you are in.

By far, silent meditation is the most powerful. First you learn to ignore everything external while meditating. Once you can do that easily, then you can move on to ignoring the internal chatter of the mind... the mental sounds, images & words, that flow through it.

Of course, that is all very difficult, and if you aren't in that phase of meditation, you'll just make yourself frustrated... which sort of defeats the whole purpose. No Blame! Do what you can do, and move on from there.

This is why in various Traditions, people have used work, walking, Rosary Beads, Mantra, Yantra, music, and background nature sounds. In my office, and in my bedroom, I have indoor waterfalls, which not only passively clean the air, while adding some moisture to it, but also create the musical sounds of flowing water, which is known to stimulate the Alpha waves in the brain, associated with basic meditation.

[aislin_ryann]

I find my best meditations are while I am in the bath tub, swimming, or kayaking down a river. I think it is because water is my element. ;) When I am doing a meditation otherwise, I use guided recorded meditations or music. I have ADD so it gives my mind something else to focus on. :awilly:

[RunningRiot]

If I just want to unwind and think, music.

If I'm doing something heavy, like past life research, grounding/centering, etc, no music.

[PoisonIvy]

I like to either use meditation or nature sounds cds.
I can't just sit in a quiet room and meditate because my mind is way too "busy".:idea: I'm always thinking about something.8O

[mtpathy]

i usually either tone.
or keep beat through breath.