Do you meditate with your eyes open or closed?
There are different types of meditation, which determines if you will have your eyes open or closed. For example, if you are doing a walking meditation then I suggest that you keep your eyes open so you don’t trip over anything. In some of the Buddhist traditions, they meditate with their eyes open even while they are seated. They hold their eyes as a soft gaze slightly looking down at about a 45-degree angle, almost as if you were looking down your nose.
After trying many different types and traditions of meditation, I personally prefer to meditate with my eyes closed. Closing your eyes allows you to remove one of the senses and all of the distractions that vision brings. It helps you bring your awareness inside, which is one of the main benefits of meditation.
Is meditation dangerous?
Well, if you look at what meditation actually is, it is simply relaxed, focused non-judgemental attention in the present moment. There is nothing dangerous about it. In fact, you probably already experience moments of this in your life.
When you start meditating you will probably begin to notice that you have many random thoughts. Some of these thoughts may be on a topic or trigger a feeling that you consider to be unpleasant. However, the goal of meditation is not to judge the thought; instead be present with whatever is arising in that situation. By simply observing that, it too will pass.
If you think about it, the thoughts have always existed. It is just that you have never paid attention to them before. The mind can also serve up some unpleasant thoughts in its attempts to trick you out of meditating. The mind wants to be in charge because it thinks it knows best. However with time and practice, you will begin to see these mind tricks and recognise them as just as that. Eventually the mind loosens its grip on being able to control you as you become its master.
Meditation is not dangerous. In-fact I would argue that the danger lies in not meditating. In not living a life of conscious action where you are able to choose the action and respond rather than being driven simply by reactions.
Is meditation spiritual?
Meditation has been practiced by many religions and spiritual traditions across the globe for thousands of years. In recent years, science has been able to provide and test the many benefits that meditation brings. Meditation does not have to be a religious practice. For many people who are not religious and identify as non-spiritual, they too experience the benefits this technique brings. Meditation is simply an increase in awareness.
Can I meditate lying down?
There is no required position for mediation; so you can meditate while lying down, if you choose. One reason lying flat may not be encouraged is that if you can fall asleep. If you meditate while you lie down, the you need to maintain your focus and awareness so that you do not allow yourself to drift off into a dream like state. If you routinely fall asleep while in meditation, I would suggest sitting up. If a physical condition prevents you from sitting up even with the help of a prop like a cushion or meditation stool then you can meditate with a chair to support your back and help maintain a straight back. The most important thing about meditation is maintaining a straight spine. If you’re going to be in the same position (i.e. not doing an active meditation) sitting with a straight spine allows your body to function optimally and prevents undue stress on its systems.
How much time spent in meditation is enough?
There seems to be a misconception that there is required amount of time to meditate. Some people believe that a minimum of 40 minutes is what it takes to make meditation worth your while. However, research shows that meditating even for 20 minutes a day will give wonderful benefits. When you first begin meditating, even 20 minutes can seem like an eternity.
I recommend that you take time to build up your meditation practice. Start with 5 minutes, then move to 10 minutes, then meditating for 15 minutes and finally twenty or more. By sitting down and meditating for as long as you can; you will begin creating a habit. Meditation is like going to the gym. The more you do the better it is for you. Whatever you can do is better than doing nothing.
Why do people meditate at 4 am?
Many people choose to meditate within the time of the sunrise. They begin anywhere from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunrise. There are a few reasons people choose to meditate at this time in the morning.
1. This is a time of stillness; before the rest of the world begins to wake up.
2. There is something magical about this time of day, with the crisp morning air.
3. The environment is quiet and still. This quietness reduces the chance of distractions from the environment around you before.
4. Meditation is all bout changing the frequency of the brain waves. The brain waves that happens when we meditate are the same as the brain wave that we experience when we are sleeping. As we wake up it can be easier to reach this state rather than working from a brain that is more active from processing the day.
5. It is believed that between 3am and 5am the lung Qi is the strongest which will help support your meditation and breath work practice.
6. Another reason why people meditate at 4 am is that it is said that the spiritual teachers who have now left their bodies, bring their consciousness to this time as well as sunset to support you in your meditation practice. Honestly, you will not often find me meditating at 4 am! I will fall asleep for sure! But I will meditate in the morning as it lets me start the day with a clear mindset.
Where is the best place to meditate?
It is always powerful to meditate with a group of people. There are many centres, circles, retreats and even at your local gym or yoga centre you may find a meditation group. Many workplaces offer meditation these days as they too are beginning to wake up to the benefits that it brings. You don’t actually even need to be physically near other people in the group and can join me for an online meditation group.
If you are meditating in your home, it can be helpful to find a place where you will not be disturbed. It could be the bedroom, the bathroom, or the lounge room when everyone else is in bed. It all depends on the type of meditation that you are going to practice. If you are doing a moving meditation you will need more room than if you were doing a seated practice. Mindfulness meditation can be done anywhere in or out of the house and as you become more practiced you will see that you are able to meditate where ever you find yourself.
How Can Meditation change your life?
There are many scientifically proven benefits of meditation. This include:
- Reduced anxiety, stress and depression
- Improves your emotional wellbeing
- Improves ability to manage emotions (quickens recovery time from negative moods) and manage behaviours
- Increases self-control
- Supports the development of creativity
- Improves the immune system
- Reduces inflammation
- Slows down ageing
- Enhances skills needed for interpersonal relationships
- Cultivates compassion towards self and others
- Increases executive functioning- maintaining focus, attention, logic, problem solving & decision making.
You may like to check out the article that I wrote; Why I Meditate.
Can I meditate with Music?
Absolutely you can meditate with music. It all comes down to your intention for meditation and the type of practice that you choose to use. Music can be a wonderful meditation tool. The sound of music moves in waves similarly to the way the energy of the world around us moves. These waves create interference patterns and can have healing effects on the body. When you meditate with music, you can focus on the silence in the music. The gaps between the sounds and the notes, allowing the music to come to you. Music can be a great way to shift your emotional state and the effects can be observed through meditation.
Why am I scared to meditate?
If you have never consciously meditated before, the fear of the unknown can leave you feeling scared. This also comes from with the misconception about what meditation actually is. Meditation is simply the process of being present in the current moment with no judgement. It can be talked about in mystical ways that may evoke fear in some people or leaving the impression that it is beyond your control. However, when you meditate you are always in control. In fact, you are more in control than in your normal daily life where we function on autopilot, running the patterns of the unconscious mind in almost a sleep state.
You may be experiencing some fear about your thoughts, but know that you are not your thoughts. Whether the thoughts feel bad or good, you simply notice them without judgement. The mind can play some pretty mean tricks to try and get you to stop meditating.
Why do I twitch when I meditate?
If you twitch during meditation, this is the body releasing some of the stored energy, tension, emotions or memories that have been suppressed. There is actually a type of mediation that originated in Indonesia called Latihan. This meditation encourages your body to freely move and release this energy expressing it through movement and sound. You may have these movements at other times during the day but only noticing them when you are sitting still during meditation.
Can I meditate after eating?
You can meditate at any time of day because meditation in simply being aware in the present moment with non-judgement. It is recommended not to do a formal sitting practice on a full stomach because the body can become sleepier after eating as your energy is focused on digestion. Depending on what you actually eat, this can influence how sleepy you may feel. Some foods can affect the production of certain hormones such as serotonin which induces sleep.
Every time I meditate; I fall asleep?
The solution to this one might be as simple as changing your posture. If you haven’t already, you may like to download my free Ebook on becoming a successful meditator where I discuss this in greater detail.
How does meditation improve sleep?
I always hear from my meditation members that meditation helps them sleep like a baby, when they normally have trouble falling asleep. This is because meditation allows you to release some of the tension that you have been carrying around for the day and become more relaxed. It also helps you let your thoughts go, rather than replaying them over and over in your head. This habit only gets yourself more and more wound up by something that happened during the day or worrying about what is going to happen the next day.
I can’t meditate?
I hear this statement often and it is just not true. Everyone can meditate! You may already be doing it in small moments in your life now and don’t even realise it. In response to this false belief, I wrote an Ebook about the myths of meditation that prevent people from thinking they can do it. You can download the Free Ebook, How to Become a Successful Meditator. In this Ebook I bust the 7 common myths that prevent people from changing their perception from ‘I can’t meditate’ to ‘I am a successful meditator!’
What does it feel like to meditate?
There are many feelings that you will experience when you meditate. Many people talk about the bliss that they experience when they meditate, and yes there may be moments of bliss, there may also be moments of frustration, anger, sadness and confusion. Meditation is not a way to escape from the feelings that don’t bring us joy or happiness. Meditation is about being present with every feeling that you are experiencing at that moment in time. Therefore, you may experience any feeling that is within the human experience. The thing with meditation however, is it lets you experience the feeling of that passing moment rather than being consumed by the feeling and thinking it will last forever.
Does it have to be silent to meditate?
It does not have to be silent to meditate. There are meditations done with music, instruments or even with creating your own sounds. If you would like to try meditating using your own sounds you might like to use the Bija Manta Meditation sounds from the Hindu tradition. You can download the Bija Mantra sounds.
