Pushing Through a Difficult Period of Zen Meditation

By Ted Hanulak

The following article deals with the "counting of breaths" meditation in Soto Zen. The first thing that you should understand about Zen meditation is that there is no "bad" meditation period. Struggle is good. When thoughts start flowing in and you think you are going to loose your mind, that is when the battle begins! Usually when you are taken in by extraneous thoughts you should simply just go back to your counting. If it seems to be extra difficult, then I would recommend the following:

Clearing the Mind

Take a moment to relax. Close your eyes and try to turn your eyeballs backwards as if you are attempting to look backwards. Do this for about 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, relax your eyes forward again and resume your counting. You may find that you have to do this a couple of time before it works. This may sound strange but it will work.

Kyosaku Stick

If you are sitting with a group or "sangha" that utilizes a monitor, the kyosaku stick is your best friend. Many groups allow you to raise your hand to ask for the kyosaku stick. Others will use it at the monitors discretion. The kyosaku stick is a flat stick that is used to strike the meditator's back and shoulders in the muscular area between the shoulder blades. This will stimulate your body and mind to push forward.

Kinhin - Walking Meditation

Kinhin is traditionally used for in between meditation periods. It helps stretch out the legs and also clear the mind. If your sitting alone and it gets unbearable, rather than quit, get up and walk around your house for a couple of minutes. During this time, try to only think about walking. feel the carpet under your feet. Be aware of every step you take. After a couple of minutes, sit down again and resume your meditation.

These are just a couple of ideas to help get through "difficult" meditation periods.

Ted Hanulak is the head instructor / Sensei of the Japanese martial art of Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu. He teaches Aikijutsu and Zen meditation out of the Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis

http://www.aiki-jutsu.com

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Amazing Meditation Music - Mp3 Magic

By Tina Bardo

In this article we are going to discuss meditation music Mp3's and how integrating sound into your meditative practice can take your experience to a whole new level. Read on as we explore some of the popular technologies, and see if we can't help you achieve a Zen like experience for yourself, in record, rapid fire turn around time!

The Magic is in the Music

The days of thinking that soft music are a nice addition to the meditative experience are over. Many hard core meditators are finding that sound ( be they music or any other acoustical drivers) are an INTEGRAL part of transforming consciousness to an entirely new level of awareness. Research done on many of the top meditators, as well as recent discoveries in neuroscience have illustrated that brain entrainment is a huge component of entering the "trance" state, and that acoustic drivers are some of the most powerful ways to enter blissful states in a hurry.

Surf the Supernatural Surfboard, Baby!

On top of simply being a central part of the meditative experience, many of you who are familiar with other forms of spirituality recognize the importance of using headphones and MP3's to drive wonderful and mystical experiences of all types and stripes. Robert Monroe pioneered the use of Hemi-Sync technology for the study and achievement of out of body experiences 25 years ago, and rapid advancements and adoption of these sorts of sounds, referred to as "binaural beats", have allowed tens of thousands of men and women around the world to have incredible, life changing, paradigm busting experiences that have completely and utterly shifted their views on human potentials and possibility.

And from a personal experience, as someone who STRUGGLED to learn how to meditate properly for years, I can tell you first hand that the meditation mp3's have been transformative for me in ways I can't even BEGIN to articulate. The key is, in my own humble opinion, to STOP reading about other people's experiences, and start having your own!

Who Else Wants to Experience Radical Inner Peace & Magnificent Well Being?

Read on...to discover how to experience blissful meditation quickly, easily and magically even if you are a complete novice and have no idea what you are doing!

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Where's the Right Place to Practice Zen Meditation

By Ted Hanulak

When people hear the term "Zen meditation" they envision robes, candles, incense burning, people sitting in pretzel positions, etc. They would be correct. That is the traditional view of Zen meditation. The wonderful thing is, you can also practice Zen meditation while walking the dog, waiting for an appointment at the doctors office, driving your car. In other words, anywhere.

The practice of "shikantanza" which is Japanese for "just sitting" can be use in any situation like "just walking"," just driving" or "just going to the bathroom". Whatever you are doing at that moment, is what you are doing. You concentrate on just that action. Many times people will drive while daydreaming or talking on the phone. This is how accidents occur. If you are focusing on the driving you may be able to prevent the accident. Shikantanza is the active practice of "living in the moment".

Another way of looking at it is "taking your Zen with you". It is important to sit everyday at least 20 minutes. "Sitting" implies sitting in meditation on the floor. Traditional sitting can be viewed as "charging your batteries". After sitting, it is time to unplug, get up and go live your day. Everything you do, walking across the room, picking up a pencil, looking to your left, etc. can be part of your practice.

Through this practice, situations that would normally aggravate most people, like being stuck in traffic, waiting for a bus, anything that would test someones patience, is simply more practice for you! Because of this, you will begin to feel more centered. These types of situations will not bother you as they once did because of the new way of looking at.

Remember Zen meditation practice doesn't end on the meditation pillow. It has to be part of every moment of your life.

Ted Hanulak is the head instructor -Sensei of the Japanese martial art of Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu. He teaches Aikijutsu and Zen meditation out of the Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis. http://www.aiki-jutsu.com

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Zen Driving Meditation For Busy People

By Anmol Mehta

Is the rat race eating into your spiritual evolution? Are you finding less time to do your meditation, yoga and other spiritual practices? Never fear Zen driving meditation is here.

Unfortunately for many of us, work, family, education and more work seems to be consuming our lives. The worst part of this hectic life-style is that the one aspect which should not suffer, does. Our spiritual growth. In this article I will present you with a terrific meditation technique that you can do while driving or while in transit. This should, hopefully, help you in getting your spiritual work back on track and enjoying the marvelous benefits that such work bestows.

In America we drive a lot, and even those who don't drive a lot, often take trains and buses as part of their daily life. This "idle" time presents us with a great opportunity to get in some meditation work and there are many meditations that can conveniently be done during this time.

An obvious warning of course is that please DO NOT practice this meditation if it distracts you in any way from your driving.

Zen meditation techniques all have their roots in mindfulness or being in the moment. This meditation technique is no different and is also designed to help you come into the "here and now" as much as possible. Below is a step by step guide of how to practice this meditation. It is given assuming you are driving, but can easily be extrapolated to other modes of transportation.

Driving Zen Meditation Technique

- Start the meditation by taking 5 long deep slow breaths. This will relax you.

- Now, bring your attention to your breathing and just observe its flow without manipulating it in any way. Meditate on it's physical characteristic as closely as you can. Feeling it's temperature, texture, depth etc. Continue this meditation for 1-5 minutes. This will settle your mind down.

- Now begins the heart of this meditation. Begin to watch the scenery go by as you drive with an unfocused, holistic gaze. In other words, let your vision relax, incorporate the periphery and without any point of focus just observe the world as you journey through it. Just observe the trees, sky, clouds, houses, cars as they pass by. Just be empty within and allow the world to pass through you. That's it.

- To add another component to this meditation technique, whenever you come to a stop return your attention to your breath and then when moving, meditate once more on the scenery.

- If at any time driving requires your focused attention please stop the meditation and pay attention to your driving.

Commentary on Driving Zen Meditation Technique

This meditation technique has the ability to reveal to you the True Nature of Reality. Etched in my mind are occasions where the absolute perfection of life and the moment, were fully realized while practicing this technique. This meditation was one that just came to me naturally and I am happy to share it with all of you.

Anmol Mehta is a Yoga Teacher & Zen Expert. Learn yoga from Free Yoga Videos and explore Nude Yoga on his extensive Meditation and Yoga site, Free Online Guided Meditation Techniques.

This article is available for reprint on your website and/or newsletter, provided it is not changed and you include the author's signature.

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Meditation Techniques - Learn How To Perform Meditation

By Jitender Zaman

There are many different types of meditation and the techniques can vary from being very simple to being quite complex. The benefits of meditation can be great as many studies have been done outlining many of the potential health benefits from reduction in stress to less symptoms of disease. Here are a few different techniques to help you learn meditation.

Breathing Exercise:

This is a very simple technique and simply requires that you put your mental attention on your breathing. Simply turn your mental focus to your breathing as you breathe in and then out. Try to only think of your breathing, if you find other thoughts entering your mind then simply return your focus gently back on the breath.

Do this for five to ten minutes a day or whenever you feel you need to get rid of some tension and stress. Over time you will experience fewer distractions and you will be able to slip into that quiet frame of mind quicker and experience the peace and tranquility that it brings.

Guided Meditation:

This kind of meditation is usually accompanied by music usually sounds of nature or other non verbal music that is slow and gentle. It is also best to do this in a quiet room without any other kinds of distractions. You can light an incense that you like to help to relax you further.

Now focus on a pure space inside of your heart and see a light there. Then envision this light spreading slowly throughout your body and then see the light extending outside your body to the space around you. Maintain your focus on this light and avoid external thoughts. The idea is to get to that state of a quiet peaceful mind that is also potentially the least stressful and thus may offer great health benefits.

Chakra Meditation:

Chakra meditation is based on concentrating on the various energies that lie within us and by simply paying attention to different regions of our body we have the potential to get great health benefits in those particular regions. There are seven chakras that you need to learn when performing this type of meditation.

They are the root chakra, feeling chakra, personality chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra, knowledge and crown chakra. There are indeed a few things to learn so be patient and take your time to learn this type of meditation. When performing this type of meditation make sure that your focus is on one chakra at a time and you need to clear your thoughts.

You can also add some relaxing music to the background if you like and make sure that you are in a room that is free of distractions so be sure to turn the television or radio off. The main idea is to feel a connection with everything around you. There are many books and tapes written that can show you in detail how to do this type of meditation as it can get complex.

Zen Meditation:

Zen meditation is also defined as the study of the self. It is best to do this in a seated position called the burmese position. Make sure to keep the back straight as this will make deep breathing occur much more naturally. The deep breathing that occurs during this type of meditation can offer many health benefits as by introducing more oxygen into your system you help to cleanse and energy your body.

One of the things you do in zen meditation is to stay in the same position for fifteen to twenty minutes. This will help you to develop a quieter mind by restricting your physical movements. Often a scattered mind is what causes significant stress in the lives of many so learning to reduce your thoughts can be very stress relieving. Pick a meditation approach you feel comfortable with and learn all you can about it and most importantly do it on a regular basis to reap the benefits.

Jitender is an online researcher, author and a regular contributor to site that shows people how to attain better health and wellness. Please visit http://www.superhealthy.org and learn how to improve your health.

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Comprehensive Guide to Worldwide Meditation Techniques

By: Anmol Mehta

There are as many types of meditation techniques as there are wonderful flavors of ice cream. This allows each person to find a flavor that is delicious to them. In this article I will provide an overview of some of the most popular meditation techniques that exist and hopefully this will help you find the style that is sweetest to you.

Some meditation styles suit those of an intellectual disposition, while others are more attractive to those who prefer the path of love and surrender. Still others, with an active approach to life, may like the meditation techniques involving movement, while those with a strong mind would enjoy the approach of visualization and concentration. Overall, there are several broad categories under which we can capture most of these various meditation practices and the following two are amongst the most widely used styles, Insight Meditation Techniques and Sound (Mantra) Meditation Techniques.

1. Insight Meditation Techniques: These are the meditations of choice for the Gyan Yogis or those drawn to the intellectual path. It incorporates the advanced meditation techniques from the Zen school of Buddhism, the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism, certain schools of Western Religions among others.

A. WHO AM I Meditation Technique: This techniques comes from the school of Advaita Vedanta (Non-Dualism / End of Knowledge). The meditation was popularized by Shri Ramana Maharishi and is based on negation of the false self in order to realize one's True Nature. Here is an example of my experience with WHO AM I Meditation Practice.

B. Koan Meditation Technique: These meditations come from the Zen school of Buddhism and are designed to break down the ordinary pattern of conceptual, dualistic thinking. By breaking down the interference created by the thinking mechanism the practitioner is brought to confront the non-dual reality of "what is" directly and thus Awaken.

C. Contemplation Meditation Technique: These meditations utilize introspection, self-study, reflection, self-dialogue and contemplation to cut through the layers of false conditioning and false understanding that deludes the mind. These meditations have their roots in many Western Religions and are also a part of Eastern philosophies.

D. Silent Mind Meditation Technique: This meditation technique is my contribution to this category and it involves directly perceiving the fact of what is by acute observation of the thinking process. This is the flavor that I enjoy best and I have explained it in detail in the The Silent Mind Meditations, which are part of the Silent Mind Meditation Program. These meditations are an extension of the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti.

2. Sound (Mantra) & Intention Meditation Techniques: The meditations that fall under this category use the science of sound and thought vibrations (Naad Yoga), along with rhythm and music (Laya Yoga) to purify the heart and mind. These meditations have a wide range of applications, from bestowing Enlightenment, to improving health, wealth, happiness, peace etc...

A. Mantra Japa Meditation Technique: This meditation method uses the repetition of a mantra (a particular sound, word or phrase) verbally or mentally to create the necessary conditions for purification, refinement or expansion to take place. Mantras are essentially keys which allow one to tune into the individual energy field or tune into the Universal Energy field to produce certain desired results. Here is an example of using OM Mantra to activate the Third Eye Chakra.

B. Rhythm Meditation Technique: This form of meditation uses the combination of rhythm, chanting, music and breath to calibrate and perfect the system. The excellent Three Step Rhythmic Breathing (3srb) meditation technique of Sage Pantanjali and many Kundalini Yoga meditations fall under this category, among others.

C. Meditation via Song: Most of the meditations from the path of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and Love, designed to dissolve the ego belong in this category. This is a path most dear to those who are emotional in nature and feel a deep love for the divine. Christianity, Gospel, Sufi Meditations, Hare Krishna Meditations, Kirtans and Bhajans are some examples of techniques in this category.

D. Meditation via Prayer & Intention: All religions have meditations involving prayer and worship. The meditations that also use the power of intention to manifest desires fall under this category.

So you can see from above, these is a rich diversity to the science of meditation and certainly something for everybody. The best suggestion is to pick a style and with an attitude of experimentation dive in and explore it. You may be astonished at the wonderful treasures you discover within using the profound art of meditation.

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Anmol Mehta is a Yoga Teacher, Zen Expert & creator of profound Meditation & Yoga programs. These Free Guided Meditation Techniques & Kundalini Yoga Classes are available at Mastery of Chakra Meditation, Kundalini Yoga & Zen. You will also find a wealth of insightful articles and lively discussions on the Guided Meditation, Kundalini Yoga & Zen Blog.