Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.
Originally Posted by
Morticia
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I always found meditation hard to do ... until I read a book explaining that the Western mind wasn't especially well geared for such contemplative silence .. we're too brain busy.
I took to Creative Visualisation instead.
The gist of that is instead of trying to think of nothing .. direct your mind to one thing. Occupy it. This could be seeing yourself walking along a quiet sandy stretch of beach whilst beach combing, or waggling your bare toes in the softly lapping sea surf as it laps around your ankles.
That's to say ... dwelling and luxuriating in something pleasant which relaxes you and clears your brain of clutter and niggling thoughts.
You can even create yourself a little imaginary walled garden full of roses and go for a stroll if you love flowers. Anything you like ... create your own inner space to rove in.
Another one is whilst you're sitting relaxed after yoga to imagine a blue healing light surrounding your body .. and you draw it into your solar plexus, imagining it's calming refreshing energy as it spreads out inside you, even down to your fingers and toes. Flex those little fingers and toes which begin to feel relaxed and tranquil. Come across a bunched muscle? Tell it to relax and it will. And as you do this ..imagine all the crap energy, worries and anxieties of the day flowing out from your feet into the ground ... like shedding a skin, till you feel free of tension or stress.
I've used this one to help me nod off at nights.
I tried yoga and meditation in my youth. Not my thing at all. Too slow and I just couldn't settle into it, it all felt a bit 'flaky' to me.
Anxiety and nervous stomachs led me to see a counsellor who suggested relaxation and he did me a tape. It was all about flexing and relaxing muscles from the head to the toes, deep breathing etc etc. Wonderful relaxing voice and it worked. Still got it nearly 40 years later. Trouble is, one time I rose up and floated somewhere - it frightened me so much, I never did it again.
Fast forward to when my daughter was about 3 (she's 29 now) and I went to this blind chap who I could relax with as he couldn't see me. He did hypnosis with me, which didn't work too well which I won't expand on. Anyway he told me something similar to your Creative Visualisation and left me to create my 'scene'.
I used to visualise lying in a boat just drifting along under the canopy of the trees, with the sun twinkling through every now again, the birds were singing, bees buzzing, oh all sorts I used to visualise. Always relaxed me when I felt anxious or stressed.
I'm nothing like I used to be with stress levels, and I've made myself anti social to a certain degree - so I sleep like a log and the only thing I worry about is not having much of anything to worry about
Funnily, I swear worrying kept me slim, now I don't worry so much, it's slowed me down and I've got a belly