Types of Meditation
@Rosie_Scope and @Kookee and I were talking about meditation in another thread, and I suggested that I start this thread so people can talk about the different types of meditation they've done. Just a disclaimer here that I am simply a meditation consumer - not an expert or advocate or therapist or specialist or anything exciting. Just a regular gal with a longstanding history of mental health issues. The word meditate has come to mean so many things. It's like the word therapy has come to mean so many things. I like one of the definitions of meditate in the Oxford Dictionary, which is, "to think deeply about (something)."
BODY SCAN: My first experience with meditation was after my first psychiatric hospitalisation at the age of 19, when my psychiatrist handed me a meditation cassette tape (yeah, it was a really long time ago! LOL!). It was a body scan meditation, and I used it every night for about 10 years. That was back in 1984, when pills and a cassette tape were the only therapy available. Truth be told, I was really lucky to get a cassette tape - that was new thinking for that time. Body scan meditations are everywhere now as they're very, very effective for treating insomnia and body-mind dissociation and anxiety and many other things. They're not a cure-all, but they certainly have a place for many people as part of many different treatments. A body scan is where you put your concentration on different parts of your body to help them relax.
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION: In the 90s, CDs were taking the world by storm, and people started releasing meditations in this new format. The sound was impeccable - perfect for meditation. That's when I started dabbling in mindfulness meditation, namely Thich Nhat Hnah and Jon Kabat-Zinn. They were and are so incredibly amazing and extremely popular for a reason. They have beautiful, calm voices and the most wise, kind words. In a nutshell, mindfulness meditation teaches you how to focus, to be present, in something. That something might be a thought, an emotion, a physical feeling, a sound, etc. ' or a combination thereof. The bottom line is you learn to focus. Mindfulness is also a way of living - something that I have learned over the decades - to be present in the moment. In fact, the body scan meditation is a form of mindfulness meditation, so that was really my start of mindfulness.
GUIDED IMAGERY: In the early 2000s, I came across another form of meditation on CD called guided imagery meditation. I was taught it in the context of treating trauma. The author is Belleruth Naparstek. I listened to it back then, and am listening to it again now as trauma issues have resurfaced with my recent immobility issues. In a nutshell, guided imagery uses images to guide your thoughts and emotions.
CBT PLUS MINDFULNESS MEDITATION: In about 2008, I learned cognitive behavioural therapy through a course with a psychiatrist, and after that I combined what I learned with mindfulness meditation by reading a book about this potent combination therapy.
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION FOR PAIN: A couple of years ago, when my immobility took a firm hold, I undertook a program by Jon Kabat-Zinn of mindfulness meditations used to treat pain. We now live in a time of audiobooks, so that audiobook is what got me started on audiobooks.
BREATH MEDITATIONS: I didn't know until I started the pain audiobook that there are meditations on the breath. I mean, I had heard them here and there, but they never really stuck. And breath is a part of all the meditations I have done, but not the focus of the meditation. So I bought an old audiobook by an author who I am familiar with through the CBT-mindfulness book, namely Dr. Andrew Weil. His book has a load of different breath meditations, which really help manage my pain. There are only a couple of the breath meditations that I don't like.
Well, that's a wrap for now. I'm too tired to give suggestions for the above meditations, so I'll come back soon to post them, in case anyone is interested in any of these.
Perhaps other forum members would like to chime in about your meditation experiences?
Comments
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I've been excited to see this post @StarryEyed! Thanks for putting so much thought and effort into it 😊
I used to work with primary school children and we'd used the body scan as a cool-down for after PE. It worked really well! We also used guided imagery when they were getting a bit restless.
I try my best to be mindful and try to practise grounding. I think making a cup of tea is good for being in the moment. You can focus on the sounds of the kettle, the heat from the steam, and the changing colour of the water. I drink redbush tea and I love watching the water as the tea diffuses into it, it's beautiful.
I've never got along with breath meditations. I find they make me dizzy, but maybe I'm breathing too hard!
Look forward to hearing your suggestions 😊
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@Kookee you're welcome. It is a bit too long, but that's what fell out of me. :) I look forward to your post.
@Catherine21 there are so many different frequencies on this planet! YouTube has a lot of great videos with different sound frequencies. I'm happy to hear you're vibrating in a frequency that you like, that has reduced your fear. Yay! Self-confidence can be so fragile.
@Rachel_Scope that's so cool that they use these meditations with kids. Fabulous! Yes, your being present with tea making is exactly what I mean by mindful living. You can also be mindful in treatment of others, mindful of your thoughts and emotions, mindful of forest sounds…. With my trauma background it's easy for me to disconnect; that's actually my default mode. So mindfulness techniques counter that disconnect tendency. Dizziness in meditation could also come from breathing too quickly or too deeply or not enough. For what reason would you like to meditate? Perhaps I can recommend something? Or maybe someone else can?
Now I'll post the meditation info ...
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For body scan meditation there are a ton of options on YouTube and CDs. Here's an example of a relaxing scan for sleep...
Here's a 5-minute mindfulness meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn:
The rest are screenshots of audiobooks on Audible that I mentioned in my first post. Note that dates of audiobooks are often later than the original publication date. (The dates aren't in these screenshots.)
Guided imagery for trauma:
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) mixed with mindfulness to treat depression:
Mindfulness meditations for pain:
Breath meditations:
That's it!
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@Kookee what an interesting post! Thank you soooo much for all your suggestions. I'll take a deep dive in that tomorrow. For now, off to sleep. Good night. 🌷😊🌷
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Well done for being the last person to post on a thread yesterday
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@Kookee good morning and you're welcome. Take your time. The post isn't going anywhere - I hope. ☺️
Here is a beautiful song from U2 and Leonard Cohen, 'Tower of Song'. It's a beautiful song and video - a great way to start the mind and heart in the morning.
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This is great! Thanks so much for sharing so much information. I'm going to come back to it later but for now, as we're sharing songs I thought I'd share one of my favourite spine-tingling songs. I love a live orchestra and this song is just so beautiful. I hope you like it.
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I had no idea Anthony Hopkins was a musician! You learn something new every day. I'm glad you can still listen to the waltz and it be a happy memory. I'm a classical pianist so I love lots of classical music. My mum always has Classic FM playing and it's so relaxing, except if it's sunday show tunes! Not sure if that's still a thing, but I'd always turn it off!
I'm very jealous of your friend. I'd love to play the flute or clarinet. Can you play any instruments? I find playing very relaxing and you can lose yourself in it. Could that be a type of meditation!?
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@StarryEyed I think I want to just switch off from worries for a while but that's what I really struggle with which is why I'm a bit apprehensive that meditation, in the traditional sense, might not work for me.
@Santosha12 I love that the dogs enjoy your playing! Don't worry about the neighbours, enjoy yourself 😊 The ukelele is great to play. I can't play it well but I find it really fun. I once taught a last minute ukelele class when I was teaching in primary schools and I ended up performing 'You are my sunshine'. I was clearly running on nervous energy! I went to see Muppets Christmas Carol with a live orchestra a couple of years ago and it was beautiful. I always have something playing too: it's currently Alanis Morisette.
I'm learning so much in this post! @Kookee I try to do a daily affirmation but I'm thinking I should give the affirmation meditation a go.
Has anyone listened to ASMR? If you're not sure what it is, it's someone whispering into the microphone, or making quiet noises with different objects, there's a keyboard typing one that I really like. There's a lot on youtube. Some of them get you to follow a small light around and I suppose it's like a guided meditation. I find them incredibly relaxing.
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@Kookee and @Rachel_Scope thank you for your gorgeous songs!
@Rachel_Scope would you say you want a meditation that will create a distance from the chatter and noise in your mind? I've never heard of ASMR. Will check it out. Thank you!
@Kookee I only discovered binaural beats a few months ago and they're a game changer. I listen to them combined with music on "bilateral music". Have you tried that? It's funny you should mention consent to divine powers because I've been contemplating that very thing the past few weeks. Wow! I am also a huuuuuuge music fan. It pick music both to deepen or change my thoughts and/or emotions. Music is such a gift!
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@Santosha12 what a beautiful post about your Mom. 🥰 In order to post a video, copy the link from YouTube, click the third icon on the bottom left of your comment screen (a box with opposite arrows), then post it in the popup box. In case you can't figure it out, here are the songs you mentioned in your post ...
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@Santosha12 you're most welcome. It's an honour to be a part of your perfect day 🙏🏼❤️
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The "Imagine" video wasn't the one I meant to post. I think that's a cover, though the pics in the video are the real deal. Here's the one I meant to post - albeit this video may be offensive to some, considering the supporting actress ;)
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Good morning! And what a beautiful morning it is here today as the weather is finally cooling down.
Here is a song that to me is sung as a celebration of the breath - something all of us who are alive share. Have you ever heard anything like this???
@Kookee I'm listening to your meditation now. Thank you! What a beautiful way to greet the day. Here is my favourite playlist of bilateral music....
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@Kookee thank you so much for posting the Rumi meditation. I have listened to it every day since you posted and it's so very beautiful. I have heard of Rumi before, but knew nothing about him. Wow. Just wow. It's touched a very deep and soft part of my soul. I love also the music and the narrator's voice.
@Santosha12 did you understand my description of how to post videos? If not, I'd be more than happy to explain it a little better.
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I still haven't found time to do any meditating but I'm going to try my best over the weekend 😊
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@Kookee I love that list. I've already listened to a couple. I think a lot about the end and meditate on the end and resurrection by reviving second-hand jewellery. I've been doing it for about a year now, as something I can do at home. I love projecting onto the jewellery!
@Rachel_Scope I hope you find something you like. Based on what you said, I really think you're looking for mindfulness meditation to disconnect. If you do, maybe I can find one for you? If you do, how long would you like?
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@Kookee I've could never do any craft to save my life. But I'm actually really good at this. I mean not fabulous but really good. My brain is changing so much with my disability. It's incredible. And I love doing the jewellery. So it's not just that I can do it, but I love doing it. Bonus!
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@Kookee I'm really reluctant to say disability has been good for me because it's whitewashing my disability. You know what I mean? What I'm happy to say is what a friend said to me many moons ago - everybody can do something, regardless of limitations. And I add that we all have limitations. Even without disabilities, everyone is challenged to varying degrees. So I say that I like to be productive and contribute to society, but the work I did before becoming physically disabled I could no longer do. So I'm so happy that I finally found an alternative that I can do - making jewellery. Does that make sense?
I would love to see your drawings, if you feel comfortable posting. Isn't there a thread somewhere for posting our art or something along those lines?
On the topic of meditation, I find a lot of times my head is just in the clouds and I can't focus. So I've come up with an idea to use an intermittent meditation bell - the more disconnected I am, the more frequent the bell ringing. I'm going to do it today to keep me focused as I alternate between computer work and house chores. Here they are in case anyone else is interested in giving this a try.…
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Hi @Kookee and thank you for listening to my different point of view.
I've been doing the bell a lot and it really helps to clear the disconnecting. I hope you like it too.
I understand why you don't want to share your drawings. Yes, I'd love to share my jewellery pics. Will do that soon.
It's still so enjoyable to be listening to the Rumi meditation. In fact, I'm going to listen to it now.…😊
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