During meditation should I try to clear my mind or just let thing flow?
Filed Under (Religion & Spirituality) by admin on 30-03-2010
Raphial Lee asked:
I know a mind is a bundle of thoughts, but I’m having a hard time clearing my mind during meditation. Am I suppose to force things out my mind?
I know a mind is a bundle of thoughts, but I’m having a hard time clearing my mind during meditation. Am I suppose to force things out my mind?
I don’t think you can force things out of your mind. Clearing my mind is almost impossible, so letting ideas and thoughts just flow through without dwelling on them is the only option for me.
Just smoke a fatty and you’ll not even need meditation.
Simply return to your mantra. The mind naturally wanders away from the mantra (or your breathing) so you gently bring your mind back.
Don’t try to clear the mind, don’t let it just flow. Just keep returning to the breath or the mantra, gently.
use the force…
To meditate, first hear the sounds of nature around you. This may be hard if you are in an office block but try. Next control your breathing. Take deep breaths for a minute. Then try to start clearing your mind. If you have trouble, just listen to the natural elements around you.
It is important to stay in the moment, if you let things flow you might get caught up in a day dream and forget about living moment from moment.
Meditation is not supposed to be arduous. It isn’t goal oriented. I just sit quietly, aware of everything around me, but letting go through me. I put scant attention on my breath. If I get lost in thought I simple label it “thinking” and return to my breath.
Never forget to treat yourself with unconditional friendliness.
Try a mantra.
Just let things flow. Don’t kick yourself when random–or not-so-random–thoughts pop in. Just acknowledge that they are there, and then let them drift away.
I like meditating on something that moves–a candle flame, the second hand of a clock, random images in the corner of a TV screen with the sound all the way off. This engages your attention and gives your eyes something to do, which beleive it or not goes a long way toward letting your mind empty!
With practice, your mind will eventually be able to let thoughts slip right away and become like a still pond, but this may take a year or more of practice. Don’t be discouraged–just keep practicing. Start with ten-minute intervals, and work your way up to about thirty.
Good luck! And blessed be.
Don’t try to force thoughts out of your mind, as this just adds to what you are trying to get rid of, if that makes sense.
For me I use a cd of the sea, just the sound of water gently enables me to let go of the daily stresses. I also use a candle to focus on, looking into the flame.
And after a while I found that I do not need to look at the candle as I now see it in my minds eye and focus on that. Some use incense to get the same effect.
Do what feels right for you. Start by doing meditation for 5 Min’s a day, then you will find that the 5 Min’s has extended to an hour without you really having to try.. It is something that gets easier with practise.
From what I have read, you have to balance with a little bit of both. Some thoughts will refuse to leave until your mind is done with them. Others, you can easily brush off. So thoughts that seem persistent or stubborn, give a moment to ponder then try to clear your mind again. If you find the same thought popping up over and over, it might be the very thing you are supposed to meditating on.
*edit*
If you are running into the same problem whenever you go to meditate, it might help you to write in a journal, allow it to be released from your mind. It is a very helpful practice.
Despite what other people have said it is possible to clear your mind, it just takes some effort. Just focus on your breathing in and out, visualize the air flowing from outside into your mouth/nose into your lungs and then out of your lungs then out of your mouth/nose. By focusing on a naturally occurring process you can eliminate all inner thought and truly be in the moment (zen), just try it out for say 15 minutes. You will be amazed at the peace and relaxation felt when you acheive zen through meditation.
Hope this helps
Good luck meditating
If I find my mind is wandering a bit too much, like I get to a point where I’ve forgotten I’m meditating altogether, then I reign myself in and focus on clearing my thoughts more forcefully. But no, the idea is to let them flow, but not to the point that they gum things up. Think of a slow moving river and your thoughts are logs on that river. It’s okay to look at each individual log, just don’t stop it to look at the underside of it, you know? Cause that’s counter-productive to meditation, it isn’t calming or soothing.