Meditation is the only thing that has helped my chronic insomnia <3

I've been looking on more inf oon proper mediation- it's actually hard to let it all go and just be in the moment!!

I used to meditate every day, but now that I have 2 kiddies (one is only 6 months old) it's hard to find the time.  I miss it a lot.  It is such a wonderful way to get rid of any worries and just focus on being present.  My most memorable meditation experience was on a beach in Bali at 5am while the sun was rising.  I was on a months yoga retreat and it was pure bliss.

I had a teacher in grade school that meditated with us at the end of each school day and she walked us through scenario's like through woods and things then she would say that we came across an animal and then she would tell us to raise our heads then she would ask us to tell which animal we had seen. Im not sure what type of meditation that was but it was a nice way to relax at the end of the day, and forget about the homework we had for a little while :)

I meditate everyday and before I sleep it is very relaxing and with many benefits. Along with Yoga and raw organic foods I feel that meditation has allowed me to go further in life and on my spiritual healing path, thank you for sharing your meditation advice and stories!

Just like when we take a vacation to relax or fast to rest our digestive system. Meditation allows our body, mind and spirit to fully relax and rejuvenate in wonderful ways as well.

Eco Chef Bryan Au

http://www.EcoChefApp.com

My most favorite meditation book is Jack Kornfield's "meditation for beginners."  It was the first book on the topic that ever brought it all together for me.  And it comes w/ a CD of guided meditations that are phenomenal.  

I went to India before some years and ofcourse there you find meditation a lot. It is amazing that meditation is something very normal there and done by many daily. I went to a retreat in Dharamsale (where also the Dalai Lama lives) and this was for me a profound life changing retreat, i learned about different kinds of Buddhist meditation but also about compassion and respect. Views in Asia on these sunject are complete different than what i was used to in the Western world (the Netherlands) also the Ego and "I" is much different perserved than here.

I also heard about Vipassana mediation, this is real hard core meditation :) I did not do it in India but did two 10 days retreats here in the Netherlands for 2 years in a row. I cant explain in a few words what it is but for those of you are interested look here:

http://www.dhamma.org/

If you have a chance to go to one of their retreats I highly recomend it!

I teach my patients to meditate as a medical treatment. It is effective for a wide range of conditions especially insomnia and anxiety.

I'm excited to see a post on meditation!  I've been meditating for 6+ years and my study of meditation has taken me to many distant lands.  In this time, I've learned many things but in brief that:

Meditation takes many forms.  It can be a physical movement, a concretizing thought form, an emotional release.  It's usually a connection to ourselves and our higher selves.  It can also be a connection to thoughts and things that are outside ourselves.

There are also many uses for meditation.  It can be a way to use energy to evolve ones-self to make a positive difference in the world.  Or a way to help ourselves to grow and evolve through forces that are no longer positive in our lives.  It can be used to distribute energy to ideas, places, people, etc.  There are lots of ways to use meditation for positive benefits.

I meditate with friends from Energy Arts Alliance (energyartsalliance.com) monthly not only to connect to my higher selves and my own life's path and life's work, but to use energy to help facilitate positive change in areas of the world that need it, such as for the gulf oil spill.  Even though I live in CT, I am able to meditate with Energy Arts Alliance in Houston via the web. 

I consider myself very lucky to have found so many outlets to help evolve myself and the world ;) 

Loved the video. Thanks for sharing it all with us. Gosh it brought back so many memories of being in High School in '74 and transcendental meditation was all the rage. Of course there were many who felt it to be really out there and weird. But it was and is a great way to open yourself up to who you really are ;) Even my mom who was a HS teacher in the mid 60's said there was a fellow teacher who did TM and he could just go into it at any time or anywhere and he looked so peaceful. She said she knew he was no longer there only his physical body was. She said there were days she wished she could go where he kept going...lol....I found you once you really learn how to relax your body you can mediate anywhere and for as long or short a time as you want. I find I can go into a mediative state and still do my job at the same time just in a more relaxed way. But it takes time to get there so be patient. It's well worth the wait and journey. Enjoy the ride :)

Thanks for this insightful post, Christopher and Alicia!

I've had a Vipassana meditation practice for the last 10 years, but my practice really took off when I did a six-day silent retreat with qi gong, too. I'm lucky enough to live 45 minutes from Spirit Rock Meditation Center (Marin County, CA), where Jack Kornfield is one of the founders and frequent teachers (along with a whole host of other great teachers), so...I consider myself lucky to have that resource so close.

It's tough to sit daily, but as Alicia says, there's no excuse to not take 5-10 minutes first thing in the morning. And what a great way to begin your day! I tend to sit at night to clear my head so I can sleep better, but an old spiritual counselor suggested first thing in the morning for exactly the reasons Alicia mentions.

In 2007 I was lucky enough to get a blessing from H.H. the 17th Karmapa in Bodh Gaya, India, where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The story is kinda humorous, and really tested and deepened my practice. If anyone's interested in reading more about Bodh Gaya and my experience there, you can check out this link:

http://bit.ly/Ug5db (The link to my Karmapa piece is at the end of this short little article I wrote.)

For anyone interested in Buddhism, Bodh Gaya is a must-see (despite the difficult travel there). Feel free to contact me for more info if you're interested.

Be well!

I would love to share with all of you The Silva Method.  It is based on the findings of Jose Silva, a mastermind in meditation.  He has several courses available and lots of free stuff if you are interested and want to know more.  I find it much easier to go into the alpha state using the alpha sound recording he has and while there I visualize or "program" what I want to manifest into my life.  His daughter, Laura Silva has continued his work and there are many different guided meditations available.  Laura is even doing a four month summer course right now that would be perfect for beginners.  It's called The Silva Master's Circle and each day you log in and there is a training session and daily meditation's you can download.  This has changed my life and I encourage other's to check it out.  One of the courses is www.silvalifesystem.com and you can check out the other one's at the bottom of the page.  My favorite meditation is Burt Goldman's Daisy Pond...so relaxing!!!  If you join one of these courses you will have access to The MindValley Library where there is even more to discover...enjoy!

Thanks for the guest blog...I hope we see more! :) I don't "meditate" per se, but I have always been curious to try it, so thanks for bringing it up. How long were you able to meditate in the beginning? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? Do you get better at it as time goes on?

I love this post!  Thanks, Christopher!  

My life has changed SO much since I started a meditation practice (for the better) and I know my attraction to a vegan & macrobiotic diet has grown out of this.  I am still the same zany girl that I was 4 years ago- just with a little bit more space to not be as reactive.  

They way I see meditation is that it's like running.  You don't run  a marathon on your first day out, so don't set unreasonable goals for yourself.  If you can only sit for 2 minutes, great!  Go for 30 seconds more the next time.  Our brains are a muscle and they will learn the same way all of our other ones do!  

If you're interested in a great beginner's book, Awakening Joy by James Baraz (a teacher at Spirit Rock- where Molly M. mentioned above) is great!  He's a Vipassana style teacher, but no two are alike! He isn't "hardcore" (like S.N. Goenka has the reputation of being)- James is SO full of heart! 

My main meditation teacher is a Tibetan lama named Anam Thubten who wrote a book called, No Self, No Problem.  It's a fast read and cuts right to the chase. 

The style of meditation I practice does not discourage thinking- nor does it encourage it.  It's more just observing the thoughts as they come and go- like looking at art in a museum.  It's not about controlling the mind's actions (a mind's job is to think!), but just not to get caught up in all the stories the mind tells....just look at them.

Anyways, I'm no meditation teacher, but there are plenty of great ones out there.  Yay for that!  And, like Molly, I've been to Bodhgaya, India and had the blessing of meeting both HH Dalai Lama and HH Karmapa.  I encourage you to go if you feel called to.  

You don't have to go anywhere, however, to meditate!  It's free and it's freeing! :) "Don't just do something- sit there!"

I'm going to my first buddhism meeting in a week. I'm super excited, being a new mom and going to though some hard times, I'm looking for a way to clear my thoughts and rid my mind of some of the enemies in it. Thx for the post, now I'm even more excited