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In my own personal studies of self-development in spirituality and psychic ability, I've come to cope with the fact that meditation is a central part to make function your psychic abilites (as well as other things, such as spells).

Yet, I've come across stumbling blocks.

My head is way to restless. Its come to the point where not a second goes by when I'm not thinking of something or being distracted by my own thoughts. ... Music, art, a scene from a movie, a daydream, self-ponderings, college work, etc. Music is perhaps the biggest of them all, since its my No 1 passion, AND I've been composing audio/digital compositions on my computer for the last 4 years!

I'm sure you seasoned veterans of meditation have gone through many difficulties in this area, and I was wondering if you had any tips or pieces of advice. ... What are the best practices for meditation, and whats the best way to tune out the corporeal world?

Um my best advice i have to say is go sumwhere u feel relaxed at...sumtimes when i need to meditate i go to my bathroom its quiet and peaceful, and not as much noise and lighting isnt messing with me as much.

I had the same trouble as you dear friend. I found that when I was learning how to meditate I needed to be total relaxed. I practiced by laying on a sleeping bag in the middle of a noise free room with no lights on. I lit a lavendar scented candle. I also rubbed lavendar massage oil on my temples with my eyes closed and done breathing exercises.

you know i can not sit down and stop thinking for 2 seconds to meditate. I have tried over and over and over again and I just can't do it. my mind races all day and even at night it is hard to fall asleep because of it.

in some respects this is alot like exercise. start slow and just try to notice when your mind wanders. try and meditate on one thing, water, a flame, a leaf give that a shot.

I agree with focusing on an object at first. What worked for me in the past was to take a large sheet of black poster board and draw a small white circle in the middle (using a compass.) The circle I used was probably the size of a dime. Sit so you see the nothing but the black background and the white circle. Then just focus on the dot and try to calm your mind.

As a side note some have told me they have better luck with a black dot on white poster board.

part of it is diet bro.....eat to live not live to eat...and the other is time you need at least 36hours of un retainable time......then it will start to clear.

I wish there were meditation calsses , because I for the life of me am nt able to relax and focus enough... My mind goes nuts al the time. Plus im on a Army base no wuiet EVER.... So lately ive given up trying.. Good luck to you hope you have more success then i have.

It took me over 6 months to do it. It was well worth the time and effort I put into it. Now I can meditate anywhere. I have learnt to block things and obstructions from my mind. Maybe starting a meditation group in your home, with those who are serious about also learning to meditate. Light candles, and do a opening prayer of only the Higher and the best come into your meditation, then a ending prayer of thanks. I have attend meditation classes, music is good, as well as dim lights. If you decide to start a meditation group you will find it helps raises one's energy also to be able to help relax. Good luck.

Have you ever tried astral projection. It's a lot like meditation and can be more threraputic than meditation.

Be careful though as it can be a little dangerous if you don't do it right.

If you think about doing it, either message me so i can direct you to some great reading material about it first, or have a look around for some information.

Mener

Steadily practicing at it.. regardless.
Force yourself to stay and spend the time.
Focus on something simple.. to still your mind...
A picture..... I like candle flames....
no radio or tv in a closed room .. until you can do it without problems racing in.
eventually the whole world willbe going on around you and you won't notice.. only time does that.

I am going to agree with several others and say, too, that it takes time and practice. I know of a lot of people that use some sort of flame to focus on and to help calm there mind. Not only does the flame stay steady, but you can also use it to "melt" away everything that comes racing in. I, myself, like to listen to thunderstorm CDs while I am meditating. The best advice that I can give about choosing something to help you relax, is to choose something that is symbolic to you and that you can use to help calm your mind. Try to think of something that you have seen, heard, smelt, touched, and so on as a kid and now that no matter what is going on in your mind or life that just seems to automatically calm you and brings peace to your mind. It will be different for everyone, so a little thought on this could go a long way in helping you relax. Other than that, just keep trying and practicing and everythign will fall into place sooner or later. Carpe Noctem

I have a very restless mind, my mind races and I constantly think. Meditation has actually helped me with this.
Find a comfortable position, close your eyes, make sure there's no distractions[sound especially]...I usually start out with picturing myself as one with the world around me, picturing everything coalescing into one big canvas...
I picture the "canvas" turning white, and focus on the blankness, clearing my mind. When a thought comes, I shove it away, and keep doing that until it's automatic.
It takes time to get used to.

I have the same wandering mind problem but I have found that meditation settles my mind, my soul.

One of the things I had the most trouble with was the constant stream of internal chatter. Finally someone told me to not stress about the thoughts as that would make them continue longer. "If you have any thoughts, let them drift through your mind, like beautiful clouds across a clear blue sky, just through your mind and away from you..."
It still took a little while, but it worked.

I have the same problem with trying to meditate, JLDarkie. I work nights and sleep days, so it is hard for me to get to sleep many times. I have tried many of these techniques, and one that I find that helps is, when I lay down, and get comfortable...which can take 30 mins...haha. I try to vision myself as a rock in a river with water genltly rolling over me. It seems to help me relax some. It is just a thought. Maybe it would help you as well. Good luck.

Light a candle in the middle of a dark room and focus...focus on the flame.... hats what helped me out

I will disagree with others about time and practice. Meditation is a form of clear thinking that anyone can do, do not let others discourage your way of doing things. Advice would work, but do not let judgemental issues bypass and cloud your train of thought.

Just be sure that you are alone, with or without music, which ever you feel most comfortable with, a candle if you feel the need, likewise with incense. Just close your eyes and imagine the most comfortable place you would either love to be, or have been. Like that of a grassy knoll, near a river...At the edge of a waterfall...Which ever you wish.

Let nothing discourage you, like simple sounds...They are there for a reason. To let your mind wander, take these sounds as things that may come to be, or daily life that is...Just don't let the chaos of life confuse you...Simply work with it.

Another good suggestion is not deemed by me, or legal, but Cheech and Chong do it all the time...I would try this as well...Who knows. Differant people have differant styles.

i think it does take practice and time, but it may also be that you are under a lot of stress i found once i learned to leave go of the stress and be more positive it was very easy to achieve the state that i wanted to be at

go some were were its quiet clear your mind of all thoughts imagine it as their is nothing but black no sound no feeling no touch no smell and begin

You can try using something to focus your eyes on. Such as a candle flame allow yourself to become mesmerized by it. I find this useful when I can't shut down my mind. Or try a mandala :)

Do one thing on your mind, then say time for me. Light a candle the flame helps calm u. Try a different spot. Hope this helps

A meditation cd may help you also...as well as soft music.

Rightly applied phisical excerscise would bring the so desired contentration in to your mind.

Thats why Yoga excerscises are there.

But you dont need to do that.

A simple 5k run would do the trick as well.

Definitely go somewhere quiet, with music that relaxes you; I go to the beach to a quiet area, close my eyes, let the waves be a calming force for myself. If you live with someone, make sure they understand that you need your quiet time

I feel as if I am going to repeat what others have said already. Go to a place that is quite and noise free. A place that you will not be disturbed by light or any other distractions.

When I first began trying, I went to a quiet place in the park, I found for myself, being around trees, and a creek, and animals, helped me relax to the point, I was able to meditate. It is differnt for everyone, you just really need to find what works for you.

I try to mediate the same time everyday, the same place. Make sure the place u mediatate in is yours and yours alone.So no other energy or outside interference comes in to distrupt you.I think having one's own personal place is most important, its kinda of like yer safe place, and i think the mind comes to realize that as well and its becomes easier to slip into a meditive state.When all around is a comfort zone.
Also ,when i can't turn my brain off, I go thru the colour wheel trick..for me I use a rose but u can use whatever mental image u wish. I visualize a rose of bright yellow and then watch it go to orange, to red, green, blue.purple..etc..darker and darker until thats all u are thinking about is the colour.And it may take a while at first ,sometimes i have to stop and then come back and try again.so dont' get frustrated ,it will happen.

I believe if you set aside a certain time in a certain place each day if will help with meditation, it helps you mentally know that something is always constant in your life wich will relax you more on it's own

I think everyone has there own way of meditation , you just have to find what works for you and go with it :)

I can not meditate. My mind is always going. My thoughts go a million miles a second. I can't calm my mind down enough to relax.

I've had the same trouble with a racing mind. What worked for me is breathing. Focused breathing, counting while you're doing it until it becomes automatic, rhythmic.
A dark quiet room.. no lights or dim lights.. (candlelight for me). No phone, make sure you're not likely to get disturbed (kids, neighbors etc). Incense can sometimes help relax you but nothing too heavy with perfume type smells.
Sit in a position you're comfortable in.
And breathe.
Inhale to the count of 4, hold for the count of 4, exhale to the count of 4.
Practice this until you can get that rhythm without conciously counting. Then maybe add visualization. Imagine positive energy entering your body when you inhale and negative energy exiting as you exhale. ( I actually visualized little + and - signs for this but whatever works for you hehe) ..
My last exercise after I got comfortable with the breathing exercises were scenario visualizations. Rolling meadows, a clearing in the deep woods.. that sort of thing.. and now I can go there immediately when I meditate.
Do it at the same time, in the same place, every time you do it and soon your mind will be already in tune with what you're doing when you set out to meditate.
Everyone is different..but that's what worked for me :)

eastern practitioners use Zen questions as an aid to meditation. the whole point of them is that they are hypothetical questions to which there is no true answer, so they help the mind to concentrate on nothingness.

the most famous example is "if a tree falls in a forest and there is nobody there to hear it, does it make a sound?" unfortunately, that is a bad example, because the most obvious reply is "of course it bloody well does - if you dont believe me set up a tape recorder then play it back later." my reply is "if there was nobody there, how do you know it fell?" and then i will demand to know where this forest is, and when did the said tree fall. to which the master replies "it's hypothetical - it exists only in the mind" so i reply "then if you want it to make a sound - it does."

another zen question is "what is the sound of one hand clapping?"

perhaps the best zen exercise is to sit and try to think of better zen questions than the old Masters did.

i think about this sort of thing way to much.

i find that the perfect insence workd wonders!

I am also restless. I have to really focus on my breathing, it calms me down and everything I was thinking about before vanishes, for a while at least. I need more practice though..

I have seen numerous posts saying do this or do that. Those methods work for them and they may work for you. But, one thing that I have discovered recently after i posted the first time, is that everyone is different. Each person needs to find their own way of doing things that work for them. I found a site that may help you get past your stumbling blocks as well as others that are having troubles with meditating as well. The site link is: http://www.meditationsociety.com/ and it has very good steps and advice for the beginner, advanced, expert, and master meditation stages. They also have, as you will see in the site directory, 108 different meditation technique's. If you are still having troubles, check out this site and see what it can do for you. It has helped me, and several others that I have already recommended, tremendously. Hope this new information helps you and anyone else who goes to see what this site has to offer. Carpe Noctem

i always have to have something to look at myself. i'm the same way i have a mind that doesn't stop but i found that if i focuse on something i calm down and start to clear.

I always have the same problem that you have so I'm totally in sympathy with you there. I find it really difficult to relax my mind enough to let the meditation actually work. I've tried lots of different techniques and some of them kind of work, I just have to find the right one for me. I think it's also a matter of practice as well, the more you do it the better you'll get at it.

Try to use sum white sage, candle and a crystal to block out everything bad and to keep your body inline as you do your meditations. those 3 things should help out alot and even if you are trying to intune your psychic powers.

My best meditation comes after a massage and hot bubble bath. Then I am so relaxed nothing can get in my way. I also sometimes meditate in the bath. It has been very helpful to me as I always have a racing mind.

When I meditate, I lite a candle turn off the lights and listen to calming music. There are alot of good meditation cds out there. Find one that you like and try it.