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Jun 19, 2010, 11:37 PM
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Member Since: Mar 2008
Location: In a state of constant anxiety
Posts: 393
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Every once in a while, I'll start up meditating again (I say start up because every time I try to make it a daily or even weekly ritual, it doesn't ever last, hehe...). But it can be VERY relaxing once you get the hang of it.
But first of all, we are all different; no one way works for absolutely everybody. Some find repeating a phrase is the most effective way (such as chants like "om" or "ham-sa", or even self-affirming phrases or things like "I am relaxed" or "I am calm", etc....). Others prefer counting, like counting down from five after each inhale/exhale (I actually don't ever use this method, so I'm not really sure which numbers are best to use to count with...). Some like just focusing on the sound of their breathing. Others, myself included, like to use visualization to assist in meditation. I find that guided visual meditations from audio recordings or podcasts are more effective for me than consciously trying to come up with something to visualize on my own, though both work fairly well for me. And visualizations can be a number of different things, like imagining you are in a peaceful place, or putting a bit of imagery with breathing (for example, I like to imagine my breaths as the rise and fall of ocean waves). There are other methods I don't really know that much about that work great for some people, but my advice would be to try out different methods until you find one that works for you.
The trouble most everybody has with meditation is that we always have about a million different thoughts running through our mind at one time. It's uber easy to lose focus and become distracted by a passing thought, and this can get really frustrating at first. I find that when a thought makes you lose your focus, simply accept that thought. Don't dwell on it, but don't try to force it out of your head either; that just makes it even harder to let go and even more frustrating to deal with. But accept the thought, accept that you've thought the thought, and simply return to whatever method you were using to maintain focus. The thought might still hang around for a bit, but again, don't try to force it out, because it won't work. Accept that the thought is there, and patiently bring your attention back to whatever you were doing to focus. Eventually, the distracting thought will go away on its own.
That's all the advice I have for now... There's a lot of books and internet resources to look at for meditation help; Google is a lifesaver. Good luck! 
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