[Hedgeleaf]

Has anyone ever tried meditating as a way to deal with emotions etc and find peace within yourself and just relax etc?

I've heard that some therapists recommend it (I've never had therapy) but don't know where to start or what to do really.

I was wondering if there are any iPhone apps or anything as a guide to mentally get yourself in that meditation state?

Help or tips would be great!
Thanks for reading

[Serzen]

Sit in a comfortable position, with your back straight. I use a zafu, but if you don't have one you can use a pillow. You can also sit in a chair or sofa.

Pay attention to your breathing or whatever object you want. You can also concentrate on compassion, for example. Thoughts will arise. Let them go. Go back to the object.

Start with just 15 minutes a day.

It is not about not thinking or having a blank mind. Do not expect anything. There are no good or bad meditations. They just are and each one is different.

Just be present. Here. Now.

[Hedgeleaf]

Thanks for the response

So literally just sit and visualise and object and just focus my mind on that?

Sorry if that sounds really dim, I've never tried it

[Serzen]

Originally Posted by Hedgeleaf

Thanks for the response

So literally just sit and visualise and object and just focus my mind on that?

Sorry if that sounds really dim, I've never tried it

It is about focusing. But do not overdo or obsess over it. Just be present to enjoy the moment.

[nervous puppy]

You might want to check out Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). I just started doing that about 4 or 5 months ago. It's made a big difference in my awareness of my state of mind.
I asked my therapist about "mindfulness" because it seems to be the latest buzzword in business and it keeps coming up at work. She suggested that I read "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It is a hard read (because it is so information dense), but it was worth it. I also downloaded the CD's with it. There are other books, but I have not read any others yet, so I can't say much about them.
I have been trying to keep up practicing daily for at least 20 min.
I prefer 45 min, but I'll take 15 min if that's all I can get. Thing is, I try to do it every single day. I have found I need to. On days that I don't, I'm much more reactive to situations that come up.
It's also helping me with therapy, and it's a bonus that my therapist is one who also practices meditation. So I have her for questions and encouragement.
I was able to find a local group that meets once a week, and they are MBSR based.
It is working for me and my H has also seen the changes in me since I've started.

I hope you find what works for you.

[Serzen]

Wherever you go, there you are by Jon Kabat-Zinn is also a good recommendation to read.

This article lists 5 guided meditations that are on YouTube that are rated highly. I haven't tried all of them myself.

If you search on YouTube, there are thousands of guided meditations. You kind of just have to look until you find ones that you like.

I respond well to certain types of meditation "exercises" and not so well to others. I like breathing-focused ones and sleep ones and "Leaf on a Stream" ones to name a few.

I think that it's easier to use guided meditations when you first start. I have only started doing meditation again after several years of not doing it. I find that if I like a meditation, and I make it a routine, that the benefit from it increases with time.

It's sort of like exercise or most habits in that respect. I was surprised to find how my mind becomes "trained" to respond to the guided meditations after using them for a while.

If using the meditation leads you to relax or stop thinking about something that's bothering you or to go to sleep, pretty soon your body and brain will start to associate that particular meditation with what usually happens when you do it. (I seem to be stuck with a sleep one at the moment that I'm kind of tired of, but it works so well that I guess I'll stick with it.)

I try to kind of just use my judgment about the guided meditations I choose from YouTube. Sometimes I really don't like the content of the meditation itself or I don't like the person's voice, so I won't use that meditation.

If you decide you want to practice meditation and you decide you'd like to try it with a group of people, you'll probably find Meetup groups and other free types of meditation groups near where you live.

[Thunder Bow]

Also research meditation CDs and downloads on the internet. There are big variety of them out there.

[DBTDiva]

This book is awesome http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Pl...dp_kinw_strp_1
It talks about mindfulness meditation which is focusing on nothing but the breath. It's helped me a lot. If I stop meditating regularly I start having road rage and being more irritable. There's other kinds of meditation, like mantra meditation, guided meditation, I started off with a CD "Guided meditation for healing" by Deepak Chopra and I like it but I also really enjoy sati (mindfulness) meditation. And also hate it, lol, it's hard for me to sit still and focus, my mind races but that's the point of it, is to keep gently bringing your attention back to the breath when you realize you've wandered.

[DBTDiva]

DAY 1 - Professor Mark Williams - Learn Mindfulness & Meditation from 31 World Class Experts
This event just ended but the first session remains up and free. When I watched it I thought this would be a great introduction to someone who was interested but didn't know a lot about mindfulness meditation.

You are right, mindfulness is a big part of DBT and my therapist uses it in my CBT too.

I attend a yoga class which is more therapeutic and meditative concentrating on breathing rather than more physical activity. I have carried this on at home. I don't remember all the poses so I just make up my own - it's all about the mind right?

I don't use my cell phone, but rather a few of the music stations on my cable tv - the Spa, Cool Jazz, New Age.

When I used to live in and around a lot of green space, I would actively stop for short periods of time and simply soak in the nature and tune everything else out.