[James2128]

My mum likes to meditate a lot and she uses it to heal. She's a very spiritual person and has healed my sister a few times, I've been very interested in this sort of stuff for a while however when I ask her if she could help me or anything like that she's usually not got enough energy to help.

So I want to get into meditating, clearing chakras and all that good stuff on my own. Does anybody have advice for someone completely new to this all?

Thanks

[EnglishDave]

Hi James,

As with all things, the best way to learn is to be properly instructed. I do not know where you are in the UK, but you will find courses on Meditative Practices all over the Country. For personal preference I am drawn to Buddhist Practice and it is through Buddhism I learned to Meditate. Unconnected to myself, just on a quick Google Search I found many Centres, here is one in Birmingham:

Birmingham Buddhist Centre | meditation and buddhism classes & retreats

The Practice that immediately caught my eye that they teach is Breathing Meditation, a simple, yet powerful technique which can be mastered quickly with some commitment. This fends off feelings of disillusion. Look for Classes in this Practice at your chosen Centre.

You may find a wide range of fees for Meditation Courses. Private Centres charge, obviously, where many Buddhist Centres (as with my example above) only ask for donations to assist with the continued running of the particular Centre. There is, however, the additional Spiritual commitment and learning with regard to Buddhist Instruction.

You can learn to Meditate on your own, or online, but it is rarely as effective or as structured. One often flounders when things become hard or do not progress as expected. With Instruction one has guidance and support.

I wish you well on your Journey.

Dave.

[Skeezyks]

Hello Jame2128: I meditate. I do both sitting & walking meditation. However, my meditation practice is spare. I don't believe in chakras or auras, psychic healing, or any of that stuff. I consider all of it to be a distraction. For me, meditation is its own purpose sufficient unto itself. Unfortunately, the forest is riddled with pathways to nowhere. Yes, there are many books, websites, & what-have-you where you can learn various types of meditation. Do be somewhat cautious though. There are lots of false pathways out there.

At the same time, it is also important, once you find a pathway, a teacher, a tradition you feel good about to stay on that path, stick with that teacher or tradition for as long as possible. One mistake many seekers make is that they try a little bit of this & a little bit of that. And, in jumping around from one tradition to another, they never manage to progress at all. I wish you the best in your journey.

[Serzen]

Originally Posted by EnglishDave

Hi James,

As with all things, the best way to learn is to be properly instructed. I do not know where you are in the UK, but you will find courses on Meditative Practices all over the Country. For personal preference I am drawn to Buddhist Practice and it is through Buddhism I learned to Meditate. Unconnected to myself, just on a quick Google Search I found many Centres, here is one in Birmingham:

Birmingham Buddhist Centre | meditation and buddhism classes & retreats

The Practice that immediately caught my eye that they teach is Breathing Meditation, a simple, yet powerful technique which can be mastered quickly with some commitment. This fends off feelings of disillusion. Look for Classes in this Practice at your chosen Centre.

You may find a wide range of fees for Meditation Courses. Private Centres charge, obviously, where many Buddhist Centres (as with my example above) only ask for donations to assist with the continued running of the particular Centre. There is, however, the additional Spiritual commitment and learning with regard to Buddhist Instruction.

You can learn to Meditate on your own, or online, but it is rarely as effective or as structured. One often flounders when things become hard or do not progress as expected. With Instruction one has guidance and support.

I wish you well on your Journey.

Dave.

Depends on the persistence of the person. I do on my own and progress every day.

It's like any other thing, you need to practice daily.

[EnglishDave]

Originally Posted by Serzen

Depends on the persistence of the person. I do on my own and progress every day.

It's like any other thing, you need to practice daily.

Of course, you can take on Meditative Practice on your own. I was simply stating my opinion gleaned from nearly 35 years of Practice and the opinions of the majority of experienced Buddhist followers. You, yourself, would be surprised by how much you would learn from good instruction. Being self-taught at anything is rarely the best way, you have no frame of reference, no way of knowing what is possible, no chance to ask questions and have them answered.

Meditation seems to have become a bit of an In Thing, with everything online as shortcut. Perhaps this should better be referred to as Mindfullness, with the term 'Meditation' being left to a more Spiritual Practice.

Dave.

[Serzen]

Originally Posted by EnglishDave

Of course, you can take on Meditative Practice on your own. I was simply stating my opinion gleaned from nearly 35 years of Practice and the opinions of the majority of experienced Buddhist followers. You, yourself, would be surprised by how much you would learn from good instruction. Being self-taught at anything is rarely the best way, you have no frame of reference, no way of knowing what is possible, no chance to ask questions and have them answered.

Meditation seems to have become a bit of an In Thing, with everything online as shortcut. Perhaps this should better be referred to as Mindfullness, with the term 'Meditation' being left to a more Spiritual Practice.

Dave.

I am a Buddhist. And I don't agree about self-teaching.

[Serzen]

Also, there are many types of meditation, mindfulness being one of them.

And being that the case of meditation as you say, I am glad that it can reach much more people.

[James2128]

Thank you all for your replies

I'll be sure to look into centres and other places that can teach this sort of thing. As I said my mother knows about this so I guess I could ask her about any good places or teachers. I thought I'd ask for opinions because I know that like Skeezyks said, there are a lot of fake guides and whatnot online.

[EnglishDave]

James,

Skeezyks is exactly right with his summary of the pitfalls of finding one's Path. You have a great resource in your mum as she must have been Practicing for a length of time. I know you do not want to tire her, but general chats, asking whether she has any books you can read (highly likely) to see whether the two of you are of the same Fit will, I'm sure, please her.

Foreknowledge of any Teacher and their Methods is advised prior to commitment should you wish to tread a more Spiritual Path, over and above learning basic Meditation techniques. We ARE lucky in this Country that we are rather well protected in the Real World from extremes and charlatans by Laws. That does not mean they are not still out there. The best way to judge sincerity and suitability is to talk to people visiting any Centre or Temple you choose to attend. Be a good judge of character.

Dave.

[James2128]

Thanks Dave,

I don't wan't to rush into something like this as its quite a varied and meaningful topic so I appreciate your advice. I'll be sure to find the path that's right for me.

It would be unwise for me to not talk to my mother about it, I take after her for most things so we might be similar spiritually who knows. I'll be sure to talk to her about it

[(JD)]

I think your mom needs to learn or brush up on energy waste no, really. Giving such energy to another is very tiring, but she also might be allowing just any one to "steal" her energy if she is too open. I believe God gives us all we need for ourselves and to share for those in need. Maybe she needs to go back to the Source more often to maintain a living level of energy?
Perhaps you can with time learn to share your energy with her, and vice versa, as a starting point. Mindfulness does help to limit wasteful energy spending imo. Learning how to block an energy sucker is an important skill... you'll know who they are if you try to help (even here on the web) and give and give and give and they never progress---they just suck the energy out of people and go on.

Seven minutes a day. That's all that is required of the brain to clear and clarify what it is you want... no distractions etc... IF you worship and praise God that amount of time, (if that's Who you Believe in) then your benefits are compounded.

[emwell]

I was "accidentally" led to Mrsmindfulness.com
It was a great starting point for me.
The free summit is over, but there is still a lot of good information on her site.

[Fuzzybear]