Today’s article is a continuation of the topic of meditation, and is devoted to meditation. What is meditation and why it should do, you can read here. And now I’ll show you how to do meditation and share my meditation experience.

I think we should start with how not to engage in meditation, because meditation is a serious psycho-spiritual exercise, so here is his own safety. In no case be engaged in meditation, if you have used before any alcoholic beverages and drugs, here are the same rules as for driving. I think to explain why we should not so clear. Also, do not meditate after lunch, breakfast or dinner, that is, on a full stomach. Of course if it does become a meditation, once before had a good meal, nothing bad will happen, just no meditation, you will get nothing and lose time. This is due probably to the fact that when the stomach starts to digest the food out of my head is blood flow, and meditation blood flowing to the opposite head. That is purely physiological; it turns out that when the stomach digests the food, the meditation can not be considered. On an empty stomach is not very well engage in meditation, because constant rumbling in my stomach and thought about something tasty, then it will distract your attention. It is best to be well fed and not hungry.

Now, how to meditate, it is very easy, just simply sit down in any quiet place and close your eyes, though you can not close, then, but meditating will be much harder.

Posture for meditation can be in any convenient position. (Although some Buddhist schools and schools of yoga say that meditation must be dealt with only in certain positions, I beg to disagree with them). My favorite position for meditation – it’s sitting on the couch (if at home) but if I do it in the park (or in the forest), then just sit on the ground, pre-something tucked under my ass, (usually it’s my backpack) and back leaning against the tree. About posture for meditation is an important point – the back should be flat, but since I have a tendency to slouch, I must necessarily back support.

So, find a quiet and peaceful place (when the weather is nice and warm I love to practice meditation in the park) sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, breathing should be smooth and quiet, and concentrating the mind on the mantra. That is the mantra I’ve written, but I repeat, mantra – a short thought on which we must concentrate our mind during meditation sessions. Mantras may be different, it can be any word, but it’s better when they are still have a spiritual sense. Buddhists use its popular mantra – Om mani padme hum. In Islam, the Sufi mystics during meditation constantly repeat Inshalah that the Arabic is translated as – for all the will of Allah. In Christianity, the Jesus Prayer, (in fact, the Jesus Prayer – this is a Christian meditation), which is the full version goes like this: Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. The short version of the Jesus Prayer may sound like the Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, or very briefly – Lord have mercy. All these words have great spiritual meaning, which certainly will, if we can instill in their hearts.

Word mantra is best to repeat out loud, then the mind will be easier to concentrate, but if you are uncomfortable, you can repeat them only to himself. In order to better focus the mind could be used such a thing as a rosary, shuffling which can significantly calm the mind. In Buddhism, too, are widely used beads, which are very similar to the Christian, the only difference – in the Buddhist rosary no crosses.

About the time classes in meditation, this should be at least 20 minutes for getting the result, but in general the longer the better. During meditation, the body can be all sorts of strange feelings, like I sometimes feel like a spaceship, in a state of weightlessness, often feeling like I’m upside down on the ceiling instead of the floor. These feelings are normal and should not be scared.

In general, meditation is active and passive. Passive – this is what I described above, when we just sit in a comfortable and quiet place and concentrate the mind on the mantra. Active meditation is, when we walk through the city, doing some of ours affairs, travel in a minibus, dig potatoes, write a computer program, drink tea, etc., and with all this we continue to concentrate our mind, repeating itself a mantra. Active Meditation is much harder to learn how to deal with, one must first master the passive. When we learn to control the minimum and focus your mind, then you can gradually begin to practice an active form of meditation in crowded and noisy places, like in an overcrowded minibus.

In the 18-19 century Orthodox monks, some monastery was charged with a requirement to create the Jesus prayer from morning till night, though the monks also do physical works, working in the garden, bake bread, do the housework. A similar situation was in a Buddhism Zen monastery Chinese and Japanese monks had to be constantly engaged in meditation, focusing the mind on the mantra and enlightened tutor also went with a big stick and if he saw a monk does not practice meditation, hitting the poor guy from the entire the soul with his stick. The method of tough, but effective, in most Zen monks attained enlightenment.

And finally, as always end up the talk about the two Buddhist monks, who were also great lovers still smoke cigarettes. Once the monks agreed that the teacher will ask for permission to smoke during meditation. The first monk came to the teacher and asked: “Can I smoke while meditating?”. Teacher said that it is impossible. After a while, the young monk of the monastery goes and sees the second monk calmly smoking his cigarette. And the young monk asks the second:
– Why do you smoke? Teacher banned smoking when I asked whether smoking during meditation.
– And Teacher allowed me smoking when I asked if I could meditate while smoking. – Second monk replied.