Meditation and Misc Resources?

Ashlen,

You’ve posed an impossible question to answer! Only you can determine the “right direction” for yourself. There are as many directions as there are people on the path. Your direction is and will remain unique for you. All the members of this community are on their unique journeys, and each is in a slightly different direction. Think of it as somewhat analogous to starting on a journey at the equator and your goal is on the exact opposite side of the globe, is east or west the right direction? Is north or south the right direction? It all depends on what appears to be the most direct and efficient method available at the time, but you must understand that what appears best at any one moment may turn out to be a dead end.

My best advice is for you to follow your curiosity and gut level instincts in whatever direction they may steer you. Your sub-conscious mind is a powerful ally; it will whisper subtle directions about when to turn, when to stop, when to go, you just need to listen carefully, as the “right direction” will then unfold before you.

The practice of meditation is an excellent tool to allow yourself to listen to all that is within you, so you have already made a decision in the “right direction” for yourself. In one sense you already have all tools necessary for your journey; you are now looking for the instruction manual on how to use them! This Forum allows you, me and others to relate the information that we have discovered on our individual journeys, some of it will be useful to you, some of it will not. In any event, keep yourself open to the world of possibilities and your path will become easier to find the next step in the “right direction”.

Good Vibes to You!

The practice of meditation is an excellent tool to allow yourself to listen to all that is within you, so you have already made a decision in the “right direction” for yourself.

That's the problem though, I don't know much of anything about meditation, but I want to learn about it. I really have no clue where to even begin to start learning about it.

I probably phrased my question a bit vague in the first post, I want to learn more about the basics of meditation.

theres endless information available online. however, i would still recommend picking up a book or two to be able to consult. i came across a little pocketbook called 'the path of insight meditation' that is a very bare bones, clearly written guide to meditation as a spiritual practice. i also recommend anything by eckhart tolle; he has numerous books available all of which can really help motivate you. its not about meditation per se, but provides a sort of alternate lifestyle philosophy

secondly, when learning something like this its important to take it slow. if you jump right in trying to meditate for an hour a day youre going to hurt your brain and loose interest. i started by doing 5 minutes a day seated in a chair. even that was enough to bring results after about a week. now i do 15 minutes 2-3 times per day and one group meditation meeting a week, and just like with aneros, there seems to be no limit to how far you can go. alot of the same language is used is both practices. one important shared concept is that expectations kill results- this is important to remember with meditation... good luck and i hope this helps