BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Meditation Count from 99 to 0

One of the exercises in my yoga book is to visualize a swan swimming across a lake - and to count down from 99 to 0. They wonder how far you can get before you lose track or get distracted.

I've seen this exercise in a number of books now so I gave it a try. I did get to zero! Once or twice a stray thought begin to flit into my mind, but I let it flit out again and stayed on my swan.

How far can you get? They claim the average beginner only gets to 96 before they have been distracted, which seems really odd to me ...?

I made it back to zero but I really had to stay with the visualization, in a way it reminded me of staying with a lucid dream that is going well.

I think it is a good practice for developing concentration to use in projects and for problem solving.

Meditation harmonizes body and mind and practices that develop concentration help out with japa - mantra practice.

Here's an article on the meditation site about japa with the mala ...

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Yes that's a great way to put it Susan!! It was exactly like that. I would feel my attention start to stray - the image became fuzzy - and I had to focus on it. I had to really imagine the legs going left, right, left, right. Then I would have the swan turn on each 10th one.

That's an interesting description, Lisa. About every 10th one I would imagine my swan as if it was ahead of me in the water in a different location on the lake. The practice was a challenge in concentration!

That's interesting about a different location. I can't visualize the background of my swan - just the swan itself. Now I'm having it change color every 10 Emerald green swan .... sapphire blue swan ...

The counting thing sounds really boring. I am always worried about being bored when meditating. Not that being bored is the worst thing in the world, but my active mind rears up like a bucking horse at the idea.

Maybe colors I could do. I like colors.

That sounds like it would be a great match for your artistic imagination!

Okay, colors are not working for me. I did try 'sinking into the ocean' and that seems to work best.

me and my ocean craving....

I would do better with a lake the ocean scares me. oh well i can't swim. i'll imagine the swan in the water and me on land watching it swim around ;o)

That sounds good for you Rosie! Have a nice umbrella over your head and a soft chair to sit in

Jill - you are definitely on an ocean kick! Oceans are your home

Yes, I am still doing the sinking into the ocean thing and it seems to be working (in my little itty-bitty beginner way).

Yes, I am still doing the sinking into the ocean thing and it seems to be working (in my little itty-bitty beginner way).