BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Meditation Distractions while Meditating

How do you handle distractions while meditating--Particularly distracting thoughts? I have a quiet location and comfortable surroundings, but. . .

Edited title 3/3/05 - Susan Kramer

Hi Rita,

Yes, thoughts continue in a steady stream. I think of the situation like I am sitting in the bleachers, and the thoughts are a parade of floats passing by.

I bring myself back to attention within by beginning to count my breaths again like this: breathe in count 1; breathe out count 2; breathe in count 3; breathe out count 4; and continue.

By the combination of breathing evenly, and counting my breaths, I get the mind-body benefits of calming down my mind, and resting my body.

Try this out as an experiment and let me know how it works for you!

Susan

Thanks Susan!!!

I assume that with mantra meditation,just re-focusing on the mantra is a method. I am a beginner and this seems somewhat of a challenge, (but worth it like anything else).

Thanks again

Yes, mantra repetition will also lasso in those thoughts running everywhere!

You are right about perseverence; doesn't it seem that anything worthwhile takes some time and energy. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have found that guided meditation with a tape or cd is most helpful to me. When I'm meditating I turn off the phone, close my door,
put in my tape and follow the instructions exactly. I have lowered my blood pressure enough to get off prescribed drugs. It has also been helpful for sleeplessness...not for me but for others I know. I can sleep anywhere anytime and have always been that way..

I particularly like waves and waterfalls...

Hi Roni,

I also like guided meditation tapes - I really do relax. I used them with my kids growing up and they were able to get centered again.

My favorite way to rest without sleeping is to lay down and listen to classical music. It is both restful and uplifting to me. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hello, I'm new here and hoping someone can add some information to a problem that is really bugging me. I've been practicing meditation for a about a year now. Recently I've had a problem that is beginning to upset me. The first occurance of this problem was unconnected to my meditation. About a year or so ago I found my self waking up every hour on the hour whith a loud strange beep in my head. At first I thought it was something electronic in the house like a phone or clock or something. I was certain that this sound was 'inside my head' sort of a 'bweeeeep' or 'pweeeeep' sound. Anyway I still checked out everything in my house, the phone the clock all things electrical and couldn't find anything that would have caused the sound. This carried on for a few days every now and then (not everyday) during a two week period then stopped. Now, recently I've been getting the same sound everytime I meditate and reach a deeply relaxed state. I find this very unsettling and it immediately brings me out of my meditative state. The sound most certainly is electronic sounding, very loud and unsettling and always when in a deep relaxed state. I can affirmatively say its in my head, there is no external source in my house or room that can make this sound. Now have anyone of you come across anything like this? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Hmmmmmm, sounds like it could be tinnitus?

This page is informative:

http://www.ata.org/about_tinnitus/

Take care -

Thanks for the link Susan. I'll have to do some more digging on this. The thing that bothers me about this sound is its distinct electronic sound. I can only describe it as non-organic if that makes any sense.

Thanks

It does - I have bouts with it, also, and I agree - it does sound electronic - like from an electric synthesizer, to me.