Clear the Mind For Thinking

[englishcrap]

Can anyone recommend any good meditation techniques, exercises they perform to clear there mind ?

Life has become rather stressed for me. That I often find myself thinking of too many things, at once which is getting in the way of my social life.

 

[Dover]

A trick my psychology professor taught me is this...

its called 5,4,3,2,1

the premise is that you dont usually focus on your surroundings and are too caught up in anxiety. Odds are, nothing terrible is happening to you at any given instant so by reconnecting yourself with your surroundings, you calm yourself down and relax. It takes away anxiety.

Start off by breathing really deeply. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Breathe from your stomach, and feel it fill your belly.

Once youve done this for 30 seconds or so, start the excersize by saying 5 things you see, then 5 things you hear, then 5 things you feel.

Example...

5. I see my guitar in the corner
4. I see a computer speaker
3, 2, ... etc. til 1.

then

5. I hear some cars outside
4. I hear some noise from my roommates headphones.
etc.

then

5. I feel my the collar of my shirt against my neck.
4. I feel the carpet beneath my foot.
etc. to 1

Then you repeat this with 4 times through of each. Then 3 times til finally you say one thing you see, one thing you hear and one thing you feel.
Try to pay really close attention to your surroundings, especially on the hear and feel parts. You'd be surprised how much stuff is going on right now around you that youre not paying attention to.

The first time I tried this I got so relaxed I could hardly stop myself from breaking out laughing.


Give it a shot, let me know if it works for you

 

[thefonz]

this is weird, i was actually gonna a start a thread on what meditation techniques everyone was using but here we are so......the most basic meditation i guess is to take islands in the day to focus on how you're body is doing and heal the hurt parts through you're breathing......breath in to the area underneath your bellybutton and focus on everything you're body is doing, try not to this when drowsy

Dover I will try that

 

[englishcrap]

Dover,

Will give this exercise ago thanks.

Yes, I really think its important to beable to clear your mind and think on your feet without their having to have internal distractions.


I am seriously considering taking up yoga at the local gym. I have been told that playing chess actually stimulates certains areas of the brain which remain dormant.

Any of you guys heard this ?

Originally posted by thefonz
this is weird, i was actually gonna a start a thread on what meditation techniques everyone was using but here we are so......the most basic meditation i guess is to take islands in the day to focus on how you're body is doing and heal the hurt parts through you're breathing......breath in to the area underneath your bellybutton and focus on everything you're body is doing, try not to this when drowsy

Dover I will try that

 

[MoveYourAss...]

about chess: I met a natural DJ once who actually triggered this interest in me, he showed me that things are actually possible I merely dreamt about.
He was a heavy pot smoker & consciuosly used playing chess to keep his abilty to concentrate.

I tried this myself, but it's not my thang, both chess & weed, although he latter can help you to expand your mind if you're not used to feeling relaxed anymore for a long time. Only very small doses for this prupose or you loose too much focus, at least thats my experience. I stopped since I want to relax MYSELF, but it was useful for me at the beginning.

About the exercise: good one, here's a short version for everywhere & anytime:
1.breath in (deep, belly) and say to your self: "intellect"
2.breath out (let this simply happen, only in the end it might be useful to kinda bring your bellybutton near your back)with "feeling"
3.breath in with "sensation"
4.breath out with "intuition"

works well for me, originally found it in a book of J. Selby about breathing, but it's not quite the original which I forgot.

Check it out,
MoveYourAss... and your brain will follow.

 

[Dover]

That chess thing is interesting. My uncle's always been a chess prodigy and he's one of the most chill people ive ever met.

However, a lot of really excellent chess players are highly paranoid. Its definitely worth a shot though. I used to play a couple times a week and I'd find myself able to think things through better. A close game of chess is one of the most mentally exhausting things ever though, it got really tiring.

 

[Gus]

There's a million meditation techniques. The ones I use are:

1. Say the words "breathe in, breathe out" as you breathe, and focus on the feeling of your breath coming into your nose, down the back of your mouth, and into your lungs...after a few minutes it'll put you in a trance.

2. Close your eyes and watch the patterns that form.

3. Visualize something. Anything. Preferrably something that you want to do, improve on, heal, etc.


Oh and a big tip that helped me with meditation: don't get all pissed off when thoughts creep in--that only makes them worse. Just imagine that they're a passing car and watch them fade out as quickly as they came in. Be patient with your mind--the second you become impatient is the second you ruin the meditation.

 

[ApocalypseCow2]

Originally posted by Dover
That chess thing is interesting. My uncle's always been a chess prodigy and he's one of the most chill people ive ever met.

However, a lot of really excellent chess players are highly paranoid. Its definitely worth a shot though. I used to play a couple times a week and I'd find myself able to think things through better. A close game of chess is one of the most mentally exhausting things ever though, it got really tiring.

I play chess a lot, and it can be exhausting. It's not uncommon to hear about the great masters having mental breakdowns or collapsing after matches.

I wouldn't recommend *forcing* yourself to play chess if you don't like it. You won't get much out of it. But if you do enjoy it, there are lots of places to play online. You can play free as a guest on the Internet Chess Club.