There are much types of meditation. As differently humans are, as individual can meditation be. For myself, I choose those ones which I think suits best for me.
Meditation means according definition of a Tibetan master: "Spirit, floating in space, nowhere."
When meditating it should be noted to cease control. Don't try to be particularly peaceful or exaggerated solemn. Drop the imagination that meditation must work equally well every day. Let yourself on to the medidation consciously and let your body and mind find themselves. This works on some days better than on others.
Meditation
- Being in silence
- Observing your breath
- Alignment to an object
- Recitation of a mantra
- Sounding
- Listen to music
Being in silence
Clearing your mind when your thoughts are circling, is especially difficult in silence. To banish thoughts isn't the point of this exercise. Rather, meditation is meant to redirect one's mind.
Observing your own breath is helpful. A busy mind is a silent mind. Whether you close your eyes or leave them open is a matter of taste. Important is a convenient sit to avoid distraction because of muscle tension or cramps.
For me, sitting on a yoga cushion is most comfortable personally. Who likes sitting cross-legged is welcome to do so. To create a closed energy circuit, the knees should touch the ground. The straighter the spinal is the more effecive is the exercise.
Now concentrate consciously to your own breathing. Watch yourself while breathing in and out. If this practice is to difficult for you, you move on to "doing".
Observing your breath
Breathe consciously with counting: 4 seconds inhale, hold your breath for 4 seconds, than 8 seconds exhale. The breathing frequence can be slowed gradually with advanced practice. The slower your in- and exhale, the more effective goes the body into a state of rest.
Over time, one get a feel for how long the periods of time feel, and there is no more need to count the seconds any longer. Who likes may slowly increase the difficulty with the number of exercises till you reach a breathing practice of 7 seconds inhale, 7 seconds holding and 15 seconds exhale.
When I performed this exercise first, I felt like suffocating. It was interesting to watch how my respiration improved by changing my inhalation and exhalation process. I was able to modify my respiratory behavior in such a way that I'm able now to carry out this exercise without any problems.
Increasing of the exercise: Close each nostril with your thumb or folded index/ring finger alternately.
In Tibetan Book of the Dead, the meditation in silence is described as follows: Let your breath flow meekly while exhale. Let your breath go consciously. Before inhaling, feel the gap that opens between the breaths. In this gap your mind shall rest between the breaths.
Alignment to an object
A Tibetan form of meditation is one with open eyes. Here an object is viewed and deepend in it. Therefor Tibetan scholars like to choose a picture of their master or of a statue of Buddha. Also it may be any object of natural beauty or special power that you love looking at or that is convenient for your eyes.
Let your mind rest on the object gently. Perceiving without naming - that means without describing the details of the object in your head with words - needs some practice. It's all about pure perceiving, wordless, to deepening into colors, features and shapes.
Recitation of a mantra
A mantra is the essence of sound. What is in Christianity known as praying the rosary and in Hinduism as repeating word syllables, in Tibetan means:
"This, what protects the spirit."
It is the embodiment of truth in form of sound, each syllable imbued with spiritual power. A mantra doesn't necessarily be an Far Eastern prayer. It can be any affirmation that I want to bring close to my subconscious or that is good for me.
Sounding
Singing Ohm or vowels is an example for chanting, the sounding in form of a powerful tone.
Therefor inhale deeply into your belly and than gently let your breath flow upwards through feelful slow retracting of your abdominal wall. A sonorous tone shall arise behind your palate without being squeezed through the throat.
Singing a vowel sonorously, you can feel the associated Chakra swinging. Try it once. Every time I am fascinated e.g. to feel the "U" in the Root Chakra and the "E" in the Third Eye Chakra.
The deep vibrating M of Ohm opens the Crown Chakra as if the top of the skull were unfolding.
While chanting you can vary the pitch higher or lower at will how you like, i.e. till sounding like a Gregorian Choral. While sounding I always have a lot of fun and the cats like it too.
Listen to music
The characteristic music lover's sitting in a grandfather's armchair with closed eyes and conducting forefinger while listening to music is one of the images that I remember from my childhood. That this is a form of meditation didn't occur to me then and I learned much until later.
To listen to music consciously is meditation. Therefor, any sort of music, whether classical, jazz, blues, and pop and rock either is suitable. Important is, to let the music work its magic on you, to devote yourself to it. Who is humming or singing while listening connects the hearing with sounding. Is there anything more enjoyable?