How can I get myself to take my mind off things when I want to meditate?
I want to meditate to relax my mind and relieve stress, but I have the hardest time focusing! Once the room goes quiet and I close my eyes, I’m able to clear my mind for like a few seconds and then I start to think about work, family, finances, etc. I can’t keep my mind from wandering no matter how hard I try! Any suggestions or am I just hopeless?
Try counting or saying a mantra.
They give your mind something to focus on.
use a candle and just focus on the flame, or listen to some music by enya.
im not an expert on this.. but i get really relaxed when i think about the beach or something i really enjoy
hope i helped =D
Focus your mind on relaxing music and see with that help
Keep visualizing a white board, like a movie screen. Every time a thought some through pretend it’s on the board and wipe it off. Concentrate on keeping the board clear.
You can go through every part of your body, from you feet up, and concentrate on relaxing every muscle, and be sure to have something to meditate about, if you just sit there, your mind will wonder. The theory of time travel kept me up for 4 hours one night, i just sat there and thought about it.
The “trick” if you will…to meditation is not think of “nothing” (that is impossible), but to focus solely on one thing, until your mind is completely relaxed. Meditation teachers tell people to focus on their breathing, and nothing else (in the nose, out the mouth). Eventually your breathing technique will go on autopilot and you will end up in a deeply relaxed state of mind. An entranced “day-dream” so to speak.
The idea is to narrow your mind to a single thought, then releive your mind “accidentally” of that thought as well. Sort of like falling asleep, while staying relativley conscious.
i would say you have to train yourself to let go of everything and relax. it takes a little time to be able to just sit down and completely relax. i try to focus on a single point infront of me and nothing else and once im relaxed and focused i just entertain one thought slowley at a time as they come up. almost like im outside of everyting observing it. its a good way to relax. hope that helped
I have been a meditation teacher for over 5 years, and I think it helps to remember that this is a “practice” It took me 7 months of regular meditation classes in acupuncture school before I was able to quiet my mind at will.
The best teachers always reminded me to “just let a stray thought go”. It’s important to not berate yourself during this early stage of learning by telling yourself you suck at meditation and you’ll never be able to focus. Rather, simply acknowledge the thought and let it go.
Also, it is best to have guided meditations, like a qi gong tape, at first. If you just try to sit there and go “Ooooommmm” at first, you’ll likely be bored and fail.
not hopeless at all – i think you just haven’t learned that the REAL key is not worrying about the ‘stuff’ in your mind.
Peace+
The mistake your making is the room needs to have some focus.Play meditation music, or some music with a repetitive theme, burn incense, make sure there are no draughts. Sit upright in a straight-backed chair, so your spine is straight. Or assume full lotus position on floor. These positions ensure the Psychic spine is in a straight line so power flows through.Your focus needs to be on the music. Other meditative aid is looking at a Mandala or object. Focus with open eyes, then closing eyes and retaining image.Transcendental Meditation requires you to chant- Maybe a repeated phrase-Sleep, sleep, sleep. The other thing you need to remember,don’t worry it takes time. The very fact of doing it, leads to some form of relaxation.My friend does his meditation in another way. He puts ear-plugs in his ears, and meditates on the silence. Good Luck!
First off think of your main stress issues(work,family,freinds,ect.) Now picture yourself throwing away those issues in a dumpster then closing it.This is a great way to get issues off your mind before meditation.
I find guided meditation CDs really helpful… they give your conscious mind something to focus on. Steve Pavlina has a write-up on some good ones on his blog at.
Try zazen. In this you meditate with your eyes partially open so your mind does not start showing home movies.
I founded the Lotus Sangha here in Ellensburg three years ago, and I wrote a Zen brochure to introduce new meditators to Zen.
I posted the brochure to my Yahoo 360 blog on January 8th if memory serves.