Category: Meditation

Osho on Meditation

Become the Clarity of the Cloudless Sky

“If you meditate on open unclouded sky, suddenly you will feel that the mind is disappearing, the mind is dropping away. There will be gaps. Suddenly you will become aware that it is as if the clear sky has entered in you also. There will be intervals. For a time being, thoughts will cease – as if the traffic has ceased and there is no one moving. In the beginning it will be only for moments, but even those moments are transforming. By and by the mind will slow down, bigger gaps will appear. For minutes together there will be no thought, no cloud.

To meditate on the sky is beautiful. Just lie down so you forget the earth; just lie down on your back on any lonely beach, on any ground, and just look at the sky. But a clear sky will be helpful – unclouded, endless. And just looking, staring at the sky, feel the clarity of it – the uncloudedness, the boundless expanse – and then enter that clarity, become one with it. Feel as if you have become the sky, the space.

But if it is not summer what will you do? If the sky is clouded, not clear, then close your eyes and just enter the inner sky. Just close your eyes, and if you see some thoughts, just see them as if they are floating clouds in the sky. Be aware of the background, the sky, and be indifferent to thoughts.

We are too much concerned with thoughts and never aware of the gaps. One thought passes, and before another enters there is a gap – in that gap the sky is there. Then, whenever there is no thought, what is there? The emptiness is there. So if the sky is clouded – it is not summertime and the sky is not clear – close your eyes, focus your mind on the background, the inner sky in which thoughts come and go. Don’t pay much attention to thoughts; pay attention to the space in which they move. Then the summer sky happens within.”

Excerpted from Osho, The Book of Secrets, Talk #49

What’s Your Meditation Type? (+ 5 Best Meditation Apps)

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Emma M. Seppälä Ph.D.
Emma M. Seppälä Ph.D. Feeling It

What’s Your Meditation Type? (+ 5 Best Meditation Apps)

Meditation’s all the hype. Find the type that’s right for you.
Source: Emma Seppälä

In recent years, both scientists and the popular press have touted the benefit of meditation for myriad health issues from depression to insomnia to chronic pain (see 20 scientific findings here). Ever tried it and it didn’t work for you? No worries, there’s more than one way to do it! You just have to find your type. Although mindfulness meditation is one of the more well-known forms of meditation, there are many other ways of practicing meditation. Find the shoe that fits!

Here’s a sampling of different types of meditation:

Mindfulness Meditation: Although the term “Mindfulness” can sometimes refer to the entire field of meditation, Mindfulness Meditation, at its origin, is a style of meditation that name involves paying attention to sensations, feelings and thoughts in a non-judgmental way. “Mindfulness-based” therapies and educational programs are springing up in clinics and schools across the country. Countless studies are showing that mindfulness meditation is beneficial for attention, memory and stress reduction.

Effortless Meditation: Mindfulness has received a lot of attention. However, a recent study showed that more unfocused meditations can have even greater benefits for stress and emotions. For this reason, you may want to try a more unfocused meditation. Guided meditations or mantra meditations require less effort and involve more relaxation for the mind. In particular, this kind of meditation may be suited to people who already are very focused and have a tendency towards being Type A. For them, a meditation that relaxes the mind and coaxes is to go into a more unfocused state may be more appropriate than a meditation that encourages focus and concentration.

Continue reading What’s Your Meditation Type? (+ 5 Best Meditation Apps)

Deepak Chopra’s “A Body Scan Meditation”

“Relaxation is not all in the mind. It is a full-body experience as this mindfulness exercise will show you. In this guided meditation, Deepak Chopra invites you the lie down in Savasana with eyes closed and arms at your sides. Follow your breath and when ready, bring your awareness to your toes. Slowly, and at your own pace, mentally travel up your feet to your ankles, then calves, knees, upper legs, hands, abdomen, and so on. Continue to move your awareness upward to your heart and lungs, past your neck to reach the final destination: an awareness of every cell in your body at once. Consciousness of the whole body brings rest and a feeling of bliss throughout.”  3:52 min.

 

 

Find more meditations at www.sonima.com/meditation