They are very simple actually but I've found them useful. Here are a few:
1. Peering into darkness/looking past the physical. This is an open eye meditation that I use mostly at night but have used it in daylight as well. Basically, you go to a place/room that is as dark as you can make it. You then sit in whichever position suits you best to be comfortable then literally look into the darkness with deep concentration. If thoughts arise, I fix my mind on darkness being the base upon which everything else stands. Then eventually that disolves and I am left in a state where I feel 'big', 'expansive', etc. when doing this for longer periods of time (more than 30 minutes) I find that I lose touch with my body completely... as though it's not there.
2. Extreme listening (can be extended to other senses). This one sounds simple but took me some practice to get it right. Basically, I listen to calm music but focus on the sounds themselves. So when words come up I try not to conceptualize what the singer is saying but focus purely on the sounds. This requires an intense concentration which I believe has helped me to improve my ability to focus.
3. Expansive Sky. I either lay down outside or just sit outside and look up at the sky. I concentrate on how vast/expansive it is. While looking up I visualize and try to experience just how big it is, how far the distance is between me and it. This helped me to realize how big an expansive life is... that it is everywhere and that I am in it.
To be honest, I'm not sure if these are very helpful or not but for me they've helped me to understand a bit about the nature of life, mind, etc. I also practice breath meditation with an incremental focus on the Chakras from root to crown. Most of these have been pure trial and error... when I feel energy building from doing something, I'll continue doing that thing and see how far I can take it. But, I'd like to understand what practice is from a Taoist perspective.
