I am going to start meditation, I was just concerned about the negative effects of mediation which some people have encountered.

[Loveherbs]

Like paranormal experiences, feeling someone is around constantly. How i can avoid these side effects please advice. i want to meditate because i want to get rid of an addiction. I am not doing any kind of spiritual practice besides some simple yoga postures. please advice a safe practice which a beginner like me can do ! Thanks.

[Kubba]

These things can happend or no. Weather they appear or no does not mean anything and for sure they are not negative. Don't trigger fear from the beginning.

There is sense that when you do something you need to do it right. In meditation you don't need to meditate good way or bad way. All that happends you welcome. but offcourse not everyone is ready and courageous enought

Edited December 21, 2015 by Kubba

[Aetherous]

There are different types of meditation. The safest one is choosing an object of meditation outside of yourself. Like a leaf, for instance, but it could be anything you think is good. Then pay attention to it, and if you notice thoughts and your mind drifting elsewhere, gently let them go and pay attention to the object again. Do this 15 minutes twice a day, and you'll have good results.

[3bob]

if you get in the zone while washing the dishes no harm will come to you, plus there is the benefit of the dishes getting done.

(and that is an example of meditation besides some of the hocus-pocus stuff out there that can get you in trouble)

[thelerner]

Meditation is good.  Lots of benefits to it.  Try a few styles, see if one clicks with you.  Most people do just fine and don't need any special precautions.  Though in the beginning once you've learned to quiet your mind, the thoughts you do notice will seem louder.  Then the job is to accept and quiet them, til there's another layer..

 

A few people do too much too soon or are particularly sensitive.  In both cases, just slow down or even stop for a while.  Ground.. take a walk in nature, do some exercise.  Don't obsess. 

 

In the case of energy style meditation where you move energy around your body, its good to have a live teacher.  Though many of us started without one.  But there especially when the going gets hot or strange, back it down a few notches or stop. 

 

The easiest meditations (imo) are hypnotic audios, guided meditations things like yoga nidra's or even biaurals sounds.   All of which put you in a trance state.   While fun and useful, ultimately they're crutches that have to be dropped and the student has to learn to sit quietly, face and tame ones mind. 

[Seeker of Wisdom]

If you're not practicing super intensely or doing very hardcore energetic-based stuff, you ought to be fine. Maybe start off with half an hour mindfulness of breathing each day. http://www.wildmind.org/mindfulness

 

In time you might want to do more, and branch out into other practices, but you'll get a very solid foundation. You'll clear up a lot of restlessness and gain a lot of clarity and stability just from that.

[doc benway]

For beginners, traditional seated meditation can be challenging.

It is easy to get bored and distracted, especially if you are working with addiction.

I don't mean to discourage you but rather help you prepare.

 

Meditation combined with physical activity can be more effective and more accessible.

Connecting the mind to the body during physical activity that is healthy for the body can be very stabilizing and supportive. In addition, integrating mind and body will lessen the effect of disturbing or unwanted mental experiences. These are more common with seated practices.

 

With that in mind, I'd suggest a practice that integrates mind and body.

Some possibilities include taijiquan, qigong, zhang zhuang, yoga (with strong meditative emphasis), and some Tibetan practices (tsa lung, trul khor).

 

Eventually you can focus solely on the mental piece but that may be elusive in the beginning, in my experience.

Most important of all is to trust in the practice and make it a high priority in your daily life. 

 

Good luck to you!

Edited January 22, 2016 by steve

[dwai]

Like paranormal experiences, feeling someone is around constantly. How i can avoid these side effects please advice. i want to meditate because i want to get rid of an addiction. I am not doing any kind of spiritual practice besides some simple yoga postures. please advice a safe practice which a beginner like me can do ! Thanks.

Just sit and observe your breath for a few minutes at a time. Slowly build up from that. All you need is a repetitive action to help you meditate. The breath is good because you can do it without any effort. 

 

So sit on a chair with a straight back (not too soft) and close your eyes. Observe your breath as it goes in through the nostrils, and as it comes out. It will feel cool as it goes in and warm as it goes out. If your mind wanders, just gently go back to it. 

 

Meditation is not a competition, so don't try to force yourself. 

 

With meditation, only thing that will come up to bother you is yourself. Your mind-stuff...when it does, remember not to judge yourself and just accept without judgement. No matter how crazy the thoughts might be. Just observe and let it go. Eventually they will just go away...

[Aeran]

On top of what everyone else has said, I'd highly recommend finding a teacher or some form of formal instruction. Even if it's just basic classes at a local meditation center or buddhist temple or whatnot. Books and internet guides have their places, but having in-person guidance from the very beginning is going to make things much easier for you in a multitude of ways, including if any of the things you're worried about pop up (and those are unlikely unless you start dabbling with practices intended specifically to open you up to those kind of phenomena).

[liminal_luke]

I´d like to echo Aeran´s advice to find some sort of class or in-person instruction, and Steve´s suggestion to combine meditative focus with physical activity. Two spot-on suggestions there.

 

In my own practice, pesky paranormal experiences haven´t been a problem. Pesky emotional experiences however...now that´s a whole different ball game. Many times I´ve been overwhelmed by feelings I didn´t want to deal with. Sitting will do that to ya.

 

My understanding of addiction is that it´s largely about avoiding difficult feelings. Many people, when faced with some emotional unpleasantness, opt to numb themselves with some compulsive or addictive activity whether it´s taking drugs, eating cookies, sex, or shopping for shoes.

 

Recovery from addiction will necessarily involve facing these feelings. Meditation can be great as it can reveal yourself to yourself in a powerful and healing way. But it can also be too much of a good thing, especially in the beginning. You´ll want to pace yourself. You´ll want to have support -- a teacher, a counselor, a 12-step sponsor...someone.

Edited January 25, 2016 by liminal_luke

[Mudfoot]

If it is a substance addiction, moving meditative exercises might be the best starting point. Slow movements will help with cleansing the body. Slow movements will help building up a new self-image. Slow movements, especially under a qualified teacher, can help release those emotions you really don't want. The right alignments can aid in focus your emotional systems (like the seeking system) on something else than drugs. But now we are into areas that requires that teacher.

[shortstuff]

Mindfulness meditation totally changed my life. I was introduced to it by Joe Dispenza, who combines neuroscience with spirituality. I read his book Placebo and tried it and boom the very first night something clicked.

 

I haven't had any negative experiences other than sometimes it does nothing for me (that I notice, probably still rewires the brain though) which leaves me feeling disconnected and disappointed.

 

The best one for me is the love one, which is where you visualise a cloud of light above you, and you take a bit of that light and spread it around your body, then you take bits of it and give it to people you love, people you just know or know of, and people you hate. Then you take the remainder and visualise connecting it to everyone else in the world. It actually makes me smile during the meditation and sometimes I cry tears of joy...and then in the next 24 hours I get loads of synchronicities and good fortune.

I would recommend everyone meditate, the world would be a much better place.

 

If you are really worried you could do a protecting grounding meditation - from the awesome marclehalffool on reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/kundalini/comments/1xyp5k/a_simple_and_universal_white_light_protection/ https://www.reddit.com/r/kundalini/comments/2i88um/white_light_protection_followup/ it is designed for kundalini and protection but I find it works very well for meditation as well... just in case.

[Boy]

@Loveherbs: You can't avoid those side/negative effects, my friend. Are you sure you want to through with this? It's not necessary (your addiction is natural and will come under your control naturally), but if you really want it I'll echo the advice along the lines of teacher and slow and steady.. Good luck!