100th

[mindtooloud]

Does anybody know any counting technoques that would help slow down thinking and help meditate?

[Drifting_Through_Infinity]

In "Tranquil Sitting" by Yin Shi Zi, one of the methods talked about is counting from one to to ten. You do it until you have no other thoughts, then move on to the next step.

[Marblehead]

I was taught and found to be pretty effective to count backwards from 100 to 0.  (Your mind won't be able to play with any other thoughts.)

[thelerner]

as FreeThinker said, counting breaths from 1 to 10, then repeat is widely taught in a few traditions.  Seems simple, but long term the mind wanders one miscounts.  Glenn Morris would have a person go back to 1 if thoughts intruded on the count, making it very hard indeed.

 

I'll count my breaths 1 to 100.  It forces me to sit past boredom into calm, then I can forget the count and just be there. 

[Zhongyongdaoist]

A good exercise is not merely to count the breaths, but the length of each part of the breath cycle, inhale, hold, exhale, hold, this prevents boredom because your mind is following a task and also gives one something to strive for since the point is to lengthen the cycles without stress to the system, also as ones breath slows down the mind does also.  The important thing to remember about holding the breath, is not to close the throat and relax the muscles, but to hold the breath by muscle control, and this is the same for holding it after inhale or exhale.  It can be useful to time this according to heartbeats because again if one is listening to ones heart, one isn't thinking.

 

Thus one could start with a fourfold count, in for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, and finally hold for four and start the cycle again.  The count is lengthened as one gets comfortable and one can lengthen different part of is also, to achieve different goals.

[mindtooloud]

LOL this post was just made to have been the 100th post in new comer corner!

[mindtooloud]

In "Tranquil Sitting" by Yin Shi Zi, one of the methods talked about is counting from one to to ten. You do it until you have no other thoughts, then move on to the next step.

What would the next step be?

[mindtooloud]

I was taught and found to be pretty effective to count backwards from 100 to 0. (Your mind won't be able to play with any other thoughts.)

Hypnosis 101? Freshman year?

[mindtooloud]

The important thing to remember about holding the breath, is not to close the throat and relax the muscles, but to hold the breath by muscle control, and this is the same for holding it after inhale or exhale. It can be useful to time this according to heartbeats because again if one is listening to ones heart, one isn't thinking.

 

 

 

Could you talk a bit more about this? I think i know what you're saying but i wanna be sure

[Drifting_Through_Infinity]

What would the next step be?

 

Step two(following practice):

We let the mind follow the entry and exit of the breath. Allow the mind to follow the  breath and the breath to follow the mind, closely linked to each-other.

Step two(following fulfilment):

Once it "feels like you could breath simply through your skin", and your breath is very gentle, allow the mind to be placid and still.

(there are four more steps, jsyk)

[Zhongyongdaoist]

The important thing to remember about holding the breath, is not to close the throat and relax the muscles, but to hold the breath by muscle control, and this is the same for holding it after inhale or exhale.  It can be useful to time this according to heartbeats because again if one is listening to ones heart, one isn't thinking.

 

Could you talk a bit more about this? I think i know what you're saying but i wanna be sure

The important thing to remember about holding the breath, is not to close the throat and relax the muscles, but to hold the breath by muscle control: I am assuming that it is this that you are interested in.  Most people when holding the breath will close off their throat and relax the muscles of the chest and abdomen, that they used for the in breath or out breath, like they are stopping a bottle with a cork, only using their throat to hold the breath in or out.  The point is to hold the breath by stopping the muscles of the chest and abdomen and holding them still so that the throat remains open, this is what I mean by "holding the breath by muscle control".  I can remember literally decades ago when I first learned this, that the closing of the throat is difficult to stop, but you can test it by taking a short breath after the in breath and making sure that it is an easy continuation of the in breath and requires no action in the throat like the "unstopping" of a bottle, and that the breath is completely controlled by the use of the muscles of the chest and abdomen.

 

If it was about timing the breaths by the heartbeats then all one does is count heartbeats while breathing and for example count four heartbeats to breath in, four heartbeats to hold, four heartbeats to exhale, and four heartbeats to hold.

 

I hope this makes the matter clearer.

[thelerner]

I do yogic breathing as per Christer Ekstroms 'Yogic Breathing' CD.   He starts with 8-8-8 and 8-10-10.. 8-12-12.. and moves up w/ longer holds.   Currently I'm at 10in 40hold 20out, it gets the body to tingling.  You can shoot for 14-56-28.

 

I can only do such long holds after doing Wim Hof breathing exercises, which is another story in itself. 

[mindtooloud]

 

 The point is to hold the breath by stopping the muscles of the chest and abdomen and holding them still so that the throat remains open, this is what I mean by "holding the breath by muscle control".

 

 

this is gold.

 

thanks for sharing

[silent thunder]

I use the bell method.

 

I ring my singing bowl and focus complete attention on the sound.

As it dies off I continue to 'hear' the tone even in silence until a thought arises, then I ring the bowl again and repeat.

[Zhongyongdaoist]

thanks for sharing

 

You're welcome.