| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Lmvine |
Posted - 08/28/2005 : 09:06:08
Any CD or other recommendations that work for you?
I have P Carrington's book on meditation and the best I have found is sitting quietly and repeating shirim (song in Hebrew). I have tried many other mantras but nothing better. Dan |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| moose1 |
Posted - 09/06/2005 : 13:23:05
Laura,
No problem. Yes, it's a great book. It makes meditation accessible to people like me who otherwise wouldn't give it a second thought. Like he says, it's simple but not easy. For me it's been very beneficial. Glad to hear you're enjoying it.
Moose |
| Laura |
Posted - 09/06/2005 : 12:28:52
Moose,
Just wanted to tell you thanks for the book recommendation. I bought "Wherever You Go There You Are" and I can't put it down. When I do manage to put it down, my husband picks it up and starts reading it. What a great book! Meditation sure seems to be a powerful tool. Something the author said (page 8) that I found interesting: "It [meditation] is also enlightening and liberating work. It is enlightening in that it literally allows us to see more clearly, and therefore come to understand more deeply, areas in our lives that we were out of touch with or unwilling to look at. This may include encountering deep emotions - such as grief, sadness, woundedness, anger and fear - that we might not ordinarily allow ourselves to hold in awareness or express consciously." Wow! That says it all for me!
One other paragraph that struck me was "A diminished awareness of the present moment inevitably creates other problems for us as well through our unconscious and automatic actions and behaviors, often driven by deepseated fears and insecurities. These problems tend to build over time if they are not attended to and can eventually leave us feelign stuck and out of touch. Over time, we may lose confidence in our ability to redirect our energies in ways that would lead to greater satisfaction and happiness, perhaps EVEN TO GREATER HEALTH (my caps)." Greater health. Isn't that what we're all trying to achieve here?
I would highly recommend this book to anyone, specifically someone with TMS. Again, thanks for the recommendation Moose!
Laura
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| Laura |
Posted - 08/30/2005 : 19:10:21
Thanks Moose. I wrote it down and next time I'm at Barnes and Noble I'll look for it.
Laura
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| moose1 |
Posted - 08/30/2005 : 11:39:54
Laura,
This is the CD I bought.
"Wherever You Go, There You Are : Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life"
Read some reviews and maybe check the book out of your local library. It's a pretty famous book and I'm sure they'd have it.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786880708/qid=1125253297/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/104-3018143-0243145?v=glance&s=books
Best,
Moose |
| Laura |
Posted - 08/30/2005 : 11:34:04
Moose,
Is there a particular book by him that you can recommend? I'd love to check it out if so.
Dan,
I agree with you about the Getting in the Gap meditation CD. I, too, find myself waiting for the next word and actually counting how many more words there will be sometimes. I tried the shi-rim mantra and really liked it a lot. Thanks for the recommendation as it's something I will continue to use.
Laura
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| moose1 |
Posted - 08/30/2005 : 11:30:15
I've seen Dr. Dyer's show on PBS a few times and while I enjoy listening to him talk, I feel like I'm still waiting for an explanation of what "the source" is. Throughout the program he says he'll be explaining exactly what it is, but he never really does. I thought he just sort of danced around this vague notion of this thing called the source and never really got to the point about it. Also, I find his immense inventory of tapes, CDs, books and videos kind of off-putting. Any kind of hyper-merchandising in self-help makes me uneasy.
For me, Jon Kabat Zinn gets right to the point about meditation...what it is and what it isn't, without a lot of far east guru references or mandatory mantras.
Best,
Moose |
| Lmvine |
Posted - 08/30/2005 : 06:38:59
Laura and others. I finaly found out why a lot of meditations don't work for me. For example Dyer's Getting in the Gap and most guided meditations don't quiet my mind - too much to think about in all the words.
In the case of the Lords's prayer that Dyer uses I kept thinking what is the next word. Also using words like God, peace, etc are loaded words that have a lot of imagery with them that also don't help quiet my mind.
Previously just counting 1,2,3,4 and repeating worked to an extent and now I know - they were mindless, nothing for my mind to think about.
As to Shi-rim (discussed previously), it carries no meaning for me (mindless) and as Pat Carrington says it is a soothing word. Maybe that's why it works.
What do you think?
Dan |
| Laura |
Posted - 08/29/2005 : 12:11:06
Thanks, Dan. I will definitely check out the book by Patricia Carrington. I appreciate the tip.
You said Dr. Dyer's book/CD didn't do much for you. Did you try it a few times and still it did nothing for you? I find it pretty relaxing but at the same time, I wonder what my family would think if they heard me chanting "Aaahhhh" over and over (I only do the meditation in the morning when everyone is gone, and occasionally in the evening (if nobody is around). I get a little self-conscious, even around my dog (she lays on her bed and looks at me like I'm off my rocker!) That's why I was trying to find some other meditations or ways to meditate because I can see it is a very beneficial tool that I've been missing out on. I'm finding that since I've been meditating I'm much more relaxed already and it hasn't been that long since I started.
When I told my husband that Dr. Dyer has you meditate to the Lords prayer, he said "Well, couldn't you use a Hebrew prayer and do the same thing?" My response was, "Yes, but I'm listening to a CD and Dr. Dyer doesn't give a Hebrew prayer." I am very familiar with the Lords Prayer as I grew up in a Presbyterian home. I have no problem using it whatsoever, but I think I'll try the "shirim" mantra and see what happens with that.
Thanks again!
Laura |
| Lmvine |
Posted - 08/29/2005 : 11:40:00
Laura, the book is The Book of Meditation, complete guide to modern meditation, Patricia Carrington. She just says in a footnote "that shirim (hebrew for song) was chosen because many people find it soothing". She also has other mantra words such as Ahnam & Ramah.
I have Dyer's Getting in the gap and it didn't do much for me but may I didn't give it enough time. I do like and read most all his books.
Dan |
| Laura |
Posted - 08/29/2005 : 09:54:14
Dan,
Could you please expand on the meditation that you use in Hebrew? I am Jewish and I just bought Dr. Wayne Dyer's book, Getting in the Gap - A guide to Meditation." On his CD, he uses the Lords Prayer. It would be helpful for me, as a Jew, to find something in Hebrew so your post caught my eye. Since I am Jewish by way of conversion, I don't know what all the words mean. So, does the word "shirim" literally mean "song" in Hebrew, and are you saying you keep repeating that word? Or, is do you actually repeat lyrics to a Hebrew song? I'm confused.
Also, what is the name of the book on meditation that you use by P Carringing?
I've been encorporating meditation into my daily routine and am finding the benefits to be immeasurable. Last week, I did go on my computer and type in "How to meditate" and came up with all sorts of good stuff. One of the links gave specific advice on how to meditate and recommended using the word "hum" on the inhale and "sah" on the exhale. I tried meditating that way and put on my "sound machine" that has the sound of the ocean, crickets chirping, rain, etc. I found it very soothing and wonderful.
Thanks for the info.
Laura
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| moose1 |
Posted - 08/28/2005 : 12:29:41
As a total novice to meditation, I found these two resources extremeny helpful in getting started:
Wherever You Go, There You Are : Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (CD)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786880708/qid=1125253297/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/104-3018143-0243145?v=glance&s=books
Zen Meditation in Plain English (paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0861713168/104-3018143-0243145?v=glance
Best,
Moose |
| Calvin |
Posted - 08/28/2005 : 12:28:27
There is no url - its a file sharing program called Limewire. |
| Lmvine |
Posted - 08/28/2005 : 12:10:42
Calvin, where did you find the best - a URL if you please.
Thanks, Dan |
| Calvin |
Posted - 08/28/2005 : 09:16:06
I downloaded a TON of meditative, relaxation stuff from file sharing out there online.
I also use one of those clocks that has peaceful sounds, such as ocean waves, creeks, crickets.
Plus, our cable company has music channels that I can set up at night, before I got to bed, using either a combination of light classical or the "soothing sounds" channel.
All work wonders. |
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