[rozettasmolanov]

licknowd3r,

welcome to the forum. you'll find this a great source of information and the community to be filled with many wonderful souls.

to begin with, please don't be disappointed in delays to your question. as you can tell, there are alot of conversations going on at once and sometime it takes awhile for someone to pick up your thread and answer it. in this case, i felt compelled to give it a try (especially since you did not receive a response).

my first piece of advice would be to use the search function on this website. you'll find a wealth of information on pretty much any subject, without having to dig through the pages of discussions. in fact, with regards to meditation and binaural beats, there has been much discussion previously, which again, may be a reason for delay in response to your question.

while i cannot claim to be a guru or offer any "single way", i can relate to your difficulties and offer my experiences to you in hopes that you may find the answer for yourself.

i have used binaural beats cd's for "forced meditations" and have found them helpful in that they have allowed me to "feel" what the meditative state (theta) is like. its difficult to explain, but through continued use, i've been able to observe these "forced states" and have been able to achieve them without the cd's, almost like flipping a switch. one point to consider here - its not the cd's doing the work, it is you... taking that a step further, once you are able to achieve the state on your own, you'll find your natural meditations to be much better than the forced ones...

with that said, some of the better advice i can offer is:

1) no two people meditate the same. meditation is personal and varies from person to person. what works for one usually won't work for another. so, don't beat yourself up if what you've read isn't working. i'd venture to say that is expected!

2) dw had responded to a question about tm meditation that i posed early last year - "there is no right way to meditate" and pretty much all that matters is having your spine straight. in other words, don't get wrapped up in one style vs. another. focus on the similarities instead of the differences and you'll get the general theme.

3) i've found it helpful to focus on my breathing. this helps me to relax and works to help me get back on track when my mind wanders.

4) this is from the same response from dw as #2 [quote]there also are two main types of meditation -- concentrative and contemplative. most people use contemplative meditation, where you just let your mind run free and try not to interfere. concentrative meditation is about a focused visualization that you hold for a long time -- especially something of a divine nature, such as sacred geometry. [quote] taking this a step further, i would recommend a clear intent prior to any meditation. be it for healing, creating, obtaining knowledge, etc., you need to have a clear intent to allow you to focus. focus your awareness will allow it to broaden. contradictory/paradoxical, i know, but that seems to be an agreed consensus. simply meditating to relax will only produce that - relaxation. if you desire to achieve more than relaxation, i would recommend saying aloud (during the relaxation phase) your intent. again, my recommendation - someone else could likely disagree...

5) remain patient! i would not claim to be good at meditating and pretty much everyone on the forum shares in the same difficulties. it takes practice to achieve these states and there are no shortcuts.

6) when using the cd's (if thats what you continue to choose), turn up the volume a few notches and really "get into" the beats/vibrations. these cd's only work when you fully immerse yourself in them. other wise, they only work on a subconscious level, and if your intent is not clear, your mind will wander and you'll end up disillusioned (i got ripped off! )

thats about all i can conjur up for now. remember, there are many ways to get there and not all paths may be appropriate for you. take what works and discard the rest.

i wish you luck as you continue to develop this skill. patience and practice. clear intent.

:d

take care,

art