Meditation ... Advice appreciated.

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[Miss Amanda]

I recently talked to a friend about meditation and why I prefer not to
practice it. Here's why:

When I finally 'focus' and clear my mind, there is a ringing sound, like I can hear sound waves almost, I don't know how else to describe it. It hurts my ears a little and I've tried ignoring it, just to get a headache. I can still hear what is going on around me, though my room is quiet I can hear into the next room, and what they have on TV too. Uhm, it wavers in and out, I feel really tuned into everything around me for a couple seconds then it goes silent and I hear nothing, then it starts again.

What is the ringing noise?
Am I doing this wrong or am I a weirdo?
Does this happen to anyone else?
Should I get someone to help me with it, because I've only done this on my own.

Also, my friend practices meditation in movement... uhm moving meditation, it is what it sounds like. Hard to explain, does anyone else know what it is? (I understand b/c he explained to me already but Im just curious if others do this too or know of it being done)

Also, what exactly is the purpose of meditation? I've heard a couple explanations but I'd like to hear more.

[Qatana]

Meditation can produce all kinds of physical sensations. It would be very helpful if you could get some Instruction, if there is a Buddhist temple or other meditation school near you. Do research any teacher very carefully, make sure they are well known and accredited in some traceable way.
And the purpose of meditation, in very simple terms, is to learn how to not let Things Get to You.
Aikido helps with this as well. It can be considered a kind of moving meditation. And helps you learn how not let Things Get to You...

[Suru]

And the purpose of meditation, in very simple terms, is to learn how to not let Things Get to You.


I agree with this. It's kind of like the title of that book, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff..." (which I never read but probably will.) However, not letting things get to you can potentially put you in your own little world as it makes you oblivious to things many others are concerned with. This *can* lead to isolation and loneliness, unless you have a social group of fellow meditators. However, it has been my experience with meditation that it can consequently help the loneliness also not "get to you."

Drew

[Devon Natario]

I recently talked to a friend about meditation and why I prefer not to
practice it. Here's why:

When I finally 'focus' and clear my mind, there is a ringing sound, like I can hear sound waves almost, I don't know how else to describe it. It hurts my ears a little and I've tried ignoring it, just to get a headache. I can still hear what is going on around me, though my room is quiet I can hear into the next room, and what they have on TV too. Uhm, it wavers in and out, I feel really tuned into everything around me for a couple seconds then it goes silent and I hear nothing, then it starts again.

What is the ringing noise?
Am I doing this wrong or am I a weirdo?
Does this happen to anyone else?
Should I get someone to help me with it, because I've only done this on my own.

Also, my friend practices meditation in movement... uhm moving meditation, it is what it sounds like. Hard to explain, does anyone else know what it is? (I understand b/c he explained to me already but Im just curious if others do this too or know of it being done)

Also, what exactly is the purpose of meditation? I've heard a couple explanations but I'd like to hear more.

I've gotten that ring before too plenty of times, but usually when I take a hearing test, or when it is very quiet around.

Mine is a low pitch sound though, not high pitch, but it's loud enough that it bothers me.

I asked the doctors once what it was from and they told me it was from my ears being so used to noises that we hear this ring or noise when it is too quiet.

Who knows if they are full of it?? It kind of makes sense though.

[eyrie]

Hearing sounds, "seeing" things, having vivid dreams, etc. etc. etc. are merely signposts. Acknowledge them and let them go - move on. "Meditation" can be done standing, sitting, walking, or lying down. It's what you "do" when you're "meditating" that's the key. But you need a teacher who can guide you, especially if you have to ask the question.

My advice is to seek a qualified instructor in your area who can help you.

[Mark Uttech]

It might help if people get away from the idea that meditation is some extraordinary special thing. It is not. Babies do it. Dogs and cats do it.

[Suru]

Does anyone have any experience with yoga? If so, have you found it to be rewarding? I don't know much about it, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with meditation. Can someone *enlighten* me?

[crbateman]

The ringing in your ears may also be a physical condition known as tinnitus. Thirty six million Americans have it. Mine is caused by nerve damage from many inner ear infections as a child. Another common cause is taking too much aspirin. The ringing is always there, but in normal activities, I have become accustomed to it, and cannot "hear" it at all when other sounds are present. Only when there is total quiet (such as when I am meditating) is the sensation detectable, so it would seem that the meditation is "causing" it, even though that is not in fact the case.

[SeiserL]

IMHO, its funny how when we get quiet, we hear and see things much more. Its like not seeing the stars or hearing the insects during the day, but being very aware of them at night.

Just sit with them. Learn to accept them. Enter and blend rather than resist and become annoyed.

Tai Chi, or any internal martial art, is often referred to as moving meditation. Its the state of mind you bring to what you are doing.

Relax, breath, and enjoy yourself.

[IlyasDexter]

You can try having some suitable quiet music to block out sorounding noises to begin with. The method which i was first taught my also be helpful.Basicly get yourself comfortable either sitting or lying but try to make sure your spine is straight. Now focus on your breath breathe in for a count of four hold for two and exhale for eight hold for two then inhale for four repeating the cycle. Do this for say 5 minutes then change the cycle to in for eight hold two out eight hold two then back in etc. Again do this for as long is comfortable. If you really concerntrate on your breath it will be harder to be things going on around you and even your own thoughts. Once you get used to this try to become aware of yourself that is little fingers and little toes and everything in between this something that we are all are trying to achieve both in movement and stillness as we progress in our Aiki[B][U]DO. As you finish spend a few moments focusing on your heart and maybe God willing you may gain a deeper understanding of that ringing in the ears. I once was sitting in a talk being given by a Sufi(Islamic mystic) and he was talking about spiritual states and phenomina and he was speaking about ringing in the ears as being a form of communication from the spiritual realm and my ears started ringing almost immediately. Any way sister try not to be discouraged from the practice of meditation because it is one of the best activities anyone can do particularly in the world that we now live. Seek advice from those who know, start with your Sensei then maybe look for a meditation centre that is attatched to one of the worlds many spiritual traditions even when focusing on the heart and with complete awareness and sincerity ask God or what ever is the highest priciple for you. I wish you all the best. Peace.

[bkedelen]

Clark, please post a link to the published results of the study which links aspirin use to tinnitus.

[Josh Reyer]

Clark, please post a link to the published results of the study which links aspirin use to tinnitus.

Here's (http://www.medicinenet.com/acetylsalicylic_acid/article.htm) a site with some info. It says,

The most common side effects of aspirin involve the gastrointestinal system and ringing in the ears....Should ringing in the ears occur, the daily dose should be reduced.

[James Davis]

I recently talked to a friend about meditation and why I prefer not to
practice it. Here's why:

When I finally 'focus' and clear my mind, there is a ringing sound, like I can hear sound waves almost, I don't know how else to describe it. It hurts my ears a little and I've tried ignoring it, just to get a headache. I can still hear what is going on around me, though my room is quiet I can hear into the next room, and what they have on TV too. Uhm, it wavers in and out, I feel really tuned into everything around me for a couple seconds then it goes silent and I hear nothing, then it starts again.

What is the ringing noise?
Am I doing this wrong or am I a weirdo?
Does this happen to anyone else?
Should I get someone to help me with it, because I've only done this on my own.

Also, my friend practices meditation in movement... uhm moving meditation, it is what it sounds like. Hard to explain, does anyone else know what it is? (I understand b/c he explained to me already but Im just curious if others do this too or know of it being done)

Also, what exactly is the purpose of meditation? I've heard a couple explanations but I'd like to hear more.
I get the ringing a little bit, too. Try focusing on your breathing. Make your exhale last as long as possible and make it audible (a whisper of breath, or maybe something like a hum). Instead of closing your eyes or staring at a blank wall, maybe try getting a piece of poster board that's a color you like. Stare at that and let your mind wander, and don't think so much about what you're hearing.

The purpose of meditation? For me, it's to make me quit thinking about things that tick me off. It's relaxing. I slow my breathing, and in turn, slow my heart rate. It helps me when I'm overwhelmed. :D

[Fred Little]

Clark, please post a link to the published results of the study which links aspirin use to tinnitus.

I just heard about this last weekend, when I was speaking with an MD and two individuals who have rheumatoid arthritis, one of whom volunteered that she takes 18 aspirin a day.

That seemed like a funny number, so I asked: "Why 18?"

Her answer was: "Because if I take 19, my ears start to ring."

Then the MD said: "That's how we adjust the dosage of aspirin for arthritis.. When the ringing starts, you cut back by one, and that's the right dosage."

I guess that's why they call it "practicing" medicine.

FL

[ElizabethCastor]

IMHO, its funny how when we get quiet, we hear and see things much more. Its like not seeing the stars or hearing the insects during the day, but being very aware of them at night.

This is something that I have recently noticed myself; especially as I try to find mini-meditative moments in my day. I am most often "outward" focused as many people are. I got weirded out when in these quiet "inward" moments I could hear ringing, my breathing, or even my heartbeat. I was concerned that something was wrong, too.

I have been learning to use these observations to help guide me. Usually, these pop up on a pretty stressful day and let me know to give a little more time and energy to my meditations.

As for techniques, I found a deck of cards that have a variation of beginnings (breathing, centering/focus etc), easy-medium meditations and then a few more long term topics that require more focus and commitment on my part. These have worked okay FOR ME. I like to tuck the card in my pocket and then periodically thru the day I notice the card and take my mini-moment and breathe (etc). :cool:

[Mark Uttech]

Aikido and yoga go so well together, because both are meditation 'with the body'.
In gassho

[crbateman]

Clark, please post a link to the published results of the study which links aspirin use to tinnitus.Sorry, I don't know about any studies. I know only that when I first complained of it to my physician, he asked me if I was taking, or had taken, a daily aspirin regimen (some do for heart conditions and other ailments). He said prolonged aspirin use was often a cause of tinnitus. That's how I heard about it, and didn't ask him to elaborate, as I was not on aspirin.

[Miss Amanda]

Wow. Thanks for replying everyone =]

These tips will help a lot.
I guess I'll talk to my doc. about tinnitus.

Also, I use to practice yoga, still have my mat... That was my first experience with meditation and the sensation was powerful... we went into corpse pose (i think that's the name) and I could hear the ocean ...Not sure why, but I think yoga is excellent. It benefits you esp. physically, you'll be quicker since you constantly stretch the body in yoga, and also be more comfortable with yourself. I found after yoga class or practicing at home that my body was comfortable, loose...not tense I guess.

I may start practicing again.
thank you everyone.

[aikigirl10]

I asked the doctors once what it was from and they told me it was from my ears being so used to noises that we hear this ring or noise when it is too quiet.


If this is true.. which to me it does make plenty of sense, then you could try just playing some relaxing music or something, just to sort of fill the void.

My grandma (who is a spiritual/meditation guru) loves to put on weird chinese and classical music in the mornings because (she says) it helps wake u up and open your surroundings but at the same time its relaxing. Who knows... my grandma is no expert but she really looks into those kinds of things.

Just a thought

* Paige

[nmrmak]

If you have tinnitus, then the best noice-cancelling method is to introduce white noise. White noise is the sort of noise where the amplitude is equal on all the wavelenghts, and there are actually many commercial tinnitus blockers out there (i know this stuff because my parents are into it, hehe (i knew it would come in handy some day)).

The way to produce white noise at home is to grab a radio and tune it somewhere between the stations (a tv would do too, but i suppose that the "snow" on the screen could be a little disturbing). The static noise you hear is very close to the ideal white noise. Now, you should turn the volume down until you barely hear it, and it still has to be louder than the ringing.

Now, this all will work IF it's tinnitus, and the best idea would be to go to a doctor and ask for their advice (i'm not a doctor :D ) I think they can even measure the intensity of ringing that you hear...
Best regards,
Nebojsa Mrmak

p.s. I hope my answer doesn't come in WAY too late :)