/lit/ - Literature

>One can pee with no poo, but cannot poo without pee

>just sit and do nothing/think nothing bro
How is this not considered a huge waste of time?

Is there some Buddhist or Hindu text addressing this issue?

Hey /lit/

I would like to get into meditation, not really sure how to start.

Can you recommend a good beginner guide to meditation?

If you meditate, what was the book you read that really explained the concept an taught you how to it in a proper manner?
Also, how do you use meditation?
Does it in someway better your life?

Is mindfulness meditation the only way to escape the shackles of ideology?

[Preface]: This is /lit/ related because you will accomplish more in your reading with a clear and focused mind and this will spill over into all aspects of your life. Your racing thoughts will disappear if you remain dedicated to your meditation and you will have a more acute control of your emotions.

[Credentials]: I completed a 200+ hour Yoga teacher training course at a Sivananda Ashram. Planning on getting the 300 hour cert when I have the money for it.

[Guide]: Sit on the edge of a comfortable pillow crosslegged, you can use a blanket to put below your ankles if you are going to be meditating on a hard surface so you stay comfortable. Make sure you are sitting up straight, physical activity and stretching is recommended on a daily basis so there are no distractions from back pains.

You can fold your hands like in pic related, or put them on your knees (palms facing up, index finger and thumb forming a circle)

Focus on your heart if you are an emotional person or your Ajna Chakra (the point between your brows) if you are a thinking type. When you begin it will feel like a pinprick (I can only speak for the Ajna Chakra because that’s the point I meditate upon), but as you advance in your meditation if will spread and feel more intense, this really helps you focus on your mantra.

The key to meditation is to not directly engage in your thoughts, but merely to observe them because engaging uses mental energy. Meditation is like a resting period for your mind. You will repeat your mantra either aloud, by whispering it or in your thoughts (listed in the order they are most powerful).

Pick a quiet, clean area of your house and always use this place to meditate. You can set up a little alter with pictures of things that inspire you, your idols (human inspirational figures) or pictures of deities you identify with. Try to meditate at the same time daily (In the morning or the evening).
Close your eyes while meditating to remove visual distractions. Focus on your breathing, you will feel your abdomen rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale, before your first session place your hands on your abdomen and feel it fall and rise as you inhale and exhale (This is called Yogic breathing).

Try to have your mantra match your breathing. Inhale as your repeat the mantra either out loud or within and as you exhale repeat it again.

And I think that covers it!

***** I will type up Mantras with pictures of their respective deities and upload them in subsequent posts *****