Is meditation good, or how good/bad?

[Absoluteness]

I'm dealing with some depression and I wonder if meditation is the way to go. Does it help or worsen depression if I start doing regular meditation? What precaution do I have to take when doing meditation? Does meditation provides pure benifit or only benifit most people but not all people? Is it that certain forms of meditation cause harm to the body or so? I don't know, many answers and many says about meditation is being harmful or not. What forms of meditation is good, and what form is not?


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[solarstep]

I can't imagine a bad form for meditations, only those that work better/worse for people. Meditations is a good tool to perhaps to get to the root of your depression and clearing your mind to clear your way. Tho this is not its soul benefit. Its more in personal developement and spiritual seeking, enhancing vibrations, channeling, etc. You should still definately practice a few simple ones. But a good way to deal with depression is to obviously try to be more positive, surround yourself with good people, and tel yourself positive affirmations. Then you will attract what is good. but first maybe you do have to look inside.

A simple way to meditate is to sit in a place of COMPLETE silience, you cannot have any disturbances! Focus on your breathing, inhaling thru the nose, exaling the the nmouth, imagine a cycling of life force energy. Imagine all your worries and stresses and bundle them up slowly bringing them down into the ground or your root, you may ask to recieve help as you relinqish them but know that for the time they are not there, keep breathing! any thoughts that come up gently push aside and try to reach a state of total stillness, absolute quiet. 10-30+mins. Its nice to imagine a white light from the core of the planet rise up to you, through you and all your chakras then out the top of your head. acting like a beacon for sychronicities to come forth to aide you in your waking life.


sorry for the typos I gotta jett. After you master that form, or tweak it to you needs, there are many others I would reccoment. Perhaps a meditation to cleanse and charge/balance your chakras, even a guided one with light music thru any meditation helps the adept but eventually to reap the full benefits you must get to these stages with the help of only yourself.

Live in the Love and Light

[InsertCreativeAliasHere]

to battle depression...
having a strong solar plexus means having a strong premeditive defence against depressions...
... whereas the root chakra aids with recovering from things faster...

the usual meditation of the everyday indigo might worsen the situation, seeing as the end of the spectrum is very reflective, it repetedly reflects the current situation (sorrow) ..... multiplying the state you are currently in.

[sshenry]

Absoluteness - fighting depression is how I got my start in meditation. I was lookoing for an alternative to depression medication (I didn't like how it made me feel) so I began a very simple breathing meditation. That was 15 years ago - and I haven't needed any form of depression medication in over 14 years.

(You can see the meditation HERE) It is very simple, I've taught it to both of my daughters and it is a great way to ease your way into meditation. It is very easy on both the body and the mind.

Once you have mastered basic breathing meditation you can sample the other kinds of meditation available and see which is best for you. Some people never move beyond a basic breathing meditation, others find that as their abilities to concentrate and focus grow so does their need for more in-depth forms of meditation.

As to meditation being harmful - the only way that meditation can be harmful is if you jump into a level of meditation that you are not mentally prepared for - or if you sit for too long before your body is ready and cause harm to your body, especially if you try advanced meditation positions (such as full lotus) when you are not physically limber enough to hold them for extended lengths of time. I've been meditating for 15 years and I STILL can't sit in a full lotus (thanks to knee surgeries that I had due to a skiing accident).

The normal recommended progression for meditation is breathing meditation followed by grounding meditation followed by energy raising with walking meditation as an alternative to sitting meditation even for beginners.

After these three (which are the very basic forms of meditation) you can then try out some of the more advanced types of meditation techniques IF (and only if) you feel comfortable with them.

[Absoluteness]

I tried the breathing meditation technique and it relaxed me like magic, and my depression faded a little too. But I know I have a lot of work on still, and it will be a while.

[sshenry]

I tried the breathing meditation technique and it relaxed me like magic, and my depression faded a little too. But I know I have a lot of work on still, and it will be a while.

I'm glad it worked for you

The good news is that the benefits are cummulative. At first you'll notice that you are relaxed for a while; that the depression fades for a while but then comes back. Eventually it 'builds up' so that you don't feel it nearly as often. Good luck!

[IDSC]

Meditation can absolutely help with your depression. The breath meditation is a good place to start as recommended by the other members. Mostly remember to be patient with yourself. When starting out and even after a while, you have good sessions and not so good sessions. Sometimes, my mind doesn't want to calm down and focus and relax. Other times it is effortless. To work your way into other forms beyond basic breath awareness, I recommend finding a teacher who can guide you and answer your questions as you work more and travel deeper. Most important is to be consistent.

[LH919]

I'm dealing with some depression and I wonder if meditation is the way to go. Does it help or worsen depression if I start doing regular meditation? What precaution do I have to take when doing meditation? Does meditation provides pure benifit or only benifit most people but not all people? Is it that certain forms of meditation cause harm to the body or so? I don't know, many answers and many says about meditation is being harmful or not. What forms of meditation is good, and what form is not?

Depression comes from the oppression of emotion. If your meditation focus is to continue to oppress the emotion then ~YES~ it will be harmful.

Perhaps visualization instead of meditation? However most importantly finding ways to process and ~EXPRESS~ the emotion underlying.

[solarstep]

I agree with LH919 visualization and perhaps a unearthing of the underlying strings attached to said depression might be a better way in which to deal. But if it is truly without rhyme or rhythm the practice can cleanse you and if there is a pit to the pear you will eventually bite into it when trying to silence the mind.

It is no easy task and I remember running into emotional blocks I was not aware of upon my first times meditating. Either way I see no harm in meditation for what ever use.

[AllegraClara]

If you are depressed when you start meditating, meditation can temporarily worsen your condition because it forces you to really look and feel the roots of your depression. You may cry during whole meditation, and for days, if you stick to it despite tears and suffering... but then one day you notice that there is space around your painful feelings. Then you notice that your painful feelings gradually dissolve and after a while you are left only with space. And then you find bliss! I wish you well.

[AmentiHall]

Very good. I wish I listened to my intuition when I was super depressed and meditated.

If you clear your blockages you will help clear depression.

Meditation can be a form of introspection. If you look within you might have to face your demons, but it is a great way to clear the "head fog" and "gunk" that forms.

[LadyArae]

Very good. I wish I listened to my intuition when I was super depressed and meditated.

If you clear your blockages you will help clear depression.

Meditation can be a form of introspection. If you look within you might have to face your demons, but it is a great way to clear the "head fog" and "gunk" that forms.

Out of thanks but seconded.

[Absoluteness]

If you are depressed when you start meditating, meditation can temporarily worsen your condition because it forces you to really look and feel the roots of your depression. You may cry during whole meditation, and for days, if you stick to it despite tears and suffering... but then one day you notice that there is space around your painful feelings. Then you notice that your painful feelings gradually dissolve and after a while you are left only with space. And then you find bliss! I wish you well.

I once heard there was an exercise around the world, is to tell everyone around to laugh for no reason. It seemed weird. It's like relief when you are able to let the emotion out and it took me a while to learn that.

[solarstep]

We actually did this once in the downtown area of my city, it started out with just five of us laughing out loud, people would stop and be amused, a good number of them joined in. When people asked what we were doing we asked them to laugh with us! Soon the whole block was laughing, at least from what I could see, when we all stopped many thanks were passed around I think a lot of us felt lighter and let the laughter release the negative emotions . :]

[LH919]

I agree with LH919 visualization and perhaps a unearthing of the underlying strings attached to said depression might be a better way in which to deal. But if it is truly without rhyme or rhythm the practice can cleanse you and if there is a pit to the pear you will eventually bite into it when trying to silence the mind.

It is no easy task and I remember running into emotional blocks I was not aware of upon my first times meditating. Either way I see no harm in meditation for what ever use.

yes ~unearthing~ as opposed to denying or ignoring thoughtforms that may be attached to the ~pit~ pf the depression

much of meditation practice advises one to avoid the toughts, witness and then let them go (which translates often to ignoring)

but these thoughts and sometimes memories are at the heart of the depression.

If followed, looked at, listened too, processed the depression can lift.