Meditation

[denny]

I may have mention this in a running thread but id like to share it alone. Its helped me a lot in meditation.
Your probably familiar with the relaxation tapes;I had one for guided visualization for pain relief.
The beginning was the usual toes to scalp muscle check and relaxation,at the end you count to 3 and are fully relaxed and ready for the visualization part. I think you know one like it.
Well,I listen to that tape so long all I needed to do to relax was lay down,breath and count to 3. By the time I hit 3 I'm ready for a quick re-cap of my body to be sure it's all relaxed and I'm ready to go.( usualy have to fix mouth and neck.)
It's been awhile since I did the visualization for pain part, it didn't really work but it's a great shortcut to relaxation.
Worth doing in my book.

[denny]

When I breath I empty my lungs first. Bellybutton to backbone then exhale slowly.  On the next breath ,count to 3 as you go.
I really like doing it this way.
I hope it helps

[ronr]

Belly button to backbone breathing or abdominal breathing as I have heard it called is where your stomach rises and fall instead of your chest while you breath.  That has helped me immensely with not moving the back bones allowing a few moments of breathing without pain there.  Helps with relaxation and you can just fill in the guided imaging of your own imagination.

The more you do it the easier it gets to attain that relaxing point.

[denny]

So sue me. I did post this already.

Yeah ron,it makes a huge difference.

[pizzaman242]

Every martial artist, yoga master, drill instructor and gym coach, always start by telling you to breathe,. They don't always tell you how that is done properly.

In through the nose and out the mouth, breathing with your diaphragm as my voice coach used to say. Breathe slowly and steadily deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Repeat as long as necessary.

A little over a year ago, I had a rupture that put 8" of my lower intestine outside where I could see it, that was some very bad pain. In the ambulance they were struck by the fact that my pulse, blood pressure, and O2 levels were normal in spite of my pain. When asked why that was so, I just replied that I was controlling my breathing.

So learning how to breathe right can help you in so many ways. Sometimes though you can just run out of air, but that is in the long haul day after day of that pain.

But practice your breathing as denny has described. It is the key to your mental health if nothing else. It will bring calm where there is none. When you need it.

[Hollywood]

I used to meditate and it worked, I heard that just 20 minutes of  meditation can equal 6 hours of sleep

This reminded me of when I threw all my meds out and completely stopped breathing. Don't try this , as I found out it dosen't work 

[tojo]

Hollywood, you are like a breath of fresh air and I am so glad to see you around again

I used to try and meditate, but I never really ever seemed to get anywhere. About the only thing that was consistent was that I would usually fall asleep. Which in reflecting was not a bad thing but it was not what I was trying to achieve. I tried the sounds to help you sleep, both music and mother nature none seemed to help but I did find an awesome thunderstorm that I love to fall asleep to or when I used to write. I guess I really should get back to the writing, it has been a long time since the fire so I really should just get over it and get on with it. Whoops, rabbit trail. And now back to our topic. (BIG announcer voice right there) Recently I have tried a few times to meditate again after a long time of not doing anything with it. I have a new problem other than the wandering mind which I really think is the biggest hurdle that I will ever have to overcome to be able to achieve meditation. More on that in a bit. I have tried to stretch out on the bed in the dark both with and without sounds. Then sixty plus pounds American Staffordshire terrier leaps upon the bed if not directly on me. UGH, Ouch and all the breath leaving my body at times. Yeah, I have a lot of training to do. I really do not have any way to keep her confined and I do not want to just leave her outside. So, for now, no meditation for me LOL.

Sadie is like a giant puppy even though she is around two and a half. From what I have read that have a tendency to stay playful like pups their entire life. Which I think is a very good thing. I used to say and have heard others say the same thing "The only thing wrong with puppies is that they turn into dogs". I am going to do some of the training myself but a bunch of it will be with a certified teacher. After that, she can be my service dog. I am really looking forward to that. Wow, way off topic again sorry.

Back to the main thread of this thread. I do not think that I will ever be able to meditate, with or without Sadie I do not think really plays any part in it. Unless I learn how to slow down the brain it will never happen. Even on my medication, my brain spins ideas and thoughts out each and every point on the compass at the same time and they all are traveling at six hundred miles an hour or even a lot more. ABout the only time that this has not occurred is the few times that I was in pain so much that I went to the neighbors and had a puff or so of that stuff that I am not supposed to puff on thanks to the VA and the state of Texas. I wish that Texas would go ahead and approve it. They keep sending it up the pipeline to be legalized but has not passed yet. If it did I would be able to get a script and then the VA could not say anything. If that happens then I believe I will be able to meditate. Not the stoned out of my gourd thing just a few puffs on a vaporizer to relax and slow things down. I don't know if that would work or not but it seems like the only way I will be able to acquire that Zen state. But then I may not need Zen if I am under the influence of that stuff I am not allowed to be under the influence of

To meditate or not to meditate that is the question.

[looneylane]

Meditation works sometimes I guess it really depends hope all goes better for you! Have you heard of stem cell treatment for fibro? I rad somewhere people are trying it

[Robby]

Loony, here are two links for stem cell therapy for fibro.

The first one basically describes why stem cell therapy would not work for fibro

https://www.redorbit.com/stem-cell-therapy/

This one is for a clinic in Bangkok that does s-c-t for fibro

https://stemcellthailand.org/therapies/fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue-ibs-fms/

[denny]

Aint doin a whole lot of good right now.
What a messed up deal. I be lucky to get it in a painless enough position to sleep,then having to find a new one over and over.
Now i know what you sleepless guys go thru. Only i can look forward to this pain to stop someday.

[tojo]

I am having to relearn how to sleep, Sir Denny. Having Miss Sadie is really worse than all of the women I have slept with and I hate to say that I have lots of experience in that department. I used to be a slut, well a male version that is. Later in life, pretty much after I was out of the game completely I was diagnosed as a sex addict. I could have told the docs that and I did not have to go to school for years and have a huge loan over my head LOL Oh crap, off point again.

Miss Sadie starts in the middle to already in my side. She is an aggressive sleeper, I am a passive sleeper so when she rolls my way I roll away and end up either on the floor or sleeping on about twelve inches of mattress just like with a couple of the wives I 've had. She snores, farts, has kicking dreams, and literally pushes me with all four legs all through the night as if she was trying to push off from the side of the pool. And let me tell you what, American Staffordshire Terriers are very strong dogs, lots of muscle power. She is definitely a lot stronger than me After sleeping alone for around fifteen years or so this is a whole new experience. I will need to shift positions and sixty some pounds of fur has me pinned down. She will also get up and do the dog round and round in circle thing and then flop and I mean FLOP and sixty plus pounds usually landing on part of me. She is also DEAD weight. If I try to scoot her or move her out of my spot she offers no assistance whatsoever. And if I get up to go the bathroom or something she slides into my spot and the longer I am gone the more in my side of the bed she is. For awhile I could go absolutley no where without her. She followed me everywhere, even to the bathroom. I had spent almost all of those years at the old run down house sleeping alone on a short couch, so I was just getting used to sleeping in a bed by myself after I moved in with my brother. And now that goes out the window and starting all over with a bed hog that steals the blankets.

Whoops  back to the meditating, well almost LOL I am unable to lay in bed and start the relaxing each part of the body to try and get the meditating going because I cannot lay in the bed by myself. Most of the time if I am not paying attention to the attention whore and believe she is, she will start jumping and running around the bed chasing her tail or flipping the blankets around. so no meditating for me! 

[foxgrove]

Sounds like a real go-getter kinda nutso pooch.  I love those kinds of dogs!  They are just hard to cuddle with... too much would up vibration or getting totally laid on and squished.  Had a mutant Bernard-Shepherd do that to me during one camping trip.  Talk about sleeping tight!   More like sleeping flat... as in pancaked.