# Sleep and Dreams > Sleep and Health >  >  Meditation

## Infraredkelp

I really want to get into meditation because it looks really fun. Also, I read some accounts of people levitating off the ground while meditating. I think that would be pretty sick to do  ::D:  Also, I heard that some people can meditate for like hours or even days at a time. THAT WOULD BE COOL! So, I read up on it, and I tried it a few times while sitting on my bed (I'm not flexible enough to do it cross legged yet  :Sad:  ) 

Anyways. I really want to get into this, so just pour all of your knowledge out on the subject  :smiley:  I read there's different types of meditation. The one that I tried was the one where you just focus on breathing. Are ther other better types than that? Thanks a lot  :Cool:

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## Xei

If you're looking to meditate 'cos you want to float in the air, I think you're a little misguided.  :tongue2: 

People who say that kind of thing are either simply making a metaphor for a mental experience, or else simply making shit up.

The whole point of meditation is that it's about the mind. It's largely about severing connections with the body. The body certainally wouldn't lift off the ground for... whatever reasons people put forward for such things.

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## Tornado Joe

I think you could use meditation to conjure up a really strong fart that would lift you off the ground for about a second or so...  ::bigteeth::

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## Infraredkelp

> I think you could use meditation to conjure up a really strong fart that would lift you off the ground for about a second or so...



Or maybe I would just burn a hole in my floor.

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## pokilty

Meditation takes a lot of practice and motivation, much like LD, and you won't float any time soon  ::D: 

Although it's true that some people can meditate for days on end, the average person will never achieve that in their lifetime. You are probably referring to Tibetan monks who practice meditation sacredly every day for many hours.

Practically, meditation is a great way to relieve stress and, believe it or not, exercise your mind. There is no link between meditation and spirituality, anybody can do it. The concept of meditation is to clear your mind completely and not think at all. It sounds simple, but try for a moment and you'll realize how difficult it can be. Even sleeping, as I'm sure you know from this forum, involves a heavy amount of thinking.

Here's a very nice guide I recently came across for information on meditation:
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/4-r...o-get-started/

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## Tornado Joe

> The concept of meditation is to clear your mind completely and not think at all.



Right, this is what I first learned when I started to look into meditation - and it is more difficult than it sounds. However, there are those who say you can be successful and a particular area in your life if you meditate and "focus on an intent" or something. Know what I mean? Like creative visualization. So how do you focus on intent while meditating, if you're supposed to not think about anything at all?

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## pokilty

> However, there are those who say you can be successful and a particular area in your life if you meditate and "focus on an intent" or something. Know what I mean? Like creative visualization. So how do you focus on intent while meditating, if you're supposed to not think about anything at all?



That's a good point. Meditation can be used to be more successful in particular areas, but not directly. Because meditation is such a discipline, it can certainly improve concentration and well as clarity of thought, in general. This improved concentration can then be applied to whatever tasks are before you. It doesn't mean that you should try to "focus on an intent" while meditating - that's more along the lines of self-hypnosis.

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## Tornado Joe

Yah, I probably tried to move onto that focus intent thing before I really had a grasp on quiet mind meditation. I think I'll go back to that. To be honest, it was this confusion that frustrated me after a while and led me to lose a bit of interest in meditation. Back to basics...

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## Karillion

For those of you that already  meditate, what method do you find works best for you? 

Lately I have been trying a simple breathing meditation, where I visualise the air going in and out my chest as I breath. My mind still wanders a lot but I have not been doing it for very long.

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## pokilty

> For those of you that already  meditate, what method do you find works best for you?



Eventually it becomes more natural to clear your thoughts, but in the beginning you should focus on one thing to bring your mind back to whenever it wanders. In the beginning, whenever my mind wandered, I would concentrate on taking slow, rhythmic breaths.

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## Infraredkelp

When I first read about it, it said to focus on breathing. I think I like the idea of staring at a flame better. I have lots of incense to burn up too  :smiley: 

I wish I was flexible enough to do the lotus position, I have to sit on my bed instead  :Sad:

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## Never

I have gone over it a few times:

http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...ad.php?t=36604

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## Infraredkelp

So how long do I have to practice before I start levitating off the ground?

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## LucidFlanders

> Meditation takes a lot of practice and motivation, much like LD, and you won't float any time soon 
> 
> Although it's true that some people can meditate for days on end, the average person will never achieve that in their lifetime. You are probably referring to Tibetan monks who practice meditation sacredly every day for many hours.
> 
> Practically, meditation is a great way to relieve stress and, believe it or not, exercise your mind. There is no link between meditation and spirituality, anybody can do it. The concept of meditation is to clear your mind completely and not think at all. It sounds simple, but try for a moment and you'll realize how difficult it can be. Even sleeping, as I'm sure you know from this forum, involves a heavy amount of thinking.
> 
> Here's a very nice guide I recently came across for information on meditation:
> http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/4-r...o-get-started/



Besides clearing your mind is there really anything usefull it's for? besides the obvious OBE/AP stuff. Would be rather boring to just sit there hours on end just to relax and clear your mind. :Confused:  first time i ever tried this within 20 or so minutes my mind was completly clear of thoughts and 3 days meditations later i felt this weird sensation...someone told me it was my body trying to leave. ::shock::  I was also completly numb, but the numbness was a different sensation all together..it was like a light pull i actually felt. Heart raced faster, my closed eyes the blackness i saw was starting to go lighter, and like a rush of air or something went passed me till i opened my eyes and said "wow".

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## Infraredkelp

> Besides clearing your mind is there really anything usefull it's for? besides the obvious OBE/AP stuff. Would be rather boring to just sit there hours on end just to relax and clear your mind. first time i ever tried this within 20 or so minutes my mind was completly clear of thoughts and 3 days meditations later i felt this weird sensation...someone told me it was my body trying to leave. I was also completly numb, but the numbness was a different sensation all together..it was like a light pull i actually felt. Heart raced faster, my closed eyes the blackness i saw was starting to go lighter, and like a rush of air or something went passed me till i opened my eyes and said "wow".



Get help...... NOW.

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## LucidFlanders

Why?

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## Original Poster

*It's time to set the record straight with Doomed One* (c)

1. What is meditation?

Think of your brain like a cup of muddy water, meditation is letting the water sit so it can slowly, gently settle into clarity.  During this process, a lot of metaphysical stuff happens that I can't conceptually explain, metaphysics defy logical explanation.  The idea, though, is to use a combination of concentration and mindfulness to dip into what is sort of like a very aware trance.  You don't slip out of reality, on the contrary you become much more aware of the world around you, and even more aware of thhe world inside you.

2. What are the benefits

Firstly, relaxation.  Secondly, it gives your brain energy you need to solve problems, fight writer's block, etc.  It gives you a much wider perspective on your life, and it can also allow you to tap into extra nodes of perception which helps you find a new approach to all of life's difficulties.  Later on, the benefits increase.

3. Does meditation give you special powers like levitation?

Yes and no, as I said a lot of metaphysical stuff happens that I can't explain.  It seems as though you're able to connect to past lives and regain lost skills and abilities, some of these abilities can be very powerful and defy explanation.  It's rare, and takes a lot of practice, however, to get to this point.  I've never witnessed any practitioner's powers so i can't claim it for certain but most people the work with enlightened masters have claimed to witness extraordinary things.

4. How do I do it?

Patience is the key, you can't impatiently force murky water to settle.  You need to be mindful and focused.  I use a visualization which you can look up on tantric buddhist sites.

5. One warning

Meditation is a practice of making oneself sane again, as we all become insane once we enter into this society, we all live by delusions that we dogmatically hold onto.  Through your practice of meditation, stuff will come up you might have buried into your subconscious for a reason.  Don't forced it out, just let it come, and let it pass away.  You'll find that's the thing about these random thoughts, aches, pains or restlessness that will distract you from meditation, they'll inevitably come but they'll also pass away.

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## Liquid Skill

I think you should go for it. Just remember that there is no spoon (It'll make sense in time.) and that the only limits/laws of physics there are are the ones you set for yourself.

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## Infraredkelp

> Why?



RUN!!!!!!!! You have to get out of here as fast as possible!!!!!! HURRY, THE MINOTAURS ARE COMMING!!!!!!!

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## LucidFlanders

> RUN!!!!!!!! You have to get out of here as fast as possible!!!!!! HURRY, THE MINOTAURS ARE COMMING!!!!!!!



You're such a child.

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## Infraredkelp

> You're such a child.

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## iLight

For those who wish to succeeded in meditation with some help :
Im gonna post 2 images which will allow you to concentrate at a specific point where all your though's will be rejected. And your mind will tire minutes by minutes which at that point you unlock the meditation state.

Concentration exercise 1
Place the picture in Fig 1 about 1.5 m in front of you. Look exactly at the black spot for 30 seconds or so and observe colored dots with your peripheral vision. Resist temptation to look anywhere else but the black spot.



oncentration exercise 2
This exercise aims to stimulate the communication between both hemispheres of the brain, thereby increasing the "processing power" needed to see Auras. Place the picture in Fig 2 about 1 meter in front of you. Stretch your hand forward so that one of your fingers is between and underneath circles.

Change focus on the tip of your finger and overlook the circles. You should see 4 circles. Then aim to overlap the middle two to see ONE CIRCLE WITH A WHITE CROSS on top of your finger, in the middle between the two. Seeing the cross is the evidence, that the left hemisphere of the brain (connected to the right eye) is communicating with the right hemisphere (connected to the left eye). 




If you concentrate on that spot for 5 min it will boost your view upto twice.
Which will enable you with prctice to see Auras. Plus it enhances the ability to meditate for hours.

I cross my eyes and concentrate at the black dot :



25 min + will enable you to meditate before you even know it.

Anyway enjoy  :smiley:

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## LucidFlanders

Why on excercise 1 when staring at the black dot is there something moving in the middle? if you look closely you see something moving side to side, up and down.

edit- same with the 2 black dots in the eyes. i guess it makes your eyes see weird things.

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## pokilty

> I cross my eyes and concentrate at the black dot :
> 
> 
> 
> 25 min + will enable you to meditate before you even know it.



Yeah uh... this is really childish, but somebody's gotta say it. Does this work with boobs?

And, just to add some actual content to this post, crossing your eyes when two images are next to each other is known as stereoscopy and is used to trick the mind into seeing 3D images.

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## Tornado Joe

> Does this work with boobs?



Apparently so, ever happen to you at a bar? Girl with a nice rack comes up, starts yappin' and you're like  ::holyshit::  - hypnotized?





> crossing your eyes when two images are next to each other is known as stereoscopy and is used to trick the mind into seeing 3D images.



Yup, I gotta book full of those. They're pretty mesmerizing. Although people who find it hard to see get really frustrated. Very ANTI-Meditation in that case :p

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## iLight

Its really sad that people mix boobs with Meditation and concentration.
The original source :

Click here

I Preffer you to read it carefully so you wont mix this exercice with boobs or anything related to that. And the one who is being childish is the person who posts boobs in the wrong place.

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## pokilty

> Its really sad that people mix boobs with Meditation and concentration.
> The original source :
> 
> Click here
> 
> I Preffer you to read it carefully so you wont mix this exercice with boobs or anything related to that. And the one who is being childish is the person who posts boobs in the wrong place.



Yes, my liege.  ::bowdown:: 

Lightheartedness, even in the most serious of contexts, is how some people feel most comfortable. Please don't take it so personally  :wink2:  I practice meditation seriously as well, so I prefer you understand that there is as much room for playfulness as seriousness here - but it's not intended to demean your knowledge in any way.

And, your pictures do work well to help me concentrate, if knowing that makes you feel better  ::D:

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## Tornado Joe

> so I prefer you understand that there is as much room for playfulness as seriousness here



You expect playfulness from a guy who calls himself "Born_2_Kill"? Now THAT'S funny!  ::chuckle:: 

Seriously, thanks for the link - more interesting when the whole thing is put into context. Question, I remember a book that came out years ago which also talked about the "auras" - Something like "The Clendestine Prophecy", maybe? That the same thing or is someone ripping off ideas from someone else?

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## Forsaken Exposition

For those of you who think that sitting and clearing your mind is too boring and dull, you can have some wicked awesome day dreams. In school when I have free time, I'll meditate and drift into a vivid day dream. You can get lost up there.  :tongue2:

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## Sivason

Some of  you will not belive this but I bet Born_To_Kill is very aware of this. Meditation can lead to almost magical powers. Check out 'Kundalini Yoga' or 'The Serpant Power' on google and you should pull up volumes on magic that comes from meditation. Here is a basic idea,,, chakras, chi, ki, prana, and such familiar terms are refering to subtle energy that makes up our whole universe. You can learn to master your inner energies through meditation. Some basic skills you may gain 1) unbelievable ability to draw stored memories from parts of your brain while testing. 2) things suddenly going your way due to your energy changing the world even when you do not know what needs changed,,,, and other things worth checking out. You can become somewhat psycic, and become a stronger person in every way. Can you levitate? I doubt it. Most of the powers gained will just appear as you being very wise and lucky. 
Ok, a simple meditation to get you started. Focus on your small toe (either) get to were you can actually feel it ,move step by step up the body, really focusing on just one point. This starts training you to feel energy move through you. Then imagine water or warm milk dripping down your arm until it falls from your finger tips..... That is a super basic start but it can be a life long growing thing. Look up any of the words -kundalini, serpant power, chi, or prana on google and good luck

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## Tornado Joe

> Some basic skills you may gain 1) unbelievable ability to draw stored memories from parts of your brain while testing. 2) things suddenly going your way due to your energy changing the world even when you do not know what needs changed,,,, and other things worth checking out. You can become somewhat psycic, and become a stronger person in every way.



Sivason - what you suggest there fits right into the law of attraction and quantum physics philosophy. Funny how all this stuff put together really starts to fit nicely into the "big picture".





> Focus on your small toe (either) get to were you can actually feel it ,move step by step up the body, really focusing on just one point. This starts training you to feel energy move through you. Then imagine water or warm milk dripping down your arm until it falls from your finger tips.....



This sounds a lot like the 61-point relaxation technique. I built a Flash animation about it. I simplified the steps so that it really doesn't seem like 61 completely different points. You can check it out here.

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## iLight

> Some of  you will not belive this but I bet Born_To_Kill is very aware of this. Meditation can lead to almost magical powers. Check out 'Kundalini Yoga' or 'The Serpant Power' on google and you should pull up volumes on magic that comes from meditation. Here is a basic idea,,, chakras, chi, ki, prana, and such familiar terms are refering to subtle energy that makes up our whole universe. You can learn to master your inner energies through meditation. Some basic skills you may gain 1) unbelievable ability to draw stored memories from parts of your brain while testing. 2) things suddenly going your way due to your energy changing the world even when you do not know what needs changed,,,, and other things worth checking out. You can become somewhat psycic, and become a stronger person in every way. Can you levitate? I doubt it. Most of the powers gained will just appear as you being very wise and lucky. 
> Ok, a simple meditation to get you started. Focus on your small toe (either) get to were you can actually feel it ,move step by step up the body, really focusing on just one point. This starts training you to feel energy move through you. Then imagine water or warm milk dripping down your arm until it falls from your finger tips..... That is a super basic start but it can be a life long growing thing. Look up any of the words -kundalini, serpant power, chi, or prana on google and good luck



Once someone reaches that level, I'm sure he/she wouldn't bother to proof its existence. Its something we gain trough meditation. Once in that level the user seeks more power by supressings his chakra into the limits beyond the 7 chakras. 
Me my self i practice the 3rd eye technique trough meditation and concentration. I'm able to see anyones auras but i cannot read them yet.

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## LucidFlanders

I can see my own aura.  :smiley:  Well...sometimes it's black, sometimes it's white. :Confused:  Sometimes i really gotta focus, other times i don't even have to bother...it's weird seeing a shadowy thing around you..... :Confused:

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## LucidFlanders

> For those of you who think that sitting and clearing your mind is too boring and dull, you can have some wicked awesome day dreams. In school when I have free time, I'll meditate and drift into a vivid day dream. You can get lost up there.



Grade 6 and 7 i always dozed off into daydreams of flying, flying, and more flying (only flying).

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## Wanted

> Also, I read some accounts of people levitating off the ground while meditating. I think that would be pretty sick to do



Haha

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## dodobird

The type of meditation that I studied and that had an enormous positive effect on my life is vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka ( http://www.dhamma.org/ ).
It's a Buddhist technique taught in a ten days retreat course. 
At the first stage of the course you learn to improve your concentration, and at the second you begin a process of purifying the mind. 
The technique helps both during the course, so that at the end of the course you are at peace, and also in helping you cope with the ups and downs of life in a positive way, and helping you to become more peaceful and happy.

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## Original Poster

Yeah Vipassama is really effective and easy for westerners.  They have a vajrayana temple in my area so I use those techniques as well as tantric techniques I read about.

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## Tornado Joe

Thanks for the recommendation and link, dodo. I've actually been interested in taking some sort of class for meditation, but the only place I could think of  even asking is a martial arts gym - and I doubt they would have a night were all they did was meditation. I did see a place that taught yoga and pilates. Is it possible they also do meditation?

The closest 10 course to me would be in Chicago - I'd have to take vacation time to attend, though.  ::?:

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## ThePhobiaViewed

Anyone here do Silva Mind Control? I remember seeing a post where someone mentioned it and then I looked it up and got a book about it and its really interesting. One thing really interesting is how they have the names and ages of people then they have to go to their "level" (alpha brain level, like meditation) and they are able to accurately diagnose what medical conditions the person has. I havn't tried it too much but it basically seems like meditating and then when relaxed, being able to recall memories better like to find lost items, or to be smarter and psychic. They also use the three fingers together (thumb and first two fingers of either hand) to get back to a relaxed mind level such as I have heard people on here talk about using certain phrases in their mind. The book I have is called "The Silva Mind Control Method" by Jose Silva and Philip Miele. BTW great topic ::D: .

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## dodobird

> Yeah Vipassama is really effective and easy for westerners. They have a vajrayana temple in my area so I use those techniques as well as tantric techniques I read about.



Alas, Vipassana is not easy. At least the Vipassana that I studied. It's very difficult for beginners, but well worth the effort.

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## EagleEye

> The type of meditation that I studied and that had an enormous positive effect on my life is vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka ( http://www.dhamma.org/ ).
> It's a Buddhist technique taught in a ten days retreat course. 
> At the first stage of the course you learn to improve your concentration, and at the second you begin a process of purifying the mind. 
> The technique helps both during the course, so that at the end of the course you are at peace, and also in helping you cope with the ups and downs of life in a positive way, and helping you to become more peaceful and happy.



I picked up a book on vipassana called "Mindfulness in Plain English" by Bhante H. Gunaratana and just started reading it. This techniques sounds wonderful but hard work...isn't that true with most worthwhile things? Peace and coping skills are what I need.

Meditating on a daily basis is going to be a challenge, though...

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## RooJ

Mindfulness in plain english is actually available free online:
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
Obviously a better idea to own the book though, might save your eyesight  :smiley:

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## Original Poster

dodo, no form of Buddhism is necessarily easy, what I meant was that it's easier for Westerners.  This is just what I've heard, Vajrayana is the most accessible to me, so for me personally, that's easiest.

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## tekkendreams

wat are u suppose to feel or see when meditaitng? how do u know if ur doing it right?

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## dodobird

> dodo, no form of Buddhism is necessarily easy, what I meant was that it's easier for Westerners.  This is just what I've heard, Vajrayana is the most accessible to me, so for me personally, that's easiest.



I agree with you it's easy for westerners to accept this technique, as it does not rely on mystical things, devotion to gods or icons etc. You can feel at home with it whether you are religious or atheist.





> wat are u suppose to feel or see when meditaitng? how do u know if ur doing it right?



That depends on the meditation technique that you use. There are many kinds and they are very different. But the most common ground I think is that - at least during the first stage of the meditation - you are supposed to focus your mind on some object, and become concentrated.

The object could be your breath, or physical sensations, or a word that you repeat to your self, or an image that you imagine, or it could be anything really. 
In some techniques you are supposed to think as little as possible and observe the object, while in other techniques you are supposed to think about something specific.

But to give you an idea I will answer your question by talking about the technique that I studied, Vipassana as taught by S.N.Goenka. There are 3 techniques that I studied involved in this type of Vipassana, and the first one _Anapana_ is supposed mostly to train you to concentrate in preparation of the second technique which is called Vipassana.

In Anapana you sit with your eyes closed, and you are supposed to observe your breath, as it passes in and out of your nose, and afterwards you advance to observing subtle sensations below your nose. 
You are not supposed to think, so every time a though appears you need to try to let go of it and go back to observing the breath. You should not regulate your breath but breath normally. 
If you are successful you will observe your breath more of the time, and think less. In an ideal session you will not miss even one breath, because you observed them continuously. 
While you are observing, you should accept whatever happens: If you keep losing the awareness and start thinking, you should not feel frustrated or angry, but accept the reality and go back to observing. Likewise you should not crave for success in observing each breath, but instead accept the level of concentration that you are in, and keep on working to try to improve it.
When you are doing this all kinds of things may happen: You may feel surges of emotions, or a storm of thoughts, or very strong or subtle physical sensations, or a feeling of ecstasy, or visual hallucinations, or nothing special at all: It does not matter what these experiences are, because the key in Anapana is to focus on the breath without letting them distract you. 
But if you do happen to observe them, you should accept those feelings without fighting them, or rejecting them or craving for them.

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## Sivason

Tekkendreams,,,, When I do energy type meditations I actually feel energy move around me and through me and can control this. I can be very very entertained by this. Hours of fun inside your head, as good as lucid dreaming for the thrill seeker. In simple terms... You may feel as if you are moving, like a warm liquid is pour over you ar out of you, maybe you will see colorful things some what like a LSD trip but far more controlled and less disturbing. You can play all sorts of games with your mind. Try just watching the back of your eye lids in the dark. See little bits of color,,, play with this you will see more. Anyways it can feel like all sorts of things and there are so many styles as someone just posted. If you do any mind calming internal work you can not go wrong.

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