^ i think that's good advice. if you follow it, you'll be better of than alot of us here (at least me. my short term memory is fucked)...
about meditation: ijc christs versions of meditation seem good. the first one is a version of meditation (there are many) called visualization. he uses his visual field to tune into his unconscious thought flow. he creates an image, then keeps adding details until he becomes relaxed enough for the subconscious to take over on it's own. this is a fantastic way to relax and "reboot" if you will, to forget about your cares for a little while, and come out a little more refreshed. this is probably the most practical for small breaks at work or short downtimes to get an extra boost of energy and relax for a minute.
ijc:
"For realizations it is much harder. I must go in and search. I sit upright, or lie down in previously described position, and I think. I search for what makes me anxious / sad / depressed. I become immersed in that feeling. I do not run, hide, or try to deal with it. I let it come. Literally I imagine death sometimes. I imagine my own death, a painful or slow one, and I approach it. I realize what I am afraid of and the pain that it may bear. I become the sensation. I can cry, I can show anxiety, I can become mad, but I must not run from the feeling. I must accept it. Accept what I am afraid of, a bad trip, my lady leaving me, the world ending, anything I can think of that makes me panic or uneasy and I set myself in it. I have grown quite a bit since I have started this technique, and I can realize when I am making progress as a whole, and when I am just wasting my time. It takes intense concentration and intentions of the upmost truth and certainty."
this seems to me like a psychedelic meditation (that's not an official term), like something i would find myself doing unconsciously on a dose of mushrooms or something. this type of meditation is only going to be useful if you have a strong will on that day/or at that time. if you are feeling lazy, then i would suggest holding off on this one for a little while, as a tired mind makes it very hard to really delve into this kind of problem. but this kind of meditation is extremely useful for preparing yourself for future situations, as well as facing fears, in a virtual, controlled manner.
there is another form of meditation i want to mention. it's mindfulness meditation, or awareness meditation. this one is slightly trickier to get into, as it requires you to clear your mind, instead of fill your mind, in order to tap into the state. basically, you sit (in whatever manner is most comfortable. i don't recommend lying down due to it being too easy to fall asleep) and your objective is to stop running that dialogue in your head. this is nearly impossible at first(for your first few sessions), but becomes easier to recognize when you are doing it the more you practice. in this meditation, instead of letting the thoughts just flow, you want to cut them off, on a conscious level anyways. stop thinking about what you're going to eat, stop thinking about the red sox, your money issues, whatever you find yourself thinking about/worrying about, DROP IT. everytime you realize you're doing it again, DROP IT.
the only way this works, is to have a point of focus that you come back to. a grounding point. this is where your senses come in handy. there are 2 that i have found to be the most useful. the first, is breathing. make sure you are regulating your breathing. nothing exaggerated, but take a slightly deeper breath than you normally would, so that you are now paying attention to this slight extra effort in your breathing. you've made breathing a conscious effort. the second one, is hearing. ideally when you meditate, you want to be in the quietest environment available. absolute silence is not necessary, however. but anyways regarding hearing. this is getting closer to the true focal point, that once you are confortable manually breathing, that you are going to be paying attention to. it's the main focal point i suppose, or rather a means to get in tune with the main focal point, which emcompasses all of the senses. there is an auditory "sound" that most people dont ever pay attention to, it's the sound that you hear when no other sound is available to cover it up. it's a high pitched buzzing, kind of electrical/harmonic sound. this is OM. this is where all of your perceptions meet, it is the most powerful anchor point, because once you've tuned into it for a little while, it mezmerizes you. you'll know you are on the right track if you hear it change, the pitch should alter slightly, and you may hear several different layers to the sound(s) if you listen long enough. you may hear undulation in the frequency as well.
if you can reach that state, then you are making great moves forward in increasing your self awareness. and unlike a psychedelic trip, meditation can be turned off if you are no longer comfortable doing it, or if outside limitations say that you must stop.
the thing to remember, is that you are tripping all the time. yes, you need to take a substance to "trip", by an accepted definition of "tripping". but what everyone forgot is that every bit of food that you put into your body is just as special/not special as any psychedelic compound that you put in your body. opium comes from poppy plants, and lsd originates from grain. you're tripping on serotonin and dopamine (from the foods you consume) all day long. (unless you eat shitty food. in which case, yes you WILL feel depressed/shitty and a lack of energy. and if you are not (buzzing on serotonin and such), then you may need to change your diet. you CANNOT live a healthy life off of precooked foods with preservatives. the amount of sodium alone, nevermind all the vitamins and minerals you aren't getting, the sodium/potassium balance in your body wont allow you to feel great.
