My belief is that you can not stop thought, as it is an impulse, you can only change thoughts to suit your system of thought.

Thought is like a heart beat it is continuous and life sustaining.

Sitting still is only an illusion, as it is only your body that is not moving all your organs and thoughts are in a continuous flow called life, without these we are dead, to acheive a meditative state it is about slowing down these rhythms to relax.

Not now or ever more is meditation about stopping (or dying), Meditation is about relaxation and processing thoughts, fears, emotions etc....

Though I am grateful for your input, but I have investigated this Vipassana and it seems to me as a marketing hype, there is a very dangerous cult that teaches very similar teachings, so please use caution.

As a disclaimer, I am not trying to change your mind, it may help you and that's great , don't take this personally as it is my perspective. :angel:

No worries. Each of us is entitled to our own beliefs and opinions. Thanks!

Yoga Girl

Meditation Positions

If you are a beginner just starting out and beginning to enjoy the benefits of meditation, you should know that there are various meditation positions that you can try. It is probable that you will find certain meditation positions that will work the best for you and make your time of contemplation and reflection the best it can be, but it never hurts to give new meditation positions some consideration. It is important when trying to attempt new positions that you do not force your body into a position. If one of the meditation positions is uncomfortable for you it will be best to keep attempting the position from day to day until your body is limber enough to get into the proper position. The following are a few meditation positions that you may enjoy trying during your time of thought and reflection.

The most common and well known of the meditation positions is the lotus position. The lotus position is also known as the Padmasanam position and is a position in which you sit cross legged. To accomplish this position, you need to be able to sit cross legged with your right foot on your left thigh while your left foot is on your right thigh. In this position, the soles of your feet should be upturned. This position was developed to open up the chest cavity for better breathing and also for promoting the stability of the body while using deliberation of thought to achieve a state of rumination. If this position feels tight or uncomfortable, do not force yourself to stay in it too long, but over time your body’s flexibility will increase so the position is more comfortable.

Another of the various meditation positions that you may want to try is the Burmese position. This position was named the Burmese position because of its origination in the country of Burma. This is one of the meditation positions that people find to be very comfortable for meditation and contemplative thought. To achieve this position, you need to sit with your feet in front of where your pelvis rests and bend your knees until they touch the floor. Your toes should be touching the ground and pointing away from you while your heels point inward toward your pelvis. If you are a beginner in meditation, this is one of the mediation positions that will be easiest for you to achieve fairly easily.

The seiza position is another of the popular meditation positions and it originates from the country of China. This posture requires that you kneel down with your feet beneath your buttocks with your toes pointed out behind you. While this position may seem easy, it can take some time to find the right way to get your feet underneath your hips so you do not lose circulation to your legs.

There are many other meditation positions that not only include sitting, but also standing and lying down. The most important thing when you are choosing between meditation positions is that you find what works for you. Finding the position for meditation that is comfortable for you will help you achieve the level of contemplation and meditation that you are striving for.

Good question and when I started meditating I sometimes felt bad because I couldn't clear my mind. What I've discovered though is, if you focus on breathing, you'll find your mind can be then shifted to more pleasant visions while you meditate. One thing I learned to do in Lamas class was to visualize a happy place, sounds cliched but actually, I found long after labor, this worked great in my meditation sessions when I had trouble in the early part of the session. I find a comfortable position, breathe deeply until my entire body relaxes and then go to my happy spot, I have several and I visit frequently. What's really cool is that you can visit your happy spot whenever you get overstimulated or feel the stress beginning to darken your mental and emotional doorstep.