Now you know how meditation can help you to become a better rune reader but you may still be wondering about some meditation techniques that can help. While I can’t tell you exactly what will work best for you I can only give you guides on what has worked for me. There are two hints that I can give you and those are to practice meditating as much as possible and to be patient. It will take some time and you will have keep at it, but once you become better at it you’ll notice it in the ease and clarity of your rune readings.
Obviously the best place to start would be to at a bookstore. And I don’t mean taking a blanket with you to a store and meditating there. I mean to read through a few books on meditation techniques and methods. This way you’ll get some ideas on what’s involved in meditation and get help from people who are a lot more experienced in this area than I am. There are countless numbers of titles out there on this subject and that can be confusing, but to this day I still have not read a book that hasn’t helped me learn something new.
All right so you don’t have time to read a book that’s 150 pages long and you still want to start meditating. I understand, I’ve been there and what will follow is how I began teaching myself meditation. I should note here that my ways of doing things may be different from what you will find in a book, so if later you do decide to buy and read a book you may notice a great difference in techniques.
I’m a person who is very easily distracted. When I first began, the slightest sound would cause my mind to wander and would break my concentration. It was because of that simple fact that I do not use music to meditate with. Some people I know find that the music helps them to relax and focus better. However when I started I noticed that my mind would still wander a little and that I did need something to concentrate on to get my mind “in the mood” (for the lack of a better term). I purchased a tabletop water fountain, complete with pump, for about $20 (US) at a store and gave that a try. To my amazement it worked perfectly. I love the sound of falling water and I found that it helped me to focus my mind; with the water it was easy for be to imagine in my mind that I was out in the woods near a small river with a waterfall.
This step is one that cannot be overlooked. I can’t stress enough how important this step was in helping me to meditate better. When I first tried meditation I assumed, what I like to call, the “Buddha position.” You know the one where you sit on the floor, your legs crossed in a slightly awkward manner while your hands rest on your knees, palms facing upwards. I was so uncomfortable sitting in that position that I wasn’t able to concentrate for more than a few seconds before my back hurt, my legs hurt or I felt that I needed to move around a little. My first thought was that after time I would be able to sit in the “Buddha position” for hours if I only gave it enough time and practice. Four months later with me attempting to hold that position longer than the previous day I gave up. It just wasn’t working and I wasn’t able to meditate for longer than 5 minutes at most. I figured that I’d try laying flat on my back, arms at the side, legs slightly apart. I came to that conclusion after doing the “Buddha position” for a while and I just needed to rest my muscles. Within a few seconds I found that I was able to concentrate easier, I was a LOT more comfortable and that I had now found my meditation position.
The moral of that story? Don’t think that because you read in a book that you should meditate in a certain position that it’s the only right position. Try them out, see what’s comfortable for you and go with it. You’ll find that the position isn’t important in meditating it’s only important in getting you started.