I have long since taken a small piece of the day and allowed myself to float free of any conscious thought processes. It is usually just before bed. It allows me to fall asleep free of whatever was occupying my mind before I allowed myself to enter an altered state of consciousness.

I have also used my skills to bring others to the entrance to this place. I have nothing to do with where they end up. I simply teach them how to find the door and open it without any effort.

I am lucky. I am not the kind of person who carries the weight of anything with me for long so letting go is often simply understanding where here is and where I choose to be for a while.

There are no words to describe the state without sounding phony - too many people choose to paly word games with something that has no words. It simply is.

Milt, thank you for such a lovely response, the energy of your skill flows right between the lines. I have a question for you: do you do this while in bed, lying down, or just before bed in a sitting up position?

My favorite meditation spot is my recliner which "holds" my body. I have no balance issues and my back and neck are supported, relieving my arthritis so I am not interrupted by pain signals. When I "leave," I don't have to leave a small sensor behind.

I have meditated in the middle of meetings sitting on a hardback chair, with people screaming at each other; on airplanes and on a bench by the beach in Copacabana but when I take my special time it is in my recliner which I spent almost 6 months shopping for until I found one that might have been built around me. Most of them are too hard, too soft, too big, too small. But this is my Goldilocks chair; it is just right!

I really enjoy starting my day with light stretching followed by meditation. I get up, make some coffee and while it is brewing I turn on some music (usually XM channel 77) lay on the floor and start stretching gently. I am NOT physically flexible so I like to breath deeply and tell my muscles to soften or let go. I know it's working when I start to warm up a little. After about 10-15 minutes for that I sit cross legged and let myself go. Well, I tell my ego(chatty brain) "it's time to let go". It doesn't feel like a command but rather a gentle way to say it's okay to settle down and be still. I just witness my thinking and each time tell it "it's time to let go". I often have little body quivers as I reach stillness. I also get a periwinkle color which I like very much. When I've had a hard time meditating because of something distressing going on in my life, I first journal my distress. I find it's like making a grocery list - it's written down in a safe place so now I can relax and be still for a while.

I'd love to know if anyone else gets little quivers as they float into silence.

Hi all, I have been meditating on and off for 30 years (oh god, I should go to the "you know you're over 50 when..." group next!) and it is such an old friend. I first practiced TM in my 20"s and it was great. 20 minutes twice a day. Now ,I don't have the time really, but do try to sit for a few minutes each day. I also teach stress-reduction to cancer patients and use meditation as a part of that to help them have a curiosity as to what's on the other side of their pain barrior. As Pema Chodron says"The point is not to try to change ourselves. Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we already are."

I had a meditation practice and was very grateful for the time I took to be at peace. Now I do more contemplating. For me it takes planning to meditate and that became a chore but I believe the results were much more rewarding. I think it is time to do my chores again.

Hi Lida,

Thanks for sharing. That is so true what Pema said! Can you tell us a little more about the effect that the meditation is having on the cancer patients?