Lost_And_Found saidI'm pretty highly strung... I like being that way, but it'd be good to chill out sometimes.
Anyway, what is meditation and how does it work? Any good introductions?
For me, meditation is a tool I can use to gain insight about myself, my interactions, or to answer complex questions. It can go any direction you decide to take it.
I don't believe there is a right way to get to a meditative state, but I am sure there are a lot of tricks which can help you published in literature. As said prior, it is an exploration of your mind, and you should find what works best for you.
-Find somewhere where you feel at ease and can focus (wherever that may be, I like a breeze)
-Try to calm or even silence the inner voice (this can be very soothing once you've gotten there)
-Try visualizations. I use two, but have a much more agreeable time with the second. 1) From a friend as a calming technique- Visual all of the perceived negative energy in your life as a black smoke you exhale through your mouth. Inhale through your nose while imagining a pure white goodness. This doesn't really work for me.
2) What does work for me is imagining a channel of light originating from my mind which pierces the sky directly above. Concentration on this light broadens and intensifies the light channel, which essentially brings me closer to the heavens, and I get sort of a dizzy tingling feeling. The feeling intensifies until there is a release, and everything is still/tranquil. At this point I can resume the use of my inner voice to ask questions.
It can be very beneficial, and fun. Try different things out, and don't give up.