I just practiced the short guided meditation 'Experiencing Yourself as the Universe' on the Insight Timer app: http://insig.ht/gm_662
I found it useful for visualising and experiencing expansion from the human self to the universal self. It has an intro to ground yourself in your body before expanding to your room, your city, the planet, the galaxy and finally the universe. Then gradually you come back to your human self but with a feeling and knowledge that you are one with the universe. My experience was quite beautiful!
After finishing I happened to see a picture of myself on my my phone and I felt a profound sense of love for this human life. I didn't feel identified as the guy in the photo, but at the same time I recognized and embraced this human ego that I've been living as. I saw the beauty and the suffering in ego simultaneously. Well, that was my experience at least.
I see this meditation as potentially useful for beginners and experienced meditators alike. You can view the universe as the 'known' (to science) universe if you like, or go beyond that to experience the universe as infinite.
Hope this is useful for some of you
Do you have any recommendations for mediations similar to this one? I'd love to hear about them.
