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Anecdotal, I was like you, extremely skeptical of meditation. Seriously, try it, it's free! Immediate benefits: * Clear, focused mind. I stop hopping from to
by patrickk 10y ago
Anecdotal, I was like you, extremely skeptical of meditation.
Seriously, try it, it's free!
Immediate benefits:
* Clear, focused mind. I stop hopping from topic to topic in my mind "oh should I tidy the apartment, work on my website, etc etc" to a far more focused state. What you should do next is there with extreme clarity. You stop reading random junk on the internet too, and get down to it
* Much better sleep (this alone is worth it for me)
* Much calmer, steadier mood (less ups and downs in a normal day, I'm normally quite content but this effect was noticable)
All you need:
* 20 mins in a quiet room
* Perhaps white noise on headphones if you need it, timer on your laptop or phone
* Sit comfortably, back straight against a cushion, and focus on your breathing, try not to have any thoughts
* You'll fail, over and over, and follow thoughts down the rabbit hole
* Let the thought drift away without getting annoyed, start fresh
* Repeat for 20 mins
* Do it once per day, everyday
It sounds ridiculous, but this is really powerful. You owe it to yourself to try, there's no spiritual voodoo or 50/month courses needed.
- tjbiddle 10y agoA very helpful tactic I've learned recently is to not focus on not having any thoughts but instead - realize they're going to be inevitable, and when they pop up, acknowledge that it's a thought, a feeling or, an emotion - and let go of it.
- roymurdock 10y agoOr acknowledge it, write it down if it's an actionable to-do, then let it go. It probably won't return, and you'll have a great list of things that were previously buzzing around in your head, taking up space now down on paper in front of you.
- adrusi 10y agoYou're not meditating if you stop to write it down.
- qmalzp 10y agoImmediately made me think of this: http://www.theonion.com/article/ayahuasca-shaman-dreading-another-week-guiding-tec-52941 http://www.theonion.com/article/ayahuasca-shaman-dreading-an...
- roymurdock 10y agoThere is no single right way to meditate. My dad has been practicing Nichiren Buddhism for over 30 years and he taught me this. He chants twice daily with a gohanzen, sometimes writing, sometimes only reciting text.
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- ggoss 10y agoThis, and if you need further justification, think of this like any other skill. By practicing the act of intense (and nonjudgmental) focus, over time, your ability to focus intently will improve. In choosing to focus on something internal, you decouple this practice from any particular external context or environment, and any improvement you achieve will be applicable to the broadest range of tasks. In calmly accepting (and dismissing) any intrusive thoughts or feelings, you likewise improve your ability to remain calm in the face of unintended internal or external distractions, decreasing your stress levels (along with any of their negative health implications). Go into it without any expectations (as you might then stress if you fail to meet them), for the most benefit. Nothing else required, just the intentional and unimpeded practice of a particular skill.
- craigdfrench 10y agoI have been using Muse (no affiliation) which has a headband that measures brain signals, for me, it seems like it is able to tell when my mind has wandered off thinking about life's minutia, when I am supposed to be concentrating on breathing. It gives the feedback by stirring up the sound of waves and wind and really tries to get you back on track. This is my prompt to let go and recommit to focusing on my breathing and then the waves and winds will calm down again.
- inafewwords 10y agoNot sure if this works, but I was using those sound entrainment binaural beats for theta deep sleep waves, or set to meditation. There's some free frequency generators online or app store. You should try it with your headband to see if there are increases in frequency of the binaural beat frequency you've chosen in app
- craigdfrench 10y agoThat sounds really neat. I will give it a try.
- fma 10y agoI used to count the number of [slow deep] breathes I take to remove all thoughts. Once you master that you can stop counting and clear your mind.
- beat 10y agoFor dealing with the thought-noise and physical discomfort, I recommend reading _Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind_. It's basically a pragmatic how-to manual for meditation. The book is refreshingly free of discussion of enlightenment and other spiritual matters - his attitude is just that if you can't even manage to sit still, what else do you expect to be able to do?
- keyboardhitter 10y agoFor those who are not familiar, or new to, meditation - I want to offer an alternative to "try not to have any thoughts". The reason why I never started meditating for a long time was because I felt it was too hard, and nearly impossible. Well... because it is very difficult. After years and years of meditating and practicing mindfulness, perhaps this is possible, but IMO not a good starting goal. I prefer to just become an observer of my thoughts; to acknowledge and let them flow; I focus on accepting that they are only thoughts - little impulses. The imagery I often have is that I'm sitting in a clear bubble, and my thoughts are swirling around me: I can see them, and I know they're there, but I do not let them in.
- maccard 10y agoIf you try headspace, (no affiliation) that's pretty much what they say to do.
- bennesvig 10y agoHighly recommend the Headspace app.
- JamesBarney 10y agoKeyboardhitter is right, the vast majority of meditators recommend trying to observe and let go of thoughts that pass as opposed to trying to stop thoughts. The problem with trying to stop thoughts is similar in trying to not think of pink elephants. Mindfulness one of the key skills(if not THE key skill) exercised by meditation is the ability to be aware of one's own thoughts and feelings, and this is practiced primarily by listening to what thought's were having, and letting them go.
- nommm-nommm 10y agoI don't know if you are aware of it or not but what you are describing is called mindfulness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness
- rrecuero 10y agoThat's the same way I see it. I would sum it up as becoming aware of the Proprioception of thought. The same way we are aware of moving our arm when we are doing so, becoming aware of your thoughts while we are thinking. We tend to take are thoughts for granted, giving them automatic truth status
- marmshallow 10y agoAnother tip regarding "not having any thoughts": What helped me was concentrating on my breathing and heartbeat, and the fact that I'm concentrating on my breathing and heart. I had a really hard time completely clearing my mind on demand, but those two things are very easy to start concentrating on and other thoughts slowly slip away.
- costcopizza 10y agoI appreciate the list and encouragement, but "trying not to have thoughts" goes against most meditation teachings. It's more along the lines of "trying not to react to thoughts"
- bqe 10y agoAs an anecdotal counterpoint, I have tried meditation (both guided and solo) many times and have found it to have little to no benefit long term. I get none of the benefits mentioned above.
- andrepd 10y agoIt doesn't sound ridiculous at all to me (as long as it is presented spirituality- and supernatural-free). I was mostly skeptical about the fasting. Meditation sounds all right, I just never got around to trying it, nor do I like very much the idea of doing nothing for 30 minutes out of each day.
- purerandomness 10y agoDon't think of it as doing nothing. Think of it as spending quality time with yourself, just like going to the spa or hitting the gym - for the mind. Here's a great intro you could try: https://youtu.be/D5Fa50oj45s https://youtu.be/D5Fa50oj45s
- e12e 10y agoReminds me about a quote from Firefly: > Mal: …Could have been meditating on the wonders of your rock garden right now. > Jayne: Beats just sitting. > Wash: It is just sitting. There's a pretty big spectrum of mindfulness and meditation including "just sitting", yoga, Qigong -- or even certain forms of martial arts (perhaps most famously certain forms of Tachi, but also Pa Kua Chang and others). Or even just taking a walk in the forest. "Just sitting" is probably the easiest way to get started, but perhaps the hardest to master -- or stick with. But I think everyone should be able to find something that works for them.
- Quiark 10y agoDo it while swimming. I found it works pretty well. And Don't stress about not doing it every day for exactly 20 mins.
- lozf 10y ago> * Perhaps white noise on headphones if you need it, timer on your laptop or phone If you have sox[0] installed, just run play -n synth 20:00 pinknoise (or whitenoise if it suits your environment or preference better). [0]: http://sox.sf.net/ http://sox.sf.net/
- rezashirazian 10y agoFrom your description, it seems like I've been meditating in the shower for most of my life.
- LilyV219 10y agoHahahaha... A valuable note is that anyone can meditate anywhere... Someone in be stream above wrote about swimming... Others do it while hiking or walking.... A counterpoint was given that he felt no benefit from the practice... Maybe the point is to find your own place and practice .... It really is a unique experience... Doesn't have to be sitting in a cushion (though it can be )...
- inafewwords 10y agoRunning water has own relaxing sound to it for humans I think.
- swah 10y agoDoes everyone tend to focus on the details of a specific method versus actually doing it?
- hitokx 10y agoWhat is the best time of the day to meditate? I used to do it right after I wake up, but I want to listen to other people's opinion on it.