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I'm probably an ideal candidate for meditation because just the thought of it is nearly unbearable. "Wasting a whole ten minutes doing nothing?!" But it's hard

by ben174 10y ago

I'm probably an ideal candidate for meditation because just the thought of it is nearly unbearable. "Wasting a whole ten minutes doing nothing?!" But it's hard for me to get past the feeling that it's a waste of time. As someone who is on public transit for two hours a day, and an owner of a nice pair of noise cancelling headphones - I wonder if I could make use of that time by doing this. Guess I'll give it a try.

RangerScience 10y ago
Definitely! I notice substantial gains from meditation almost immediately. Public transit can be extra challenging, but can also be helpful - in the way that you're supposed to let thoughts arise and then float away, you also let sensations arise and float away. If transit is crowded, you'll have more of those to actively let go of :D At a basic level, meditation is literally practicing letting shit go. This is useful, for instance, when people write bad code that really - you get the idea. Note: Definitely do NOT try to "squash" thoughts. Let them show up and float on away. This is not a goal oriented activity; you don't have to maintain an empty mind for two minutes, let alone two hours of transit. You'll notice more of what to do as you do it more, if that makes sense.
yathern 10y ago
I've dabbled in meditation, and I should certainly keep up with it because I noticed benefits as well, I just lack the self discipline. But your situation of "I'm too busy to meditate" reminds me of the old Zen quote that goes something like: "You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour."
InclinedPlane 10y ago
It's not doing nothing though, you're actually training your mind, but because you have to use your mind to train your mind you have to do so indirectly. It's very much like Mr. Miyagi training Daniel karate by getting him to paint fences and wax cars. The skills develop sub-consciously, but with practice, the skills still come. Learning how to "empty your mind" or more accurately to simply be a thought-spectator while avoiding getting swept away by thoughts as they flow through your mind may seem like "doing nothing". But imagine how useful it is to have those skills when you're trying to concentrate on something else? If you can avoid being swept away by random thoughts when you have nothing else to hold your attention, think you'll be better at concentration when you do have something? And that's just the tiniest benefit.
metaphorm 10y ago
if you're meditating _only_ when you have circumstances of forced confinement or limited options you won't really be able to get into the meditative state. that's just time filling. you'll probably end up day-dreaming rather than meditating. just read a book or something instead. the purpose of meditation is to develop an awareness of the processes of your mind. doing so requires you to temporarily suspend your grasping consciousness. for a little while, you will have absolutely no goals and objectives. when you observe your mind under those conditions you will see your self in a new light.

by ben174 10y ago

RangerScience 10y ago

Definitely! I notice substantial gains from meditation almost immediately. Public transit can be extra challenging, but can also be helpful - in the way that you're supposed to let thoughts arise and then float away, you also let sensations arise and float away. If transit is crowded, you'll have more of those to actively let go of :D At a basic level, meditation is literally practicing letting shit go. This is useful, for instance, when people write bad code that really - you get the idea. Note: Definitely do NOT try to "squash" thoughts. Let them show up and float on away. This is not a goal oriented activity; you don't have to maintain an empty mind for two minutes, let alone two hours of transit. You'll notice more of what to do as you do it more, if that makes sense.

yathern 10y ago

I've dabbled in meditation, and I should certainly keep up with it because I noticed benefits as well, I just lack the self discipline. But your situation of "I'm too busy to meditate" reminds me of the old Zen quote that goes something like: "You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour."

InclinedPlane 10y ago

It's not doing nothing though, you're actually training your mind, but because you have to use your mind to train your mind you have to do so indirectly. It's very much like Mr. Miyagi training Daniel karate by getting him to paint fences and wax cars. The skills develop sub-consciously, but with practice, the skills still come. Learning how to "empty your mind" or more accurately to simply be a thought-spectator while avoiding getting swept away by thoughts as they flow through your mind may seem like "doing nothing". But imagine how useful it is to have those skills when you're trying to concentrate on something else? If you can avoid being swept away by random thoughts when you have nothing else to hold your attention, think you'll be better at concentration when you do have something? And that's just the tiniest benefit.

metaphorm 10y ago

if you're meditating _only_ when you have circumstances of forced confinement or limited options you won't really be able to get into the meditative state. that's just time filling. you'll probably end up day-dreaming rather than meditating. just read a book or something instead. the purpose of meditation is to develop an awareness of the processes of your mind. doing so requires you to temporarily suspend your grasping consciousness. for a little while, you will have absolutely no goals and objectives. when you observe your mind under those conditions you will see your self in a new light.