17 ms·

The Impact of Meditating Every Day

339 points by PascalPrecht 7y ago

gnikif 7y ago
In my experience, apps (like Headspace) mostly distract you from witnessing. Any type of guided mediation has an entertaining aspect to it - you have to follow the guidelines instead of pure witnessing.
- me_me_me 7y ago
  Would you mind elaborating a bit more on that? I've been meaning to get into the meditating for a quite a while now. But never seem to find time/motivation to research how to start.
  - seren 7y ago
    I started meditating using some written guide/books and Headspace. An app is helpful to guide you at the beginning, but past a certain point having someone talking during most of the session seems a bit detrimental to your actual focus or awareness. I even wonder if there isn't some sort of Pavlovian response, whenever you listen to Andy Puddicombe voice, you want to meditate. The core of the issue is that there is a conflict of interests between an app that want to keep you subscribed forever, and the idea of teaching something universal. In any app, I have never heard the teacher saying that you don't need the app to actually meditate (which is obviously true). By making you dependent of an app, you are actually less free than before. Understand that these meditation apps (Headspace/Calm) are mostly VC funded , and they don't only want to teach you something, their investors also want some hockey stick curves. There is nothing wrong with that but it also explains how some features are designed. That being said I think it was helpful to use them, they provide some value so I would rather recommend them, just not forever.
    - LukeWalsh 7y ago
      Interestingly, in his book outlining the technique he teaches, Andy doesn’t directly recommend people do any sort of guided meditation. Rather, he talks about it like a sort of skill people can learn. There are probably diminishing returns once you are able to focus through the technique, however, even in monasteries with experienced meditators simple cues like bells are used because everyone gets distracted once in a while!
    - me_me_me 7y ago
      thanks, I think now I have no excuse not to try it out.
      - RugnirViking 7y ago
        I would also suggest that if you want to try doing it without an app, try something like: Wait for a free moment at home, maybe after work, set a timer on your phone for ten minuites, and sit cross legged if you can, or in a comfortable position if not, and just try to focus on your breathing for that time. It's surprisingly difficult. You may find that its suddenly a lot easier to think about all the things you have to do later, and want to do them now, but resist the urge. This ability to bring things to your head easier is one of the benefits of meditation, and is suprisingly immediate.
    - awinder 7y ago
      I even wonder if there isn't some sort of Pavlovian response, whenever you listen to Andy Puddicombe voice, you want to meditate YES. I've wondered the same, it almost seems like a waste if that's not what they're going for because it's right there. Understand that these meditation apps (Headspace/Calm) are mostly VC funded , and they don't only want to teach you something, their investors also want some hockey stick curves. There is nothing wrong with that but it also explains how some features are designed. I don't know if that's completely fair. Both of these seem to really be trying to go after a model where businesses buy group subscriptions as an employee wellness perk. I think there's also untapped potential in trying to team with large healthcare providers because mental health is treated in the US in one of the most cost-ineffective ways, and it isn't even especially an effective way from a patient outcome standpoint either. Anyways -- that's just all to say that achieving hockey stick growth in a B2B model should create better alignment and it shouldn't mean that they don't want to teach you something, I'm sure lots of people with good hearts are working there & want to do good for people/users.
      - yodon 7y ago
        Please don't use code formatting for quotes. It makes your text unreadable on mobile.
- Tharkun 7y ago
  I can't speak for meditation apps in general, but Headspace managed to introduce millions to meditation. They have a bunch of guided meditations for beginners, but as you progress the amount of guidance is gradually reduced. Headspace certainly helped me pick up meditation again after a decade long hiatus, in part because of their excellent & gentle progression. Granted, it's a bit silly to keep paying for a daily 30 minutes of silence.
cube2222 7y ago
I had always had some kind of anxiety or ocd for as long as I can remember. I'd searched for various ways to deal with it but only discovering meditation really worked for me. After meditating for 6 months every day (starting with 5 minutes daily, ending with 20-30) I've completely got rid of it. A nice side effect was that I got to be a happier person overall (though that wasn't ever a problem for me), and learned to deal with any kind of stress whatsoever. I'll happily recommend the, oh so often mentioned on hn, book "the mind illuminated" it really is great to start with: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness-ebook/dp/B01INMZKAQ https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrati... Recently I haven't been meditating as much as I'd like to unfortunately (I'm trying to get back to it), but the effects are lasting nevertheless. And I still know how to calm myself in a matter of minutes or get more distanced to the situation.
- aNoob7000 7y ago
  Would you recommend an app like Calm or Headspace to get started with meditation?
  - cube2222 7y ago
    I haven't used any of them. I've heard good things about them though from other people using them. I myself think that meditation is the hardest - and for me the most effective - when I do it with as few external stimuli as possible.
  - ir0s 7y ago
    I've recently started using Headspace, and am a big fan.
  - c1sc0 7y ago
    To get started. Absolutely. Headspace has been instrumental in dealing with a very hard time in my life. For a secular, scientific look at mindfulness meditation read the book “Why Buddhism is true.”
    - 7y ago
spodek 7y ago
> I try to meditate every morning for about 15 minutes and been doing that for quite some time now. I find that doing any Self-Imposed Daily Challenging Healthy Activity will improve your life tremendously, meditation being just one type of SIDCHA. While the benefits differ slightly, the magnitude of benefit from other SIDCHAs -- like exercising, drawing a picture, writing a blog post, writing three business ideas, cooking a meal from scratch, etc every day -- can be just as great. You develop discipline, ability to overcome internal resistance, self-awareness, etc. I'm a big fan and practitioner of SIDCHAs and wrote them up: http://joshuaspodek.com/sidchas-the-series http://joshuaspodek.com/sidchas-the-series.
- PascalPrecht 7y ago
  Thanks for you feedback! I'll have a look at that.
- onefuncman 7y ago
  I love the approach of digging into the underlying pattern rather than fixating on the details of the routine. I used to struggle with Agile and daily standups at $JOB until I started keeping a private journal daily. Now I have several years of daily notes across several jobs that I can refer back to and use for reflection, avoiding common pitfalls, revisiting particularly difficult challenges with a different perspective. The most valuable entries I have beyond technical details or company idiosyncrasies are about arguments I've gotten into or interpersonal dynamics I've noticed. The biggest benefit I've noticed is that I feel much more resilient to both stress and change, and I don't sink near as much time and effort into distractions or rabbit holes. Random ideas get written down and set aside for monthly review and I can get back to work.
  - theonemind 7y ago
    It sounds like you do something more comprehensive, but I thought I'd share my experience with journaling at work. I pretty much try to write (with pen and paper) for 10 minutes a day to sort my thoughts out and figure out what do focus on, perhaps think about what has affected my performance lately (good and bad, to do more of the good and get less of the bad). Occasionally, I'll stop doing it for periods of time, until I notice that my recent work has started to seem less effective. The 10 minutes of writing increases the chance that I'll feel like I've accomplished something by the end of the day by like 200%. So you'd think I'd never skip it, but of course, when actually doing it, it feels like wasting 10 minutes at any given time, so sometimes, I just don't.
amriksohata 7y ago
Hindu sages have advocated meditating for thousands of years, they do this in a specific time called Brahmamuhurtha in the morning when its most potent. Its the same sages that promote Yoga and Ayurveda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmamuhurtha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmamuhurtha It won't be long before the West I hope catches onto the next phase which is learning about Mudras - kind of an accupressure to target certain nerves.
- pbowyer 7y ago
  > It won't be long before the West I hope catches onto the next phase which is learning about Mudras - kind of an accupressure to target certain nerves. Mudras are awesome! I discovered them accidentally because I'd get spots on my fingers that felt "heavy" and would make me jerk and shiver when touched. Pressing them can clear the tension, but it's always a temporary relief. If I can shiver then the energy release is much better. I've tried various mudras but not known what to expect from them, or how best to use them. And never seen an explanation (or anyone else) experiencing what I do.
  - L_Rahman 7y ago
    Western psychotherapy has developed a specific ritual for activating this kind of shivering focused on releasing traumatic energy. It's called a TRE (Trauma Release Exercise) and particularly when done in the presence of someone who can help guide through energetic blocks, I've found it to be a transformative experience. https://traumaprevention.com/ https://traumaprevention.com/
  - amriksohata 7y ago
    As alanberg says, go for a indian qualified teacher, people do yoga retreats for this stuff in India. Or ask a pandit at a Hindu temple
- albanberg 7y ago
  The Mudras are also specific yoga asanas, which are often referred to as poses or exercises in the west. These Mudras are an advanced practice and should be done with the guidance of a qualified teacher.
ptah 7y ago
Good start. It becomes even more beneficial with more time and by learning from a real live person. My life has improved dramatically doing TM for the last 15 years.
nabla9 7y ago
I have been meditating 20 years now (zazen). I do 2-4 hours a day. Several 7 day retreats per year. My starting motivation was philosophical and academic interest. I was curious how it affects the mind. Then I did it because it seemed so hard to do, mind seemed like a buggy device I had no control over. I also had self improvement goals at some point. And feeling balanced is a good feeling. But there is no way I can justify the amount of time I spend meditating with any of those. Meditation teachers say that first you start to work with meditation, then it starts to work with you. The whole view of the world changes. I'm completely secular humanist but meditation has turned into spiritual practice. If I worship something, it's this moment. Asking why I meditate is like asking why people go surfing. Staying in the moment and balancing on the wave between the past and the future is not a activity you do for gaining any other goals. Being alive and experiencing the raw existence is something you sacrifice other things in your life.
- Tharkun 7y ago
  Do you usually sit in seiza posture, or do you prefer agura for such lengthy sessions? I can put up with an hour in seiza, but four hours must require a fortitude of mind that I can't even begin to fathom.
  - nabla9 7y ago
    I sit always in half-lotus.
- tshanmu 7y ago
  how do you find the time - sorry for asking personal questions but do you work full time, what about kids stuff? I try but unable to consistently commit more than 20 min on an off.
  - nabla9 7y ago
    I work part time. I work in a small company that is very accommodating. It seems relatively common that people who work full time can do 2 hours if that's really what they want to do. You cut down other activities, like watching Netflix etc.
thewhitetulip 7y ago
I can testify to the benefits of meditation When I don't meditate, I feel restless, I doubt myself more and always feel empty. After meditating, I feel at peace. And I only meditate once every 15days. Meditation also helped me reverse acid reflux.
jason_slack 7y ago
I have the habit now of meditation for 1 hour each morning and then for 20-30 minutes before laying my head to pillow. It's really helpful to me to get myself in a space to start a productive day and end it with a good relaxing sleep. I usually get 4.5 to 5.5 hours each night. Up at 4:30am without an alarm and to bed by 11-midnight usually. I attended a 10 day silent meditation retreat last year and it really had an impact of my technique and focus along with realizing my life is what I indeed make of it. If anyone wants to start meditating, start slow. maybe just 10 minutes of trying to do basic breathing exercises.
- agent008t 7y ago
  4.5 to 5.5 hours sounds ridiculously low. I thought humans need at least 8 hours of sleep to function well? Have you tried sleeping for longer and if you did, what difference did it make to your wellbeing?
  - criddell 7y ago
    Everybody is different, but 4.5 hours feels pretty low. I'd be tempted to trade my hour of mediation for another hour of sleep.
    - jason_slack 7y ago
      Sleep is indeed important. Especially if you need it. By comparison my wife requires 8-10 hours each night.
  - theboulevardier 7y ago
    Many people find that meditation reduces their need to sleep. A few months ago when I was meditating for around 1.5 hours per day (a mixture of walking and formal sitting meditation) I felt well rested on 5.5 to 6.5 hours of sleep, when my normal needs are 7.5 - 8 hours
    - jammygit 7y ago
      Sometimes when I have insomnia I sort of daydream instead of sleeping. When I get up, I am more rested than the 3-4 hours or actual sleep would suggest. I had wondered if the daydreaming was similar enough to sleep to be a poor substitute
Taylor_OD 7y ago
10 minutes of guided meditation per day is the only non-medical option that helps my ADHD other than removing caffeine and getting more sleep. It's insane how little I need to feel much more in control of my thoughts.
- poslathian 7y ago
  I dropped my scrip when I realized a long morning sit has about the same effect but without the side effects of stimulants - which were considerable. Not to get down on stimulants, those can be amazing drugs.
EamonnMR 7y ago
I've tried in the past, but I wonder: how do you know if you've successfully meditated or not?
- jrochkind1 7y ago
  So in the kind of meditating he's talking about, you sit there focusing on your breath. When you notice your thoughts doing something else, you non-judgementally bring them back to your breath. That's it. If you're doing it, you're succesfully meditating. It doesn't matter how often your thoughts go somewhere else, or for how long before you notice. No matter, if when you notice you focus on the breath, you're doing it successfully. Really, that's the whole thing. If you're just starting out, you might find some introduction guidance helpful, either from an online video or app (there are many, OP mentions a couple), or from someone in person (If there's a Shambala temple in your area, they probably have intro to meditation sessions; there are other options).
  - jrochkind1 7y ago
    (It can be "hard" to do because it can be an uncomfortable or "boring" thing to do, that you don't really want to do. But if you just do it anyway, it's "easy", it doesn't take any skill, anybody can do it, you just have to do it. It is sort of a kind of exersize for your mind, like going to the gym for your mind. You are practicing: a) noticing what your mind is doing, self-reflection in the moment; and b) directing your attention).
- laurieg 7y ago
  Compare it to going for a walk. How do you know if you've gone for a walk successfully? Did you walk a mile or ten? Did you walk slowly or quickly? Did you stumble or stride firmly? Whatever happened, you went for walk. Meditation is just as simple. Sit and focus on your breath. That's really all there is too it.
- wool_gather 7y ago
  I agree with the other responses you've got, but to make this point explicit: each meditation session is an exercise. Any definition of "success" has to be in the long term. If you're having a rough day, sitting calmly and breathing is going to help in the moment, of course. But the ongoing practice and its spillover into awareness in daily life is the goal. And, like learning any new skill, you can't necessarily see that development day-to-day, just in retrospect over months. I also posted this the other day, about "failing" at the exercise: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675811 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675811
tryitnow 7y ago
Whenever I hear about a particular technique that is supposedly backed by evidence I wonder what specific protocol was used in the studies supporting it. I also wonder how many studies have been conducted and for how many years. For those of you who want an actual evidence-based practice check out Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). It's the most frequently studied protocol and it's been studied for decades. When you read stories about studies showing how meditation does XYZ and ABC, it's almost always MBSR that the researchers are using. "Meditation" is a huge category, there's a lot of stuff in there. Some of it probably works, a lot of it doesn't (other than the placebo effect). What you think of as "meditation" may not be what actually has been researched in a given study. Of course, all of the above is only applicable to those of you who want to pursue evidence-based techniques. If you're just satisfied with trying stuff you read about on random blogs and HN posts then go ahead and try anything: prayer, astrology, witchcraft, etc - you'll probably realize a little positive benefit as long as you genuinely believe it will work.
- devinjflick 7y ago
  For those interested in evidence based meditation for treating mental illness, I suggest the following video and book. The mindful way through depression: Zindel Segal at TEDxUTSC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A4w3W94ygA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A4w3W94ygA The book that the talk is based on: https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Way-Through-Depression-Unhappiness/dp/1593851286 https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Way-Through-Depression-Unhapp...
- flr03 7y ago
  Why would you need studies ? It's not like trying to introduce a new medication on the market. If I like knitting 30 mins a day and I feel relaxed after that I'm not going to wait for a study to tell me it's actually making me feel better or not.
  - DanBC 7y ago
    Because it may be harmful. See for example the idea of giving people involved in road traffic accidents a bit of psychological therapy afterwards. That seems like it'd help, and most people would say that it can't hurt, but when you look at the people 3 years later we see the group randomised to talking therapy have worse outcomes than the group randomised to no talking therapy. (I'll try to find a reference). Here's the reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10974967/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10974967/
spectaclepiece 7y ago
I began meditating every day after I wake up four years ago and it has been the most beneficial change I ever introduced into my life, quitting cannabis securing a stable second place. I began with five min and worked my way up to 15. Now I have an iOS shortcut “hey Siri, start meditation” which sets a timer randomly between 15 and 20 min to counteract the body clock expectation of a fixed duration.
- cols 7y ago
  You mentioned quitting cannabis. If you don't mind elaborating, I'm curious what benefits you have experienced and why you ended up quitting. Thanks!
  - thomk 7y ago
    Ex cannabis user here, so I thought I'd give you my empirical perspective & and opinion. I will tell you what I would tell my own child: Cannabis, like any recreational drug, steals the most precious resource we have: our time. I've been on benders in my life that I simply can not remember what I did during that period, sure, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I am talking about is the time any person needs to become a well adjusted, functioning adult. When you are taking a recreational drug, you are not dealing with life, you are on a 'get away'. Life is the best teacher and recreational drugs are how you forfeit that precious, amazing, education. You don't have to go far to see this in action. Think of someone who is a habitual drug user and ask yourself 'are they emotionally mature?'. They aren't. They are taking an escape. Recreational drugs are antithetical to emotional growth. This type of behavior is ESPECIALLY harmful if you are taking recreational drugs early in life. It simply puts you behind. I wasted 20 years of my life 'partying' even on a casual basis. Time slips away and being high puts time on a damn bullet train. I heard recently that the fastest way for an addict to relapse is a windfall of money. Money doesn't help them get out of their situation because money is hard to manage, particularly if you are emotionally immature. tl/dr: Recreational drugs make you immature which will prevent you from going very far in life.
    - duprees_diamon 7y ago
winkelwagen 7y ago
I've been meditating for about 3 months now. Mostly focussing on building the habit part of it. I could definitely recommend 10% happier book, It's a fun read, and a kind introduction to meditation. I had an easier time connecting with that author then all the other writers that have all have been meditating for 20+ years with countless 10/30 day retreats. This week I finished Waking up from sam harris. Have been listening to his podcast for ages. If you are interested in meditation, from a non-religion perspective I would definitely recommend it. I'm still having a tough time understanding what all this no-self and no-ego is about. That will just take some time I guess. For me personally I've been mixing meditation and stoisism a bit to find some peace and acceptance for my very critical self image. But it's hard to find good stoic teaching, most of it just seems written by sleazy marketeers. Last thing I would recommend for anyone interested in meditation, starting with tools like headspace a good way to get into the habit. But to be honest, I'm having a hard time still getting value out of their teachings. I went from headspace > just settings a timer with the Oak app for 20-30 min > back to headspace. I feel if made less progress then the simple timer. of course I'm not 100% sure if it the headspace app, or me just simply plateauing but my I think I'm going to go back to a simple timer. The headspace app is just so damn noisy.
- scns 7y ago
  You need to know how to progress. The book The Mind Illuminated which has allready recommended here helps with this. One commenter in another thread on hn allready practised for years, that book got him further.
jimkri 7y ago
I started meditating in the beginning of the year and it really has helped me with a lot of things. It has helped me the most with anxiety and my ADHD/concentrating. Ive been using Waking Up with Sam Harris, which is talked about in the article. It has a ton of learning materials, self-timers. It follows vipassana meditation and the app offers metta as well.
riskneutral 7y ago
In my humble opinion, meditation is the only way. There is no substitute for meditation. There is a nice app for free called Plumb Village. It’s by Thich Nhat Hanh, who I think gave a talk at Google once.
slothtrop 7y ago
This reminds me of an article shared here on the value of doing nothing. How does walking around with a clear head compared to meditation practically speaking?
- wool_gather 7y ago
  Meditation as I understand it involves specifically directing your mental focus to something. Sometimes breath, sometimes a visualization, sometimes an examination of a particular thought or situation. You can do a walking meditation, where you will likewise be focused on something: one possibility being the physical sensations of walking (arms swinging, feet hitting ground), or the experience of the surroundings (light, breeze, sounds, and so on). The difference to just walking around, or just sitting calmly, is that you are putting some effort into maintaining that particular focus, whatever it is. You will always get distracted by something else, but when you notice, you switch back. And keep on doing that for the length of the exercise.
- cryptozeus 7y ago
  Why not both ? Both are hard to achieve in long term..thanks to chatty mind.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
  I'd liken it to the difference between exercise and training. Exercise is certainly good for you, but if you want to achieve high performance, you need structure and discipline. Meditation isn't clearing your head, it's changing it. It's developing the faculties of attention and awareness in a deliberate way. Ultimately, these are the tools you use to develop insight.
garyrob 7y ago
I just want to share that I'm finding the practice of Zen meditation in the context of its overall philosophy to be profoundly helpful. I've read a substantial number of books on the subject. Books are only useful as pointers for how to practice; knowledge alone is useless in Zen. You have to practice, period. But the best books are useful as pointers for how to practice. And if anyone here is interested in exploring Zen, the single book that I feel does the best job of giving you what you need to really practice is "Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice" by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi[1]. "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" [2] is also a wonderful book, and it's where I started. Its poetic manner of expression made me feel there was something there that I needed to explore. But the Uchiyama book just takes the cake for being very clear and down-to-earth, without watering down either the practice or the philosophy. After that it's helpful to read commentaries on writings by Dogen. And, ideally, sitting regularly with other folks in a Zen center is extremely helpful. Avoid overly simplistic beginner's Zen books. I can't recommend them because they seem to distort the essence in an attempt to make it seem as approachable as possible. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Hand-Thought-Foundations-Buddhist/dp/0861713575/ref=sr_1_1 https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Hand-Thought-Foundations-Budd... [2] https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation/dp/1590308492/ref=sr_1_3 https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditatio...
cryptozeus 7y ago
I have been meditating for sometime now however lately I have been thinking that this is one more attempt at managing the stress of daily life. Its not the cure and definitely does not help in finding out why we need to do this to begin with.
- whiddershins 7y ago
  I might argue that it is precisely a route to figuring out why we need to do this to begin with. This notion that somehow all this suffering and stress is generated by external factors is a trap, in my experience.
  - cryptozeus 7y ago
    I didn’t mean that all our troubles are based on external factors but it does impact our day to day.
    - RugnirViking 7y ago
      I think the thing is that in our past lives we had a lot more time to do nothing. Have you ever sat and stared into a fire for an extended period of time? These kinds of calm moments of reflection happened far more often in times gone past, especially for tens of thousands of years before significant we developed civilisation. Presumably because this time was abuntantly available, evolution found ways to do some kind of bookkeeping that is very important for our survival, in a similar manner to why sleep is important. This is of course speculation, but in the absence of definative research about the human brain, which is a ways off just yet, this is almost the best we have.
mr_overalls 7y ago
This type of meditation - a secularized form of Vipassana in which one passively observers mental events - is very popular in the West. But it's not the only one, and shouldn't be called merely "meditation" without regard to the vast body of practices that exist. Another form of meditation that's traditionally talked about in Buddhism is shamatha, which translates to something like "concentration" or "tranquility." In this type of practice, the meditator works with a meditation object, commonly the breath, but possibly a sound, mental image, etc. The meditator learns to stabilize the mind and remain fully aware of the object, and in the process learns to debug the mechanisms that direct (and destabilize) conscious attention. A recently published book called _The_Mind_Illustrated_ by John Yates is fa fantastic resource for this kind of practice. If you're interested in scientific attempts to categorize and study meditation, the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison does some fantastic neuroscience & psychology research. https://centerhealthyminds.org/assets/files-publications/DahlReconstructingTICS.pdf https://centerhealthyminds.org/assets/files-publications/Dah... In the scientific terminology that is emerging these days, Attentional, Constructive, and Deconstructive types of meditation are mapped onto various types of traditional practices (there's a handy chart in the paper).
- jasonmcaffee 7y ago
  It's good to point out there are many different types of meditation, as some work better than others, depending on the individual. However, this article doesn't seem to be advocating Vipassana, rather, it states: "Meditation is all about being aware of how your body feels and the thoughts that go through your head without judging or getting caught up in them. Often, this is done by focusing on a certain part of your body, like the breath or your feet, legs, arms, hands and chest etc. At the end of the day, what you’re aiming for is to keep bringing your attention back to what you’re focusing on, everytime you notice your mind has drifted off." The book is called The Mind Illuminated, and is an absolutely fantastic book on meditation. Super cheap too: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness/dp/1501156985/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3AWJMAYQPSKPY&keywords=the+mind+illuminated&qid=1565973855&s=gateway&sprefix=the+mind+illu%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-3 https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrati...
- mettamage 7y ago
ypcx 7y ago
Mindfulness meditation is absolutely great, a miracle, a root. I don't meditate regularly but every time that I do it again (and if properly), the thought that opens is something like "where have you been so long / why have you denied this to yourself for so long" type of question. And yet, I feel like doing that every day is not fully compatible with the type of consciousness which is optimal to get me from day to day in my life as a software engineer. Meditation sharpens your senses -- you may then find yourself distracted by sounds of road traffic that you previously didn't care about, you may discover that the air in your area smells bad to you from time to time, you may realize how locked most people are in their own patterns (that includes you). You may find yourself thinking about going to a Buddhist monastery somewhere and trying this for a longer time. I'm just saying it's really _that_ good. Whereas, if I do what I love, and I let my consciousness to its own momentum, I feel like it's auto-tackling the daily roughness of life more on its own and not bothering me with otherwise unimportant things that much. In essence, you were born into this physical reality to be a thought / to have thoughts, not to be thoughtless / formless. That said, mindfulness meditation as a consciousness-momentum modification tool, applied (even daily) within the proper bounds, can a venerable weapon for life. I guess I just find it to be an extra overhead to manage if everything else in my life goes really well even without it. p.s. If you use meditation as a daily crutch(?)/bandage(?) to something that _really_ bothers you, there are much more effective weapons to try (one-off, by no means regular use): Ayahuasca, Shrooms, Family Constellations -- after healing with these, the meditation itself can provide you with much more, as a cherry on the top.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
  There's more to meditation than just mindfulness. Look into samatha practice.
40acres 7y ago
There's a small urban park 5 minutes away from my apartment, I live in Oregon so the greenery is very lush and evergreen. It's the perfect spot for a quick 10 minute headspace session. The mind is an incredible thing, it's difficult to know if tech has reduced my mind's ability to remain still -- but it's quite something to sit and realize that my mind goes it's own way and I struggle to keep up, like a dog walking it's master.
jasonmcaffee 7y ago
I've been meditating for the last 2 years, and I've found many benefits. Stress reduction, better control of feelings, better understanding of self, and joy are just a few. It's really simple to start out: 1) Devote 10 minutes of each day to meditation time. Early morning is best, as your mind is fresh and not as distracted. 2) Find a quiet/non-distracting place to sit in a comfortable position. Legs crossed on the floor or in a chair are fine. You want to keep your back straight to help keep from falling asleep. 3) Focus on the sensation of your breath, wherever it is strongest. Typically this is the tip of the nose, or in the nostril, but chest can work as well. Your mind will become distracted with work, worries, thoughts of food, etc. When this happens, congratulate yourself on noticing that it happened, and bring your attention back to your breath. That's it! It blows my mind how developing concentration can have such a profound impact on your life. Here are some good resources for those interested: http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/beginning-meditation-handout.pdf http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/beginning-medit... https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness/dp/1501156985/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3AWJMAYQPSKPY&keywords=the+mind+illuminated&qid=1565973855&s=gateway&sprefix=the+mind+illu%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-3 https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrati... https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/wiki/index#wiki_getting_started https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/wiki/index#wiki_...
mlangenberg 7y ago
Personally, I find meditating on a daily basis for longer periods (months), the most difficult. Whenever I go through a "down" phase in life, I start meditating and observe it being really beneficial, but the routine quickly starts to bore me. When I feel good and energized, I jump out of bed, enjoy a day at work and fill the evening with stuff I enjoy. I totally forget to meditate and (digital) reminders are easily dismissed. (It doesn't help that I'm an evening person, so most of the time I tried to do as less as possible in the morning in order to arrive at a "normal" time at work) How do other people cope with this?
- MrBuddyCasino 7y ago
  Same for me. Keeping up the routine is very hard.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
  What are your meditation goals? Some people treat it as a chance to sit and relax, perhaps process a bit of mental backlog, and generally 'open up'. Others treat meditation as a disciplined and very deliberate form of mental training. This is a process that takes years and thousands of hours to achieve a degree of mastery, such as attaining single-pointed attention, jhana absorbtions, etc. The latter is not easy, but it is also not boring.
- emanuensis 7y ago
  Same for me. Though i am very "advanced" having been a yogi for over 50 years. What really helped me was meditating hourly, on chimes. i have found the practice mentioned a few times, eg Thich Nat Han recommends. Content wise, length wise etc etc there are many variations. Pick one. Maybe graduate to another. Or out, or on infinite repeat. Taking control of yourself, at all times, even when not "meditating" is to be awake.
gpsx 7y ago
I'm sold on meditating being beneficial. This article is a reminder that I need to start doing it regularly again. How difficult it is for me is probably a reflection of how much I need it. I wonder about some of the _negative_ effects of meditation. Actually, I don't even mean negative, but just effects period. For example, does it make you less aggressive? In many ways this is a good thing but there are also benefits to being aggressive.
carapace 7y ago
Oysters can be eaten, but don't ignore the pearl.
le3dh4x0r 7y ago
I can recommend meditation for people with social anxiety. When I meditate on a regular basis, the way I interact changes completely. It's more intuitive and I say and do things I wouldn't do otherwise, yet people are completely fine with it and like me more. Like I am really authentic
albanberg 7y ago
In the Viniyoga tradition of Krishnamacharya and Desikachar, yoga poses/exercises (asana) are used to prepare the body for meditation. The meditation is a process of exercises while focusing on an object. The object could be gross, such as a mountain, or subtle such as a concept. The teacher chooses the object for the student.
padpnut 7y ago
Meditating daily has helped with my focus. I can now follow conversations in work meetings a lot longer, without my mind drifting away.
kovek 7y ago
Does anyone know what is the history of the Ohmm sound? What is the desired effect?
- kishoresurana 7y ago
  The correct way to say is AAAUM and not Om https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om
  - kishoresurana 7y ago
    Check this video https://youtu.be/-HMgaToaEac https://youtu.be/-HMgaToaEac
vitro 7y ago
For those interested, there is also Suizen [1] meditation which involves playing shakuhachi bamboo flute. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suizen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suizen
musicale 7y ago
> Meditation can open up surprisingly many doors when it comes to being more aware, mindful, focused and just at piece with yourself "At piece with yourself" reminds me of Iron Maiden's album Piece of Mind. Which is also good for mindfulness and focus.
ausjke 7y ago
i tried meditating myself but ended up with taking a short nap, 15-20 minutes that is, no need to go to bed though, but seems nap-taking recovers the most energy for me for the rest of the day.
yjhoney 7y ago
I had been reading articles (like this one) that raves about the benefits of meditation and so I decided to try it for 30 days every day. I did not see any improvements in any areas. Could I be doing something wrong? I really don't get meditation and I feel like I'm the only person who feels this way. All the benefits that this article specifically talks about is my default state. I'm never stressed and I don't feel anxiety unless I drink alot. Is it be possible that meditation simply have no effect for some people?
- nefitty 7y ago
  Try asking someone close to you if they notice a difference. I went through a long stint of daily meditation a few years ago but I eventually lost the habit. A while afterwards my wife randomly said, "I wish you still meditated. You were nicer when you did." I was taken aback.
dnprock 7y ago
Meditation sometimes reveals itself through meditation. It's kinda like recursion in programming. I come from Vietnam. Meditation in Vietnamese is translated literally to "sitting zen" (ngồi thiền). Sitting seems like the optimal balance point for meditation. Standing/walking has more distraction. Lying down makes you prone to sleeping. Now, I haven't figured out which sitting position is more optimal. Perhaps, the lotus position is popular for a reason.
rramadass 7y ago
The Tibetan Texts on "Mind Training" (called Lojong) maybe helpful for people looking for instructional techniques; * Mind Training: The Great Collection - https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Training-Collection-Library-Classics/dp/0861714407/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mind+training&qid=1566021731&s=books&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Training-Collection-Library-Clas... * Essential Mind Training (subset from the above book) - https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Mind-Training-Tibetan-Classics/dp/0861712633/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=mind+training&qid=1566021789&s=books&sr=1-16 https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Mind-Training-Tibetan-Class...
namelosw 7y ago
I personally don't find it useful. But it might be my own problem because I cannot get rid of the idea of questioning meditation itself. However if you are in doubt like me try take a nap. I find 20mins nap at noon also works great.
kishoresurana 7y ago
I strongly recommend Shambavi mahamudra Kriya taught by Sadhguru https://www.innerengineering.com/ https://www.innerengineering.com/ I’ve been practicing their 18 minute meditation for almost a year and it has been quite amazing.
cristinabunea 7y ago
You can listen to this article here: https://www.listle.io/#/article/3127906797 https://www.listle.io/#/article/3127906797

339 points by PascalPrecht 7y ago

In my experience, apps (like Headspace) mostly distract you from witnessing. Any type of guided mediation has an entertaining aspect to it - you have to follow the guidelines instead of pure witnessing.

me_me_me 7y ago
Would you mind elaborating a bit more on that? I've been meaning to get into the meditating for a quite a while now. But never seem to find time/motivation to research how to start.
- seren 7y ago
  I started meditating using some written guide/books and Headspace. An app is helpful to guide you at the beginning, but past a certain point having someone talking during most of the session seems a bit detrimental to your actual focus or awareness. I even wonder if there isn't some sort of Pavlovian response, whenever you listen to Andy Puddicombe voice, you want to meditate. The core of the issue is that there is a conflict of interests between an app that want to keep you subscribed forever, and the idea of teaching something universal. In any app, I have never heard the teacher saying that you don't need the app to actually meditate (which is obviously true). By making you dependent of an app, you are actually less free than before. Understand that these meditation apps (Headspace/Calm) are mostly VC funded , and they don't only want to teach you something, their investors also want some hockey stick curves. There is nothing wrong with that but it also explains how some features are designed. That being said I think it was helpful to use them, they provide some value so I would rather recommend them, just not forever.
  - LukeWalsh 7y ago
    Interestingly, in his book outlining the technique he teaches, Andy doesn’t directly recommend people do any sort of guided meditation. Rather, he talks about it like a sort of skill people can learn. There are probably diminishing returns once you are able to focus through the technique, however, even in monasteries with experienced meditators simple cues like bells are used because everyone gets distracted once in a while!
  - me_me_me 7y ago
    thanks, I think now I have no excuse not to try it out.
    - RugnirViking 7y ago
      I would also suggest that if you want to try doing it without an app, try something like: Wait for a free moment at home, maybe after work, set a timer on your phone for ten minuites, and sit cross legged if you can, or in a comfortable position if not, and just try to focus on your breathing for that time. It's surprisingly difficult. You may find that its suddenly a lot easier to think about all the things you have to do later, and want to do them now, but resist the urge. This ability to bring things to your head easier is one of the benefits of meditation, and is suprisingly immediate.
  - awinder 7y ago
    I even wonder if there isn't some sort of Pavlovian response, whenever you listen to Andy Puddicombe voice, you want to meditate YES. I've wondered the same, it almost seems like a waste if that's not what they're going for because it's right there. Understand that these meditation apps (Headspace/Calm) are mostly VC funded , and they don't only want to teach you something, their investors also want some hockey stick curves. There is nothing wrong with that but it also explains how some features are designed. I don't know if that's completely fair. Both of these seem to really be trying to go after a model where businesses buy group subscriptions as an employee wellness perk. I think there's also untapped potential in trying to team with large healthcare providers because mental health is treated in the US in one of the most cost-ineffective ways, and it isn't even especially an effective way from a patient outcome standpoint either. Anyways -- that's just all to say that achieving hockey stick growth in a B2B model should create better alignment and it shouldn't mean that they don't want to teach you something, I'm sure lots of people with good hearts are working there & want to do good for people/users.
    - yodon 7y ago
      Please don't use code formatting for quotes. It makes your text unreadable on mobile.
Tharkun 7y ago
I can't speak for meditation apps in general, but Headspace managed to introduce millions to meditation. They have a bunch of guided meditations for beginners, but as you progress the amount of guidance is gradually reduced. Headspace certainly helped me pick up meditation again after a decade long hiatus, in part because of their excellent & gentle progression. Granted, it's a bit silly to keep paying for a daily 30 minutes of silence.

cube2222 7y ago

I had always had some kind of anxiety or ocd for as long as I can remember. I'd searched for various ways to deal with it but only discovering meditation really worked for me. After meditating for 6 months every day (starting with 5 minutes daily, ending with 20-30) I've completely got rid of it. A nice side effect was that I got to be a happier person overall (though that wasn't ever a problem for me), and learned to deal with any kind of stress whatsoever. I'll happily recommend the, oh so often mentioned on hn, book "the mind illuminated" it really is great to start with: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness-ebook/dp/B01INMZKAQ https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrati... Recently I haven't been meditating as much as I'd like to unfortunately (I'm trying to get back to it), but the effects are lasting nevertheless. And I still know how to calm myself in a matter of minutes or get more distanced to the situation.

aNoob7000 7y ago
Would you recommend an app like Calm or Headspace to get started with meditation?
- cube2222 7y ago
  I haven't used any of them. I've heard good things about them though from other people using them. I myself think that meditation is the hardest - and for me the most effective - when I do it with as few external stimuli as possible.
- ir0s 7y ago
  I've recently started using Headspace, and am a big fan.
- c1sc0 7y ago
  To get started. Absolutely. Headspace has been instrumental in dealing with a very hard time in my life. For a secular, scientific look at mindfulness meditation read the book “Why Buddhism is true.”
  - 7y ago

spodek 7y ago

> I try to meditate every morning for about 15 minutes and been doing that for quite some time now. I find that doing any Self-Imposed Daily Challenging Healthy Activity will improve your life tremendously, meditation being just one type of SIDCHA. While the benefits differ slightly, the magnitude of benefit from other SIDCHAs -- like exercising, drawing a picture, writing a blog post, writing three business ideas, cooking a meal from scratch, etc every day -- can be just as great. You develop discipline, ability to overcome internal resistance, self-awareness, etc. I'm a big fan and practitioner of SIDCHAs and wrote them up: http://joshuaspodek.com/sidchas-the-series http://joshuaspodek.com/sidchas-the-series.

PascalPrecht 7y ago
Thanks for you feedback! I'll have a look at that.
onefuncman 7y ago
I love the approach of digging into the underlying pattern rather than fixating on the details of the routine. I used to struggle with Agile and daily standups at $JOB until I started keeping a private journal daily. Now I have several years of daily notes across several jobs that I can refer back to and use for reflection, avoiding common pitfalls, revisiting particularly difficult challenges with a different perspective. The most valuable entries I have beyond technical details or company idiosyncrasies are about arguments I've gotten into or interpersonal dynamics I've noticed. The biggest benefit I've noticed is that I feel much more resilient to both stress and change, and I don't sink near as much time and effort into distractions or rabbit holes. Random ideas get written down and set aside for monthly review and I can get back to work.
- theonemind 7y ago
  It sounds like you do something more comprehensive, but I thought I'd share my experience with journaling at work. I pretty much try to write (with pen and paper) for 10 minutes a day to sort my thoughts out and figure out what do focus on, perhaps think about what has affected my performance lately (good and bad, to do more of the good and get less of the bad). Occasionally, I'll stop doing it for periods of time, until I notice that my recent work has started to seem less effective. The 10 minutes of writing increases the chance that I'll feel like I've accomplished something by the end of the day by like 200%. So you'd think I'd never skip it, but of course, when actually doing it, it feels like wasting 10 minutes at any given time, so sometimes, I just don't.

amriksohata 7y ago

Hindu sages have advocated meditating for thousands of years, they do this in a specific time called Brahmamuhurtha in the morning when its most potent. Its the same sages that promote Yoga and Ayurveda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmamuhurtha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmamuhurtha It won't be long before the West I hope catches onto the next phase which is learning about Mudras - kind of an accupressure to target certain nerves.

pbowyer 7y ago
> It won't be long before the West I hope catches onto the next phase which is learning about Mudras - kind of an accupressure to target certain nerves. Mudras are awesome! I discovered them accidentally because I'd get spots on my fingers that felt "heavy" and would make me jerk and shiver when touched. Pressing them can clear the tension, but it's always a temporary relief. If I can shiver then the energy release is much better. I've tried various mudras but not known what to expect from them, or how best to use them. And never seen an explanation (or anyone else) experiencing what I do.
- L_Rahman 7y ago
  Western psychotherapy has developed a specific ritual for activating this kind of shivering focused on releasing traumatic energy. It's called a TRE (Trauma Release Exercise) and particularly when done in the presence of someone who can help guide through energetic blocks, I've found it to be a transformative experience. https://traumaprevention.com/ https://traumaprevention.com/
- amriksohata 7y ago
  As alanberg says, go for a indian qualified teacher, people do yoga retreats for this stuff in India. Or ask a pandit at a Hindu temple
albanberg 7y ago
The Mudras are also specific yoga asanas, which are often referred to as poses or exercises in the west. These Mudras are an advanced practice and should be done with the guidance of a qualified teacher.

ptah 7y ago

Good start. It becomes even more beneficial with more time and by learning from a real live person. My life has improved dramatically doing TM for the last 15 years.

nabla9 7y ago

I have been meditating 20 years now (zazen). I do 2-4 hours a day. Several 7 day retreats per year. My starting motivation was philosophical and academic interest. I was curious how it affects the mind. Then I did it because it seemed so hard to do, mind seemed like a buggy device I had no control over. I also had self improvement goals at some point. And feeling balanced is a good feeling. But there is no way I can justify the amount of time I spend meditating with any of those. Meditation teachers say that first you start to work with meditation, then it starts to work with you. The whole view of the world changes. I'm completely secular humanist but meditation has turned into spiritual practice. If I worship something, it's this moment. Asking why I meditate is like asking why people go surfing. Staying in the moment and balancing on the wave between the past and the future is not a activity you do for gaining any other goals. Being alive and experiencing the raw existence is something you sacrifice other things in your life.

Tharkun 7y ago
Do you usually sit in seiza posture, or do you prefer agura for such lengthy sessions? I can put up with an hour in seiza, but four hours must require a fortitude of mind that I can't even begin to fathom.
- nabla9 7y ago
  I sit always in half-lotus.
tshanmu 7y ago
how do you find the time - sorry for asking personal questions but do you work full time, what about kids stuff? I try but unable to consistently commit more than 20 min on an off.
- nabla9 7y ago
  I work part time. I work in a small company that is very accommodating. It seems relatively common that people who work full time can do 2 hours if that's really what they want to do. You cut down other activities, like watching Netflix etc.

thewhitetulip 7y ago

I can testify to the benefits of meditation When I don't meditate, I feel restless, I doubt myself more and always feel empty. After meditating, I feel at peace. And I only meditate once every 15days. Meditation also helped me reverse acid reflux.

jason_slack 7y ago

I have the habit now of meditation for 1 hour each morning and then for 20-30 minutes before laying my head to pillow. It's really helpful to me to get myself in a space to start a productive day and end it with a good relaxing sleep. I usually get 4.5 to 5.5 hours each night. Up at 4:30am without an alarm and to bed by 11-midnight usually. I attended a 10 day silent meditation retreat last year and it really had an impact of my technique and focus along with realizing my life is what I indeed make of it. If anyone wants to start meditating, start slow. maybe just 10 minutes of trying to do basic breathing exercises.

agent008t 7y ago
4.5 to 5.5 hours sounds ridiculously low. I thought humans need at least 8 hours of sleep to function well? Have you tried sleeping for longer and if you did, what difference did it make to your wellbeing?
- criddell 7y ago
  Everybody is different, but 4.5 hours feels pretty low. I'd be tempted to trade my hour of mediation for another hour of sleep.
  - jason_slack 7y ago
    Sleep is indeed important. Especially if you need it. By comparison my wife requires 8-10 hours each night.
- theboulevardier 7y ago
  Many people find that meditation reduces their need to sleep. A few months ago when I was meditating for around 1.5 hours per day (a mixture of walking and formal sitting meditation) I felt well rested on 5.5 to 6.5 hours of sleep, when my normal needs are 7.5 - 8 hours
  - jammygit 7y ago
    Sometimes when I have insomnia I sort of daydream instead of sleeping. When I get up, I am more rested than the 3-4 hours or actual sleep would suggest. I had wondered if the daydreaming was similar enough to sleep to be a poor substitute

Taylor_OD 7y ago

10 minutes of guided meditation per day is the only non-medical option that helps my ADHD other than removing caffeine and getting more sleep. It's insane how little I need to feel much more in control of my thoughts.

poslathian 7y ago
I dropped my scrip when I realized a long morning sit has about the same effect but without the side effects of stimulants - which were considerable. Not to get down on stimulants, those can be amazing drugs.

EamonnMR 7y ago

I've tried in the past, but I wonder: how do you know if you've successfully meditated or not?

jrochkind1 7y ago
So in the kind of meditating he's talking about, you sit there focusing on your breath. When you notice your thoughts doing something else, you non-judgementally bring them back to your breath. That's it. If you're doing it, you're succesfully meditating. It doesn't matter how often your thoughts go somewhere else, or for how long before you notice. No matter, if when you notice you focus on the breath, you're doing it successfully. Really, that's the whole thing. If you're just starting out, you might find some introduction guidance helpful, either from an online video or app (there are many, OP mentions a couple), or from someone in person (If there's a Shambala temple in your area, they probably have intro to meditation sessions; there are other options).
- jrochkind1 7y ago
  (It can be "hard" to do because it can be an uncomfortable or "boring" thing to do, that you don't really want to do. But if you just do it anyway, it's "easy", it doesn't take any skill, anybody can do it, you just have to do it. It is sort of a kind of exersize for your mind, like going to the gym for your mind. You are practicing: a) noticing what your mind is doing, self-reflection in the moment; and b) directing your attention).
laurieg 7y ago
Compare it to going for a walk. How do you know if you've gone for a walk successfully? Did you walk a mile or ten? Did you walk slowly or quickly? Did you stumble or stride firmly? Whatever happened, you went for walk. Meditation is just as simple. Sit and focus on your breath. That's really all there is too it.
wool_gather 7y ago
I agree with the other responses you've got, but to make this point explicit: each meditation session is an exercise. Any definition of "success" has to be in the long term. If you're having a rough day, sitting calmly and breathing is going to help in the moment, of course. But the ongoing practice and its spillover into awareness in daily life is the goal. And, like learning any new skill, you can't necessarily see that development day-to-day, just in retrospect over months. I also posted this the other day, about "failing" at the exercise: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675811 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675811

tryitnow 7y ago

Whenever I hear about a particular technique that is supposedly backed by evidence I wonder what specific protocol was used in the studies supporting it. I also wonder how many studies have been conducted and for how many years. For those of you who want an actual evidence-based practice check out Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). It's the most frequently studied protocol and it's been studied for decades. When you read stories about studies showing how meditation does XYZ and ABC, it's almost always MBSR that the researchers are using. "Meditation" is a huge category, there's a lot of stuff in there. Some of it probably works, a lot of it doesn't (other than the placebo effect). What you think of as "meditation" may not be what actually has been researched in a given study. Of course, all of the above is only applicable to those of you who want to pursue evidence-based techniques. If you're just satisfied with trying stuff you read about on random blogs and HN posts then go ahead and try anything: prayer, astrology, witchcraft, etc - you'll probably realize a little positive benefit as long as you genuinely believe it will work.

devinjflick 7y ago
For those interested in evidence based meditation for treating mental illness, I suggest the following video and book. The mindful way through depression: Zindel Segal at TEDxUTSC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A4w3W94ygA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A4w3W94ygA The book that the talk is based on: https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Way-Through-Depression-Unhappiness/dp/1593851286 https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Way-Through-Depression-Unhapp...
flr03 7y ago
Why would you need studies ? It's not like trying to introduce a new medication on the market. If I like knitting 30 mins a day and I feel relaxed after that I'm not going to wait for a study to tell me it's actually making me feel better or not.
- DanBC 7y ago
  Because it may be harmful. See for example the idea of giving people involved in road traffic accidents a bit of psychological therapy afterwards. That seems like it'd help, and most people would say that it can't hurt, but when you look at the people 3 years later we see the group randomised to talking therapy have worse outcomes than the group randomised to no talking therapy. (I'll try to find a reference). Here's the reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10974967/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10974967/

spectaclepiece 7y ago

I began meditating every day after I wake up four years ago and it has been the most beneficial change I ever introduced into my life, quitting cannabis securing a stable second place. I began with five min and worked my way up to 15. Now I have an iOS shortcut “hey Siri, start meditation” which sets a timer randomly between 15 and 20 min to counteract the body clock expectation of a fixed duration.

cols 7y ago
You mentioned quitting cannabis. If you don't mind elaborating, I'm curious what benefits you have experienced and why you ended up quitting. Thanks!
- thomk 7y ago
  Ex cannabis user here, so I thought I'd give you my empirical perspective & and opinion. I will tell you what I would tell my own child: Cannabis, like any recreational drug, steals the most precious resource we have: our time. I've been on benders in my life that I simply can not remember what I did during that period, sure, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I am talking about is the time any person needs to become a well adjusted, functioning adult. When you are taking a recreational drug, you are not dealing with life, you are on a 'get away'. Life is the best teacher and recreational drugs are how you forfeit that precious, amazing, education. You don't have to go far to see this in action. Think of someone who is a habitual drug user and ask yourself 'are they emotionally mature?'. They aren't. They are taking an escape. Recreational drugs are antithetical to emotional growth. This type of behavior is ESPECIALLY harmful if you are taking recreational drugs early in life. It simply puts you behind. I wasted 20 years of my life 'partying' even on a casual basis. Time slips away and being high puts time on a damn bullet train. I heard recently that the fastest way for an addict to relapse is a windfall of money. Money doesn't help them get out of their situation because money is hard to manage, particularly if you are emotionally immature. tl/dr: Recreational drugs make you immature which will prevent you from going very far in life.
  - duprees_diamon 7y ago

winkelwagen 7y ago

I've been meditating for about 3 months now. Mostly focussing on building the habit part of it. I could definitely recommend 10% happier book, It's a fun read, and a kind introduction to meditation. I had an easier time connecting with that author then all the other writers that have all have been meditating for 20+ years with countless 10/30 day retreats. This week I finished Waking up from sam harris. Have been listening to his podcast for ages. If you are interested in meditation, from a non-religion perspective I would definitely recommend it. I'm still having a tough time understanding what all this no-self and no-ego is about. That will just take some time I guess. For me personally I've been mixing meditation and stoisism a bit to find some peace and acceptance for my very critical self image. But it's hard to find good stoic teaching, most of it just seems written by sleazy marketeers. Last thing I would recommend for anyone interested in meditation, starting with tools like headspace a good way to get into the habit. But to be honest, I'm having a hard time still getting value out of their teachings. I went from headspace > just settings a timer with the Oak app for 20-30 min > back to headspace. I feel if made less progress then the simple timer. of course I'm not 100% sure if it the headspace app, or me just simply plateauing but my I think I'm going to go back to a simple timer. The headspace app is just so damn noisy.

scns 7y ago
You need to know how to progress. The book The Mind Illuminated which has allready recommended here helps with this. One commenter in another thread on hn allready practised for years, that book got him further.

jimkri 7y ago

I started meditating in the beginning of the year and it really has helped me with a lot of things. It has helped me the most with anxiety and my ADHD/concentrating. Ive been using Waking Up with Sam Harris, which is talked about in the article. It has a ton of learning materials, self-timers. It follows vipassana meditation and the app offers metta as well.

riskneutral 7y ago

In my humble opinion, meditation is the only way. There is no substitute for meditation. There is a nice app for free called Plumb Village. It’s by Thich Nhat Hanh, who I think gave a talk at Google once.

slothtrop 7y ago

This reminds me of an article shared here on the value of doing nothing. How does walking around with a clear head compared to meditation practically speaking?

wool_gather 7y ago
Meditation as I understand it involves specifically directing your mental focus to something. Sometimes breath, sometimes a visualization, sometimes an examination of a particular thought or situation. You can do a walking meditation, where you will likewise be focused on something: one possibility being the physical sensations of walking (arms swinging, feet hitting ground), or the experience of the surroundings (light, breeze, sounds, and so on). The difference to just walking around, or just sitting calmly, is that you are putting some effort into maintaining that particular focus, whatever it is. You will always get distracted by something else, but when you notice, you switch back. And keep on doing that for the length of the exercise.
cryptozeus 7y ago
Why not both ? Both are hard to achieve in long term..thanks to chatty mind.
Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
I'd liken it to the difference between exercise and training. Exercise is certainly good for you, but if you want to achieve high performance, you need structure and discipline. Meditation isn't clearing your head, it's changing it. It's developing the faculties of attention and awareness in a deliberate way. Ultimately, these are the tools you use to develop insight.

garyrob 7y ago

I just want to share that I'm finding the practice of Zen meditation in the context of its overall philosophy to be profoundly helpful. I've read a substantial number of books on the subject. Books are only useful as pointers for how to practice; knowledge alone is useless in Zen. You have to practice, period. But the best books are useful as pointers for how to practice. And if anyone here is interested in exploring Zen, the single book that I feel does the best job of giving you what you need to really practice is "Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice" by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi[1]. "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" [2] is also a wonderful book, and it's where I started. Its poetic manner of expression made me feel there was something there that I needed to explore. But the Uchiyama book just takes the cake for being very clear and down-to-earth, without watering down either the practice or the philosophy. After that it's helpful to read commentaries on writings by Dogen. And, ideally, sitting regularly with other folks in a Zen center is extremely helpful. Avoid overly simplistic beginner's Zen books. I can't recommend them because they seem to distort the essence in an attempt to make it seem as approachable as possible. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Hand-Thought-Foundations-Buddhist/dp/0861713575/ref=sr_1_1 https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Hand-Thought-Foundations-Budd... [2] https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation/dp/1590308492/ref=sr_1_3 https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditatio...

cryptozeus 7y ago

I have been meditating for sometime now however lately I have been thinking that this is one more attempt at managing the stress of daily life. Its not the cure and definitely does not help in finding out why we need to do this to begin with.

whiddershins 7y ago
I might argue that it is precisely a route to figuring out why we need to do this to begin with. This notion that somehow all this suffering and stress is generated by external factors is a trap, in my experience.
- cryptozeus 7y ago
  I didn’t mean that all our troubles are based on external factors but it does impact our day to day.
  - RugnirViking 7y ago
    I think the thing is that in our past lives we had a lot more time to do nothing. Have you ever sat and stared into a fire for an extended period of time? These kinds of calm moments of reflection happened far more often in times gone past, especially for tens of thousands of years before significant we developed civilisation. Presumably because this time was abuntantly available, evolution found ways to do some kind of bookkeeping that is very important for our survival, in a similar manner to why sleep is important. This is of course speculation, but in the absence of definative research about the human brain, which is a ways off just yet, this is almost the best we have.

mr_overalls 7y ago

This type of meditation - a secularized form of Vipassana in which one passively observers mental events - is very popular in the West. But it's not the only one, and shouldn't be called merely "meditation" without regard to the vast body of practices that exist. Another form of meditation that's traditionally talked about in Buddhism is shamatha, which translates to something like "concentration" or "tranquility." In this type of practice, the meditator works with a meditation object, commonly the breath, but possibly a sound, mental image, etc. The meditator learns to stabilize the mind and remain fully aware of the object, and in the process learns to debug the mechanisms that direct (and destabilize) conscious attention. A recently published book called _The_Mind_Illustrated_ by John Yates is fa fantastic resource for this kind of practice. If you're interested in scientific attempts to categorize and study meditation, the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison does some fantastic neuroscience & psychology research. https://centerhealthyminds.org/assets/files-publications/DahlReconstructingTICS.pdf https://centerhealthyminds.org/assets/files-publications/Dah... In the scientific terminology that is emerging these days, Attentional, Constructive, and Deconstructive types of meditation are mapped onto various types of traditional practices (there's a handy chart in the paper).

jasonmcaffee 7y ago
It's good to point out there are many different types of meditation, as some work better than others, depending on the individual. However, this article doesn't seem to be advocating Vipassana, rather, it states: "Meditation is all about being aware of how your body feels and the thoughts that go through your head without judging or getting caught up in them. Often, this is done by focusing on a certain part of your body, like the breath or your feet, legs, arms, hands and chest etc. At the end of the day, what you’re aiming for is to keep bringing your attention back to what you’re focusing on, everytime you notice your mind has drifted off." The book is called The Mind Illuminated, and is an absolutely fantastic book on meditation. Super cheap too: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness/dp/1501156985/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3AWJMAYQPSKPY&keywords=the+mind+illuminated&qid=1565973855&s=gateway&sprefix=the+mind+illu%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-3 https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrati...
mettamage 7y ago

ypcx 7y ago

Mindfulness meditation is absolutely great, a miracle, a root. I don't meditate regularly but every time that I do it again (and if properly), the thought that opens is something like "where have you been so long / why have you denied this to yourself for so long" type of question. And yet, I feel like doing that every day is not fully compatible with the type of consciousness which is optimal to get me from day to day in my life as a software engineer. Meditation sharpens your senses -- you may then find yourself distracted by sounds of road traffic that you previously didn't care about, you may discover that the air in your area smells bad to you from time to time, you may realize how locked most people are in their own patterns (that includes you). You may find yourself thinking about going to a Buddhist monastery somewhere and trying this for a longer time. I'm just saying it's really _that_ good. Whereas, if I do what I love, and I let my consciousness to its own momentum, I feel like it's auto-tackling the daily roughness of life more on its own and not bothering me with otherwise unimportant things that much. In essence, you were born into this physical reality to be a thought / to have thoughts, not to be thoughtless / formless. That said, mindfulness meditation as a consciousness-momentum modification tool, applied (even daily) within the proper bounds, can a venerable weapon for life. I guess I just find it to be an extra overhead to manage if everything else in my life goes really well even without it. p.s. If you use meditation as a daily crutch(?)/bandage(?) to something that _really_ bothers you, there are much more effective weapons to try (one-off, by no means regular use): Ayahuasca, Shrooms, Family Constellations -- after healing with these, the meditation itself can provide you with much more, as a cherry on the top.

Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
There's more to meditation than just mindfulness. Look into samatha practice.

40acres 7y ago

There's a small urban park 5 minutes away from my apartment, I live in Oregon so the greenery is very lush and evergreen. It's the perfect spot for a quick 10 minute headspace session. The mind is an incredible thing, it's difficult to know if tech has reduced my mind's ability to remain still -- but it's quite something to sit and realize that my mind goes it's own way and I struggle to keep up, like a dog walking it's master.

jasonmcaffee 7y ago

I've been meditating for the last 2 years, and I've found many benefits. Stress reduction, better control of feelings, better understanding of self, and joy are just a few. It's really simple to start out: 1) Devote 10 minutes of each day to meditation time. Early morning is best, as your mind is fresh and not as distracted. 2) Find a quiet/non-distracting place to sit in a comfortable position. Legs crossed on the floor or in a chair are fine. You want to keep your back straight to help keep from falling asleep. 3) Focus on the sensation of your breath, wherever it is strongest. Typically this is the tip of the nose, or in the nostril, but chest can work as well. Your mind will become distracted with work, worries, thoughts of food, etc. When this happens, congratulate yourself on noticing that it happened, and bring your attention back to your breath. That's it! It blows my mind how developing concentration can have such a profound impact on your life. Here are some good resources for those interested: http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/beginning-meditation-handout.pdf http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/beginning-medit... https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness/dp/1501156985/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3AWJMAYQPSKPY&keywords=the+mind+illuminated&qid=1565973855&s=gateway&sprefix=the+mind+illu%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-3 https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrati... https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/wiki/index#wiki_getting_started https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/wiki/index#wiki_...

mlangenberg 7y ago

Personally, I find meditating on a daily basis for longer periods (months), the most difficult. Whenever I go through a "down" phase in life, I start meditating and observe it being really beneficial, but the routine quickly starts to bore me. When I feel good and energized, I jump out of bed, enjoy a day at work and fill the evening with stuff I enjoy. I totally forget to meditate and (digital) reminders are easily dismissed. (It doesn't help that I'm an evening person, so most of the time I tried to do as less as possible in the morning in order to arrive at a "normal" time at work) How do other people cope with this?

MrBuddyCasino 7y ago
Same for me. Keeping up the routine is very hard.
Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
What are your meditation goals? Some people treat it as a chance to sit and relax, perhaps process a bit of mental backlog, and generally 'open up'. Others treat meditation as a disciplined and very deliberate form of mental training. This is a process that takes years and thousands of hours to achieve a degree of mastery, such as attaining single-pointed attention, jhana absorbtions, etc. The latter is not easy, but it is also not boring.
emanuensis 7y ago
Same for me. Though i am very "advanced" having been a yogi for over 50 years. What really helped me was meditating hourly, on chimes. i have found the practice mentioned a few times, eg Thich Nat Han recommends. Content wise, length wise etc etc there are many variations. Pick one. Maybe graduate to another. Or out, or on infinite repeat. Taking control of yourself, at all times, even when not "meditating" is to be awake.

gpsx 7y ago

I'm sold on meditating being beneficial. This article is a reminder that I need to start doing it regularly again. How difficult it is for me is probably a reflection of how much I need it. I wonder about some of the _negative_ effects of meditation. Actually, I don't even mean negative, but just effects period. For example, does it make you less aggressive? In many ways this is a good thing but there are also benefits to being aggressive.

carapace 7y ago

Oysters can be eaten, but don't ignore the pearl.

le3dh4x0r 7y ago

I can recommend meditation for people with social anxiety. When I meditate on a regular basis, the way I interact changes completely. It's more intuitive and I say and do things I wouldn't do otherwise, yet people are completely fine with it and like me more. Like I am really authentic

albanberg 7y ago

In the Viniyoga tradition of Krishnamacharya and Desikachar, yoga poses/exercises (asana) are used to prepare the body for meditation. The meditation is a process of exercises while focusing on an object. The object could be gross, such as a mountain, or subtle such as a concept. The teacher chooses the object for the student.

padpnut 7y ago

Meditating daily has helped with my focus. I can now follow conversations in work meetings a lot longer, without my mind drifting away.

kovek 7y ago

Does anyone know what is the history of the Ohmm sound? What is the desired effect?

kishoresurana 7y ago
The correct way to say is AAAUM and not Om https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om
- kishoresurana 7y ago
  Check this video https://youtu.be/-HMgaToaEac https://youtu.be/-HMgaToaEac

vitro 7y ago

For those interested, there is also Suizen [1] meditation which involves playing shakuhachi bamboo flute. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suizen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suizen

musicale 7y ago

> Meditation can open up surprisingly many doors when it comes to being more aware, mindful, focused and just at piece with yourself "At piece with yourself" reminds me of Iron Maiden's album Piece of Mind. Which is also good for mindfulness and focus.

ausjke 7y ago

i tried meditating myself but ended up with taking a short nap, 15-20 minutes that is, no need to go to bed though, but seems nap-taking recovers the most energy for me for the rest of the day.

yjhoney 7y ago

I had been reading articles (like this one) that raves about the benefits of meditation and so I decided to try it for 30 days every day. I did not see any improvements in any areas. Could I be doing something wrong? I really don't get meditation and I feel like I'm the only person who feels this way. All the benefits that this article specifically talks about is my default state. I'm never stressed and I don't feel anxiety unless I drink alot. Is it be possible that meditation simply have no effect for some people?

nefitty 7y ago
Try asking someone close to you if they notice a difference. I went through a long stint of daily meditation a few years ago but I eventually lost the habit. A while afterwards my wife randomly said, "I wish you still meditated. You were nicer when you did." I was taken aback.

dnprock 7y ago

Meditation sometimes reveals itself through meditation. It's kinda like recursion in programming. I come from Vietnam. Meditation in Vietnamese is translated literally to "sitting zen" (ngồi thiền). Sitting seems like the optimal balance point for meditation. Standing/walking has more distraction. Lying down makes you prone to sleeping. Now, I haven't figured out which sitting position is more optimal. Perhaps, the lotus position is popular for a reason.

rramadass 7y ago

The Tibetan Texts on "Mind Training" (called Lojong) maybe helpful for people looking for instructional techniques; * Mind Training: The Great Collection - https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Training-Collection-Library-Classics/dp/0861714407/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mind+training&qid=1566021731&s=books&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Training-Collection-Library-Clas... * Essential Mind Training (subset from the above book) - https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Mind-Training-Tibetan-Classics/dp/0861712633/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=mind+training&qid=1566021789&s=books&sr=1-16 https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Mind-Training-Tibetan-Class...

namelosw 7y ago

I personally don't find it useful. But it might be my own problem because I cannot get rid of the idea of questioning meditation itself. However if you are in doubt like me try take a nap. I find 20mins nap at noon also works great.

kishoresurana 7y ago

I strongly recommend Shambavi mahamudra Kriya taught by Sadhguru https://www.innerengineering.com/ https://www.innerengineering.com/ I’ve been practicing their 18 minute meditation for almost a year and it has been quite amazing.

cristinabunea 7y ago

You can listen to this article here: https://www.listle.io/#/article/3127906797 https://www.listle.io/#/article/3127906797