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I have an alternative (although unproven) theory. I have been practicing meditation for 15 years, sometimes in batch of 100 hours. The more I practice, the mo

I have an alternative (although unproven) theory. I have been practicing meditation for 15 years, sometimes in batch of 100 hours. The more I practice, the more the time slows down. Not just while meditating, but after the fact as well. Although it fluctuates and I'm not back to my kid self, it feels that I have tremendously more time now than a few years ago. I suspect that it's tied to how much present you manage to be. When you are a kid, you are deeply immersed in whatever you are doing, and less and less so after that, especially in our age of distractions, multitasking, and intellectual work loads. I think that the more you are immersed in the daily boring stuff, like just walking, doing chores, or taking your shower, the more you register the time you spend doing said activity, and the time seems to pass slowly. In fact, I am sometimes under the impression my minutes, not just feel longer, but actually contain more, because I do so many things and then looking at the clock, it hasn't moved much. This sensation increases when I meditate a lot.

joe__f 5y ago
I've been pracitising meditation for nearly 10 years, and I also experience this effect. I think the more you meditate, the more you unlearn precious patterns, memories, etc. that were clogging up your brain. Then you have more time to experience the present moment, and your brain has more capacity to process what's going on now rather than what happened to you previously.
- joe__f 5y ago
  I meant 'previous' not 'precious'. How can I edit a post I made? I've seen what I think was other people editing their posts
  - BiteCode_dev 5y ago
    There is an "edit" link, but it disappears if your comment is too old.
pbrb 5y ago
Where would you start right now if you were starting to meditate with no prior experience, knowing what you know now with 15yrs of experience? I'm going to take what you recommend and run with it.
- datameta 5y ago
  Sit for 5 minutes and try to count to 10 incrementing on the exhale. If you notice yourself thinking of something other than your body sensations like the breath or the counting, start from 1. This was my first foray into meditation.
- BiteCode_dev 5y ago
  There are a lot of different meditation techniques and teachers, and they are as different as are sports and coaches: your body gets exercise, but that's the only common ground. But here it's the mind. I can only tell you what I have done, the cost and benefit I personally experienced. I cannot make recommendations as it would be utter B.S. I'm pretty good with my brain, but my attention was lacking to say the least. In search for a solution, I tried meditation on my own. I read books, and tried to sit down by myself. I failed. Repeatedly. Frustrated by what was the first time not being good with my head, I ask my doctor, who I knew was a Buddhist doing meditations retreats in caves, to help me find a teacher. I insisted I wanted meditation only. No mantra or singing. No mythology or holly texts. No prayer or God. No offering, ritual or altar. She told me the closest thing to what I was looking for was a course of "Vipassana Meditation, in the tradition of S.N Goenka". It's a meditation technique that you learn during a 10 days courses. Shorter periods are NOT available as a beginner, and the 10 days are really necessary. I advice strongly against quitting in the middle of a course, for your own mental health, even if you believe you can. Once your are in it, you should finish. You _will_ want to quit. Almost everybody does. Sometimes, I still do on the first day, when I start a new course. The 10 days are not devoid of mysticism, religious undertone, etc. but they do teach you a technique that can be practiced as an atheist, or a practitioner of another religion, with minimal fuss. Keep in mind, though, that if you are scientifically inclined, the 10 days will grind your gears in many ways. After so long, it still triggers me sometimes, but I've being involved with those people quite deeply now, and I find solace in the fact they are benevolent and dedicated to helping. I actually lived a year in one of the (numerous, almost 200 in the world) meditation centers, I dated one their accountant (!), and being part of a lot of their activities. They are just regular human beings, with the good, and the bad, but they really want to help, and they do. The accounting books are clean too ^^ The course is free, and you don't need to pay for the teaching, nor the accommodation, or the food. Ever. They will regularly remind you they need donation, and even tell you it's good for you :) I do donate, but it is completely optional, and some people never give anything. It's considered perfectly ok. As for the 10 days course, it is _hard_. The discipline is strict: - waking up at 4 am - no food after 12 - you put any distracting object in a safe you can't access before the end, including your phone, books, wallets or notebooks - you can't talk, do much exercise - you meditate 10 hours a day The hardest part is not the silence, the food or the sleep though. It's the meditation. Provided you practice correctly, it will be extremely challenging. Boredom, physical discomfort or pain, distress, depression, break down, sadness, etc. are only a fraction of the things you may, or may not have to face. And that's only what you can put words on, which is, to my surprise, only a very tiny part of the experience. The cost, hence, is high. It's even higher if you decide it's worth it for you to carry on with it daily. It takes time, and effort. Also, it's a slow process. A steady one, mind you. My life has changed in ways I believe would have not been possible otherwise. Some progresses fade without practice. Some gains are for life even if you stop. But I've been at it for some time now, and I will continue for the rest of my life. The trade off proved worth it for me. The most obvious benefits that I personally experienced: - my social, love and professional life have completely shifted. I had what looked like autistic traits, but they have melted. I'm considered an extrovert now. - I am happier. It was not a straight transformation. I had depressive periods. But the trend on 15 years is that, all in all, I'm much, much happier than when I started. This by itself makes the technique worth it, as it leads you, little by little, to decouple happiness from circumstances. - I know myself better. This means I accept myself more as I am, I have less illusion about myself, and also I live my life according to that knowledge, instead of hitting an invisible wall. If I'd share what I learned with you, you would think it's trivial, obvious things. But making them yours make all the difference. - I'm more productive. It's a small detail compared to the rest, but a nice boost. - I am more at peace with the suffering of our human condition. Less afraid of death, less angry with people destroying things, less depressed by the state of society. I forgive a lot now. Including myself. I'm ok hurting people too, which is strange to say, and not what you think would be the result of meditation. In fact, I became less minimalist and more materialist with time. I don't look the stereotype of a wise, zen person. Also, some areas in my life I desperately wanted to work on didn't move at all. I eat too much, I still get angry for some things that are so superficial in retrospect. So be careful with expectations. You can find more information about this particular technique and the related courses here: https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index Yes, I'm well aware that the website looks like a cult. It's even worse when you are in a course, with the Pali wows and the recordings repeating again and again the same instructions. You will have to assess that by yourself. Whatever you chose to do, I hope you'll find something that works for you.
972811 5y ago
I agree with this completely. As I get older, a much more significant amount of my time is spent on the future. Planning for social events, planning when to do housework or chores, planning projects for work. I think you also do more long-term planning at work as you get older. When I was 22, three months seemed like a long time for a project and a long way away for events. Now I know a quarter (12 weeks) is not much time at all, and getting event invitations for a year in advance seems normal, and time slips by in between. To your point, meditation helps me quite a bit (along with long cardio and limiting media consumption)
obruchez 5y ago
Just to add another data point: I've been meditating for 8 years now. I did a 10-day vipassana course 3 years ago. I meditate everyday (usually using Sam Harris' app, but not always). As much as I'd like to agree with you, I'm not sure I can, i.e. I can't say that time seems to pass less quickly since I've started meditating regularly. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that I have a 3-year-old son (i.e. I always feel like I should have more time, even when I consciously plan to not do anything)? Maybe I don't meditate "the right way"? Or maybe I'm just not a good judge of how I perceive time. I don't know.
- BiteCode_dev 5y ago
  I could be completely wrong, time passing is a very subjective experience after all, and humans are very keen on creating theories based on impressions. I would add I started experiencing time slowing down once I did a one year stay at a Vipassana center. I also meditate 2 hours a day now. My first 10 years of meditation, I didn't felt it. So maybe, it's dose dependent. Or maybe it's all in my head :)
  - obruchez 5y ago
    I wish I could find the time to meditate for more than 10-20 minutes everyday. But between family, sleep, exercise, work, hobbies, friends, etc., it's difficult to do it, unless I sacrifice something else. It seems like it's part of the problem: feeling that you have too many things to do will lead to the impression that time passes too quickly. But I can definitely believe that the more you meditate, the more you will experience things differently. My 10-day vipassana course was already an intense experience compared to meditating 10-20 minutes every day!
    - BiteCode_dev 5y ago
      > family, sleep, exercise, work, hobbies, friends, Not to mention you should cook, buy fresh food, stay informed, be politically active, learn new things, keep your house clean, recycle, do health checks up, get a hair cut, but don't use your car for everything and spend some time in nature. Don't forget to read, meet new people, get to zero inbox and fix your shower curtain.

joe__f 5y ago

I've been pracitising meditation for nearly 10 years, and I also experience this effect. I think the more you meditate, the more you unlearn precious patterns, memories, etc. that were clogging up your brain. Then you have more time to experience the present moment, and your brain has more capacity to process what's going on now rather than what happened to you previously.

joe__f 5y ago
I meant 'previous' not 'precious'. How can I edit a post I made? I've seen what I think was other people editing their posts
- BiteCode_dev 5y ago
  There is an "edit" link, but it disappears if your comment is too old.

pbrb 5y ago

Where would you start right now if you were starting to meditate with no prior experience, knowing what you know now with 15yrs of experience? I'm going to take what you recommend and run with it.

datameta 5y ago
Sit for 5 minutes and try to count to 10 incrementing on the exhale. If you notice yourself thinking of something other than your body sensations like the breath or the counting, start from 1. This was my first foray into meditation.
BiteCode_dev 5y ago
There are a lot of different meditation techniques and teachers, and they are as different as are sports and coaches: your body gets exercise, but that's the only common ground. But here it's the mind. I can only tell you what I have done, the cost and benefit I personally experienced. I cannot make recommendations as it would be utter B.S. I'm pretty good with my brain, but my attention was lacking to say the least. In search for a solution, I tried meditation on my own. I read books, and tried to sit down by myself. I failed. Repeatedly. Frustrated by what was the first time not being good with my head, I ask my doctor, who I knew was a Buddhist doing meditations retreats in caves, to help me find a teacher. I insisted I wanted meditation only. No mantra or singing. No mythology or holly texts. No prayer or God. No offering, ritual or altar. She told me the closest thing to what I was looking for was a course of "Vipassana Meditation, in the tradition of S.N Goenka". It's a meditation technique that you learn during a 10 days courses. Shorter periods are NOT available as a beginner, and the 10 days are really necessary. I advice strongly against quitting in the middle of a course, for your own mental health, even if you believe you can. Once your are in it, you should finish. You _will_ want to quit. Almost everybody does. Sometimes, I still do on the first day, when I start a new course. The 10 days are not devoid of mysticism, religious undertone, etc. but they do teach you a technique that can be practiced as an atheist, or a practitioner of another religion, with minimal fuss. Keep in mind, though, that if you are scientifically inclined, the 10 days will grind your gears in many ways. After so long, it still triggers me sometimes, but I've being involved with those people quite deeply now, and I find solace in the fact they are benevolent and dedicated to helping. I actually lived a year in one of the (numerous, almost 200 in the world) meditation centers, I dated one their accountant (!), and being part of a lot of their activities. They are just regular human beings, with the good, and the bad, but they really want to help, and they do. The accounting books are clean too ^^ The course is free, and you don't need to pay for the teaching, nor the accommodation, or the food. Ever. They will regularly remind you they need donation, and even tell you it's good for you :) I do donate, but it is completely optional, and some people never give anything. It's considered perfectly ok. As for the 10 days course, it is _hard_. The discipline is strict: - waking up at 4 am - no food after 12 - you put any distracting object in a safe you can't access before the end, including your phone, books, wallets or notebooks - you can't talk, do much exercise - you meditate 10 hours a day The hardest part is not the silence, the food or the sleep though. It's the meditation. Provided you practice correctly, it will be extremely challenging. Boredom, physical discomfort or pain, distress, depression, break down, sadness, etc. are only a fraction of the things you may, or may not have to face. And that's only what you can put words on, which is, to my surprise, only a very tiny part of the experience. The cost, hence, is high. It's even higher if you decide it's worth it for you to carry on with it daily. It takes time, and effort. Also, it's a slow process. A steady one, mind you. My life has changed in ways I believe would have not been possible otherwise. Some progresses fade without practice. Some gains are for life even if you stop. But I've been at it for some time now, and I will continue for the rest of my life. The trade off proved worth it for me. The most obvious benefits that I personally experienced: - my social, love and professional life have completely shifted. I had what looked like autistic traits, but they have melted. I'm considered an extrovert now. - I am happier. It was not a straight transformation. I had depressive periods. But the trend on 15 years is that, all in all, I'm much, much happier than when I started. This by itself makes the technique worth it, as it leads you, little by little, to decouple happiness from circumstances. - I know myself better. This means I accept myself more as I am, I have less illusion about myself, and also I live my life according to that knowledge, instead of hitting an invisible wall. If I'd share what I learned with you, you would think it's trivial, obvious things. But making them yours make all the difference. - I'm more productive. It's a small detail compared to the rest, but a nice boost. - I am more at peace with the suffering of our human condition. Less afraid of death, less angry with people destroying things, less depressed by the state of society. I forgive a lot now. Including myself. I'm ok hurting people too, which is strange to say, and not what you think would be the result of meditation. In fact, I became less minimalist and more materialist with time. I don't look the stereotype of a wise, zen person. Also, some areas in my life I desperately wanted to work on didn't move at all. I eat too much, I still get angry for some things that are so superficial in retrospect. So be careful with expectations. You can find more information about this particular technique and the related courses here: https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index Yes, I'm well aware that the website looks like a cult. It's even worse when you are in a course, with the Pali wows and the recordings repeating again and again the same instructions. You will have to assess that by yourself. Whatever you chose to do, I hope you'll find something that works for you.

972811 5y ago

I agree with this completely. As I get older, a much more significant amount of my time is spent on the future. Planning for social events, planning when to do housework or chores, planning projects for work. I think you also do more long-term planning at work as you get older. When I was 22, three months seemed like a long time for a project and a long way away for events. Now I know a quarter (12 weeks) is not much time at all, and getting event invitations for a year in advance seems normal, and time slips by in between. To your point, meditation helps me quite a bit (along with long cardio and limiting media consumption)

obruchez 5y ago

Just to add another data point: I've been meditating for 8 years now. I did a 10-day vipassana course 3 years ago. I meditate everyday (usually using Sam Harris' app, but not always). As much as I'd like to agree with you, I'm not sure I can, i.e. I can't say that time seems to pass less quickly since I've started meditating regularly. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that I have a 3-year-old son (i.e. I always feel like I should have more time, even when I consciously plan to not do anything)? Maybe I don't meditate "the right way"? Or maybe I'm just not a good judge of how I perceive time. I don't know.

BiteCode_dev 5y ago
I could be completely wrong, time passing is a very subjective experience after all, and humans are very keen on creating theories based on impressions. I would add I started experiencing time slowing down once I did a one year stay at a Vipassana center. I also meditate 2 hours a day now. My first 10 years of meditation, I didn't felt it. So maybe, it's dose dependent. Or maybe it's all in my head :)
- obruchez 5y ago
  I wish I could find the time to meditate for more than 10-20 minutes everyday. But between family, sleep, exercise, work, hobbies, friends, etc., it's difficult to do it, unless I sacrifice something else. It seems like it's part of the problem: feeling that you have too many things to do will lead to the impression that time passes too quickly. But I can definitely believe that the more you meditate, the more you will experience things differently. My 10-day vipassana course was already an intense experience compared to meditating 10-20 minutes every day!
  - BiteCode_dev 5y ago
    > family, sleep, exercise, work, hobbies, friends, Not to mention you should cook, buy fresh food, stay informed, be politically active, learn new things, keep your house clean, recycle, do health checks up, get a hair cut, but don't use your car for everything and spend some time in nature. Don't forget to read, meet new people, get to zero inbox and fix your shower curtain.