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Meditation is a lot less complicated than sometimes advertised. It can be helpful to know that alternative terms for the same activity is "contemplation" or "de

Meditation is a lot less complicated than sometimes advertised. It can be helpful to know that alternative terms for the same activity is "contemplation" or "deep thought". It's a skill though, and you'll get better at it over time. Set a timer for five minutes, sit down in a comfortable position (usually better than lying down, to keep yourself awake). Count your breaths until 10 and then count backwards down again. Repeat until the timer goes off, and bam! Meditation accomplished. Don't worry if your mind drifts off, that's not a sign of failure. Just keep doing the task at hand (counting). Use headphones if you need to block out sound. Slow music without lyrics or plain nature sounds usually work better. Once you have that down, there are about a billion variations and ways to continue, but starting out doesn't have to be more complicated than outlined above. Usually we wish to measure progress when undertaking any kind of endeavor, especially new ones, but measuring (or even defining) progress when it comes to meditation can be hard sometimes. It may require discipline on your part in order to overcome the perceived lack of feedback, but I assure you that you'll be very glad that you kept at it once you do start to notice what happens.

Scarbutt 12y ago
but I assure you that you'll be very glad that you kept at it once you do start to notice what happens. Can you expand a little on this? What does one starts noticing?
- fnordsensei 12y ago
  I'd be disinclined to describe what you'd notice as that might lead to you looking for those milestones in particular. Everyone is probably wired a little bit differently and may end up noticing different things. If one were given to drama, one could say that part of the practice is to sort of walk out into the wilderness and purposefully NOT bring a map, making exploration a part of the game. To give you an example (with the disclaimer above in mind), I've a friend who noticed that he doesn't need as much sleep when he meditates regularly. Stop meditating, need for sleep increases. That's not the case for me, I need about the same amount of sleep regardless of amount of meditation. If I'd been told that less sleep is achievable, I might have been discouraged by the fact that this particular perk is nowhere to be seen for me. But I happen to know not to use another person's map for my personal wilderness. For me, focus, patience, attention, memory and a very even (almost immutable, lately) temper are some of the things that have come out of this.
  - devnonymous 12y ago
    I agree with everything @fnordsensei said. With the same disclaimer as above, here are some of the things I noticed: heightened 'awareness' (ie: senses appear to be more sensitive than earlier), reduced anxiety, reduced 'restlessness'.
pakitan 12y ago
Is there any chance the effects of meditation can be achieved by, say, trying to solve a puzzle in your head? Meditation sounds great and all but when you actually start doing it, it's painfully boring and feels like a waste of time. And that's what usually puts me off, every time I start.
- Nacraile 12y ago
  What's the difference between sitting with your eyes closed solving a puzzle and sitting at your computer figuring out how to solve a problem? Quiescence is the whole point of the exercise. It requires a lot of discipline, which builds with practice, which is also the point of the exercise.
  - pakitan 12y ago
    There is quite a big difference. At the computer I have a myriad of distractions available at a click away.
- fnordsensei 12y ago
  I certainly think that you could solve a puzzle and still have it down as meditation. In fact, that's sort of what a zen koan is. However, a koan would be designed to be tough to crack, but simple in structure (as opposed to complex). There's something to be said for learning to operate the brain in ways that are different to the sort of logical, problem solving kind of operational state that I'm sure many here (myself included) spend most of their time in. A koan is designed to make that part tired until it gives up. In that way, the inability to make progress with the puzzle itself is a design feature of a koan. But working on it produces a sort of meta-progress that has to do with the mind. Meditation is weird in that way, in that it's not about learning to play the piano, but learning to play the piano player. So to speak. Also, boredom goes away eventually. Single minded, laser focus attention is one thing that this practice cultivates, and the kind of focus that I'm talking about is mutually exclusive with boredom. Also, the shit your brain will make up and entertain you with once the chatter dies down is absolutely fascinating all in itself.
  - 12y ago
stelonix 12y ago
This. Getting started is tough (specially if you are a skeptic) due to the lack of perceived feedback, but if you manage to get through with it, before you realize you'll be doing it for a lot longer than your first tries.
geekam 12y ago
Thanks. Is there a specific time of the day that this should be done? This seems really simple for what meditation has been advertised by some camps and "gurus". I can give five such minutes for the betterment.
- Gnewt 12y ago
  Find a time when you're naturally fairly calm. A lot of people like the morning right after waking up and getting ready. My preferred time is in the early afternoon. There really isn't a specific time meditation should be done, you just need to find what works for you.
- CookWithMe 12y ago
  I'd advise against meditating shortly after having a meal, as it is harder to focus. Apart from that, pick a time that'll most likely work for you every day. Otherwise it's hard to build a habit. I started out doing it between "coming home from work" and "having dinner", but that didn't really work out. Some days, I came really late and my GF was already waiting with dinner ready, other days I would go to meetup, hang out with friends etc. I'm now doing Yoga and Meditation every morning after waking up, and there's just much less that can get in the way. My GF and me are right now building an iOS app for forming a daily habit of Meditation and/or Yoga, based on our own experience and reading the book "Hooked: How to build habit-forming products". If you (or anyone else!) would like to beta-test, shoot me a mail at chris [at] screenscott.com :-)
Gnewt 12y ago
I fully agree that meditation is less complicated than advertised. However I'd like to state that "contemplation" and "deep thought" are alternative terms for a specific type of meditation called mindfulness meditation: "the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment." When I meditate, my goal is not actually to contemplate anything at all -- it is to clear my mind, whittle my senses down until the only thing I feel is consciousness. Ultimately, in a state of deep meditation, my goal is a fully blank state, in which I'm doing nothing except existing. I find that this helps me tremendously in my mindfulness in normal life, but I don't attempt to be mindful _during_ meditation in the same way.
- fnordsensei 12y ago
  Absolutely, this was not intended to be about semantics. The alternative interpretations were given so as to make it easier to dispel the cumbersome connotations that usually comes with the word "meditation", not to make it seem like it's about a particular school of thought or anything like that. It's just to make it easier to sit down and try it out with fewer preconceived notions as to what it's supposed to be. I think it's the privilege of the practitioner to formulate what meditation is to them, and the easier it is to establish a personal relationship to the practice unhindered by baggage (cultural, institutional, linguistic or otherwise), the better.
- NhanH 12y ago
  Since we're discussing semantics here, "deep thought" is not something I'd think as mindfulness meditation either: you're not supposed to be chasing your thought while meditating. You should just be observing them as they come ("the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment." as you said), and then let it pass by, which is pretty much actually the opposite of deep thought.

Scarbutt 12y ago

but I assure you that you'll be very glad that you kept at it once you do start to notice what happens. Can you expand a little on this? What does one starts noticing?

fnordsensei 12y ago
I'd be disinclined to describe what you'd notice as that might lead to you looking for those milestones in particular. Everyone is probably wired a little bit differently and may end up noticing different things. If one were given to drama, one could say that part of the practice is to sort of walk out into the wilderness and purposefully NOT bring a map, making exploration a part of the game. To give you an example (with the disclaimer above in mind), I've a friend who noticed that he doesn't need as much sleep when he meditates regularly. Stop meditating, need for sleep increases. That's not the case for me, I need about the same amount of sleep regardless of amount of meditation. If I'd been told that less sleep is achievable, I might have been discouraged by the fact that this particular perk is nowhere to be seen for me. But I happen to know not to use another person's map for my personal wilderness. For me, focus, patience, attention, memory and a very even (almost immutable, lately) temper are some of the things that have come out of this.
- devnonymous 12y ago
  I agree with everything @fnordsensei said. With the same disclaimer as above, here are some of the things I noticed: heightened 'awareness' (ie: senses appear to be more sensitive than earlier), reduced anxiety, reduced 'restlessness'.

pakitan 12y ago

Is there any chance the effects of meditation can be achieved by, say, trying to solve a puzzle in your head? Meditation sounds great and all but when you actually start doing it, it's painfully boring and feels like a waste of time. And that's what usually puts me off, every time I start.

Nacraile 12y ago
What's the difference between sitting with your eyes closed solving a puzzle and sitting at your computer figuring out how to solve a problem? Quiescence is the whole point of the exercise. It requires a lot of discipline, which builds with practice, which is also the point of the exercise.
- pakitan 12y ago
  There is quite a big difference. At the computer I have a myriad of distractions available at a click away.
fnordsensei 12y ago
I certainly think that you could solve a puzzle and still have it down as meditation. In fact, that's sort of what a zen koan is. However, a koan would be designed to be tough to crack, but simple in structure (as opposed to complex). There's something to be said for learning to operate the brain in ways that are different to the sort of logical, problem solving kind of operational state that I'm sure many here (myself included) spend most of their time in. A koan is designed to make that part tired until it gives up. In that way, the inability to make progress with the puzzle itself is a design feature of a koan. But working on it produces a sort of meta-progress that has to do with the mind. Meditation is weird in that way, in that it's not about learning to play the piano, but learning to play the piano player. So to speak. Also, boredom goes away eventually. Single minded, laser focus attention is one thing that this practice cultivates, and the kind of focus that I'm talking about is mutually exclusive with boredom. Also, the shit your brain will make up and entertain you with once the chatter dies down is absolutely fascinating all in itself.
- 12y ago

stelonix 12y ago

This. Getting started is tough (specially if you are a skeptic) due to the lack of perceived feedback, but if you manage to get through with it, before you realize you'll be doing it for a lot longer than your first tries.

geekam 12y ago

Thanks. Is there a specific time of the day that this should be done? This seems really simple for what meditation has been advertised by some camps and "gurus". I can give five such minutes for the betterment.

Gnewt 12y ago
Find a time when you're naturally fairly calm. A lot of people like the morning right after waking up and getting ready. My preferred time is in the early afternoon. There really isn't a specific time meditation should be done, you just need to find what works for you.
CookWithMe 12y ago
I'd advise against meditating shortly after having a meal, as it is harder to focus. Apart from that, pick a time that'll most likely work for you every day. Otherwise it's hard to build a habit. I started out doing it between "coming home from work" and "having dinner", but that didn't really work out. Some days, I came really late and my GF was already waiting with dinner ready, other days I would go to meetup, hang out with friends etc. I'm now doing Yoga and Meditation every morning after waking up, and there's just much less that can get in the way. My GF and me are right now building an iOS app for forming a daily habit of Meditation and/or Yoga, based on our own experience and reading the book "Hooked: How to build habit-forming products". If you (or anyone else!) would like to beta-test, shoot me a mail at chris [at] screenscott.com :-)

Gnewt 12y ago

I fully agree that meditation is less complicated than advertised. However I'd like to state that "contemplation" and "deep thought" are alternative terms for a specific type of meditation called mindfulness meditation: "the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment." When I meditate, my goal is not actually to contemplate anything at all -- it is to clear my mind, whittle my senses down until the only thing I feel is consciousness. Ultimately, in a state of deep meditation, my goal is a fully blank state, in which I'm doing nothing except existing. I find that this helps me tremendously in my mindfulness in normal life, but I don't attempt to be mindful _during_ meditation in the same way.

fnordsensei 12y ago
Absolutely, this was not intended to be about semantics. The alternative interpretations were given so as to make it easier to dispel the cumbersome connotations that usually comes with the word "meditation", not to make it seem like it's about a particular school of thought or anything like that. It's just to make it easier to sit down and try it out with fewer preconceived notions as to what it's supposed to be. I think it's the privilege of the practitioner to formulate what meditation is to them, and the easier it is to establish a personal relationship to the practice unhindered by baggage (cultural, institutional, linguistic or otherwise), the better.
NhanH 12y ago
Since we're discussing semantics here, "deep thought" is not something I'd think as mindfulness meditation either: you're not supposed to be chasing your thought while meditating. You should just be observing them as they come ("the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment." as you said), and then let it pass by, which is pretty much actually the opposite of deep thought.