9 ms·

Ask HN: Do you meditate?

60 points by mattbettinson 12y ago

Why? What benefits has it brought to your work and life?

ponyous 12y ago
I did meditate a lot when I was in college and I had only shower but no bath. When I had bath I was in it for 30-60mins few times a week. It helped me to clear my mind, I guess its similar to writing blog posts for some people.
Red_Tarsius 12y ago
I don't know if it's proper meditation, but right after waking up I sit on the floor and repeat for 20 minutes: “Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” It's like a mantra. I'm not even sure about the original source of this quote. It may sound a crazy thing to do, but it helps me focus throughout the day.
- mrks_ 12y ago
  I believe the quote is from The Upanishads
  - adnam 12y ago
    It was recently used in the film The Iron Lady http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nMs3HrxGRgk http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nMs3HrxGRgk
- icebraining 12y ago
  Just curious: how do you know it helps you focus? Sorry if it sounds demeaning, but it's easy to convince ourselves if not careful. Have you tried measuring it in some way?
  - omgbear 12y ago
    I can feel my thoughts slowing. I can't tell if I'm more productive, but I can certainly feel an effect [And strongly suspect it helps.]
  - Red_Tarsius 12y ago
    You're not demeaning and raise a very good point! It's a daily practice tailored to my weaknesses. There's no physical benefit in itself to it. I think the key to a successful life lies in self-discipline, which must be practiced and reminded of every day. Let me quote Admiral William H. McRaven: > "If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better." – http://goo.gl/IxK2p5 http://goo.gl/IxK2p5 Meditation is bed making for my mind. It's an incredible speech and I highly recommend it. It's difficult to measure its effects because I started this routine as part of a complete change of lifestyle. However, I definitely get more work done now than 2, 3 years ago. It's not about being delusional, but embracing your own potential.
- challengee 12y ago
  It's originally from Mahatma Ghandi: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/50584-your-beliefs-become-your-thoughts-your-thoughts-become-your-words http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/50584-your-beliefs-become-yo...
  - icebraining 12y ago
    While he might have said it, I don't believe he invented it: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/01/10/watch-your-thoughts/ http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/01/10/watch-your-thoughts/ That said, I'm not sure it matters for the purpose :)
daenney 12y ago
Yes I do, usually twice a day, 15-20m. Before I leave home and when I get back from work. If it gets especially crazy at work I lock myself up in a room and mediate there for a bit too. It's mostly a way of dealing with stress and all the inputs that you get on a day. It's a lot, of thoughts, of things, stimuli and I find that dealing with them while meditating helps me clear my mind. It brings me greater focus since my mind isn't constantly off on twenty side-quests and helps me sleep better at night. I tend to use the same breathing exercises in moments when I'd normally get annoyed, like a super slow moving queue at a supermarket. Helps me keep my "sunny" disposition, keeps me happier.
rboyd 12y ago
15-20 minutes of meditation before an important meeting or negotiation does wonders for me. I've experimented with an iOS app "Headspace" which was pretty decent, but the patter became a bit repetitive before my trial was over so didn't extend. I do like the Oprah/Deepak 21 day challenge guided meditation series.
- stfu 12y ago
  I also tried my hands on Headspace but wasn't that happy about it. Are the Oprah/Deepak similarly guided?
  - rboyd 12y ago
    These were a bit more useful for me. Each session has a specific mantra that Deepak explains. Oprah's part is the intro, and it is pretty pointless except so she can say she collaborated AFIACT. Anything of this flavor comes with the obvious disclaimer. Gurus are human too, of course. In Deepak's case, there's even a documentary from his son Gotham ("Decoding Deepak") that shows that side of his father.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
pvaldes 12y ago
Not. Not in this sense.
deanotron 12y ago
Yes, simply because I like the experience. "It feels good, man". There is a lecture by Alan Watts where he denounces the idea of "meditating on an idea" as well as meditating for personal gain - ie benefits to work / life. I think it's very similar to orgasm (in form and function). Yes, there are health benefits and stress benefits as a side-effect, but the experience itself should be the main draw. [edit] Alan Watts @11:38: https://youtu.be/26971uJuQuk?t=11m38s https://youtu.be/26971uJuQuk?t=11m38s
bfe 12y ago
Yes, brief sitting meditation and running meditation every day. There's evidence of physical and mental health benefits. It seems to help bring calmness, focus, and new ideas.
milesf 12y ago
I pray for the same reason the late C.S. Lewis prayed: "I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me." - CS Lewis I know it might tick some people off that I mention prayer in a thread about meditation, but I respect a person's right to believe whatever they want. All I ask is they respect my right to believe whatever I want.
- NhanH 12y ago
  Is praying (categorically) similar meditation though? I thought praying would be more equivalent to personal introspection time (ie. writing a journal/ diary, or just simply sit back and thinking about your day). It's definitely a great thing to be doing, but I didn't think it was quite the same as meditation.
  - milesf 12y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#Christianity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#Christianity
- jwdunne 12y ago
  I think there's a bit of crossover with prayer so it wouldn't be fair to give you flak because of the association. For example, if you're reciting a typical prayer, e.g the Our Father, you're focusing your mind on one thing. To dedicate to the prayer, you can't just shut other thoughts out, you must acknowledge and return to the prayer. I can some of the same benefits. In free flow prayer, I guess you're also acknowledging thoughts as they come and focusing on doing that. These may be thoughts that come from deep-seated emotions, perhaps thoughts that you typically wouldn't or couldn't discuss with others. I don't practice meditation religiously, nor do am I dedicated to prayer, but I have done both and both have been therapeutic. It seems wrong to find fault in what you're doing because of your beliefs when the process is essentially very similar, if not the same.
  - milesf 12y ago
staunch 12y ago
I tend to meditate for 4+ hours per day, while writing code. I start feeling mentally scattered if I miss more than a day or two.
- stfu 12y ago
  Not sure if this is the same as meditating. I experience sometimes similar states when really engaging with a research topic. But I would describe it more as a state of "flow" i.e. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
  - westoncb 12y ago
    Meditation is basically 'flow' while just sitting. And in time, the idea is that you can extend it to any activity.
daocuong 12y ago
Keep me calm, focus, fearless, creative, more love to people around me. Im struggling to make free mobile app for helping people to do meditation by themselves or together. Any ideas?
daocuong 12y ago
Keep me calm, focus, fearless, creative, more love to people around me. Im struggling to make free mobile app for helping people to do meditation by themselves or together. Any ideas?
daocuong 12y ago
Keep me calm, focus, fearless, creative, more love to people around me. Im struggling to make free mobile app for helping people to do meditation by themselves or together. Any ideas?
moubarak 12y ago
i do non secular meditation. each session takes around 10-15 minutes at regular time intervals; dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night, which also serves as a tiny yoga exercise. i'm also obligated to eat something (a date or full meal) at each interval. these are what people refer to today as muslim prayers. since i started doing this everyday, i became less addicted to work. after each exercise i look forward to the second, and my work is now divided into the time slots in between, rather than one shift of 8 to 5. the biggest psychological impact this had on me was that material matters don't matter to me anymore, and it made sort of a minimalist.
- deanotron 12y ago
  When I meditate I often combine it with tiny yoga exercises - not formal yoga poses, but just stretching and going where my body wants to stretch. What's funny is that I often find myself in a position similar to Muslim prayer (or, if one were observing from the outside they might think that is what I was engaged in). [edit] I bring this up because whether engaged secular-ly or not there is something very grounding about the experience.
fierycatnet 12y ago
Yes. I used to do Zazen with not much luck until I switched to Anapanasati meditation, completely blew my mind. Most of the Buddhist texts started to make more sense. Jhanic states and so on. With proper meditation technique I went from 15 minutes to sitting for an hour, easy, effortlessly. Mediation was pretty life changing for me.
- krazemon 12y ago
  Out of curiosity, which jhani states have you reached and what specific anapanasati technique do you use (focus on breath at nostrils, breath throughout the body, kasina, etc). I'm working to achieve first Khama currently, but getting a bit stuck in access concentration.
  - fierycatnet 12y ago
    I've used Shaila Catherine books for guidance and instructions. It's hard to say which jhanic states exactly because I practice alone with no teachers. I would guess from first to third but not for long periods of time. I have experienced piti and after that entered 'equanimity' jhanic state, subtle but alert and content concentration. I highly recommend the book Focused and Fearless, I haven't seen such clarity on meditation anywhere else, except maybe Buddhist texts but they can be cryptic and poorly translated. My technique is comfortable freestyle sitting (as opposite to lotus that gives me pain and takes away from concentration) and breath counting from 1 to 10 and 10 to 1 until I reach more relaxed breathing, then I switch to counting 1-1 on inhale, 1-1 on exhale, repeat until 10 and backwards, this reduced mental activity and keeps me on a) breath at nostrils and b) concentration with counting. After 15-20 minutes I usually start hitting Jhanic states with piti coming in first and then going away to enter more subtle higher absorption. But yeah, get the above book, I am not much of a guide, I was actually lucky to hit piti within several days of Anapanasati meditation and Jhanic states within a week. I hear that some people struggle for months.
daocuong 12y ago
Keep me calm, focus, fearless, creative, more love to people around me. Im struggling to make free mobile app for helping people to do meditation by themselves or together. Any ideas?
westoncb 12y ago
Yes. It's a reminder that there's a non-conceptual aspect to life—a way to be that doesn't involve categorizing or evaluating, just acting and experiencing. 'Body scan' meditation and breath watching are both great for this. It's like some deeper, unseen part of mind chooses at any given point whether to exist as that voice in your head, or your physical body. For me, exercising ambition and over-focusing on intellectual pursuits for too long made it so that I was pretty much exclusively identifying with the 'voice in my head.' It sounds like I'm describing some inexact fluffy sort of thing, but I have something very definite in mind with this description: my subjective experience is starkly different based on whether I'm in the physical or mental 'mode.' And this is not a special insight of my own; their are plenty of ancient and modern treatments of the problem of thinking you are your thoughts. And, I'm pretty sure that understanding how to move between these modes is a key aspect to cultivating 'flow' in programming (or other activities). I'm still relatively new to meditation (about 1.5 months regularly; over a year reading about it and doing it occasionally), but I've reaped definite benefits from the time I've put in. It feels like the descriptions in 'Flatland' of discovering there's a new dimension that you can move in: without meditating it was like I was constrained to endlessly following up whatever thoughts I started up, and now I'm getting better at simply stepping aside when I can see it's no longer productive. This has been especially important for me since I'd had an injury related to using mouse/keyboard so that it became impossible to 'get out of my head' while using the computer—was in the polar opposite of 'flow' whenever on the computer. I spent a couple years like that, in one sense relieved since I understood rationally that I wasn't damaging myself at the computer anymore—but still having a terrible time at the computer because of past experiences with it. There were a number of things that went into improving this, but things didn't start reaallly getting good again until I started meditating. The feeling is like learning an instrument though: I can see myself slowly becoming capable of making music—but it takes time. I don't think I'm really all that much of a special case though. People are in their heads in an unpleasant way while coding because any number of things causes them anxiety: anything from finding yet another bug in your code to general unease from a built up habit of assessing your supposedly innate capacity as a programmer. If you have no concerns, you just act: it's just the code and the problem you're working on, everything else disappears, time disappears. If you can do it with the breath, you can do it with code. edit: for typos, expanded a couple parts.
obulpathi 12y ago
I am doing meditation for a year regularly (almost every day) and did another 2 years (once or twice a week). Keeps me calm and focused. Next month, I am going to this 10-day course Vipassana Meditation: https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana. Looking forward to it.
TACIXAT 12y ago
I attribute a lot of my ability to think clearly to meditation. I attribute a lot of my willpower to qigong. I should really do it more often.
omgbear 12y ago
Yes -- I try to do tai chi style standing meditation, focusing on posture and breathing every morning after the gym. I can feel my thoughts slowing and becoming more focused, rather than the rapid jumping from idea to idea that sometimes happens otherwise. Whenever I'm stressed, I'll close my eyes and focus thoughts inward, just to clear my head and reset my thought patterns.
- jrometty 12y ago
  how did you get started?
  - omgbear 12y ago
    A friend of mine I respect had been extolling the virtues of meditation for a while. When another friend started tai chi and taught me some of the basics, it just sort of clicked. I think the idea of slowly pushing thoughts out of my head is the key, I try the same for earworms with some success. My mind often races and I usually use some sort of high BPM music to help focus. I find meditation helps bring down clutter of thoughts in my head and gives me more control over my thoughts.
andersthue 12y ago
I started after reading the book "10% happier", it gives me happines, calmness and makes it easier to tackle everyday stuff. I have gotten a small window of opportunity from when something happens until I react that makes it possible for me to react more true to myself.
coderholic 12y ago
If you're interested in trying it out but don't know where to start then you might want to take a look at http://calm.com http://calm.com (I work there), or our mobile apps on android and ios (both called "calm").
dennisrthatcj 12y ago
No, it's a waste or time
WhitneyLand 12y ago
For those considering trying meditation, yes it's great for stress reduction but there are also benefits that are not obvious until you try it: - If you sit long enough you'll not just be relaxed, but also feel another mode of consciousness as the waves of your thinking quiet down. It's nothing mystical but it's pretty unique to meditation. For me it takes about 15 minutes to get that point. - Just like regular excercise actual changes your body, regular meditation actually changes your mind over time. So there are really two levels of benefit. Extending the analogy, If someone starts jogging for a week they might say "I already feel great", which is true but is actually only the start of the benefits that come with months more of training. It sounds strange but it's pretty easy to try and find out.
392c91e8165b 12y ago
I meditate, but only for 2 to 5 minutes at a time. When I do it much longer than that, vaguely-bad things happen. (It would take a long time to explain. Suffice to say that I am chronically ill, and if I were healthier, I could probably meditate longer without these vague negative consequences.) Usually I set a timer (about which more below) for 2 minutes, then right after that, 2 minutes more. If I ever "flunk" a meditation session, I take that as a strong sign that my mind is not working as well as it should be, and I try to fix that. It is also a sign that more meditation is needed on that day. "Flunking" a meditation session means I got distracted and forgot that I was supposed to be meditating. For example, recently, some of my neighbors were having an animated conversation in the courtyard of my apartment building, and I was feeling lonely, so I went out there to participate. When I returned to my computer (I meditate in front of my computer) there was a some text on my screen put there by my meditation timer (which I wrote, in Emacs Lisp) which is how I became aware that I had flunked a meditation session. More detail: at the scheduled end of a meditation session, an Emacs timer inserts "Timer finished: meditation " into an Emacs buffer visiting a file that serves as a record of my meditation sessions. (Emacs also automatically inserts the time and duration of every session into this file.) Since at the end of a meditation session, I am in the habit of adding the letter "s" (for "success") to the text, the presence of an instance of "Timer finished: meditation " not followed by "s" was a sure sign that I had flunked the session. I've been doing these short meditation sessions with my "timer" written in Emacs Lisp since Jan 2008. I do not do them regularly -- only when I remember to do so, which (a quick look at my files reveals) was on 7 of the last 30 days. I do not have unequivocal evidence that meditation does me any good. The main reasons I keep at it is that so many other people report good effects and the my understanding of some studies on "mindfulness-based stress reduction" (which BTW found effects from very short meditation sessions).
- westoncb 12y ago
  Hey 392c91e8165b, I think I can relate to your 'bad things happen' when trying to meditate for more than a few minutes. You might check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Full-Catastrophe-Living-Wisdom-Illness/dp/0739358588 http://www.amazon.com/Full-Catastrophe-Living-Wisdom-Illness... Gave me some different perspectives on meditation that've helped a lot with that sort of thing (assuming it's anxiety related).
codecondo 12y ago
Yes, meditation is great, but I urge you not to fall for the utter crap that is called "meditation apps" -- find a cushion, or a blanket, sit your ass down and simply breathe.
machinshin_ 12y ago
Yes. I do a lot of different ways of it though, whatever strikes my mood. Much of it is the many variations in chinese martial arts: (either no music, or mild music, like rain patter, nothing w/ lyrics) I find meditation is a lot about your breath, so you can do all of these either with normal breathing or these variations: 1) n/n*2/x breathing. (i'm only at n=3 atm) 2) full lung & empty lung variations (this link does a decent job explaining : http://www.yogaindailylife.org/esystem/yoga/en/020200/exercise-levels/the-full-yoga-breath/ http://www.yogaindailylife.org/esystem/yoga/en/020200/exerci... ) The different types of mediation i do are: 1) moving: Tai Chi 2) standing: holding ball (from tai chi) 3) sitting : Grand Circle of Heaven (found this link which explains it well : http://ymaa.com/articles/martial-grand-circulation http://ymaa.com/articles/martial-grand-circulation) (imagine the energy flow in a circle though your body as you breath) 4)(This one i think i made up on my own) : any of the above while having having pink noise playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXtimhT-ff4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXtimhT-ff4
bane 12y ago
To control stage fright before a presentation, build up courage, etc. I sometimes repeat the Litany Against Fear. I find it does an amazing job of getting my mind to focus on the fear like it's an emotional cancer and excises it pretty effectively.
joelberman 12y ago
I learned to meditate in my late teens (I'm 68 now), to fight depression and low self esteem. It was very hard for me to meditate, and I still sometimes have trouble getting into a meditative state. But I usually spend 20-30 minutes meditating during the day, or before bed. It helps me clear any depression I feel. No idea how or why it works, but for me it is very helpful.
fny 12y ago
For five years now, I've struggled against torrents of thought and anxiety. I meditated and prayed begging for some relief to no avail. About four months ago, I found Ashtanga yoga, and to say that it has changed my life is an understatement. Mentally, I have reawakened. I now think patiently and deliberately with a discipline and focus I've never experienced. A child-like enthusiasm about the world, despite its suffering and strife, relit within me: hope and faith abounds. Occasionally, of course, I still do struggle, but I struggle in peace and with confidence. The physical changes have been equally striking. I've always had poor posture, mild scoliosis, and a hip imbalance. Now, that's all gone: my posture is remarkable and effortless, and I carry a sense of self with every step. I also kick way more ass at CrossFit than ever. ;) Unlike most other yoga, Ashtanga intensely focuses on the breath as well, which has increased my aerobic capacity dramatically. I'm of the opinion that meditation alone lacks the mind-body dynamic of Ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga trains you to stay focused, keep calm, and breathe deeply despite the intense (and sometimes painful) physical practice. The physical aspect is also a beautiful reminder that mental and physical transformation takes patience and time. Struggles with strength, endurance, and flexibility serve as a tangible marker of one's progress and the work that remains. Gauging the progress of one's mind is insidiously difficult, particularly because you're using the very thing your trying to fix to measure it! Also, if you're restless like me, the postures will keep just enough of your mind occupied to allow yourself to explore yoga's meditative aspects. Ashtanga is my answer to David Foster Wallace's remarkable speech, "This Is Water".[0] The mind is indeed an "excellent servant", and I can proudly say that I am its master. Fun fact: When Sri Pattabhi Jois, a great Ashtanga guru, was asked by a student asked him why he would not teach him "meditation", he is said to have replied: "mad-attention". [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhhC_N6Bm_s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhhC_N6Bm_s, http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf
- westoncb 12y ago
  My experience with meditation is that it takes just the right message or experience for it to 'click.' Some interpretations of Yoga are that it is preparation for meditation: once you learn to use your body properly, you are prepared to learn to use your mind. I tried and stopped, and tried again a few times before it clicked—worth revisiting from a different perspective after a while.
__xtrimsky 12y ago
Yes, it changed the way I view the world. Sometime during my teenage years, I started not caring about the world around me, and just tried to improving myself. Think faster, go faster, multitask, get things done. Although improving these abilities are cool, they focused my life on getting more money, getting promoted. Not really focusing on what really matters: being a better person, being happy, enjoying life. Meditation changed my view. I try to spend more time with family. When I take out the trash I enjoy the path I am walking on, the stars in the skies, the wind. All this sounds a bit "hippie", but I am more happy now than I was before. I highly recommend meditation to anyone. I am meditation using the iphone/android app "headspace". It is really helpful for anyone that is beginning with meditation. It guides you through all the process.

60 points by mattbettinson 12y ago

Why? What benefits has it brought to your work and life?

I did meditate a lot when I was in college and I had only shower but no bath. When I had bath I was in it for 30-60mins few times a week. It helped me to clear my mind, I guess its similar to writing blog posts for some people.

Red_Tarsius 12y ago

I don't know if it's proper meditation, but right after waking up I sit on the floor and repeat for 20 minutes: “Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” It's like a mantra. I'm not even sure about the original source of this quote. It may sound a crazy thing to do, but it helps me focus throughout the day.

mrks_ 12y ago
I believe the quote is from The Upanishads
- adnam 12y ago
  It was recently used in the film The Iron Lady http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nMs3HrxGRgk http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nMs3HrxGRgk
icebraining 12y ago
Just curious: how do you know it helps you focus? Sorry if it sounds demeaning, but it's easy to convince ourselves if not careful. Have you tried measuring it in some way?
- omgbear 12y ago
  I can feel my thoughts slowing. I can't tell if I'm more productive, but I can certainly feel an effect [And strongly suspect it helps.]
- Red_Tarsius 12y ago
  You're not demeaning and raise a very good point! It's a daily practice tailored to my weaknesses. There's no physical benefit in itself to it. I think the key to a successful life lies in self-discipline, which must be practiced and reminded of every day. Let me quote Admiral William H. McRaven: > "If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better." – http://goo.gl/IxK2p5 http://goo.gl/IxK2p5 Meditation is bed making for my mind. It's an incredible speech and I highly recommend it. It's difficult to measure its effects because I started this routine as part of a complete change of lifestyle. However, I definitely get more work done now than 2, 3 years ago. It's not about being delusional, but embracing your own potential.
challengee 12y ago
It's originally from Mahatma Ghandi: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/50584-your-beliefs-become-your-thoughts-your-thoughts-become-your-words http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/50584-your-beliefs-become-yo...
- icebraining 12y ago
  While he might have said it, I don't believe he invented it: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/01/10/watch-your-thoughts/ http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/01/10/watch-your-thoughts/ That said, I'm not sure it matters for the purpose :)

daenney 12y ago

Yes I do, usually twice a day, 15-20m. Before I leave home and when I get back from work. If it gets especially crazy at work I lock myself up in a room and mediate there for a bit too. It's mostly a way of dealing with stress and all the inputs that you get on a day. It's a lot, of thoughts, of things, stimuli and I find that dealing with them while meditating helps me clear my mind. It brings me greater focus since my mind isn't constantly off on twenty side-quests and helps me sleep better at night. I tend to use the same breathing exercises in moments when I'd normally get annoyed, like a super slow moving queue at a supermarket. Helps me keep my "sunny" disposition, keeps me happier.

rboyd 12y ago

15-20 minutes of meditation before an important meeting or negotiation does wonders for me. I've experimented with an iOS app "Headspace" which was pretty decent, but the patter became a bit repetitive before my trial was over so didn't extend. I do like the Oprah/Deepak 21 day challenge guided meditation series.

stfu 12y ago
I also tried my hands on Headspace but wasn't that happy about it. Are the Oprah/Deepak similarly guided?
- rboyd 12y ago
  These were a bit more useful for me. Each session has a specific mantra that Deepak explains. Oprah's part is the intro, and it is pretty pointless except so she can say she collaborated AFIACT. Anything of this flavor comes with the obvious disclaimer. Gurus are human too, of course. In Deepak's case, there's even a documentary from his son Gotham ("Decoding Deepak") that shows that side of his father.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

pvaldes 12y ago

Not. Not in this sense.

deanotron 12y ago

Yes, simply because I like the experience. "It feels good, man". There is a lecture by Alan Watts where he denounces the idea of "meditating on an idea" as well as meditating for personal gain - ie benefits to work / life. I think it's very similar to orgasm (in form and function). Yes, there are health benefits and stress benefits as a side-effect, but the experience itself should be the main draw. [edit] Alan Watts @11:38: https://youtu.be/26971uJuQuk?t=11m38s https://youtu.be/26971uJuQuk?t=11m38s

bfe 12y ago

Yes, brief sitting meditation and running meditation every day. There's evidence of physical and mental health benefits. It seems to help bring calmness, focus, and new ideas.

milesf 12y ago

I pray for the same reason the late C.S. Lewis prayed: "I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me." - CS Lewis I know it might tick some people off that I mention prayer in a thread about meditation, but I respect a person's right to believe whatever they want. All I ask is they respect my right to believe whatever I want.

NhanH 12y ago
Is praying (categorically) similar meditation though? I thought praying would be more equivalent to personal introspection time (ie. writing a journal/ diary, or just simply sit back and thinking about your day). It's definitely a great thing to be doing, but I didn't think it was quite the same as meditation.
- milesf 12y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#Christianity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#Christianity
jwdunne 12y ago
I think there's a bit of crossover with prayer so it wouldn't be fair to give you flak because of the association. For example, if you're reciting a typical prayer, e.g the Our Father, you're focusing your mind on one thing. To dedicate to the prayer, you can't just shut other thoughts out, you must acknowledge and return to the prayer. I can some of the same benefits. In free flow prayer, I guess you're also acknowledging thoughts as they come and focusing on doing that. These may be thoughts that come from deep-seated emotions, perhaps thoughts that you typically wouldn't or couldn't discuss with others. I don't practice meditation religiously, nor do am I dedicated to prayer, but I have done both and both have been therapeutic. It seems wrong to find fault in what you're doing because of your beliefs when the process is essentially very similar, if not the same.
- milesf 12y ago

staunch 12y ago

I tend to meditate for 4+ hours per day, while writing code. I start feeling mentally scattered if I miss more than a day or two.

stfu 12y ago
Not sure if this is the same as meditating. I experience sometimes similar states when really engaging with a research topic. But I would describe it more as a state of "flow" i.e. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- westoncb 12y ago
  Meditation is basically 'flow' while just sitting. And in time, the idea is that you can extend it to any activity.

daocuong 12y ago

Keep me calm, focus, fearless, creative, more love to people around me. Im struggling to make free mobile app for helping people to do meditation by themselves or together. Any ideas?

daocuong 12y ago

Keep me calm, focus, fearless, creative, more love to people around me. Im struggling to make free mobile app for helping people to do meditation by themselves or together. Any ideas?

daocuong 12y ago

Keep me calm, focus, fearless, creative, more love to people around me. Im struggling to make free mobile app for helping people to do meditation by themselves or together. Any ideas?

moubarak 12y ago

i do non secular meditation. each session takes around 10-15 minutes at regular time intervals; dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night, which also serves as a tiny yoga exercise. i'm also obligated to eat something (a date or full meal) at each interval. these are what people refer to today as muslim prayers. since i started doing this everyday, i became less addicted to work. after each exercise i look forward to the second, and my work is now divided into the time slots in between, rather than one shift of 8 to 5. the biggest psychological impact this had on me was that material matters don't matter to me anymore, and it made sort of a minimalist.

deanotron 12y ago
When I meditate I often combine it with tiny yoga exercises - not formal yoga poses, but just stretching and going where my body wants to stretch. What's funny is that I often find myself in a position similar to Muslim prayer (or, if one were observing from the outside they might think that is what I was engaged in). [edit] I bring this up because whether engaged secular-ly or not there is something very grounding about the experience.

fierycatnet 12y ago

Yes. I used to do Zazen with not much luck until I switched to Anapanasati meditation, completely blew my mind. Most of the Buddhist texts started to make more sense. Jhanic states and so on. With proper meditation technique I went from 15 minutes to sitting for an hour, easy, effortlessly. Mediation was pretty life changing for me.

krazemon 12y ago
Out of curiosity, which jhani states have you reached and what specific anapanasati technique do you use (focus on breath at nostrils, breath throughout the body, kasina, etc). I'm working to achieve first Khama currently, but getting a bit stuck in access concentration.
- fierycatnet 12y ago
  I've used Shaila Catherine books for guidance and instructions. It's hard to say which jhanic states exactly because I practice alone with no teachers. I would guess from first to third but not for long periods of time. I have experienced piti and after that entered 'equanimity' jhanic state, subtle but alert and content concentration. I highly recommend the book Focused and Fearless, I haven't seen such clarity on meditation anywhere else, except maybe Buddhist texts but they can be cryptic and poorly translated. My technique is comfortable freestyle sitting (as opposite to lotus that gives me pain and takes away from concentration) and breath counting from 1 to 10 and 10 to 1 until I reach more relaxed breathing, then I switch to counting 1-1 on inhale, 1-1 on exhale, repeat until 10 and backwards, this reduced mental activity and keeps me on a) breath at nostrils and b) concentration with counting. After 15-20 minutes I usually start hitting Jhanic states with piti coming in first and then going away to enter more subtle higher absorption. But yeah, get the above book, I am not much of a guide, I was actually lucky to hit piti within several days of Anapanasati meditation and Jhanic states within a week. I hear that some people struggle for months.

daocuong 12y ago

Keep me calm, focus, fearless, creative, more love to people around me. Im struggling to make free mobile app for helping people to do meditation by themselves or together. Any ideas?

westoncb 12y ago

Yes. It's a reminder that there's a non-conceptual aspect to life—a way to be that doesn't involve categorizing or evaluating, just acting and experiencing. 'Body scan' meditation and breath watching are both great for this. It's like some deeper, unseen part of mind chooses at any given point whether to exist as that voice in your head, or your physical body. For me, exercising ambition and over-focusing on intellectual pursuits for too long made it so that I was pretty much exclusively identifying with the 'voice in my head.' It sounds like I'm describing some inexact fluffy sort of thing, but I have something very definite in mind with this description: my subjective experience is starkly different based on whether I'm in the physical or mental 'mode.' And this is not a special insight of my own; their are plenty of ancient and modern treatments of the problem of thinking you are your thoughts. And, I'm pretty sure that understanding how to move between these modes is a key aspect to cultivating 'flow' in programming (or other activities). I'm still relatively new to meditation (about 1.5 months regularly; over a year reading about it and doing it occasionally), but I've reaped definite benefits from the time I've put in. It feels like the descriptions in 'Flatland' of discovering there's a new dimension that you can move in: without meditating it was like I was constrained to endlessly following up whatever thoughts I started up, and now I'm getting better at simply stepping aside when I can see it's no longer productive. This has been especially important for me since I'd had an injury related to using mouse/keyboard so that it became impossible to 'get out of my head' while using the computer—was in the polar opposite of 'flow' whenever on the computer. I spent a couple years like that, in one sense relieved since I understood rationally that I wasn't damaging myself at the computer anymore—but still having a terrible time at the computer because of past experiences with it. There were a number of things that went into improving this, but things didn't start reaallly getting good again until I started meditating. The feeling is like learning an instrument though: I can see myself slowly becoming capable of making music—but it takes time. I don't think I'm really all that much of a special case though. People are in their heads in an unpleasant way while coding because any number of things causes them anxiety: anything from finding yet another bug in your code to general unease from a built up habit of assessing your supposedly innate capacity as a programmer. If you have no concerns, you just act: it's just the code and the problem you're working on, everything else disappears, time disappears. If you can do it with the breath, you can do it with code. edit: for typos, expanded a couple parts.

obulpathi 12y ago

I am doing meditation for a year regularly (almost every day) and did another 2 years (once or twice a week). Keeps me calm and focused. Next month, I am going to this 10-day course Vipassana Meditation: https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana. Looking forward to it.

TACIXAT 12y ago

I attribute a lot of my ability to think clearly to meditation. I attribute a lot of my willpower to qigong. I should really do it more often.

omgbear 12y ago

Yes -- I try to do tai chi style standing meditation, focusing on posture and breathing every morning after the gym. I can feel my thoughts slowing and becoming more focused, rather than the rapid jumping from idea to idea that sometimes happens otherwise. Whenever I'm stressed, I'll close my eyes and focus thoughts inward, just to clear my head and reset my thought patterns.

jrometty 12y ago
how did you get started?
- omgbear 12y ago
  A friend of mine I respect had been extolling the virtues of meditation for a while. When another friend started tai chi and taught me some of the basics, it just sort of clicked. I think the idea of slowly pushing thoughts out of my head is the key, I try the same for earworms with some success. My mind often races and I usually use some sort of high BPM music to help focus. I find meditation helps bring down clutter of thoughts in my head and gives me more control over my thoughts.

andersthue 12y ago

I started after reading the book "10% happier", it gives me happines, calmness and makes it easier to tackle everyday stuff. I have gotten a small window of opportunity from when something happens until I react that makes it possible for me to react more true to myself.

coderholic 12y ago

If you're interested in trying it out but don't know where to start then you might want to take a look at http://calm.com http://calm.com (I work there), or our mobile apps on android and ios (both called "calm").

dennisrthatcj 12y ago

No, it's a waste or time

WhitneyLand 12y ago

For those considering trying meditation, yes it's great for stress reduction but there are also benefits that are not obvious until you try it: - If you sit long enough you'll not just be relaxed, but also feel another mode of consciousness as the waves of your thinking quiet down. It's nothing mystical but it's pretty unique to meditation. For me it takes about 15 minutes to get that point. - Just like regular excercise actual changes your body, regular meditation actually changes your mind over time. So there are really two levels of benefit. Extending the analogy, If someone starts jogging for a week they might say "I already feel great", which is true but is actually only the start of the benefits that come with months more of training. It sounds strange but it's pretty easy to try and find out.

392c91e8165b 12y ago

I meditate, but only for 2 to 5 minutes at a time. When I do it much longer than that, vaguely-bad things happen. (It would take a long time to explain. Suffice to say that I am chronically ill, and if I were healthier, I could probably meditate longer without these vague negative consequences.) Usually I set a timer (about which more below) for 2 minutes, then right after that, 2 minutes more. If I ever "flunk" a meditation session, I take that as a strong sign that my mind is not working as well as it should be, and I try to fix that. It is also a sign that more meditation is needed on that day. "Flunking" a meditation session means I got distracted and forgot that I was supposed to be meditating. For example, recently, some of my neighbors were having an animated conversation in the courtyard of my apartment building, and I was feeling lonely, so I went out there to participate. When I returned to my computer (I meditate in front of my computer) there was a some text on my screen put there by my meditation timer (which I wrote, in Emacs Lisp) which is how I became aware that I had flunked a meditation session. More detail: at the scheduled end of a meditation session, an Emacs timer inserts "Timer finished: meditation " into an Emacs buffer visiting a file that serves as a record of my meditation sessions. (Emacs also automatically inserts the time and duration of every session into this file.) Since at the end of a meditation session, I am in the habit of adding the letter "s" (for "success") to the text, the presence of an instance of "Timer finished: meditation " not followed by "s" was a sure sign that I had flunked the session. I've been doing these short meditation sessions with my "timer" written in Emacs Lisp since Jan 2008. I do not do them regularly -- only when I remember to do so, which (a quick look at my files reveals) was on 7 of the last 30 days. I do not have unequivocal evidence that meditation does me any good. The main reasons I keep at it is that so many other people report good effects and the my understanding of some studies on "mindfulness-based stress reduction" (which BTW found effects from very short meditation sessions).

westoncb 12y ago
Hey 392c91e8165b, I think I can relate to your 'bad things happen' when trying to meditate for more than a few minutes. You might check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Full-Catastrophe-Living-Wisdom-Illness/dp/0739358588 http://www.amazon.com/Full-Catastrophe-Living-Wisdom-Illness... Gave me some different perspectives on meditation that've helped a lot with that sort of thing (assuming it's anxiety related).

codecondo 12y ago

Yes, meditation is great, but I urge you not to fall for the utter crap that is called "meditation apps" -- find a cushion, or a blanket, sit your ass down and simply breathe.

machinshin_ 12y ago

Yes. I do a lot of different ways of it though, whatever strikes my mood. Much of it is the many variations in chinese martial arts: (either no music, or mild music, like rain patter, nothing w/ lyrics) I find meditation is a lot about your breath, so you can do all of these either with normal breathing or these variations: 1) n/n*2/x breathing. (i'm only at n=3 atm) 2) full lung & empty lung variations (this link does a decent job explaining : http://www.yogaindailylife.org/esystem/yoga/en/020200/exercise-levels/the-full-yoga-breath/ http://www.yogaindailylife.org/esystem/yoga/en/020200/exerci... ) The different types of mediation i do are: 1) moving: Tai Chi 2) standing: holding ball (from tai chi) 3) sitting : Grand Circle of Heaven (found this link which explains it well : http://ymaa.com/articles/martial-grand-circulation http://ymaa.com/articles/martial-grand-circulation) (imagine the energy flow in a circle though your body as you breath) 4)(This one i think i made up on my own) : any of the above while having having pink noise playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXtimhT-ff4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXtimhT-ff4

bane 12y ago

To control stage fright before a presentation, build up courage, etc. I sometimes repeat the Litany Against Fear. I find it does an amazing job of getting my mind to focus on the fear like it's an emotional cancer and excises it pretty effectively.

joelberman 12y ago

I learned to meditate in my late teens (I'm 68 now), to fight depression and low self esteem. It was very hard for me to meditate, and I still sometimes have trouble getting into a meditative state. But I usually spend 20-30 minutes meditating during the day, or before bed. It helps me clear any depression I feel. No idea how or why it works, but for me it is very helpful.

fny 12y ago

For five years now, I've struggled against torrents of thought and anxiety. I meditated and prayed begging for some relief to no avail. About four months ago, I found Ashtanga yoga, and to say that it has changed my life is an understatement. Mentally, I have reawakened. I now think patiently and deliberately with a discipline and focus I've never experienced. A child-like enthusiasm about the world, despite its suffering and strife, relit within me: hope and faith abounds. Occasionally, of course, I still do struggle, but I struggle in peace and with confidence. The physical changes have been equally striking. I've always had poor posture, mild scoliosis, and a hip imbalance. Now, that's all gone: my posture is remarkable and effortless, and I carry a sense of self with every step. I also kick way more ass at CrossFit than ever. ;) Unlike most other yoga, Ashtanga intensely focuses on the breath as well, which has increased my aerobic capacity dramatically. I'm of the opinion that meditation alone lacks the mind-body dynamic of Ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga trains you to stay focused, keep calm, and breathe deeply despite the intense (and sometimes painful) physical practice. The physical aspect is also a beautiful reminder that mental and physical transformation takes patience and time. Struggles with strength, endurance, and flexibility serve as a tangible marker of one's progress and the work that remains. Gauging the progress of one's mind is insidiously difficult, particularly because you're using the very thing your trying to fix to measure it! Also, if you're restless like me, the postures will keep just enough of your mind occupied to allow yourself to explore yoga's meditative aspects. Ashtanga is my answer to David Foster Wallace's remarkable speech, "This Is Water".[0] The mind is indeed an "excellent servant", and I can proudly say that I am its master. Fun fact: When Sri Pattabhi Jois, a great Ashtanga guru, was asked by a student asked him why he would not teach him "meditation", he is said to have replied: "mad-attention". [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhhC_N6Bm_s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhhC_N6Bm_s, http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf

westoncb 12y ago
My experience with meditation is that it takes just the right message or experience for it to 'click.' Some interpretations of Yoga are that it is preparation for meditation: once you learn to use your body properly, you are prepared to learn to use your mind. I tried and stopped, and tried again a few times before it clicked—worth revisiting from a different perspective after a while.

__xtrimsky 12y ago

Yes, it changed the way I view the world. Sometime during my teenage years, I started not caring about the world around me, and just tried to improving myself. Think faster, go faster, multitask, get things done. Although improving these abilities are cool, they focused my life on getting more money, getting promoted. Not really focusing on what really matters: being a better person, being happy, enjoying life. Meditation changed my view. I try to spend more time with family. When I take out the trash I enjoy the path I am walking on, the stars in the skies, the wind. All this sounds a bit "hippie", but I am more happy now than I was before. I highly recommend meditation to anyone. I am meditation using the iphone/android app "headspace". It is really helpful for anyone that is beginning with meditation. It guides you through all the process.