The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: Serendip on January 24, 2019, 09:19:43 AM
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Mustachian by nature!
Meditation is low-cost exploration at it's finest (unless you pay for supporting resources like books and retreats and support teachers--which I do recommend at a certain point!)
Thought I would start this thread as there seems to be some interest in exploring a meditation challenge. I've signed up for Sharon Salzberg's daily meditations through February--thought this thread could be a place to stay accountable, share resources and thoughts/questions if they bubble up.
After a decade of reading about mindfulness and meditation (and listening to Tara Brach's on-line talks), a few years back I took a 5-min/30 day challenge by a local yoga instructor. It was amazing how the low commitment level really helped me jump on board and how quickly I felt the benefits (I previously *liked* the idea of meditation just didn't like the discipline in actually doing it, which is where the real gold is)
One of my goals this year is to be meditating daily (minimum 20min) and so far I've been at about 75%.
Please feel free to join in and explore your inner workings a bit. It's fun, it's boring, it's occasionally enlightening. Such is life :)
I'll link some resources that have been helpful to me and add to it as I remember more --please feel free to share yours and I can add them to this resources area
Sites
https://www.sharonsalzberg.com
https://www.tarabrach.com
https://palousemindfulness.com (free 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course)
Books
Full Catastrophe Living : Jon Kabat-Zin
Radical Acceptance : Tara Brach
Why Buddhism is True (The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment): Robert Wright
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: Dan Harris
Real Happiness: Sharon Salzberg
Anything by Thich Nat Hanh
Anything by Pema Chodran
The Mind Illuminated: Culadasa
Atomic Habits: James Clear
Apps, etc
Insight Timer (free app) I use for timing/some guided meditations
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I'm in! I've been dabbling in meditation for the past year but need to change things up to get more consistency. I think I need to start meditating in the morning, or at least not right before bed. Excited to see how the challenge goes!
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I'm in. I have to be more consistent about it. I also have to find better times than right before bed because I always feel too tired and it's very hard to keep concentrated.
I'll challenge myself to a 15 minutes/day meditation period.
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I’m in! Signed up last night!
Download Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics on audible to listen to and from work, and got Real Happiness on kindle to read at home before the 28 day challenge starts.
Another notable book is “Atomic Habits,” since trying to turn this meditation in a habit is essentially my ultimate goal!
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Great--happy to have you on board @SquashingDebt & @max9505672
I’m in! Signed up last night!
Download Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics on audible to listen to and from work, and got Real Happiness on kindle to read at home before the 28 day challenge starts.
Another notable book is “Atomic Habits,” since trying to turn this meditation in a habit is essentially my ultimate goal!
Ah cool @use2betrix --I have a hold placed on Atomic Habits from the library, should be able to read it sometime in the next month or so.
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I'm meditating daily in the morning just after waking up. I'd been a serious meditator for a while, fell off the bus (and notice the difference!), and am trying to get back on again. Love the resources that you posted. Another great one for new meditators: The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa
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I'm meditating daily in the morning just after waking up. I'd been a serious meditator for a while, fell off the bus (and notice the difference!), and am trying to get back on again. Love the resources that you posted. Another great one for new meditators: The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa
Ah thanks for that recommendation @Dr Kidstache : I just found out that our library has a copy. I've bookmarked it (first I must finish the ones I have on the go!)
I also find morning is the best time, tend to be the most successful if I rouse myself before I think about it too much *and decide to stay in bed*. Once it starts brightening up in the mornings= much easier.
I'll often return to bed after meditating to read for a while, so it's actually a pretty great way to start the day. Changed my alarm so that on days I decide to use one, it is the sound of birdsong rather than some annoying beep or chime waking me up.
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I'm in!
I had been doing a quick morning meditation and then a longer guided meditation at night to fall asleep to, but fell out of the habit a month or so ago. A few things in my life recently have upped the general emotional malaise/disquiet, especially when I'm home in a quiet house, so I'm motivated to get back into practice. I've read a few articles lately that recommend meditation directly after the workday so I'm toying with the idea of resuming morning meditation with a more purposeful meditation time immediately after I get home. And feed the cat. Or I'll get good really quickly at ignoring external stimulus in the shapes of loud purrs and claws in my skin.
I really liked the app Simple Habit but found out the concept and structure were entirely ripped off from another app, so I've switched to Insight Timer. I'm still playing with finding the voices that resonate best with me, and in general just navigating the different options, but I think it will work for me for a long time and I really respect their business model.
I've had the best success when writing daily as well. Sometimes just a list of to-do items to check off, sometimes a specific intention, sometimes free flowing journaling type of emotional processing. I find it very difficult this time of year to maintain as a habit with the weather being so cold and wanting to sleep a lot more than I do once it warms up a little.
Thanks for starting this thread, Serendip! I just signed up for Sharon Salzberg's challenge - I really loved the format last year (my first) and feel like I'll learn a lot more this time around.
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I signed up with Sharon as well. I was signed up last year but totally forgot about it so I am going to make myself a note. I really would like to challenge myself to a month straight. I usually can’t sit thru it everyday.
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The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa is a manual for learning to meditate - from complete beginner to advanced. It's not a book that has to be read in one go. It defines stages and what to focus on as your meditation practice develops. Probably the best single book on how to meditate ever written.
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I really liked the app Simple Habit but found out the concept and structure were entirely ripped off from another app, so I've switched to Insight Timer. I'm still playing with finding the voices that resonate best with me, and in general just navigating the different options, but I think it will work for me for a long time and I really respect their business model.
Thanks for starting this thread, Serendip! I just signed up for Sharon Salzberg's challenge - I really loved the format last year (my first) and feel like I'll learn a lot more this time around.
Great that you are here @katscratch --I love Jen Piercy on Insight Timer, she mostly focuses on Yoga Nidra which is a real delight to do immediately before sleep. I veer away from a lot of the guided because it IS hard to find voices you connect with, but occasionally I find one or two I like and bookmark them :)
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I signed up with Sharon as well. I was signed up last year but totally forgot about it so I am going to make myself a note. I really would like to challenge myself to a month straight. I usually can’t sit thru it everyday.
The good thing about Sharon is she often talks about different approaches to meditation, perhaps listening to them while you are walking or stretching would help to start? The settling down/combating restlessness is something I understand very well :)
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Adding myself to this thread as I begin adding mediation into my mornings and possibly evenings!
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There's a great 8-week free meditation course at palousemindfulness.com
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There's a great 8-week free meditation course at palousemindfulness.com
+1
I've done this course and it's a great option if there's no MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) course available near you.
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Thanks for all the recommendations.
I recently started a 12 week long Qui Gong course - part exercise, part meditation. Who knew breathing could be so different.
I am surprised at how such "mild" exercises are effecting my muscle tone and my body. Those are some killer exercises.
The meditation part is difficult for me, so I think I'll give the app and the fidgety book a go - maybe they'll help.
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I use the Headspace app for guided meditation. (My workplace offers the yearly subscription at a ridiculously low price as part of our health benefits.) I'm super new to this, and have been meditating semi frequently for a few months. My goal 5 days a week/10 minutes a day to start. I notice a huge difference, but as with all habits, it takes a lot of effort to both build & maintain.
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There's a great 8-week free meditation course at palousemindfulness.com
Thanks for the recommendation--I added the link to the resources and will do this course perhaps later in the spring!
@Rosy -I love that you are enjoying it! For a long while, I started my day with this simple video "7 minutes of magic" --seemed cheesy to me at the start, being a hiker/skier/big-movement lover, but I really grew to appreciate the subtlety
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-jSBBwr8Ko
@MaybeBabyMustache --that's a great perk. I've heard about Headspace but haven't looked into it personally. I started with 5 minutes a day as well--sometimes now still five and sometimes it's forty :)
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There's a great 8-week free meditation course at palousemindfulness.com
Thanks for the recommendation--I added the link to the resources and will do this course perhaps later in the spring!
@Rosy -I love that you are enjoying it! For a long while, I started my day with this simple video "7 minutes of magic" --seemed cheesy to me at the start, being a hiker/skier/big-movement lover, but I really grew to appreciate the subtlety
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-jSBBwr8Ko
@MaybeBabyMustache --that's a great perk. I've heard about Headspace but haven't looked into it personally. I started with 5 minutes a day as well--sometimes now still five and sometimes it's forty :)
Thanks so much, @Serendip - very cool. His sequence did not include one single movement that our teacher is teaching us. So now I have even more movements to practice and without paying a dime too.
I can see why at the time it would have seemed "cheesy" to you - I was the same. It takes time and age to appreciate it fully. When we're young we're hooked on speed and power, we haven't experienced pain and ill health or stiffness and daily aches that just refuse to leave.
My next step is Pilates, but so far I just haven't found the wherewithal to integrate it into my schedule.
Thanks again since it also led me to some other interesting youtube videos.
My one accomplishment this month was reverting to drinking my coffee black instead of adding copious amounts of delicious ice cream every morning. I do miss the ice cream, but I don't miss the nebulous, tired feeling I get from the sugar and the lactose - I'm actually allergic to cow milk, but love ice cream.
Europe has more fruit ice cream mostly without milk so it was easier there. I can tolerate a small amount of ice cream but not too much and certainly not on a daily basis - European portions of ice cream are about a third or less than what is served in the US.
Anyway - I am truly ecstatic that I kicked the habit! It was not easy - I kept backsliding - tried over a year already. Now I am over it - hallelujah!
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Glad you liked it @Rosy --always nice to have variation.
And I agree, I found qi gong after a severe back injury (induced by too much snowboarding AND yoga, go figure!).
The gentleness of it really helped slow my pace and recover.
Today is day 1 of the Sharon Salzberg True Happiness meditation challenge.
I think there are a few of us participating..
I finished it and did a few more minutes afterwards, enjoying her casual approach.
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I'm in!
I started mindfulness meditations after reading the book, aptly named, Mindfulness. Then I was on and off with it for maybe a year or so. I started doing it again last month and have really enjoyed it a lot.
I'm about to read the book by Sam Harris, Waking Up (from the library). His app is great, but it is paid, so I switched to just free material (mustachian, of course!). I am a huge fan of his podcast, which was just renamed to The Making Sense Podcast.
I am a huge fan of stoicism and have recently gotten quite intrigued by Buddhism. Some aspects of it at least, mostly the meditation.
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I'm about to read the book by Sam Harris, Waking Up (from the library). His app is great, but it is paid, so I switched to just free material (mustachian, of course!). I am a huge fan of his podcast, which was just renamed to The Making Sense Podcast.
I am a huge fan of stoicism and have recently gotten quite intrigued by Buddhism. Some aspects of it at least, mostly the meditation.
The Sam Harris podcast with Robert Wright (the author of Why Buddhism is True) is a good one, have you heard it yet?
You can tell they have this fractured history and it's quite something to listen to the two of them navigate the conversation.
I haven't read his book yet but would like to if I can source it (our library doesn't carry it currently)--pls let me know what you think of it once you read it!
Currently I am reading Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana--it is toted as a classic and is an easy, informative and entertaining read.
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The Sam Harris podcast with Robert Wright (the author of Why Buddhism is True) is a good one, have you heard it yet?
You can tell they have this fractured history and it's quite something to listen to the two of them navigate the conversation.
I haven't read his book yet but would like to if I can source it (our library doesn't carry it currently)--pls let me know what you think of it once you read it!
I love Robert Wright. I haven't read Why Buddhism is True yet, but he has a free course on Coursera that he developed around his research and preparation while writing the book. It's called Buddhism and Modern Psychology and I highly recommend it.
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I'm about to read the book by Sam Harris, Waking Up (from the library). His app is great, but it is paid, so I switched to just free material (mustachian, of course!). I am a huge fan of his podcast, which was just renamed to The Making Sense Podcast.
I am a huge fan of stoicism and have recently gotten quite intrigued by Buddhism. Some aspects of it at least, mostly the meditation.
The Sam Harris podcast with Robert Wright (the author of Why Buddhism is True) is a good one, have you heard it yet?
You can tell they have this fractured history and it's quite something to listen to the two of them navigate the conversation.
I haven't read his book yet but would like to if I can source it (our library doesn't carry it currently)--pls let me know what you think of it once you read it!
Currently I am reading Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana--it is toted as a classic and is an easy, informative and entertaining read.
Yeah, that was a really good podcast. All of Sam's are that I've heard.
I'm about half way through the book and, wow, it's been quite eye-opening. I highly recommend it if you're serious about meditation. It changed the way I viewed meditation and consciousness so far, and I'm not even done yet (I just started the actual chapter on meditation, ha!).
Mostly the "mind blowing" part for me was the part about the Self being an illusion. I'm going to have to sit with that and work through that longer, because I still don't fully grasp it. I was under the impression that mindfulness meditation was just to help you stay level headed, or in my case, be more stoic (in the actual stoic-philosophy sense, not just emotionless). However, it seems that mindfulness meditation that we do in the west is really, at the core, just a concentration practice. And once you master that then you can begin to explore deeper and deeper.
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Ah yes, that who I am is merely the stories I tell myself about me :)
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Thanks for starting this thread. I've been curious and interested in meditation for a bit, but only recently started putting it in practice. Good timing finding this thread.
The resources I've found most helpful have been local. A chance glance at the events section in the local newspaper led me to finding out there is a Buddhist monastery and that they have meditation sessions open to the public. They stress that it is open to non Buddhists, and I found it very welcoming and helpful.
I also found a weekly series of meditation nights at the local library. For a variety of reasons, I liked the experience better at the monastery, but it is nice to have the experience with both.
I've found some of the guided meditations (and other resources) from this site pretty useful: https://www.excelatlife.com/downloads/meditation/audios.htm
I haven't read his book yet but would like to if I can source it (our library doesn't carry it currently)--pls let me know what you think of it once you read it!
I really liked the book why Buddhism is true. I would not call it easy reading at all (at least for me), but I don't have a background in buddhist ideas. It's a compelling read, he really digs in deep. It was fun at least. There was an NPR interview with the author (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/08/07/541610511/can-buddhist-practices-help-us-overcome-the-biological-pull-of-dissatisfaction) that I found quite good. It's what first got me more interested in meditation.
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Mostly the "mind blowing" part for me was the part about the Self being an illusion. I'm going to have to sit with that and work through that longer, because I still don't fully grasp it. I was under the impression that mindfulness meditation was just to help you stay level headed, or in my case, be more stoic (in the actual stoic-philosophy sense, not just emotionless). However, it seems that mindfulness meditation that we do in the west is really, at the core, just a concentration practice. And once you master that then you can begin to explore deeper and deeper.
I think fully grasping it is the work of a lifetime! That's one of the things I am loving about meditation, for me the initial purpose to look into it years ago was to develop a tool to skillfully work with anxiety--but the compelling research that is now out there, personal practice and all the reading I've done have convinced me that it runs so much deeper. It's exciting.
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The Sam Harris podcast with Robert Wright (the author of Why Buddhism is True) is a good one, have you heard it yet?
You can tell they have this fractured history and it's quite something to listen to the two of them navigate the conversation.
I haven't read his book yet but would like to if I can source it (our library doesn't carry it currently)--pls let me know what you think of it once you read it!
I love Robert Wright. I haven't read Why Buddhism is True yet, but he has a free course on Coursera that he developed around his research and preparation while writing the book. It's called Buddhism and Modern Psychology and I highly recommend it.
Just signed up for the Coursera session--thanks for the recommendation @Dr Kidstache
Even the recommended reading and resources for the course are amazing. I will have to put it mostly on hold as I'm going away for two weeks but I think it'll be a good brain workout for when the soppy spring weather shows up.
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Thanks for starting this thread. I've been curious and interested in meditation for a bit, but only recently started putting it in practice. Good timing finding this thread.
The resources I've found most helpful have been local. A chance glance at the events section in the local newspaper led me to finding out there is a Buddhist monastery and that they have meditation sessions open to the public. They stress that it is open to non Buddhists, and I found it very welcoming and helpful.
I also found a weekly series of meditation nights at the local library. For a variety of reasons, I liked the experience better at the monastery, but it is nice to have the experience with both.
I've found some of the guided meditations (and other resources) from this site pretty useful: https://www.excelatlife.com/downloads/meditation/audios.htm
I haven't read his book yet but would like to if I can source it (our library doesn't carry it currently)--pls let me know what you think of it once you read it!
I really liked the book why Buddhism is true. I would not call it easy reading at all (at least for me), but I don't have a background in buddhist ideas. It's a compelling read, he really digs in deep. It was fun at least. There was an NPR interview with the author (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/08/07/541610511/can-buddhist-practices-help-us-overcome-the-biological-pull-of-dissatisfaction) that I found quite good. It's what first got me more interested in meditation.
I read Buddhism is True last year and really enjoyed it..figured I'd like to read again, it's seemed like there was so information in there. I have to remind myself to allocate half the time to reading and the other half to actually meditating :)
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Checking in!
Doing great so far, was out of town on business and visiting friends/family the last four days so I fell slightly out of the 28 day challenge groove (listening to the daily meditations) so I have 3 to catch up to. That being said, on the 3 hr flights each way I mediated at least half hr each way and more than made up for it.
I’ve finished Dan Harris’ Audible about meditation for fidgety skeptics. I’m working on Sharon Salzbergs mindfulness book on Kindle.
I listened to a podcast by Sam Harris on Tim Ferris’ channel (it was basically all Sam Harris guides, Tom Ferris only took part in the introduction) and it was very interesting. I’m in search for my next audible, been diving so deep into the meditation learning I might need to mix it up a tad before going deeper.
As a whole, I genuinely feel calmer and less anxious. I did have to speak very briefly at a conference and still felt like my heart was going to break out of my chest. Still a work in progress there but many other benefits in other areas still.
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I got a late start this month and never found the signup on the Sharon Salzburg site, but I’ve committed to doing daily meditations for at least a month started last week. Listening to Sarah Blondin’s amazing Coming Home to Yourself course on Insight Timer. Her ideas and delivery are incredible and she has (developed?) the perfect voice for a meditation guide. I was in tears during the both of the first two.
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I listened to a podcast by Sam Harris on Tim Ferris’ channel (it was basically all Sam Harris guides, Tom Ferris only took part in the introduction) and it was very interesting. I’m in search for my next audible, been diving so deep into the meditation learning I might need to mix it up a tad before going deeper.
I heard this podcast too and have after that listen to a couple of Sam Harris' own podcasts, starting with the beginning. The Tim Ferris show I listened to when walking to work. I have listened to Sam Harris while hiking in the forest including some climbing. It is a bit distracting to have to listen carefully to your breath while you are exercising. At home I can't really find the time to sit down and listen to such a podcast, especially on a normal weekday. So I haven't been good a following up after 3-4 episodes.
The other thing is that I often expect meditation to be more than just focussing on your breath. But maybe that is what the whole thing is about, blocking out all other thoughts (by listening to your breath) and becoming relaxed.
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I've been meditating for the last month for about 20 minutes/day, eyes closed. For the first couple of days, I really felt into it and felt some kind of progression being able to concentrate more and more on my breathing while being able to note when my mind was wandering and come back to it.
However, for the last few days, I'm having a hard time finding this concentration I had before and it feels to me like the position of my eyes while meditating have a big influence on my practice. When I completely release my muscles, my eyes kind of start pointing down and that leads to day-dreaming and eventually to a sleep state. When I notice it, I have to move my eyes in a different position to start concentrating on the breath again. Maybe I'm just too tired, but I try to meditate first thing in the morning to make sure I don't feel too tired and sleepy.
Has anyone noticed something similar?
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However, for the last few days, I'm having a hard time finding this concentration I had before and it feels to me like the position of my eyes while meditating have a big influence on my practice. When I completely release my muscles, my eyes kind of start pointing down and that leads to day-dreaming and eventually to a sleep state. When I notice it, I have to move my eyes in a different position to start concentrating on the breath again. Maybe I'm just too tired, but I try to meditate first thing in the morning to make sure I don't feel too tired and sleepy.
Has anyone noticed something similar?
Really common experience! Check out "The Mind Illuminated" by Culadasa (aka John Yates PhD). He explains about the different types of dullness (of which drowsiness is one) and how to maintain alertness. It's a terrific meditation manual.
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Does anyone have advice for dealing with yawning? I'm not feeling sleepy or tired while meditating, or even distracted really, but I can't seem to stop the yawn reflex after 3-4 minutes.
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Does anyone have advice for dealing with yawning? I'm not feeling sleepy or tired while meditating, or even distracted really, but I can't seem to stop the yawn reflex after 3-4 minutes.
Do you think that you might be breathing too shallowly? If you’re not getting enough air in, your body might need the big breath of a yawn.
I don't think so, I've been trying to focus on good deep breaths from the diaphragm - this tends to run me into my other big problem, noticing myself judging the way I'm breathing! But maybe I can try different postures to see if it improves my breathing.
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I think just practice. I'm still very new to meditation alone as opposed to meditation as a part of a movement practice so this happens to me all the time.
For me I try to be aware of where I'm hyperfocusing and then will tell myself verbally "it's ok" and then "it's ok to let this go" and focus a different direction for a moment, like on how my body feels against the ground, or picturing my breath filling my fingers and toes.
One of my favorite guided meditations is one I did on the commuter train a few weeks ago (and can't find again but if I do I'll share it) -- it alternated focus on different things. Started with drawing attention to the breath, then to the sounds around me, then back to breath, then smell, then breath, then physical warmth/coolness, etc. It was really really good practice at not getting too "into" any one part of the process, and just learning how to "notice" and be mindful without obsessing in one direction (still a big problem for me when my thoughts go rampant, ha).
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However, for the last few days, I'm having a hard time finding this concentration I had before and it feels to me like the position of my eyes while meditating have a big influence on my practice. When I completely release my muscles, my eyes kind of start pointing down and that leads to day-dreaming and eventually to a sleep state. When I notice it, I have to move my eyes in a different position to start concentrating on the breath again. Maybe I'm just too tired, but I try to meditate first thing in the morning to make sure I don't feel too tired and sleepy.
Has anyone noticed something similar?
Really common experience! Check out "The Mind Illuminated" by Culadasa (aka John Yates PhD). He explains about the different types of dullness (of which drowsiness is one) and how to maintain alertness. It's a terrific meditation manual.
I actually started the book a few ago. My progression is a little slow, but that'll encourage me to accelerate a little. Thanks, good to know this is covered in the book!
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Nice to read the recent notes and catch up on how everyone is doing.
Noticing the breath without altering seemed difficult at first for me also @Sun Hat but with practice it started to feel more normal.
In fact, now I don't really like guided meditations where altering the breath is recommended :)
I was travelling for the last two weeks and while I didn't have time/space to have my longer sessions, I tried to utilize downtime for mindfulness and meditation (on the train, waiting time, etc) but was generally always around people and/or sharing a room so it wasn't as conducive.
Am excited to get back to my dedicated morning sessions.
Also, just again took out the Robert Wright book that I read last year to reinspire me about the benefits.
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One of my goals for 2019 is to increase my meditation routine to "daily" again, as I have been slacking for the past 3-4 months.
My guide book is Ajahn Brahm's "Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond". He also posts guided meditation session on YT. He can be quite talkative, though, so he may not appeal to everyone.
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Just heard from a friend of mine about a 100 days of meditation challenge which she just completed. She is a meditation teacher but still tries to challenge herself with new goals to keep things interesting. It wasn't anything organized but her own personal intention to not miss a day for a 100 days..
It has inspired me (as I've fallen off of my daily practice due to the last month of travel and strange life schedules)!
We just arrived back home today and I am recommiting to morning sitting practice of at least 20 minutes..hopefully increasing duration as consistency increases.
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I’m not sure if related or not, but I feel like my routine nightmares had subsided some in February when I did the 28 day meditation challenge. Since I eased up on the discipline fo meditating, they seem to have come back worse.. I’m going to try again to remember and do around 10 minutes over my lunch break.
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I’m not sure if related or not, but I feel like my routine nightmares had subsided some in February when I did the 28 day meditation challenge. Since I eased up on the discipline fo meditating, they seem to have come back worse.. I’m going to try again to remember and do around 10 minutes over my lunch break.
That's an interesting observation @use2betrix, have you seen any further changes? Hope the nightmares have minimized!
I have had a bit of an odd few months..as someone who craves adventure but thrives with stability, all the movement of travel, trips, socializing and visitors has really tossed my emotional wellbeing into a bit of whirlwind. Not bad, just not great. My meditation space has been a guest room and although I love connecting with people, I have not created enough space for my introvert self to fill-up in between activities.
Thankfully the next month does not require any travel so I am planning on un-busying myself.
Goals: Daily morning sits of minimum 10 minutes (for the time-being, I am releasing my desire to increase duration in order to gain some consistency again) and not over-planning social activities
How is everyone else doing?
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I’m not sure if related or not, but I feel like my routine nightmares had subsided some in February when I did the 28 day meditation challenge. Since I eased up on the discipline fo meditating, they seem to have come back worse.. I’m going to try again to remember and do around 10 minutes over my lunch break.
That's an interesting observation @use2betrix, have you seen any further changes? Hope the nightmares have minimized!
I have had a bit of an odd few months..as someone who craves adventure but thrives with stability, all the movement of travel, trips, socializing and visitors has really tossed my emotional wellbeing into a bit of whirlwind. Not bad, just not great. My meditation space has been a guest room and although I love connecting with people, I have not created enough space for my introvert self to fill-up in between activities.
Thankfully the next month does not require any travel so I am planning on un-busying myself.
Goals: Daily morning sits of minimum 10 minutes (for the time-being, I am releasing my desire to increase duration in order to gain some consistency again) and not over-planning social activities
How is everyone else doing?
Since I made that post I’ve been making more of an effort to meditate, and since, my dreams have been better. I’ve been plagued with nightmares, many recurring, my whole life. I can still remember some of the worst ones from childhood 20+ years ago. I’ve tried countless things over the years to get rid of them.
I’m not fully prepared to say that there may be a direct cause and effect from mindfulness meditation and clearing my dreams, but I am certainly intrigued enough to continue exploring. On some days for various reasons I don’t fit it in, but will continue to make more and more of an effort. It will definitely take some time, but so far I’m feeling there are positive benefits I’m noticing.
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i try to take the TnH challenge and pay attention to every in breath and out breath, even when washing the dishes or walking or driving
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There's a great 8-week free meditation course at palousemindfulness.com
Thanks for recommending this course @mushroom --I just watched this and have started the 8 week course
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBSO41ZimNs&index=1&list=PLbiVpU59JkVaWH5kKrkSCIkg0vKLr1p9f
A recent dive into some newly anxious behaviour helped me remember the benefits of consistency of meditation vs. the spotty 'here and there' I was attempting.
Also, I installed the Moment app on my phone which tracks time spent online as well as "pick-ups"..The first two days I had between 17-20 pickups in the day and around 40-50 minutes, yesterday I had over a 100 pickups even though still only 'an hour of usage' spread over the day due to obsessive micro checking of time and messages. Using mindfulness to examine this compulsive behaviour is my current goal with revisiting this challenge.
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There's a great 8-week free meditation course at palousemindfulness.com
Thanks for recommending this course @mushroom --I just watched this and have started the 8 week course
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBSO41ZimNs&index=1&list=PLbiVpU59JkVaWH5kKrkSCIkg0vKLr1p9f
A recent dive into some newly anxious behaviour helped me remember the benefits of consistency of meditation vs. the spotty 'here and there' I was attempting.
Also, I installed the Moment app on my phone which tracks time spent online as well as "pick-ups"..The first two days I had between 17-20 pickups in the day and around 40-50 minutes, yesterday I had over a 100 pickups even though still only 'an hour of usage' spread over the day due to obsessive micro checking of time and messages. Using mindfulness to examine this compulsive behaviour is my current goal with revisiting this challenge.
Thanks for this posting. I have started now as well. I just read all the text stuff to get started. I need to wait until Monday evening to watch the videos as I will spend this afternoon until Monday morning on a place without wifi and I only have limited mobile data. Next week I am also 4 days away from home/wifi.
My plan is:
Read up on getting started, FAQ, prepare a logbook and request fb access = done.
Read up on the text files for week 1 on Friday on mobile phone.
Practice the exercise each day this weekend at our cabin, if I can understand the exercise from the text files.
Watch the first batch of videos (week 1 basic) on Monday evening. And if there is time left, also the next batch (week 1 additional).
Do other things on tuesday. If still time, do exercise before bed time, otherwise skip.
Practice exercise the whole week, also during our canoeing trip next weekend.
Watch next batch of videos (week 1 additional) on Monday evening the week after, or on tuesday. If I have already seen them, then start on videos for week 2.
Annoying that youtube doesn't let you download videos (for free) Yes, there is a one month free trial, but too expensive per month if I forget to stop it. Also, there are sites where you can run a video to download something, but I don't know how secure that is. Don't trust it.
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It's fantastic to have someone doing the course at the same time @Linea_Norway
I have also been reading through the material and watching the videos.
I also started some of the supplemental reading, a book called The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution (good for me since one aspect of anxiety I express is comfort snacking!)
Enjoy your time at your cabin and canoeing!
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@Serendip How are you doing with your meditation course?
I have been away for 2 long weekends. It is surprising how little time I can find for myself to meditate on a camping/canoeing trip. Once I was pretty far progressed into a bodyscan meditation and got disturbed by DH looking frantically for mosquito repellent in the bags beside my head. I have done a number of sessions, but some not the full length, because of external factors. I hope they have a positive effect nonetheless.
This morning, before going to the dentist, I was home alone and did a breathing meditation. I managed to focus pretty well on my breathing. I got a little distracted by the fridge that started making noises, and once my thoughts swirled to something I had seen on TV, that said that swan longues have a different entrance and exit, in contrary to our longues who have only one. But at least, the distraction was breathing related and I could get back to focussing on breathing quite fast.
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Hello!
I'm posting to hold myself accountable, I'm suffering a lot from my mental health state and one of the things I'm for the next 33 days is to meditate, minimum 5 minutes everyday. The other things are journaling and starting therapy.
Will let you know how I'm progressing soon!
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Hello!
I'm posting to hold myself accountable, I'm suffering a lot from my mental health state and one of the things I'm for the next 33 days is to meditate, minimum 5 minutes everyday. The other things are journaling and starting therapy.
Will let you know how I'm progressing soon!
Welcome, great to have you joining us @brunetteUK!
5 minutes is a great daily goal to start with, let us know how your 33 day challenge goes :)
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@Serendip How are you doing with your meditation course?
I'm doing the course bit by bit @Linea_Norway ..sometimes using the body scan and sometimes using my Insight Timer app (I enjoy having variety) I agree, timing can be tricky.
Was visiting my family this week and didn't do much meditating while I was there however I do feel that the practice has helped me be much less defensive & reactive than in the past (oh, family!) In a way, this feels more successful to me than logging minutes or hours because it's a true, lived experience : catching my own mind rushing to tell a story or spin a yarn rather than inhabit a particular moment. Breaking these long-standing patterns is slow but really liberating. These moments are the reason I would like to continue meditating.
It feels potent to watch the mind, the patterns, feel the strong emotions and stories (and get sometimes get caught up in them) but little by little be reminded that this too will pass.
It's like watching a summer storm.
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I have been looking up what it costs to do a silent retreat. In my country with outrageous prices, this costs a fortune and is not quite Mustachian.
So I am thinking about an alternative. I think I should just go out on my own for a night in the forest and sleep in my hammock. After attaching a mosquito net to it. That would be free of cost. I would just need to remember to meditate often and not talk to myself, what I often do when alone.
Now I just need to think about a place that I would consider safe to do this. In the forest near my home, in a pretty crowded area, or rather near our cabin, where there live very few people, but lots of mooses. Need to think about it for a while.
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I've tried meditation on and off several times but never stuck with it. I Tried it again earlier this year when I was training for an ultra and it was very beneficial. After the race I did not continue the practice.
So, I'm starting again. I'd like to try the https://palousemindfulness.com course but after looking it over I think I'll start with the InsightTimer and some of the beginner courses until I've got a strong habit formed.
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I'm on day 8 and I've meditated everyday! I'm using Insight Timer as someone recommended earlier in the thread. So far I'm doing the guided meditations as I struggle a bit with doing it all by myself. But I can see some improvement already, I won't go overboard with the benefits but it does help me bring some inner peace and calm my thoughts.
Let's see how it goes!
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I am in my fourth week of the Palouse Mindfulness course. Apart from some issues the first 2 weeks, I have been doing the excercises, bodyscan, sitting meditation or yoga. Now I have an injured hip and still do as much yoga as I manage, just skipped the parts that I can't do.
Since last week, I have lower blood pressure values. I have been measuring my BP since Easter and at times it has been really high. The last week my average has gone down and for the first time I saw green values (green is healthy, red is disastrous). Most of my values before that have been yellow or orange (in between). So I hope it is an effect of the meditation. Althoug it could in theory also haven been the result of no longer being in a period of big stress at work, like the last 2 months.
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Day 6 for me.
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I've tried meditation on and off several times but never stuck with it. I Tried it again earlier this year when I was training for an ultra and it was very beneficial. After the race I did not continue the practice.
So, I'm starting again. I'd like to try the https://palousemindfulness.com course but after looking it over I think I'll start with the InsightTimer and some of the beginner courses until I've got a strong habit formed.
I love Insight timer as it has so many options!
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I'm on day 8 and I've meditated everyday! I'm using Insight Timer as someone recommended earlier in the thread. So far I'm doing the guided meditations as I struggle a bit with doing it all by myself. But I can see some improvement already, I won't go overboard with the benefits but it does help me bring some inner peace and calm my thoughts.
Let's see how it goes!
A streak is satifying--congrats!
It's nice to settle into developing a new habit. Guided meditations are wonderful in different ways to the silent ones. Both have their place and glad you are finding some benefits :)
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@Linea_Norway --so cool to hear that your BP is lowering. Regardless of whether it's decreased work stress or increased meditation focus--either way, that's fantastic news.
I have been still moving through the course, but slowly am. I break it up in different ways but am loving all the teaching videos and resources.
My struggle in summer is to keep energy balanced when there is so much I want to do.
I woke up the other night at 2am and couldn't sleep at all until 6:30 (very, very unusual for me) but my mind was just filled with trivial little tasks (like 'bake a cake with the applesauce my mom gave me', 'clean the fan above the stairs since it's grey with dust'...small irritations but the cumulative effect was enough to disturb sleep. I did some mindful breathing, let myself write a list of things that were running through my head (about 30!) and drifted back to sleep early in the morning.
Summer is a high energy time but for someone who works with anxiety, the important thing is to keep my days (and mind) spacious and not-crammed full.
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30 days and I'm up to 15 minutes. I've been sloppy the last couple of days and let my mind run away for to long before I notice.
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90 Days
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Posting to follow. Meditation is so incredibly valuable! If you manage to do it consistently you will find yourself more aware during the day, with less autopilot. Good stuff.
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Indidnthe 8 week program before the summer vacation. During the 4 week vacation, I didn't meditate. And since I'm back, I have only done it twice. And once I really couldn't concentrate.
We are now in a period of quite some stress and a lot to do (house sale preparations). And I havn't prioritized to do meditation.
I will start up again after I quit working (in a few months).
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I just finished reading 10% Happier by Dan Harris. He is a Journalist and it follows his reporting, research and personal experiences into mindfulness and meditation.
There are a number of YouTube videos about the book and interviews with people in the book.
It was interesting including scientific studies of the benefits of meditation. Lot's of ideas for further study.
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I just finished reading 10% Happier by Dan Harris. He is a Journalist and it follows his reporting, research and personal experiences into mindfulness and meditation.
There are a number of YouTube videos about the book and interviews with people in the book.
It was interesting including scientific studies of the benefits of meditation. Lot's of ideas for further study.
I just finished reading that book a couple weeks ago as well. I've started to dabble in meditation a bit as well just doing about 7 minutes a day. I would definitely like to get a bit more serious about it and make it a daily habit. Reviving this thread as well to see how everyone has been coming along and if anyone has seen some noticeable changes in their daily lives?
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I just finished reading 10% Happier by Dan Harris. He is a Journalist and it follows his reporting, research and personal experiences into mindfulness and meditation.
There are a number of YouTube videos about the book and interviews with people in the book.
It was interesting including scientific studies of the benefits of meditation. Lot's of ideas for further study.
I just finished reading that book a couple weeks ago as well. I've started to dabble in meditation a bit as well just doing about 7 minutes a day. I would definitely like to get a bit more serious about it and make it a daily habit. Reviving this thread as well to see how everyone has been coming along and if anyone has seen some noticeable changes in their daily lives?
I just passed 4 months and am up to 20 min a day. As far as changes there have been a few times where I've been able to respond rather than react and that was interesting to experience.
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Thanks for reviving the thread @MasterStache & @dblaace !
I have been on a reading plus walking spree and neglecting the 'sitting' practice of meditation but am very much aware of how much it benefits me.
Finished a weeklong hike recently and have been doing hour or two of walking ever since--it is meditative in nature but as the seasons turn to cooler weather I would like to resume the more formal sitting practice. Will re-install Insight Timer on my phone as (somewhat ironically), it seems to keep me accountable to myself to keep track on an app. :)
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I had a quick look at Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics - it's hilarious!
I think I really need to take up meditation - even if it is only for a few minutes a day. I could definitely use some of those benefits.
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Thanks for reviving the thread @MasterStache & @dblaace !
I have been on a reading plus walking spree and neglecting the 'sitting' practice of meditation but am very much aware of how much it benefits me.
Finished a weeklong hike recently and have been doing hour or two of walking ever since--it is meditative in nature but as the seasons turn to cooler weather I would like to resume the more formal sitting practice. Will re-install Insight Timer on my phone as (somewhat ironically), it seems to keep me accountable to myself to keep track on an app. :)
I love the cooler weather. I seem to walk more. I walked about 4 miles yesterday but really struggled to keep my mind from wondering. It was a beautiful morning and I really should have been more focused on the now and the beauty around me. I'll keep trying.
I'll be raising my sitting meditation time up to 10 minutes this week. Was doing 7 for a couple weeks but time to step it up a bit.
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I had a quick look at Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics - it's hilarious!
I think I really need to take up meditation - even if it is only for a few minutes a day. I could definitely use some of those benefits.
Just requested this book at the library. I had heard great things about it and listened to a funny podcast with Dan Harris about the events leading up to his very public breakdown which led to his exploration of meditation-- but totally forgot about it, so thanks for the reminder :)
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I had a quick look at Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics - it's hilarious!
I think I really need to take up meditation - even if it is only for a few minutes a day. I could definitely use some of those benefits.
Just requested this book at the library. I had heard great things about it and listened to a funny podcast with Dan Harris about the events leading up to his very public breakdown which led to his exploration of meditation-- but totally forgot about it, so thanks for the reminder :)
Pleasure! My library has it too... as soon as a copy comes in, I'm snaffling it up!
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I had a quick look at Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics - it's hilarious!
I think I really need to take up meditation - even if it is only for a few minutes a day. I could definitely use some of those benefits.
Just requested this book at the library. I had heard great things about it and listened to a funny podcast with Dan Harris about the events leading up to his very public breakdown which led to his exploration of meditation-- but totally forgot about it, so thanks for the reminder :)
Much to my surprise my library had it. I put it on hold and will pick it up tomorrow at the Library book sale.
Trying to read Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I'll just say I don't think it's for beginners.
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I had a quick look at Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics - it's hilarious!
I think I really need to take up meditation - even if it is only for a few minutes a day. I could definitely use some of those benefits.
Just requested this book at the library. I had heard great things about it and listened to a funny podcast with Dan Harris about the events leading up to his very public breakdown which led to his exploration of meditation-- but totally forgot about it, so thanks for the reminder :)
Much to my surprise my library had it. I put it on hold and will pick it up tomorrow at the Library book sale.
Trying to read Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I'll just say I don't think it's for beginners.
His 8 week free online course, Palouse mindfulness, is for beginners.
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Just checked out Full Catastrophe Living. I've read a couple other books and have seen this one mentioned several times. I took a walk in our local park the other day. It was a gorgeous day and I plopped right down in a big open grass field and meditated. With a cool breeze blowing, sun shining down and birds chirping I felt it was much easier to stay focused.
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@MasterStache There's an app that has all of John Kabat-Zin's recordings (as well as some other features that I don't use). It cost me about $13 CAD, but since I use it every day, I find it to be well worthwhile. The app name is JKZ Series1
I'm on round 2 of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program that the book outlines. I did the first course on my own last March/April and found it to be magnificent. Unfortunately, after completing the 8 weeks I gradually lost the habit and my anxiety ran rampant again. So I registered in a program (free for me through Veterans' Affairs Canada) and after a slow start where I wasn't too adherent, I'm now back in the full swing of it and am feeling great.
Thanks for the tip. I'll check that out. We have had a busy couple of weeks and I have not been so great about keeping up with daily meditation. Also trying to kick a caffeine habit.
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@MasterStache There's an app that has all of John Kabat-Zin's recordings (as well as some other features that I don't use). It cost me about $13 CAD, but since I use it every day, I find it to be well worthwhile. The app name is JKZ Series1
I'm on round 2 of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program that the book outlines. I did the first course on my own last March/April and found it to be magnificent. Unfortunately, after completing the 8 weeks I gradually lost the habit and my anxiety ran rampant again. So I registered in a program (free for me through Veterans' Affairs Canada) and after a slow start where I wasn't too adherent, I'm now back in the full swing of it and am feeling great.
Thanks for the tip. I'll check that out. We have had a busy couple of weeks and I have not been so great about keeping up with daily meditation. Also trying to kick a caffeine habit.
I also haven't prioritized it after finishing the 8 week course. I did enjoy the mindful yoga most.
My plan is to start again from January when I have stopped working. I have prepared my coming paper journal for logging it.
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Hi fellow meditators:
Hope the autumnal weather is helping you reconnect with your practice. I always feel like it's a bit easier to turn inward when it's rainy and darkish outside.
I'd been overcaffeinating as darkness takes over the majority of the day in this region, so mindfulness is helping me embrace less action, less caffeine and in turn enjoy this aspect of seasonal hibernation energy. I was reading in bed by 7:30pm the other night!
Generally I use Insight Timer app as it is free for the timer and many meditations but they offered me a half-price yearly premium subscription ($36 CAD). I tried it out and am enjoying having access to their courses but likely will just use it for the year (try to get the most out of it) and then go back to the free version.
Will try to do the online Palouse course again soon as I never fully completed it last time around.
:)
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Hi fellow meditators:
Hope the autumnal weather is helping you reconnect with your practice. I always feel like it's a bit easier to turn inward when it's rainy and darkish outside.
I'd been overcaffeinating as darkness takes over the majority of the day in this region, so mindfulness is helping me embrace less action, less caffeine and in turn enjoy this aspect of seasonal hibernation energy. I was reading in bed by 7:30pm the other night!
Generally I use Insight Timer app as it is free for the timer and many meditations but they offered me a half-price yearly premium subscription ($36 CAD). I tried it out and am enjoying having access to their courses but likely will just use it for the year (try to get the most out of it) and then go back to the free version.
Will try to do the online Palouse course again soon as I never fully completed it last time around.
:)
After finished the Palouse course before the summer, 8 haven't meditated again. But you are right, the weather is depressing, grey, misty and rainy for weeks in a row. I think I'll do a mindfull yoga session from the website tomorrow.
I was planning to start over again on a daily basis when I stop working, in half December. In made an overview in my 2020 bullet point journal to check off that I do meditation or yoga every day. As well as being active and counting vegetarian and non alcoholic days.
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Hi! A bit late to the game as this thread is from January, but I've also picked up some meditation lately and enjoyed looking through the resources recommended here.
I have been following MBSR classes for a while (1/week, but a bit intermittently due to scheduling issues). I always struggle to get started on something using apps and the like, so starting out with an organized course where I could actually learn and would be more committed (I paid for it, aah!) was the way to go. Now I'm actually getting to the point where I feel like doing some short meditations during my day. I've done two this week, once during some downtime at work and one today after dinner. It's still far from a daily or even regular habit, but I do like the spontaneous motivation/urge to meditate crucial for myself to be able to doing it >5 min. Usually I just sit by myself and set an alarm for 10 mins, focussing on my breath. No guides or voices.
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Another grey Sunday, so I did a double version of mindful yoga. First time since 5 months or so, but it went reasonably well.
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Wow, sorry to have missed this thread for so long. I enjoy meditation but 2019 has been a bad year for my commitment to it. In 2018, I did 100 consecutive days and typically did 12-20 minutes, and really enjoyed it. But during the holidays and with more travel, I found it hard to keep up the consistency and it's now been many months since I've done it at all. I want to get back at it in January (won't even bother with the holidays coming again. I find it hard to set aside the time when people are staying with us, we're traveling, so much going on). Definitely a 2020 goal for me.
I'm super interested in getting to the "self is an illusion" point. I don't really have stress or physical or even emotional goals I'm pursuing here, but I think the philosophical potential is fascinating. I don't know if I can ever achieve it and it somehow (?) seems wrong to even put a goal like that on meditation - like I should just be open to whatever comes? But, I do hope to pair my actual meditation with a lot more reading and research about consciousness and etc. in 2020. I'd really like to participate in some kind of research on hallucinogenics ("How to Change Your Mind" by Michael Pollan speaks a bit about how that can be like very advanced meditating), but that's a whole other topic!
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I am now doing mindful yoga every alternate day. I will start with meditation again after newyear.
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Just seeing this thread now, although I thought I had seen it in the past and replied--maybe I saw the subject on my phone and didn't get to reply but thought I did. That happens sometimes.
Anyhow, another fan of the Insight Timer app here. Some of my favorite guided meditation teachers there (and my favorite go-to sessions of theirs) are:
Sarah Blondin (I Would Like to Give You Permission)
Tom Evans (Just for Today and Snoozitation)
Andy Hobson (Rise and Shine and Just Got Home)
Jennifer Piercy (Yoga Nidra for Sleep)
I like this app so much that I paid for the upgrade. They post a Daily Insight each day, with 5, 10, and 20 minute modules by different teachers daily, and the longer modules are only available with the paid subscription. It was (I think) $30/year on sale, and worth it to me.
The app has the option of keeping stats (if you like that sort of thing), and it tells me that since November of 2017, when I started, I've had 339 days with at least one session on the app. Some days I'll do none and some I'll do three.
I find that if I start my day with a Daily Insight 5 minute or 10 minute guided session, even half-asleep and lying down without proper posture, I am a better person for others to be around. I enter my day with a better attitude. I am less likely to yell at my kids as we all get ready for school and work and try to get out the door on time in the morning.
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I'm super interested in getting to the "self is an illusion" point. I don't really have stress or physical or even emotional goals I'm pursuing here, but I think the philosophical potential is fascinating. I don't know if I can ever achieve it and it somehow (?) seems wrong to even put a goal like that on meditation - like I should just be open to whatever comes?
I have been slacking a bit over the past couple of months, so I have to prioritize meditation a bit more in 2020 again. However, I find it sometimes easier to reflect on things like "non-self" (anatta) at times when I am too tired to meditate as such, but would still like to settle the mind. Impermanence is also a good one. So I look at these contemplations as alternatives to meditation. I don't target these contemplations during my breath meditation. Maybe that's an option for you, as well.
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Meditation has been on my mind for a long time but I never took the time to learn it/ schedule it in my day. Have a bit experience with Headspace and liked that.
Since I have read a book by Michael Singer ( The untethered soul) and somehow from there started listening to audio books by Dr Joe Dispenza. I really like the teaching of the meditation on his book "Becoming Supernatural" but before finishing that I started listening to " Your mind is the placebo" (was written way before "Becoming Supernatural" ) and bought the "changing one belief meditation " that goes with the book. Trying to meditate daily but the voice ( or rather intonation?) seems really weird to me and I am definitely choosing the wrong time ( before bed) because I keep falling asleep ;)
I am not the sort of person to get up an hour early to meditate though.
Does anyone have experience with these meditations?
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I made it over 6 months but decided to give it a break. It seemed to become more of a chore than a benefit. I did start to see some benefits but it got to be just going through the motions.
I'll see how it goes and maybe try again in Jan.
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Meditation has been on my mind for a long time but I never took the time to learn it/ schedule it in my day. Have a bit experience with Headspace and liked that.
Since I have read a book by Michael Singer ( The untethered soul) and somehow from there started listening to audio books by Dr Joe Dispenza. I really like the teaching of the meditation on his book "Becoming Supernatural" but before finishing that I started listening to " Your mind is the placebo" (was written way before "Becoming Supernatural" ) and bought the "changing one belief meditation " that goes with the book. Trying to meditate daily but the voice ( or rather intonation?) seems really weird to me and I am definitely choosing the wrong time ( before bed) because I keep falling asleep ;)
I am not the sort of person to get up an hour early to meditate though.
Does anyone have experience with these meditations?
Some meditation apps have a voice that you can experience as annoying. Just try to find another one. Inside timer has lots of different voices. I can recommend Palouse mindfulness, which you can do for free. They mention that if you keep falling asleep during meditation, you probably don't get enough sleep. But do it some other time of the day. Maybe in your car during your working day? Or earlier in the evening?
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Have had a hard time getting back into my routine of meditating this year. I keep finding myself at 8pm or later not having done it and needing to squeeze it in, which just feels wrong.
I recall someone advising the author of "Why Buddhism is True", I believe, about a perspective on thinking and intrusive thoughts while meditating. They compared thoughts to trains going through the train station of your mind, and that you should feel free to just observe them in that way, and not jump on every single one. But the author said he felt more like the trains reached out and grabbed him, not that he was jumping on them. And this is a challenge for me lately too. I used to have a sort of method for this to help me step back from my thoughts when they intruded, but it doesn't seem to be working much lately. I keep finding that I think I've stepped away from my thoughts, only to suddenly notice that there is some 2nd or 3rd order narrator in my head, way deep down, that's been having a chat congratulating itself about how I'm not thinking and how would I describe this experience of not-thinking and isn't this better than yesterday when I was not doing a good job and and and
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I recall someone advising the author of "Why Buddhism is True", I believe, about a perspective on thinking and intrusive thoughts while meditating. They compared thoughts to trains going through the train station of your mind, and that you should feel free to just observe them in that way, and not jump on every single one. But the author said he felt more like the trains reached out and grabbed him, not that he was jumping on them. And this is a challenge for me lately too. I used to have a sort of method for this to help me step back from my thoughts when they intruded, but it doesn't seem to be working much lately. I keep finding that I think I've stepped away from my thoughts, only to suddenly notice that there is some 2nd or 3rd order narrator in my head, way deep down, that's been having a chat congratulating itself about how I'm not thinking and how would I describe this experience of not-thinking and isn't this better than yesterday when I was not doing a good job and and and
I just finished re-reading that book @sui generis :)
I find his breakdown of thought processes really helpful! I also find that observing the internal chatter doesn't seem to stop it but at least it seems to give me a tiny bit of distance so that I recognize it's not all ME..it's ME lost in a swirl of modular thinking and my naturally evolved mind is just doing it's naturally evolved role. ha.
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I like this app so much that I paid for the upgrade. They post a Daily Insight each day, with 5, 10, and 20 minute modules by different teachers daily, and the longer modules are only available with the paid subscription. It was (I think) $30/year on sale, and worth it to me.
The app has the option of keeping stats (if you like that sort of thing), and it tells me that since November of 2017, when I started, I've had 339 days with at least one session on the app. Some days I'll do none and some I'll do three.
I find that if I start my day with a Daily Insight 5 minute or 10 minute guided session, even half-asleep and lying down without proper posture, I am a better person for others to be around. I enter my day with a better attitude. I am less likely to yell at my kids as we all get ready for school and work and try to get out the door on time in the morning.
I'm with you on so many of these things @TVRodriguez . I often use Insight Timer in bed early morning still lying down, with a pillow over my eyes and while it might not be ideal...it helps me start the day in a more peaceful way.
Jennifer Piercy, Sarah Blondin and Andy Hobson are also favourite teachers of mine..I used to take yoga classes with Jennifer in Victoria, BC and she is a real delight in person as well.
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I like this app so much that I paid for the upgrade. . . .
I find that if I start my day with a Daily Insight 5 minute or 10 minute guided session, even half-asleep and lying down without proper posture, I am a better person for others to be around. I enter my day with a better attitude. I am less likely to yell at my kids as we all get ready for school and work and try to get out the door on time in the morning.
I'm with you on so many of these things @TVRodriguez . I often use Insight Timer in bed early morning still lying down, with a pillow over my eyes and while it might not be ideal...it helps me start the day in a more peaceful way.
Jennifer Piercy, Sarah Blondin and Andy Hobson are also favourite teachers of mine..I used to take yoga classes with Jennifer in Victoria, BC and she is a real delight in person as well.
Neat! Glad to be on the same wavelength with our "not quite ideal" meditations.
As in so many things, I find that something is better than nothing. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly. (I think I stole that from one of the meditations on Insight Timer, come to think of it.)
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I am not totally sure if this is meant as a joke, but I love using this and it works well for me sometimes when I'm just SO OVER EVERYONE AND ALL THEIR BULLSHIT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92i5m3tV5XY
F*ck That: An Honest Meditation
by Jason Headley
I'm kind of thinking this is very Mustachian actually. Humor, but also still meditating. ;)
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I am not totally sure if this is meant as a joke, but I love using this and it works well for me sometimes when I'm just SO OVER EVERYONE AND ALL THEIR BULLSHIT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92i5m3tV5XY
F*ck That: An Honest Meditation
by Jason Headley
I'm kind of thinking this is very Mustachian actually. Humor, but also still meditating. ;)
Yes! That's in my "Meditations" folder in youtube :)
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I'm kind of thinking this is very Mustachian actually. Humor, but also still meditating. ;)
oh, I really LOVE this :)
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Due to recent stressors (and time off work with the influenza), I've picked up my meditation practice again.
It's so helpful to start the day with a grounded perspective..before I check in on email or news. Lately I've been loving Tara Brach's Loving the Goodness on Insight Timer.
6 minutes and voila, I have a more open start to the day.
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I really like Tara Brach! I discovered her through Palouse and think I might have to look up more of her stuff.
I'm currently in week 5 of the Palouse MBSR program. It is helpful and I'm finding it worthwhile. For instance, week 5 is about turning toward emotional and physical pain. I'm finding it a bit of a challenge because atm I am very lucky in that I'm not dealing with almost any physical pain or emotional difficulties. But, I'm trying to practice it anyway, knowing those times will come and wanting to have this as a resource to bolster resilience when they do.
But also, I was really looking into meditation for the mind-expansion, consciousness-exploring possibilities, not to relieve stress in my life. If anyone has recommendations for meditation focused more on that and NOT on stress-relief, I'd appreciate it. I'm afraid I may need to start from scratch on Buddhist philosophy and spend the next couple decades trying to find the right threads to follow.
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I really like Tara Brach! I discovered her through Palouse and think I might have to look up more of her stuff.
I'm currently in week 5 of the Palouse MBSR program. It is helpful and I'm finding it worthwhile. For instance, week 5 is about turning toward emotional and physical pain. I'm finding it a bit of a challenge because atm I am very lucky in that I'm not dealing with almost any physical pain or emotional difficulties. But, I'm trying to practice it anyway, knowing those times will come and wanting to have this as a resource to bolster resilience when they do.
But also, I was really looking into meditation for the mind-expansion, consciousness-exploring possibilities, not to relieve stress in my life. If anyone has recommendations for meditation focused more on that and NOT on stress-relief, I'd appreciate it. I'm afraid I may need to start from scratch on Buddhist philosophy and spend the next couple decades trying to find the right threads to follow.
Tara Brach is a long time favourite, her website is a good resource for both talks & meditations. Long before I began mediating I used to play her talks in the background while doing dishes or cleaning the house..
The book Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright has some interesting take-aways about no-self, consciousness and more esoteric ideas/benefits of meditation. He focuses on western Buddhism & interpretation rather than getting into deities, reincarnation so I appreciated that approach. I'm sure there are other great ones but that book is the first resource which came to mind as I recently re-read it :)
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The book Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright has some interesting take-aways about no-self, consciousness and more esoteric ideas/benefits of meditation. He focuses on western Buddhism & interpretation rather than getting into deities, reincarnation so I appreciated that approach. I'm sure there are other great ones but that book is the first resource which came to mind as I recently re-read it :)
I really liked that book and it's definitely one of the reasons I'm pursuing meditation and interested in the philosophy. I probably need to re-read it myself to catch more specific ideas and recs that I may have missed the first time through about two years ago.
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Due to recent stressors (and time off work with the influenza), I've picked up my meditation practice again.
It's so helpful to start the day with a grounded perspective..before I check in on email or news. Lately I've been loving Tara Brach's Loving the Goodness on Insight Timer.
6 minutes and voila, I have a more open start to the day.
Ooh, glad to hear another recommendation to look for on Insight Timer. Love that start to my mornings!
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Wow, I just learned that my daughter's elementary school has been incorporating a few minutes of practicing mindfulness in the morning before the school day starts. Their school was actually featured on the local news. My daughter said that have been doing it for quite some time. I had no idea. I am really trying to practice mindfulness as much as possible throughout the day and setting a goal to work up to 15 minutes of meditation every day.
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Wow, I just learned that my daughter's elementary school has been incorporating a few minutes of practicing mindfulness in the morning before the school day starts. Their school was actually featured on the local news. My daughter said that have been doing it for quite some time. I had no idea. I am really trying to practice mindfulness as much as possible throughout the day and setting a goal to work up to 15 minutes of meditation every day.
That's interesting, what does your daughter think of it @MasterStache ? I've heard it being incorporated into schools for the past few years especially as they've seen a rise in anxiety levels in children. We all need skills for handling what life brings to us and if you learn 'em young, so much the better!
Am reducing my time spent reading fb/forum/covid-19 news...limiting my intake. Will still stay updated but need to be more mindful of my news consumption..
I am now off work indefinitely so it's good time to practice pausing and use these meditation tools for what they are worth, helping me stay level-headed and clear. Informed but not overly anxious.
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Wow, I just learned that my daughter's elementary school has been incorporating a few minutes of practicing mindfulness in the morning before the school day starts. Their school was actually featured on the local news. My daughter said that have been doing it for quite some time. I had no idea. I am really trying to practice mindfulness as much as possible throughout the day and setting a goal to work up to 15 minutes of meditation every day.
That's interesting, what does your daughter think of it @MasterStache ? I've heard it being incorporated into schools for the past few years especially as they've seen a rise in anxiety levels in children. We all need skills for handling what life brings to us and if you learn 'em young, so much the better!
Am reducing my time spent reading fb/forum/covid-19 news...limiting my intake. Will still stay updated but need to be more mindful of my news consumption..
I am now off work indefinitely so it's good time to practice pausing and use these meditation tools for what they are worth, helping me stay level-headed and clear. Informed but not overly anxious.
She just says she finds it interesting but that none of the kids really seem to be just sitting quietly. I mean they are 4th graders, haha! Regardless I think even just introducing them to mindfulness at an early age is a great first step.
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Wasn't sure where to share this, but this passage from Winston Churchill really helped me to start my day off right.
Let us be contented with what has happened and be thankful for all that we have been spared.
Let us accept the natural order of things in which we move.
Let us reconcile ourselves to the mysterious rhythm of our destinies, such as they must be in this world of space and time.
Let us treasure our joys but not bewail our sorrows.
The glory of light cannot exist without its shadows.
Life is a whole, and good and ill must be accepted together.
The journey has been enjoyable and well worth making-----once.
~ Winston Churchill
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After doing the Palouse mindfulness program, last summer, I only do the mindful yoga. I still enjoy that quite a lot. But I don't do the meditation anymore. Although occasionally, when I have to spend some minutes waiting, I might use it concentrating on my breath and the sounds that I hear.
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Wasn't sure where to share this, but this passage from Winston Churchill really helped me to start my day off right.
Let us be contented with what has happened and be thankful for all that we have been spared.
Let us accept the natural order of things in which we move.
Let us reconcile ourselves to the mysterious rhythm of our destinies, such as they must be in this world of space and time.
Let us treasure our joys but not bewail our sorrows.
The glory of light cannot exist without its shadows.
Life is a whole, and good and ill must be accepted together.
The journey has been enjoyable and well worth making-----once.
~ Winston Churchill
Ahh..this is beautiful @Freedomin5 ..I might need to write that out and hang on the fridgel :)
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A new talk by Tara: facing the pandemic with an open heart. Very nice to listen to while drinking morning coffee and watching the birds outside in the trees..
https://www.tarabrach.com/facing-pandemic-fears/
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I've been on a huge streak with my meditation, due to coronavirus stress. I missed one day, but have quadrupled my normal meditation rate. It's helping. I mean, hard to assess how much it's helping given the crazy amount of stress. But, it feels so lovely in the moment.
Also, I"m at home with my husband & two kids, so even just the 10 minutes of time to myself, in peace, is amazing.
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I mean, hard to assess how much it's helping given the crazy amount of stress. But, it feels so lovely in the moment.
Also, I"m at home with my husband & two kids, so even just the 10 minutes of time to myself, in peace, is amazing.
@MaybeBabyMustache right?..ANY peace & quiet, internally and externally can be important right now :)
I've naturally taken to getting up early and going downstairs quietly. sitting on the couch..sometimes a guided mediation or just sitting in silence (before reading the news). Glad you are finding some peaceful moments.--it likely helps your family too.
Makes me think of this idea that Thich Nhat Hanh used to share about the Vietnamese boat people and which I've heard repeated recently:
"When the crowded refugee boats met with storms or pirates, if every one panicked, all would be lost. But if even one person stayed calm, it was enough. It showed the way for everyone to survive."
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Nice to see a thread on meditation.
I started my meditation practice 20 years back when I started my career. And really enjoy the good feel it gives every day morning.
I will be retiring in next few days (I am 43 YO) and one of the goal for me after retiring is to spend more time training or guiding people who are interested in meditation. I am meditation trainer too.
If anyone is interested then feel free to PM to learn meditation. Heartfulness is the meditation which I follow. And it's free of cost.
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So how is meditation going for everyone? I was consistent for about 6 months up to 30 min then life got in the way. I'm trying to get back to it again. I've got 7 days at 10 min so far.
In/Out
In/Out
In/Out
In/Out...
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Serendip, thank you for starting this thread. Here we meet again after the 100k NW race.
I have been meditating on and off for a few years. I use an app called Head space and do mostly mindfulness / vipassana meditation. I really enjoy it and do it both to be calmer, less stressed, for the effects on my brain and because I have interest in some aspects of Buddhist philosophy. Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, meditating daily seems to be related to moderating my alcohol consumption and vice versa (always had a bit of an unhealthy enthusiasm for the bottle, which I'm still working on).
I just reconnected with the practice and will continue to keep myself accountable and hopefully have interesting discussions on this thread.
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This thread always pops up at the right time for me :)
Hi @Evasion ! I agree--alcohol is demotivating. I'm going for a beer/booze free August as I feel I've been consuming a bit too much lately. It's not necessarily the quantity but frequency that I need to rebalance,a daily beer or two (yikes). A one month reset will be a bit hard with summer weather finally arriving but I am also trying to rebook my daily meditation practice so they naturally go hand-in-hand. ha. Plus, it will help with my dismal showings in the 100k thread..I took a bad swing downwards this year. Ebbs & Flows..
@dblaace --good job reviving your daily meditation practice! It's nice to get back into the rhythm of it being a natural part of the day :)
@myobjectivism How wonderful that you have such a history of meditation and will be able to offer that after you retire. I imagine these skills are going to be MUCH needed in the upcoming years. I've only been learning sitting meditation for the past 4-5 years as I was more interested in intentional living/breathwork previously but am finding the tools that focused work offers are really beneficial for my mental health and emotional state. If you have additional resources you want to share, I could add them to the start of the thread?
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I am a huge fan of sam harris's waking up app. The lessons and meditations are great. You can do a free trial and listen to all of them during the trial. I have started using headspace now, its good too. Honestly after doing the waking up course, I feel comfortable with unguided meditations. I think meditation is the ultimate mustachian hobby/ entertainment.
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Just finished Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Really helpful.
Still breathing...
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Just finished Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Really helpful.
Still breathing...
Ahh..great book.
I have been re-reading that one slowly with my morning coffee. It's the first book I bought about meditation--a decade before I actually started meditating!
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I have been using the Headspace app for the past 7 days. It has been nice and relaxing. I intend to make a daily habit out of meditation; perhaps 10 minutes in the morning and at night.
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I stopped meditating 6 months ago. I had a decent habit but it was starting to feel more like a chore than something I looked forward to, and I didn't feel like I needed any sort of stress-relief or anything (my purpose in doing it is to pursue questions of consciousness, not so much for the physical or mental benefits I might accrue).
Unfortunately, notwithstanding that I don't *think* I feel stressed at all, I discovered a couple of months ago that I had a cracked tooth. Dentist says cracked tooths are skyrocketing because of the stress of the pandemic for people. So, I had to get a crown and then that went awry and I ultimately had to get a root canal! I still don't feel very stressed, but I guess I don't have a good sense of when my body thinks it's stressed out. So maybe I do need some of those physical benefits the western mindfulness folks are always promoting...
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Hey there,
Despite the warning of low activity on this thread I've decided to post.
After almost 1 year of work from home and 120 days with only supermarkets open I found in meditation a nice practice that really helped me cope with the situation, and for free! I just spent EUR 15 in a mediation cushion that I use 30 minutes per day.
I have quite an anxious personality and I'm used to deal with that by filling my days with so many work and additional activities that I don't have time to really think about things. The pandemic has dramatically changed that, and I hope that I can take the best out of the situation with the help of meditation.
To guide me I started with one app - Lojong - but I'm not sure it has an english version. As introductory material I'd also recommend a couple of books from a Tibetan Monk called Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. I'm not sure if I saw his name in this forum first, or in the Netflix series "The Mind, Explained". The books are:
- The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness. Great to understand how meditation works in our brain
- Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Nice book with some practical instructions, that gives more background about Buddhist symbolism and religious practices, while focusing mostly on meditation.
Anyway, just wanted to give this thread a second life. I was quite skeptical about the whole thing but I've been practicing daily for a few months and it has been transforming by increasing my self-awareness and helping me having a lower basal anxiety levels.
PS: If somebody is really able to cross their legs how it should be done, can you provide any support on what stretching exercises can get me there? Whenever I try I have the fear I'll end in the hospital.
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Hi @Lomonossov !
While it's hard to guess what muscles are tight, here are a couple of links to some gentle yoga videos that should help with overall flexibility of the hips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBdfCX5XnX4&list=PLui6Eyny-UzwiUzvhM2BjxThodiRWZ2JR&index=7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzm3fA2HhkQ&list=PLui6Eyny-UzxL6NjFMYD5-vESNii8_aLi&index=21
The key to effective stretching is to do a bit of a warm up first (a brisk walk will do) and to get into a position where you can feel tension, but not pain - no matter how different your position is from the instructor's.
Hey!
Thanks a lot for the videos, I practised a little bit already and looking forward to get better at it.
Off topic: I'm obsessed with your name. Have you chosen a handle based on the Lomonossov Ridge that links the continental shelves of Greenland and Russia via the north pole? If so, EPIC name, if not - FYI, you happen to have chosen and EPIC NAME (for Arctic Ocean buffs).
On the OT, not really. I was in college when I went on holidays to Moscow and coming from a very functional and ugly building where I was spending my days I saw this:
(https://study-eu.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/image/path/170/wide_fullhd_Moscow_State_University.jpg)
I was quite blown away and did some research on the person. Quite an impressive individual for a science student and largely unknown in the West. Mikhail made important discoveries in astronomy, physics, chemistry and whatnot; he wrote literature and history and went on expeditions. And it's a name that's always free in forums and other websites, and sounds cool.
I didn't know he did work in geology as well, but I'm glad I did learn something today.
Thanks for the help.
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Thanks for reviving this thread! Am at peak stress these days, struggle sleeping more than a few hours, and having interpersonal challenges as a result. Now determined to find some guided meditation that works for me. Those I'd tried in the past seemed...cheesy....but there are good suggestions here. Will give it a go. Much appreciated, Mustachians!
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Thanks for reviving this thread! Am at peak stress these days, struggle sleeping more than a few hours, and having interpersonal challenges as a result. Now determined to find some guided meditation that works for me. Those I'd tried in the past seemed...cheesy....but there are good suggestions here. Will give it a go. Much appreciated, Mustachians!
Same here. I got out of my daily routine as it got colder. Getting out of a warm bed and meditating when it's cold became harder.
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Yes, happy to have this thread revived!
(I think it cycles in and out as people are drawn to share. Meditation can be a largely personal experience so often there isn't too much to tell!)
@Lomonossov --I think any position that is upright and comfortable for your body would be fine, no need cross your legs if it's uncomfortable. I sometimes like using a little bench for kneeling or a bunch of stacked pillow to lift my hips when sitting crosslegged. When I went to a retreat they had straight-backed chairs for people who wouldn't benefit from trying to sit on the floor.
I've been gently easing myself back into restorative yoga and breathwork..keeping my meditations (and everything else) short and do-able.
Just taking a deep mindful breath every now and then seems to be doing wonders for me these days..
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The mindful yoga #1 or #2 mention an exercise that is benefitial to do before sitting meditation.
Otherwise I would think it would be okay to just sit in a normal crosslegged position. Or with your knees sidewards and footsoles together (bound angle), like we often use in yoga.
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Yeah, I've ended up doing most of my meditation laying out flat or sitting with my legs in various positions that are not strictly cross-legged. To the extent it's a goal, hope you can make progress! To the extent you feel *pressured* to do that because it is the "right way" I hope that notion can be dispelled.
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I know. I'm using right now one of this meditation cushions made of recycled cotton and sitting on it with my legs crossed normally. I bought it after practicing using a small mountain of soft pillows for a few months and it's working pretty well so far. I need an excuse to train my flexibility and this is as good as any, though.
I just checked and my first meditation practice happened more than 3 months ago. It felt quite a strange and uncomfortable thing to do, but it did help with my quite high anxiety levels. Now I am slowly getting the ability of focusing on my breathing and detaching me from whatever waterfall of feelings and thoughts my brain wants me to look at even out of formal practice.
For anybody out there that is hesitating because she thinks the meditation practice has this new age vibe to it, or if you think that is connected to repressing any thoughts and keep your mind empty; please reconsider. You can also check the short series that Headspace has produced for Netflix, I found it quite informative for beginners like me.
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Just noticed this thread! I've been meditating fairly regularly for almost a year now.
I've tried to get into it occasionally my whole life, but finally found a course that clicked with me and it all makes sense for me -- meditation isn't meant to be relaxing in the moment, it's meant to train your mind to not get as stressed in other moments. It's basically like jogging for the mind, it doesn't become enjoyable for a while, but the benefits to the rest of your life are close to immediate.
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I am trying to restart my practice for the new year. Now that I am RE I can devote more time to it.
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I've been using the Waking Up app for a few months and highly recommend it. I've had a regular meditation practice for years and just tried the free trial to see what it was like. But I found it so great that I subscribed and have been using it every day. It's the only app that I've tried that I think is good for meditators of any level, not just beginners, and that is grounded in a depth of Insight teachings. There's a 20+ day Introductory Course that has daily 10 min meditation + a separate daily brief "theory" session. Once that's completed, the app's daily meditation is accessible (which is 10 or 20 minutes depending on your setting choice). There's also a library of talks and meditation practices. This is not the stress-relief brand of meditation app. Like with any of the apps that I've sampled, the downside is that there's no sangha or community through it, just dharma (teaching of the practices). If anybody's looking to jump-start their practice in the new year, I can definitely recommend Waking Up.
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Thanks so much for that recommendation @Dr Kidstache —I am going to try this out!
He is an interesting author and this app seems to have great reviews. Plus sometimes a different approach can infuse the experience with fresh energy which is sortof perfect for the new year (as I lay here in bed recovering from a cold!)
I recently finished the book Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind, authored by his wife Annaka Harris which I enjoyed quite a bit.
I’m with you @dblaace —new year, same me, new & same opportunities to always keep moving forward in positive ways :) congrats on RE
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Didn't notice this thread before now but love to see it! I started meditating about a year before I started grad school. It just recently occurred to me that was three years ago, which was a severe shock as to how much the COVID-times have screwed up my perception of time. I started with Headspace, and a couple months after starting I committed to going for a 365-day streak. Sometimes that was just a 5 minute meditation at midnight right before going to bed, but I did at least manage to commit a little bit of time every day for a year. Since finishing the 365-day streak I've missed a day (or week...) rather often, but have continued with a reasonable degree of commitment, branching out my guided meditations to plenty of other sources and doing a lot more unguided meditation. My favorite books related to meditation have been Mindfulness in Plain English, Siddhartha, and One Blade of Grass.
I would love to find a regular group/teacher, but that will have to wait until I settle down in one place for more than a couple months at a time.
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I am glad to see the replies and hope it will continue.
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A week into the new year and I haven't missed a day. I added reading from a daily book and yoga after.
I find guided meditations distracting. I am thinking more about what is said and breathing in and out but am usually out of sequence. So I am on just a timed breathing meditation. Currently 10 minutes. Yoga is just a series of beginner asanas I put together and held for 15-30 seconds. Usually 10-15 minutes.
Just trying to get a daily routine started that I can build on.
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Nice @dblaace —-congrats on finding a groove. I’ve also been steady since the new year and have mostly been coupling it with yoga as well.
The nice thing about getting into a streak is that it helps me stay motivated to keep it up! I’d love to do a yearlong one but am just taking it day by day.
:)
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I felt compelled to share this, it reminds me of other funny takes on the guided meditation theme :)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ecoJyTKDyTo
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In other meditation updates, I’ve meditated daily for the first two months of 2022 (!!) I set out to do micro amounts of mediation and yoga daily but now that it’s a habit, I am stretching both of them (time wise) on certain days :)
Really been enjoying the Waking Up app.
Also, the book The Science of Enlightenment (the talks of Shinzen Young turned into a book) has really blown my mind too. For some reason, the way some of the concepts are presented really affected my practice in daily living.
The idea of learning to have a Complete Sensory Experience somehow makes a lot of sense after a couple months of daily practice..I’m trying to bring that level of experience into my daily activities—like work or cooking. The definition is to experience things (all and anything) in a state of extraordinary concentration, sensory clarity and equanimity.
I also liked his breakdown of Concentration into 4 subskills
1) learn how to restrict attention to small sensory events
2) learn how to evenly cover large sensory events
3) learn how to sustain concentration on one thing for an extended period of time
4) learn how to taste a momentary state of concentration with whatever randomly calls your attention
Feeling like this has been a good leap for me. Soon, I’ll be going to see family for 10days so the practice will really will kick into practical use.
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I felt compelled to share this, it reminds me of other funny takes on the guided meditation theme :)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ecoJyTKDyTo
ROFL
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I am up to 15 minutes a day. Sometimes it takes me 10 minutes to settle my mind sometimes I can't, but the fixed time allows me the chance of it happening rather than giving up to soon.
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Still breathing, in out in out... Missed a few days last month for health reasons but better now.
Going back to the gym this week and signed up for a yoga class 2 days a week.
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I have been using Calm more frequently now and it really feels like this app is becoming my best friend.
It can be hard to start meditating when anxiety is at it's peak but it really brings that sense of calmness to me so I have been doing it daily.
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I've been hovering around 20 minutes per day, 5-6x per week for a while. I just had a relatively stressful week and a couple 35-40 minute sessions (and meditating outside a couple times - yay spring!) did me a world of good.
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Was consistently practicing daily from the start of the year until recently (using the Waking Up app). My routine was thrown off by travel and this affected my practice. Really noticed the difference and am back on the daily-meditation-and-yoga-train since getting back home. It helps set the tone for the day as well as keeping priorities straight.
I've definitely noticed that meditation have shifted my reactions. Spending time with family was the biggest sign that I've absorbed some of the practices in a way that helps in real-life situations. Phew! (and a quiet hurrah!)
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Just found this post...when I was in late 20s I meditated for and hour twice a day....that went on for nearly a year...it got weird but in a good way
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Just found this post...when I was in late 20s I meditated for and hour twice a day....that went on for nearly a year...it got weird but in a good way
Oh, I'd be interested to hear more about the "weird but in a good way"!
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Theres plenty of decent literature on it....a buddy of mine was a therapist who studied it well...the unconscious starts to mix with conscious and you step outside the ‘real world’... out of body stuff to say the least..
Try William James ‘the variety of religious experiences’.....heavy and written in old English but a famous book
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I've managed to string together 100 days of meditation and felling good. A coincidence that it came on my birthday.
How has everyone else been doing?
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I've just re-committed to guided meditations rather than trying to do my own thing unguided. Using one app consistently to have the streak as a motivator. "Gamifying" meditation feels a little wrong, but it is an effective motivator. Going back to guided meditations also is definitely helping me. Hopefully this will help me get back to the level of consistency I had before the pandemic.
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thanks for the updates!
I'm finding the most success when I piggy-back yoga/breathwork/meditation all together in my morning routine. I have been using the Waking Up app and enjoying the talks they post as well.
Love the autumn for settling into more grounded routines--summer was high-energy with a lot of travel and adventures so I'm enjoying even a few cool mornings and getting into the cozy space of mindfulness, coffee and meditation early in the day.
Also re-reading Happiness by Matthieu Ricard is a good motivator plus, the book The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young has been really meaningful to me. I've borrowed it twice from the library and finally ordered it in from my local bookstore as it feels like something I can keep learning from...at least at this point in my journey :)
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Hello meditators--happy new year
I've been negligent with my meditation practice as I've been focusing on learning breathwork recently (which falls under a somewhat similar category in my estimations). However I'd still like to maintain a small daily meditation as part of my self-care routine.
A new year (or month, or week!) is always a better time for me to recommit so if anyone else needs a little nudge--here it is :)
Starting the book "My Journey to Lhasa" by Alexandra David-Neel is also motivation to ...have motivation.
(here is a micro-doc about her, an interesting adventurer)
https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/097371-001-A/the-lost-ones/
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I fall off the wagon pretty easily when I'm traveling, and then it often takes me a few days to couple weeks to get back in the habit after I get re-settled. I'd love to do better at keeping the habit rolling even when my routines are broken. Time to recommit as usual!
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I have started the "You are the placebo" meditation by Dr Joe Dispensa again. Has anyone else done this? If so did you ever get over the weirdness of the text?
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Meditated today for only the second time in 2023. I was really good about making time for it during COVID/WFH/Lockdowns, but stopped once I went back to the office. I still WFH a couple of days per week, so I'd like to meditate on those days.
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I have started the "You are the placebo" meditation by Dr Joe Dispensa again. Has anyone else done this? If so did you ever get over the weirdness of the text?
I've never heard of this meditation @Anette --but I tried to read one of his books earlier and it didn't work for me so I imagine the meditation might be similar.
(*But now I'm curious so I just looked it up and will attempt a 'listen through' for interests sake :) )
I tend to do more vipassana or insight style of meditation. So I enjoy Tara Brach and others along the same vein.
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I shall have a look at Tara Brach.
@Serendip I would love to hear what you think about the "You are the Placebo" We listened to the audio book first as part of getting into meditation as part of my DH adjuvant cancer treatment and it has been strange and very long but not really bad.