Mustachian Meditation

[MasterStache]

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.

[Serendip]

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.

[MasterStache]

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.

[Freedomin5]

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

[Linea_Norway]

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.

[Serendip]

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 :)

[Serendip]

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/

[MaybeBabyMustache]

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.

[Serendip]

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."

[myobjectivism]

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.

[dblaace]

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...

[Evasion]

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.

[Serendip]

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?

[jafr1284]

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.

[dblaace]

Just finished Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Really helpful.

Still breathing...

[Serendip]

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!

[Accrual]

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.

[sui generis]

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...

[Lomonossov]

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.

[Lomonossov]

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:



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.

[expatartist]

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!

[dblaace]

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. 

[Serendip]

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..

[Linea_Norway]

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.

[sui generis]

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.

[Lomonossov]

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.

[cangelosibrown]

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.

[dblaace]

I am trying to restart my practice for the new year. Now that I am RE I can devote more time to it.

[Dr Kidstache]

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.

[Serendip]

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

[Log]

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.

[dblaace]

I am glad to see the replies and hope it will continue.

[dblaace]

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.

[Serendip]

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.
:)

[Serendip]

 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

[Serendip]

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.

[dblaace]

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

[dblaace]

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. 

[dblaace]

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.

[Lunasol]

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.

[Log]

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.

[Serendip]

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!)

[bthewalls]

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

[sui generis]

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"!

[bthewalls]

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

[dblaace]

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?

[Log]

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.

[Serendip]

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 :)

[Serendip]

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/

[Log]

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!