Meditation

[Peloso]

Do you meditate? Has it helped you?

It has been suggested to me that I do so due to chronic anxiety, but sometimes I find it difficult to turn my brain down even for a five minute session. I keep being told to relax and clear my head. Well, if I could relax and clear my head I wouldn't need to meditate!

They say it has a cumulative effect, that the benefits are subtle and come on slowly over weeks and months. I don't understand how this works. Is it a matter of practicing? Retraining your brain?

Also, I have been using youtube videos, but it's hard to find one that doesn't get obtrusive at some point. The last one I tried went well until the narrator said "now shepherd your attention from your feet...." Excuse me? Shepherd my attention? It totally took me out of it.

Should I even be using youtube videos? Is there a better alternative? Can't I just sit in the dark and close my eyes, maybe with some relaxing music playing? Or do I need to get the hang of it first?

Thanks. My replies here may be spotty for a few days as I'm having internet problems. More reason to be anxious!

 

[cityboy-stl]

I agree. I have no clue how to mediate. Zillions of people have told me to do it, but not one has told me how. Thinking of nothing is not possible. If I try to "clear my head", I just fall asleep. Which is not bad I guess, but I don't think that is the point. What are you supposed to be thinking about when you meditate?

 

[eddielee]

I try to find time for meditation. I have a bad heart and need surgery. Any quite reflective meditation I can have is a great benefit to my health.

 

[Vannie]

I dont know about this meditation thing either. I much rather plug a movie in a open a box of chocolate's

I help myself with stress levels and anxiety with short time outs.Slow stretching, and deep breathing can work to reset my brain from burn out.

Also diet and nutrition plays a huge roll in our mood. Rule out any deficiencies. Eat your greens.

I take some supplements as well. Magnesium glycinate and a handful of other stuff.

2 cents

 

[Kahaih]

All I know is that when I suggest meditation, what I'm actually saying is, 'you need to go sit somewhere else and just shut the fuck up'.

 

[Cormac135]

I've done it for years, nothing relaxes me more and brings continuous release.

 

[unloadonme]

I've done it for years, nothing relaxes me more and brings continuous release.

Sounds like you're confusing meditation with masturbation.

 

[rareboy]

It is about the breathing....and thinking of nothing. I even use the word 'nothing' as the way to slow my brain down.

You definitely shouldn't listen to videos while trying to do it...but it can help to have sound of waves or some other white noise on headphones.

 

[Peloso]

You definitely shouldn't listen to videos while trying to do it...but it can help to have sound of waves or some other white noise on headphones.

Probably a good idea. I assume the narration is to teach you how to do it, but it's intrusive.

 

[Alistair]

I use music. Music has never been a distraction for me it helps block out noises in the house that distract. The refrigerator is never louder than when you’re meditating.

 

[Kahaih]

I use music. Music has never been a distraction for me it helps block out noises in the house that distract. The refrigerator is never louder than when you’re meditating.

But I have to know that the refrigerator is working or I'll worry about my food going bad.

 

[Rickrock]

I have never consciously meditated, but I have gone for walks in nature or even sat in quiet. That's not quite meditation, but has some of the same benefits.

 

[rareboy]

Probably a good idea. I assume the narration is to teach you how to do it, but it's intrusive.

You can watch ahead...and then try to use the principles...but at the end of the day...it is about emptying your mind of thoughts.

 

[DepravedMuscleFTL]

 

[jaysizzles]

When I get too anxious or overwhelmed I'll take a break from whatever I'm doing (usually work) and meditate for about 5 to 10 minutes. I've never learned the proper ways to go about it...just what I've seen on tv, so whether what I do is proper, I don't know, but it works for me. I'll sit in a dim and quiet place, close my eyes, and focus all my attention on my breathing. Things will pop into my head, but then I'll just return my focus to my breath. The point of meditation is not to think about nothing, it's about focusing on just that one thing, and in the process the jumble of thoughts get pushed to the back of the mind, sorts themselves out subconsciously, and the anxiousness eases up.

 

[Kahaih]

/\ @ do it properly


Ironically, silly people have turned meditation into a mysterious/magical highly competitive activity propelling it into a billion dollar industry.

What goofs.

 

[Peloso]

Ironically, silly people have turned meditation into a mysterious/magical highly competitive activity propelling it into a billion dollar industry.

Just like eating and exercising.

 

[Tantric-Master]

Having meditated for years with sages from various wisdom traditions, my favorite definition of meditation is that it is "the art of shifting attention to subtler and subtler levels of consciousness without losing a grip on the levels left behind". In the depths, one discovers an awesome peace as well an awesome realization of the true nature of the Reality.

Literally nothing is impossible when one attunes to the expanded consciousness, and one excellent guide is Pantanjali's Yoga Sutras (Ashtanga Yoga).

 

[camper]

I started meditating twice a day for about 15 minutes each time.....but sometimes I miss a session. Breathing is correct as has been said and just "being in the moment". Herbert Benson has some good YouTube on meditation. I also find that listening to light classical music in the background during the day is helpful. I live in Thailand but thanks to the Internet, it doesn't matter where I am. Great thread.