Health Meditation

Jul 14, 2005
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How is everybody's practice going?

Mine was fairly sporadic last year and finally got back on track after a few months in the wilderness. I've reverted back to tracking my progress and keeping a little log with some commentary. I've logged 60 hours since September, which is OK, but there's certainly room for improvement. Ideally I'd be meditating at least an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening but I'm finding an hour in the morning coupled with a few smaller sits later in the day to be effective too.

I have had some real lashes of clarity and happiness recently and at points thought I was entering a new phase of awareness but invariably the ups and downs start to return. It's all a big work in progress.

My aim for next year is 300 hours practice, or the equivalent of three 10-day Vipassana courses. That's less than an hour a day, so it should be fairly manageable, if I can maintain that early-morning hour.

Happy 2017 meditators.
 

scotslad

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Oct 24, 2016
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How is everybody's practice going?

Mine was fairly sporadic last year and finally got back on track after a few months in the wilderness. I've reverted back to tracking my progress and keeping a little log with some commentary. I've logged 60 hours since September, which is OK, but there's certainly room for improvement. Ideally I'd be meditating at least an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening but I'm finding an hour in the morning coupled with a few smaller sits later in the day to be effective too.

I have had some real lashes of clarity and happiness recently and at points thought I was entering a new phase of awareness but invariably the ups and downs start to return. It's all a big work in progress.

My aim for next year is 300 hours practice, or the equivalent of three 10-day Vipassana courses. That's less than an hour a day, so it should be fairly manageable, if I can maintain that early-morning hour.

Happy 2017 meditators.

I have this app on my phone that helps with breathing techniques, someone had told me about it, it only lasts a few minutes but something is better than nothing I'm sure you will agree, and it really helps me relax and pull focus, I reckon it helps with my studying when I need to bring back the sharpness.
 
Jul 14, 2005
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I can really only find time for 10-20 minutes a day which I try to do first thing after waking.

My favourite time to meditate is first thing in the morning. Pretty much the earlier I do it, the earlier I have access to that peace and clarity that just kind of lingers all day.

Awesome job :thumbsu:
 
Jul 14, 2005
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I have this app on my phone that helps with breathing techniques, someone had told me about it, it only lasts a few minutes but something is better than nothing I'm sure you will agree, and it really helps me relax and pull focus, I reckon it helps with my studying when I need to bring back the sharpness.

You're onto it. It certainly gives you that greater attention while you're studying.

I would have loved to have been meditating through high school and uni.
 

james Dean

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Dec 18, 2006
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Meditation has changed my life, if you are stressed, anxious, or just overall overwhelmed by negative thoughts, I urge you to at least try it.

It might not work for everyone but just sitting down and focusing for 10-15 minutes a day has brought so much change to my life.

I am considering going into the more lengthy sessions I.E 30-60 minutes
 
Jul 14, 2005
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Meditation has changed my life, if you are stressed, anxious, or just overall overwhelmed by negative thoughts, I urge you to at least try it.

It might not work for everyone but just sitting down and focusing for 10-15 minutes a day has brought so much change to my life.

I am considering going into the more lengthy sessions I.E 30-60 minutes

What got you into it JD?

If you can do 15, you’ll be able to build up to 30 no problems

I really want to get back to doing hourlong sits. For me that’s the sweet spot.
 

james Dean

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What got you into it JD?

If you can do 15, you’ll be able to build up to 30 no problems

I really want to get back to doing hourlong sits. For me that’s the sweet spot.
Hearing Sam Harris talk about the positive aspects of it are what caught my attention. I downloaded Headspace and built up from there.
 
Aug 19, 2004
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Meditation has changed my life, if you are stressed, anxious, or just overall overwhelmed by negative thoughts, I urge you to at least try it.

It might not work for everyone but just sitting down and focusing for 10-15 minutes a day has brought so much change to my life.

I am considering going into the more lengthy sessions I.E 30-60 minutes

Meditation changed my life too, i learned tomeditate with the help of a few (and very kind) Buddhist monks in India several years ago, i learned many techniques which had a positive effect on my health and also mental health. It pulled out of my midlife crisis when i was desperate to hold onto anything i could get my hands on. Advice to all the newbies out there, keep at it, thoughts come and go, don't force yourself, observe how thoughts originate and focus on breathing. Breathe in and breathe out, the source of life. The thoughts will eventually cease to arise.Considering i couldn't sit in a place for 3 minutes without moving , i can now meditate for 3 hours!

It helped me get over my food addiction (the need to eat or drink something all the time) as well, as i learned how to observe hunger (mostly false signals by the brain).
 
Meditation changed my life too, i learned tomeditate with the help of a few (and very kind) Buddhist monks in India several years ago, i learned many techniques which had a positive effect on my health and also mental health. It pulled out of my midlife crisis when i was desperate to hold onto anything i could get my hands on. Advice to all the newbies out there, keep at it, thoughts come and go, don't force yourself, observe how thoughts originate and focus on breathing. Breathe in and breathe out, the source of life. The thoughts will eventually cease to arise.Considering i couldn't sit in a place for 3 minutes without moving , i can now meditate for 3 hours!

It helped me get over my food addiction (the need to eat or drink something all the time) as well, as i learned how to observe hunger (mostly false signals by the brain).

...and there you are. :)

Great advice as always. Take heed good people.
Not many I'd say this about, but TP knows what he's talking about. Seriously.
 
Jul 14, 2005
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Highly recommend using Headspace too. I downloaded it in August and use it most days on my lunch break or in the morning before work, and I reckon having an extra voice has helped to deepen my practice.

There's always a little introduction at the start of the meditations, and the way it's structured is in mini-courses. There's one on happiness, self-esteem, regret, focus and a range of others. I find while he's going through the topics I'll have a heap of lightbulb moments, or almost feel like he's clarifying information I'd be on the verge of understanding but didn't know how to process.

Hearing Sam Harris talk about the positive aspects of it are what caught my attention. I downloaded Headspace and built up from there.

His podcast is cool. I actually think for the most part he's just as knowledgable if not more so than a lot of his guest meditation gurus and academics. He's spent over 3 years on retreats so he's certainly well credentialed to talk on the subject.

Meditation changed my life too, i learned tomeditate with the help of a few (and very kind) Buddhist monks in India several years ago, i learned many techniques which had a positive effect on my health and also mental health. It pulled out of my midlife crisis when i was desperate to hold onto anything i could get my hands on. Advice to all the newbies out there, keep at it, thoughts come and go, don't force yourself, observe how thoughts originate and focus on breathing. Breathe in and breathe out, the source of life. The thoughts will eventually cease to arise.Considering i couldn't sit in a place for 3 minutes without moving , i can now meditate for 3 hours!

It helped me get over my food addiction (the need to eat or drink something all the time) as well, as i learned how to observe hunger (mostly false signals by the brain).

Thanks for sharing :thumbsu:

My PB is two and half hours of meditation, but 3 is massive. Something to aim for ;)

Was this done on retreat or at home?
 
Aug 19, 2004
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My PB is two and half hours of meditation, but 3 is massive. Something to aim for ;)

Was this done on retreat or at home?

This is where i spent 9 quality months! the time i will never forget with the kindest people i have ever known, took a struggling westerner in and treated me as one of their own. Lived on rice and lentils for 9 months, but still had the best time of my life. Learned about life so much beyond material desires.

http://www.rumtek.org/index.php?lang=en
 
Oct 8, 2009
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I want to get started but don't know where to start.

I've downloaded Headspace and Calm and have heard good things about both. Are they a good enough starting point?
 
I want to get started but don't know where to start.

I've downloaded Headspace and Calm and have heard good things about both. Are they a good enough starting point?
I think Headspace is definitely a good place to start and get an intro into meditation
 
Jul 14, 2005
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I want to get started but don't know where to start.

I've downloaded Headspace and Calm and have heard good things about both. Are they a good enough starting point?

Definitely.

IIRC there's quite a few 'starter' meditations on the Headspace app you know to do to progress into the other packages.

Otherwise, if you're comfortable you can start without an app. Just sit comfortably on a cushion cross-legged on the floor with your back straight. I like to lean against the wall for extra support. Close your eyes and then focus on the spot above your upper lip and below your nostrils and follow the flow of respiration.

Then every time your mind wander you bring your attention back to your breath. It took me ages to be able to focus on even on breath when I started so don't worry too much if it feels like you just can't get into a comfortable level of focus. If you can get through 5 or 10 minutes right from the beginning that's a big achievement. After a while you can build to 20 etc.

The techniques on Headspace are pretty similar to the above in any case. Another good technique is to relax your concentration and just let whatever thoughts come. It sounds counterintuitive, but the mind seems to settle almost instantly.
 

james Dean

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How do you guys find yourselves if you get out of the habit of meditation?

I went through a bad run of almost 3 weeks without one session and I became a mess. I was anxious, panicking, depressed and just overall in a horrid place.

For some of you guys who have practiced for a long time, do you find that your regular mood is more constant and controlled or do you also find yourself losing control?
 
Also, Insight Timer is a very good one, I use it when I do guided meditations.

That's if you don't have a paid subscription for Headspace.

How do you guys find yourselves if you get out of the habit of meditation?

I went through a bad run of almost 3 weeks without one session and I became a mess. I was anxious, panicking, depressed and just overall in a horrid place.

For some of you guys who have practiced for a long time, do you find that your regular mood is more constant and controlled or do you also find yourself losing control?
Yep, can relate to your experience.

Dropped the habit of meditation, stresses in my life increased significantly and I was barely able to deal with a lot of them. I went through a few relationship issues and had uncertainty about my career, and that all just made my mood unstable and I made myself a victim of my circumstances. I was unwilling to accept the things that were happening, letting the past to paralyse me and the future to consume me. I'm sure I'd have navigated through the emotions and stresses a lot better had I continued to practice meditation through that time as it would have helped me observe the circumstances and accept things for what it is.

I used to only do unguided meditation, but have been getting more into guided meditation lately to keep myself from verging away from the habit. Guided meditation is definitely great for targeting specific areas of your life that need attention.
 
Jul 14, 2005
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How do you guys find yourselves if you get out of the habit of meditation?

I went through a bad run of almost 3 weeks without one session and I became a mess. I was anxious, panicking, depressed and just overall in a horrid place.

For some of you guys who have practiced for a long time, do you find that your regular mood is more constant and controlled or do you also find yourself losing control?

Best thing to do is aim small and do any amount of meditation. It doesn't matter if it's 2 minutes or 5 or 10 or whatever, consistency is more important than the cumulative amount of time.

My mood is pretty balanced, but it's pretty easy to fall into the trap of feeling like the meditation isn't working when you go through a down period. Unfortunately you can't stop the ups and downs, but you become more balanced in dealing with them.

When I'm feeling a bit stressed or overwhelmed and I ask myself if I've been meditating, that answer is almost always no.

It's also a big trap to stop meditating when you're feeling good, because you feel you don't need it. Then when your mood changes it feels twice as bad, but it's all a work in progress.
 
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