Current Events > Anyone here into meditation?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yoga and pilates are a part of my weekly workout routines. Inevitably there is a section dedicated to mindfulness and stillness. And I just don't get it... like I don't feel anything like the instructor in the video seems to. I want to get it.

How did you get into the whole mindfulness and stillness meditation stuff? What am I missing?

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There are objective benefits to yoga. Look at how DDP Yoga is basically black magic. Meditation is 100% subjective.

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Yes every day. It's described as practicing stillness

I don't like guided meditation, it does nothing for me. Meditation is just about "cleaning" your mind.

Sit comfortably, close your eyes, take big deep belly breaths with your mouth closed. Let your mind wander as much as it wants to. Identify emotions but don't attach to them "that made me angry. That made me happy" maybe your mind will just go nuts. Maybe it will be still. Keep breathing deep belly breaths through your nose.

Do it for 2 minutes or 30 minutes, whatever feels right. Beyond all the hippy reasons to do it, it's proven that deep nose breathing is physically connected to the hormone production center of your brain. Identifying your emotions is a key step to keeping them from controlling you.

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Yeah like I've done the eyes closed and deep breathing and trying to clear my thoughts. Maybe it would work better without the video.

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I meditate when im sleeping

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Njolk posted...

Yes every day. It's described as practicing stillness

I don't like guided meditation, it does nothing for me. Meditation is just about "cleaning" your mind.

Sit comfortably, close your eyes, take big deep belly breaths with your mouth closed. Let your mind wander as much as it wants to. Identify emotions but don't attach to them "that made me angry. That made me happy" maybe your mind will just go nuts. Maybe it will be still. Keep breathing deep belly breaths through your nose.

Do it for 2 minutes or 30 minutes, whatever feels right. Beyond all the hippy reasons to do it, it's proven that deep nose breathing is physically connected to the hormone production center of your brain. Identifying your emotions is a key step to keeping them from controlling you.

This is pretty much it here. I don't meditate actively but when I need to really clear my mind, this is how it feels. Letting go mentally until you reach a serene and fluid stillness of mind, like drifting along a mental lake.

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Zodd3224 posted...

Yeah like I've done the eyes closed and deep breathing and trying to clear my thoughts. Maybe it would work better without the video.

Yeah the video totally messes up the whole thing for me. There isn't a goal, it's just a chance for your mind to process your thoughts you otherwise only halfway resolve

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No one else?

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Not as you do it, probably

Lets be real. Theres two types of meditation. One is pondering your suffering in a self-made hell of nothingness to attain clarity as if from a cosmic womb.... The other is to break through and have a vision, like a dream. If you just want to let your mind run wild, I suggest grabbing a pair of headphones & going for a little walk through nature, alone.

I only really meditate when I feel like I need to. I try to move my thinking from the front of my brain to the top of my brain, if that makes sense. Try to let the thoughts flow through instead of actively thinking about anything.

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In the dark, we find dreams. Dark within,
dark without

i've been practicing meditation for like 3 years now and i do it for 20 minutes 3x a week or more. i find it helpful in keeping me calm and grounded and letting go of thoughts.

Zodd3224 posted...

Yeah like I've done the eyes closed and deep breathing and trying to clear my thoughts. Maybe it would work better without the video.

i recommend ditching the video.

sit comfortably. i use a pillow and sit with my legs crossed, but with no back support. the act of keeping my back straight is part of the practice for me (more on that later). i like to sit with the back of my palms against my kneecaps and then i connect my pointer finger to my thumb while leaving the other fingers relaxed (kinda like the OK sign).

then i close my eyes and try my best to think about nothing other than my breathing. i focus on the sounds the air makes as it goes in and out, i focus on the rising and falling of my chest, i focus on the sensations and feelings i have as the air moves. i also focus on keeping my back straight and the point where my finger touches my thumb.

during this process thoughts pop into my head at random. this is normal. once you realize that your mind has wandered away from the breath, gently guide it back to where it belongs and get back to it.

when i first started doing this i was terrible at it. after about 2 minutes i'd get impatient and restless and the next 18 felt like forever. my mind was almost always wandering and i'd get lost in thoughts for minutes at a time before 'catching myself'. but after a few years i've noticed i've "gotten better" at it. i begin to feel deep relaxation like 10-15 seconds after starting now, and my mind doesn't wander nearly as much and when it does, i catch it a lot faster.

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You could also try to explore your experiences with dreaming. Like anything, the more you focus on it, the more you that part of your brain becomes. I dont subscribe to the lucid dream experience, per se, as I find attempts with it end rather abruptly (or segue into mindless flying dreams). Instead I suggest letting the dream guide your hand. We can control what we can, and we cant what we cant. What is the world of dreams exactly? How deep do you go?

Some people use weird teas & other things like fasting or music and group meditation to increase their experiences or experience new things.