Meditation

[Amethyst]

Does anyone meditate? Have you tried it before?

If so, has it given you any sort of mental or physical benefits after a period of time? Has it done nothing for you at all?

Discuss.

 

[Synapse]

I meditate alright, whether its the run of the mill normal kind of meditation in question, ha! Meditation has certainly expanded my awareness, much more pronounced during the group session I attend.

 

[Lark]

I've read a lot about it, although I've not been to any classes or anything like that.

On my fitbit there's a two minute breathing exercise, which I have used once to date, I think its a little like a meditation app but it doesnt amount to much in the way of change or prove uplifting or beneficial.

What I've read about breathing for exercise or during exercise has probably been as beneficial as anything, I'm interested in these sorts of things more than I've been in the past because I've begun to suspect I've got asthema.

 

[burningranger]

Yes. Many benefits. Once you realize it was just thoughts that were fucking up your life or standing between you and anything you want...your golden. The sky is the limit then depending on how flexible you want to be and how willing you are to question your assumptions about life, yourself and the world.

On a more superficial level, you'll have a new baseline of relaxation for your body and mind...you'll be able to take things less seriously, you'll feel better and have a sharper mind (since it's not longer polluted by all kinds of pointless thoughts). You also have high energy levels...you can do away with stimulants and you realized, when you are not bogged down by overthinking you are a natural powerhouse. Your nervous system improves dramatically.

 

[ceecee]

I use an app. There are several, I just like this one best.

Meditation & Relaxation: Guided Meditation - Android Apps on Google Play

I also do pilates and some yoga too. Yes they all work. Like anything else, you get out what you put into it.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Yes. I first started when I was in high school (more than 10 years ago!). I've had on and off periods of doing it ever since then. I've been doing it daily for about five to six months, now. I seem to be constantly getting better.

 

[deathwarmedup]

Yes and no. The wrong time of day, setting and attitude can lead to little benefit. After waking and with a pre-sitting relaxation spell is best for me; "set and setting".

Better sleep efficiency, less anxiety, better reading concentration, better posture, increased compassion. More self-containment, more contentment with your life situation. Sitting becomes less of a chore with time. If you induce emotions such as rage during a sitting you'll see them clearly, like concentric rings of energy pulsing outwards with overwhelming force, yet you can still observe them from a detached vantage point.

A really good sitting is so physically relaxing you'll feel like you just smoked a big fat one (I've found introductory yoga sessions to be similar).

 

[Mole]

Meditation has been part of religion for millennia. So many forms of meditation come with a particular religious element.

In meditation our critical mind goes to sleep, we relax, and we become suggestible, and at this point religions teach their dogma because they know it won't be open to question.

It seems to me one of the great advantages of meditation is creating a new base line for relaxation, as much social control is maintained by personal tension.

So it might be better to go straight to relaxation such as Relief Without Drugs​ by Ainslie Mears.

 

[Eternal Harmony]

At the age of 12 years I have started meditation on a daily basis. I am specialized in transcendental meditation and Zazen, the so-called silent forms.

Meditation is a state of emptying your head of your daily thoughts and fears and open your mind up for new things to come. I do a lot on meditation basis, even my writing art. I take a topic and meditate on it. The pictures I receive, I note down.
But meditation also helps cope with giving up addictions like drinking, smoking and others. I have quit smoking 11 1/2 years ago just by meditation. Next day, I stood with the others. They smoked, me not. And I did not have the urge to.
It also helps to keep cool in a stress situation. Just take it in, meditate 5 to 10 minutes and then reply. You are also on the safer and better side.
Meditation also helps coping against instant ills, like a cramp or something, just because you use the correct breathing and the muscles got relaxed by it.
There are so many benefits I can tell about.
But for me, it also had negative effects because I somehow abused it and myself as well. I ran danger to have lost contact with the here and now completely, only travelling on mental and spiritual planes. I disliked people and I neglected myself. But fortunately, I have jumped from this waggon just in time

 

[Mole]

Normally we do things for a purpose, for instance, we walk to go somewhere, by contrast we do a walking meditation, not to go somewhere eternally but to do somewhere internally. So meditation is about letting go of purpose, and embracing no purpose.

For a purposeful people we find this hard to do, so to persuade us to meditate we tell beautiful lies, such as it will help you do your work, have better relationships, improve your health, help you worship your God, help you study, and help you in sport. Of course meditation will do no such thing, the only honest and sensible thing is to meditate for its own sake, not for an external purpose.

So you might ask, why meditate? And the answer is there is no reason to meditate.

Meditation separates the sheep from the goats, the goats are constantly trying to meditate, and are far better off doing what they want to do, while the sheep give up trying entirely.

 

[Typh0n]

There's no point in doing meditation if you just want a thumbs up from the Dalai Llama, you have to ask yourself what the purpose of doing such a thing and how it relates to whatever path you are on (if any).

 

[Amethyst]

There's no point in doing meditation if you just want a thumbs up from the Dalai Llama, you have to ask yourself what the purpose of doing such a thing and how it relates to whatever path you are on (if any).

Ultimately I want to not feel like a bundle of nerves 24/7, and maybe find a path or purpose to my life. I guess I just fail to see how meditation could guide me to that.

 

[phoenix31]

I don't know a lot about meditation but I know that mindfulness meditation drives me crazy and I'm not good at it. I just get bored and my mind isn't disciplined I guess. But I've done mantra meditation or guided meditations that involve engaging my imagination or my mind with a specific positive thought and it helps me a lot when I'm anxious or overwhelmed with negative thoughts and feelings.

 

[Mole]

I don't know a lot about meditation but I know that mindfulness meditation drives me crazy and I'm not good at it. I just get bored and my mind isn't disciplined I guess. But I've done mantra meditation or guided meditations that involve engaging my imagination or my mind with a specific positive thought and it helps me a lot when I'm anxious or overwhelmed with negative thoughts and feelings.

Yes, the imagination is one way of avoiding anxiety or negative thoughts, and it is the third step in meditation.

The first step is repetition of a sound such as Om or a movement as in walking meditation, or the repetition of a thought, in fact any repetition will do. The second step is letting your thoughts run free until you have had your fill, the third step is letting your imagination run free until you have had your fill, the fourth step is your thoughts stopping completely while you are awake and alert.