Meditation and different sorts

[Lark]

Does anyone actively meditate? There's one of my favourite authors I've found out would spend two or more hours each morning meditating, I've certainly thought about it but dont think I know what it is, at least I dont experience what a lot of people associate with meditation if I choose to sit and try to engage in deep breathing without thinking.

Are there different sorts? There are different spiritualities which are associated with it and I dont believe describe the same thing (some describe movement, others stillness, some concentration others decentring or an abscence of mind/thinking).

 

[Lux]

I do meditate, each day, in the morning and at night for as long as I have time... but usually about 20 - 30 minutes each time. I used to try to 'clear my mind' and I just couldn't... So I accepted that, and what I've been doing for about 8 years now, is to allow my thoughts, I acknowledge them, and then let them go wherever they go. Many times I find I can come away clearer. I close my eyes and focus on my breath, much as I do in yoga.

I know there are different disciplines of meditation but, I've not read much on the subject, but maybe I will.

 

[pinkgraffiti]

"at least I dont experience what a lot of people associate with meditation if I choose to sit and try to engage in deep breathing without thinking. "

well, but it's like everything in life, you can't expect to sit down and see results after 2 minutes. it's like concentration on anything, you gradually go deeper and deeper in your concentration and constantly checking Facebook and twitter messages doesn't really help.
on another note, i'd advise you not to do it on your own, if you're starting out. join a yoga class or something similar, where you'll be taught on how to meditate. yoga consists in a series of body positions that you're supposed to take before meditating and that help you to better meditate. i in fact don't think you can reach "higher grounds" with your meditation if you don't "warm" your body first. but its like playing an instrument, i mean seriously it makes a huge difference if you have someone to guide you.

ps oh no, are you that ENTJ that never understands/agrees with anything i say? *frustration*

 

[Coriolis]

Are there different sorts? There are different spiritualities which are associated with it and I dont believe describe the same thing (some describe movement, others stillness, some concentration others decentring or an abscence of mind/thinking).

There are many types and methods of meditation, and most if not all can be used in the context of any spiritual or religious system.

I used to meditate quite regularly, but have fallen out of the habit in recent years due to increased busy-ness and scheduling issues. It is something I sorely miss, however, and need to work back into my routine. For me, a substantial benefit of meditation was to make the world seem to slow down, even though I kept up a fairly busy schedule the rest of the time. It was all perspective/outlook.

Yes, one must practice meditation and keep at it over time to get great results, but I found it amazing how much benefit I felt after even a short time. It just gets better as you keep at it.

 

[Coriolis]

There is a lot of validity to the notion that one should prepare the body, and subtle energies as well if possible, before meditating.

What type of preparation is recommended, and how is it done?

 

[RaptorWizard]

This is my favorite meditation video.

 

[Qlip]

I don't actively meditate. My best times are on the road. The flat Nebraskan landscape and straight highway sends my mind into this place where I can access and make sense of all kinds of thought, ideas. Most of my greater epiphanies have been on Interstate 80.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

I try and meditate a few times a week. I practice something like Zen. The best instruction I ever heard was from Adyashanti, a young teacher near San Francisco from the Zen school of meditation.

I'll tell you what I've come to understand, briefly. There are 3 meditation styles. In mindfulness, you let whatever happens happen, notice it, and let it go. That sounds like what [MENTION=7647]Lux[/MENTION] does. Second, concentration, where you focus on a particular thing like the breathe. Third, Zen, which is a little trickier. There are different styles of Zen practice and some mirror the two just mentioned, but there is also a style that focuses on nothing at all where your mind actually does become clear, and your just sitting there, hence the name Zazen or just sitting. The tricky thing is, it's not something you can really produce on command because it happens when you're not trying to get anything. In other words, you really let go of desire, and even the desire to get rid of desires. You surrender, as Alan Watts puts it. In the Soto school of Zen (cf. Rinzai school), that is enlightenment right there, albeit a shallow form.

Trying to clear your mind is impossible because the effort itself produces mental activity and frustration. A better strategy is to notice when your mind is busy and keep some of your attention on the sensations of your breath. Notice I said sensations. If you're in your head thinking, you're not going to see any progress. Your focus should be on the physical sensations. I focus somewhere around the chest or stomach.

A book I really liked is Seeking the Heart of Wisdom by Goldstein and Kornfield. Very well written and to the point.

 

[Mole]

The Abreaction

For most of us meditation is like a consumer good. It is like something we buy at the supermarket to make us feel good.

But alas, for most of us, meditation leads to the abreaction, which is anything but pleasant.

And unfortunately we try to handle our abreaction by doing more meditating - we try to get a different result by doing the same thing.

We don't seem to know that Western therapy is good at uncovering the abreaction, allowing us to experience it safely, analyse it, and integrate it into our daily lives.

 

[Qlip]

I didn't mention that I had tried several sessions doing sitting meditation at a local Zen temple. Mostly, it made me feel ill at ease and want to crawl out of my skin. This has always been a sign in the past that I need to face something, to get past something. But, I don't feel ready for it. Maybe in 10 years time

 

[dukkha]

I've tried the sitting meditation through a Chinese Zen temple...tried to practice at home, but struggled with it. I now practice taichi regularly which I find is a moving form of meditation...focusing on the movements is akin to focusing on breath in seated meditation. The mind will still wander, and you know it because your moves go out of synch. Works for me.

 

[Munchies]

SMOKE A FUCKING JOINT

 

[Thalassa]

I can't discipline myself to meditate on a schedule, I find it boring, even oppressive. HOWEVER, I like doing a single syllable mantra meditation when I do meditate. I also think yoga is good because it has a physical component. I do yin/yang yoga both, which are more intense.

I think I "meditate" better when riding a bike at the beach or walking in nature or listening to music...but real mind-clearing meditation does really involve something like mantra meditation or at least yoga.

 

[Thalassa]

SMOKE A FUCKING JOINT

That's not going to help you grow psychologically, though it might have a nice calming effect.

 

[Coriolis]

I don't actively meditate. My best times are on the road. The flat Nebraskan landscape and straight highway sends my mind into this place where I can access and make sense of all kinds of thought, ideas. Most of my greater epiphanies have been on Interstate 80.

I used to have a long commute, mostly on a highway with limited traffic, and would experience the same sort of thing. One downside of the short commute I have now.

 

[Munchies]

That's going to help you grow psychologically

You don't even know

 

[Thalassa]

You don't even know

Um, no, actually I do. I used to smoke weed. I smoked it quite a lot for about a year. Some of my exes have been major pot heads.

There's nothing wrong with moderate usage of marijuana, but no, it doesn't have the effect that meditation does.

 

[fripping]

Um, no, actually I do. I used to smoke weed. I smoked it quite a lot for about a year. Some of my exes have been major pot heads.

There's nothing wrong with moderate usage of marijuana, but no, it doesn't have the effect that meditation does.

i agree.

 

[Munchies]

There's nothing wrong with moderate usage of marijuana, but no, it doesn't have the effect that meditation does.

I suppose. I find it kind of slows me down. But opens the door to some great insight. No need to do it to excess, one hoot should do fine ;P it's not a social thing for me imo