Meditation: Weekly Discussion February 01, 2021 |
- Weekly Discussion February 01, 2021
- As I was gently falling asleep listening to Alan Watts, these lines jolted me back to my senses...
- Be like a camera with no memory card.
- A meditation on meditating: How I reached a deeper level by splitting my thoughts in two
- learn to meditate
- Saying you have to sit in order to meditate is like saying you have to be on a certain path for you to consider yourself jogging.
- Beware of unearned wisdom
- How I use meditation to beat procrastination.
- Am I the only one who can’t stand the “crown chakra tingling sensation”? Help!
- How to start meditating?
- I have ADHD and I feel like I’m always on the go, and my mind is in need of constant stimulation, has anyone got any advice about meditating. I’ve never done it before and wondering if it could make me just a little more calm
- Is there a type of meditation in which you don't do anything, not even follow your breath?
- Sadhguru - Are we in End Times
- Question about 'necessary' emotions
- Terence McKenna - End Times - Time is Speeding up
- I’m a meditation teacher
- Have the courage to allow the mind be as it is.
- Good books/YouTube videos for an uninitiated to learn zen meditation?
- Alan Watts - Playful Universe
- The Art of doing Nothing or focusing on the Breath?
- A dream within a dream...
- Can't find any way to sit comfortably while mediating
- The 7 Days of Calm
- Culadasa Meditation--Feels like I'm regressing, any thoughts?
- Sudden “shift” while meditating?
- After meditation I feel stressful
| Weekly Discussion February 01, 2021 Posted: 01 Feb 2021 04:00 AM PST This is a reoccurring thread for questions relating to your practice and discussion around your experiences. Questions Ask questions relating to your practice, the theory of meditation, various traditions and lineages of thought, or practical tips. If you're new, please read our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/wiki/faq) before posting, as it contains a wealth of information that all of us should come back to occasionally. Discussion Also use this thread for a more free-form discussion of your experiences and other tidbits that might not warrant their own full post. Use this space to connect with the /r/meditation community, it won't be heavily moderated. [link] [comments] |
| As I was gently falling asleep listening to Alan Watts, these lines jolted me back to my senses... Posted: 31 Jan 2021 11:52 AM PST "As you make more and more powerful microscopic instruments, the universe has to get smaller and smaller in order to escape the investigation. Just as when the telescopes become more and more powerful, the galaxies have to recede in order to get away from the telescopes. Because what is happening in all these investigations is this: Through us and through our eyes and senses, the universe is looking at itself. And when you try to turn around to see your own head, what happens? It runs away. You can't get at it. This is the principle. Shankara explains it beautifully in his commentary on the Kenopanishad where he says 'That which is the Knower, the ground of all knowledge, is never itself an object of knowledge.' [link] [comments] |
| Be like a camera with no memory card. Posted: 31 Jan 2021 04:36 AM PST The mind is always recording things, which is useful for practical purposes, but the ability of the mind to record things often gets us in trouble. Because the mind records and stores things, most times it ends up recording useless things which end making us suffer by replaying them over and over again in our heads, like a broken record. This doesn't do us any good and it actually stops us from experiencing the peace that is always here and now. If we are living in our heads, identified with our minds then we aren't living in reality. To live in reality we have to be like a camera with no memory card, just observing what is here and now without recording it (psychologically) and without narrating whatever is going on in the present, like the mind always does. This post was inspired by lyrics in a song I wrote about meditation called 'the art of watching': Life is a movie, my eyes are the camera My brain is the memory card Rewinding back to the past Wonder why I record Every single moment That I want to forget... [link] [comments] |
| A meditation on meditating: How I reached a deeper level by splitting my thoughts in two Posted: 01 Feb 2021 12:38 AM PST I've been meditating for close to a year now. I did the usual reading and watching videos to get the basics of it and I've meditated close to every day ranging from 10 mins to an hour. I know the generic "watch your thoughts go by and don't interact with them" but it just didn't click with me. It was somewhat abstract to me which hindered my meditation, as I always had some 'off' feeling in my gut. Like I was doing something a bit unnatural or forced. This is of course not conductive to deep meditation. Last week I decided to meditate on the topic of meditation. What came out of this was a new perspective that completely changed my meditation and made me feel entirely in control. I believe that there is no one way to meditate that works for everyone and perhaps my perspective can help others: In short, I deconstructed my mind as two-fold. We have the speaking mind and the listening mind. So in effect every thought you have is a conversation between the active mind and the passive one. This allowed me to turn the thought of 'watching your thoughts from a distance but not engaging' from something abstract into something tangible. What I usually (and probably most people) do when they think is embody the active mind. As most people I generally identify with the active mind and are often unaware that at the same time they're also the listening mind, or that there even is such a thing as your passive, listening mind. What I did then was consciously choose to identify as the listening mind. Instantly I felt a disconnect from my own thoughts. I felt separated from a stream of consciousness that was no longer mine, but simply passed through me. Stimuli (and the lack of stimuli) that triggered my brain as the machine it is which then churned out random bits of information in the form of thoughts and images. As the listening mind I am now able to... choose not to listen. I am now truly and fully appreciative of what it means to 'not engage'. I know this might be basic to some or perhaps you never had that issue to begin with and this perspective is lost on you, but to me this has changed the fundamentals of meditation. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2021 02:43 AM PST Hello I just want to share this new meditation method that I found if you want to learn more go to https://sites.google.com/view/5minutemeditation/home [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Jan 2021 02:56 PM PST Edit: oh man I worded that title badly, the picture in my head of the idea was much cleaner. I have been using my formal meditation time each day this week to focus intently on specific guitar exercises as a test. Still seems to get me into the zone of awareness and fight against me as I try to stay there. Just as effective/valid/useful tool to meditate with? Just looking for opinions, I suppose my choice for reasoning for or against would be neuroscience evidence showing brain effects, but daily effects on my life to seem to equal no matter how or where why I meditate, just that I do. Thoughts? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Jan 2021 09:16 PM PST Ive been meditating for 3 days (lol i know). Ive tried it before, but didnt get it. But this time some sort of miracle happened through which i felt a thinnest ray of light falling onto my soul, totally darkened and frozen in the last 10-12 years with depression. In any case, I decided to microdose on acid today, which turned out to be not such a micro dose. I did some walking meditation. Then got back home and started sitting meditation. At one point I wake up to the violent realization that either im dead or i dont exist, this body isnt mine. It was the scariest thing and almost drove me to insanity. I was sure it wouldn't ever end, but somehow a hot soup and video calling my best friend did the trick. I feel like I experienced something i had no business of experiencing without years and years of training. Even the memory of it gives me panic attacks. I cant hold my focus for 15 seconds and next thing is i experience some level of ego death. So, as Carl Jung said, beware of unearned wisdom. It can easily lead to insanity. [link] [comments] |
| How I use meditation to beat procrastination. Posted: 01 Feb 2021 03:11 AM PST I've always had procrastination problems. Sometimes, the thing I have to do is not that hard, but I'll lie in bed and think about whether I should do it or not for half an hour before doing it. I got into meditating as a way to try to fix my anxiety. I got pretty good at calming my mind and would regularly mediate for 20 minutes at 50% calm, according to my Muse Headset. What I noticed one day is that my procrastination is linked to excessive self-talk. Meditation helps to alleviate self-talk. So I would make a decision in my head, "I'm going to do laundry now and put the dishes in the dishwasher." I would visualize myself doing it quickly. Then, I would go into a meditative state, with my eyes open and do the thing. That way I defeated all the self-talk that was telling me to lay in bed. I would just do the things I needed to do, almost on autopilot, like a robot. For daily tasks that I know how to do, this works pretty well. The hard part is doing things like writing or creative work. I can't stay in the meditative state. Sometimes I'll make a list of what I need to do down to the minutae, like 1. Open word processor, 2. Open draft of writing, 3. Write any sentence. Write another one. Keep going for an hour, and just hope the meditative state in 1 and 2 and 3 can flow into a page or so of writing. Do any of you use meditation to overcome procrastination? [link] [comments] |
| Am I the only one who can’t stand the “crown chakra tingling sensation”? Help! Posted: 01 Feb 2021 12:54 AM PST Hello! I just need some piece of advice. I was never quite disciplined on meditation, but recently I felt a shift within me and felt compelled to start meditating. So whenever I'm a few minutes into meditation, I feel great, until I start getting these electrical sensations on top of my head and I just can't stand it. They're not gentle, rather it feels like someone's piercing into my skull with a drill and I hate it. I'm not even sure if it's something normal or like, "brain cancer". Lol. It's just disappointing I guess, as it interrupts my flow so to speak. I can't meditate for longer than 5 to 10 minutes, and I wish to be able to do 30-60 minutes. Is there anything I could do? I bet it's difficult to negotiate with chakras... [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2021 02:31 AM PST Hello fellow redditors! I want to start meditating but I always feel like someone watches me and It feels really bad. I also can't be still for more than 5mins... •What can I do? •You can also give me some tips for meditation, if you want! Thanks in advance and have a nice day! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2021 02:28 AM PST |
| Is there a type of meditation in which you don't do anything, not even follow your breath? Posted: 31 Jan 2021 07:34 PM PST |
| Sadhguru - Are we in End Times Posted: 01 Feb 2021 02:11 AM PST |
| Question about 'necessary' emotions Posted: 01 Feb 2021 01:59 AM PST I'd dabbled in meditation in the past but had quite a well centered balance of emotion and wellbeing so it kind of faded over time. As I've aged and taken on more of lifes stresses I've come back to practicing daily and finding it to be a whole different experience as I use it as a tool to try to remove myself from getting tied up in unnecessary stress and pressures and really trying to stay centered. I find it hard to determine what emotions are necessary and which are just holding me back from being totally happy. For example, I work in IT and if my attention is immediately required and noone has eyes on me, a tannoy will be announced to which I have no way to reply to other than to go to the location announced. If I ignore this due to being busy, I would feel guilty or even feel that I had let someone down, also I would consider the user's emotions of stress, anger etc. If I'm not even I the office, or don't hear the tannoy then I cant feel these feelings BUT the user would still feel theirs irrespectively, as they would automatically assume I've ignored the tannoy. This really has me questioning the necessity of these emotions but I have valid arguments for each side. I should let go of what I cant control, I understand that but should I also not feel guilty when I'm busy? I feel as though I express a lot of empathy throughout my existence which is sometimes a burden on me. [link] [comments] |
| Terence McKenna - End Times - Time is Speeding up Posted: 01 Feb 2021 01:44 AM PST |
| Posted: 31 Jan 2021 07:17 AM PST Hi everyone! This is my first post ever on Reddit. I joined this group with the intention to learn more about meditation (because it is a lifelong practice) & discovered there are more questions than I expected. I wanted to make this post to reach out & offer whatever help I can. So you know my background & intentions: I teach meditation in my local community, as well as online. These are always free sessions because I genuinely want to provide guidance for people wanting to learn. I also have certifications as a Meditation Practioner - though, this really isn't required to teach, as there's really no "right" or "wrong" way to meditate. Really, my insight comes from a decades worth of research, learning & my own practice. This doesn't make me an expert! I don't know if there can be such a thing, as I've come to find that meditation is such a personal journey for each of us, what works for one person might be all wrong for the next. To add to that, you might find a meditation that works for you to start, but then you'll likely need to continue to grow your practice with new concepts & techniques. I've also discovered that meditation has its way of going down the rabbit hole; where what you may have originally wanted to get from meditation from the onset will also change in time with your practice. This is exactly why the sessions I guide/teach offer a new technique, method, style every week. This is to hopefully provide everyone who joins me with a style that resonates for them, to help them get started on their own practice. The biggest "pieces of advice" I can offer to all new practitioners are: -Find a way to enjoy meditation. If you treat it like a chore or regiment, you'll truly struggle. Do whatever you need to do to make it a practice you relish. -Don't follow the rules of "how to". You can find endless rules on what to do & what not to do. When you're first starting, just focus on what works for you & what you enjoy. If sitting cross-legged isn't comfortable, don't do it. If you like to meditate before you go to sleep & often fall asleep during, that's okay. Again, STARTING your practice is the hardest part, so don't make it harder. Eventually, you can grow your practice to be more impactful. But for now, just find ways to enjoy it so that you'll stick with it. -Get on YouTube & find different styles of meditation. There are virtually endless ways to meditate. There's walking meditations, seated, Nidra (laying down), there's visualization, Zen, Metta, mantra, single-pointed, and on & on. You don't have to sit & "quiet your mind". In fact, that goes against the evolution of our brain. It evolved to endlessly think in order to keep us alive when we were roaming the tundras for food. Now, it's been permitted to run amuck & things like smart phones, social media, endless news, just adds fire to the flame. Meditation doesn't teach us to quiet our mind but instead to control it & make it our ally. It's like exercising a muscle, the more we exercise the stronger our muscles get. The more we meditate, the better we get at controlling our mind so that it works in our favor. It can be a highly useful tool, versus the monster in our lives. -Don't try so hard. You can't think your way through meditation. It's about surrender, acceptance & letting go. It's about finding space in our present moment (the only moment that truly exists). It's about connecting to our body, our breath, our soul/higher-self/consciousness (whichever it is for you). When you're starting, just practice being still & relaxing. If you go into it with a goal, you might find it to be utterly unobtainable. Meditation will show you what you need to get from it - not the other way around. So don't try to force things, because this is one practice that won't allow you to do that. -It's for any religion, belief system (or lack of one), and it's in no way dangerous. This is just you connecting to yourself. If you fear there is danger in that, then you might want to consider seeking therapy to help you determine what you're afraid of. You can meditate with God in mind, or you can be an atheist or agnostic & meditate to your own consciousness. You can believe in multiple gods, deities, spirits, angels, spirit guides, beings from other dimensions, anything. It doesn't matter what you believe because it's all true, if it's true for you. And ultimately, we're all from the same energetic source, so whatever form that takes for us is just peachy. We're free to believe in whatever we want, that's the beauty of this existence. -Why should you meditate? What do you get out of it? This is different for everyone. Some people hope for peace of mind, connection to God, health benefits, transcendence, etc. It's all of those things, and it changes with our practice. You might start to meditate to ease stress & eventually discover more depth to your practice. Again, it's so personal, it's whatever you need from it is what you'll gain (& it might not be what you think). I hope this helps some of you get started! Remember, it's a called a meditation practice - we're always growing & learning more. It's never mastered (unless you reach Samadhi or Enlightment). Think of it as drinking water. You should hydrate every day, and just because you're hydrated one day doesn't mean you're set for life. I'm not saying you should meditate every day (but it's great to!) - meditate when it works for you & try to grow on that in time. Have fun, enjoy & discover what doors might open. If you have questions, I'm always open to offer what I know. I love meditation & it's truly changed my life in ways I couldn't have imagined. I love to share it with others, as I know it's a difficult journey to start. Enjoy! [link] [comments] |
| Have the courage to allow the mind be as it is. Posted: 31 Jan 2021 01:21 PM PST |
| Good books/YouTube videos for an uninitiated to learn zen meditation? Posted: 01 Feb 2021 03:32 AM PST I'm a parent of a 4 and a 1 year old, and last year I decided to stop practicing law to become a teacher, so my first year educating middle schoolers has been during this awful, interminable pandemic. I need some inner peace! I've done some preliminary investigating and I think zen mediation would be most appropriate for me. I would love to learn the basic form(s), techniques, etc., so I'd be grateful if someone could point me in the direction of YouTube videos or books so I can start the journey. My preference is YouTube as I find self-help books to be a powerful tranquilizer, but if there is a must-read, go-to book on zen meditation I'd love to read it. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2021 03:16 AM PST |
| The Art of doing Nothing or focusing on the Breath? Posted: 01 Feb 2021 02:55 AM PST Hello community, Whenever i meditate ( Focus on breath) i ask myself if iam doing the wrong type of meditation maybe the other one would be better fitting for me. Which of the techniques is the one i should follow? Is there a big difference in how the two affect us and if so what are the differences. Thanks in Advance. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2021 02:39 AM PST I suppose therefore that all things I see are illusions; I believe that nothing has ever existed of everything my lying memory tells me. I think I have no senses. I believe that body, shape, extension, motion, location are functions. What is there then that can be taken as true? Perhaps only this one thing, that nothing at all is certain. [link] [comments] |
| Can't find any way to sit comfortably while mediating Posted: 31 Jan 2021 07:01 PM PST I'm a complete beginner trying to get into meditation, however when I try sitting cross legged or in the edge of a chair without supporting my back I feel my legs tense with no possibility to relax and my back starts to hurt more and more progressively making me immensely uncomfortable and unable to concentrate on the meditation. Would this be because of my body is used to sitting in a bad posture? Or maybe I'm doing something wrong? or is this just the way it is and I should continue regardless of the pain and discomfort? I'd really appreciate any response, tip or experience that you'd be willing to share with us. Thank you. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Jan 2021 10:24 PM PST Minutes ago I completed the 7 Days of Calm using the Calm app. I have fallen in love with meditation, and I look forward to completing my training from other sources. [link] [comments] |
| Culadasa Meditation--Feels like I'm regressing, any thoughts? Posted: 31 Jan 2021 09:40 PM PST I've only been meditating for 3 weeks and saw some good progress. I actually doubted how real it was because I didn't want to overestimate it. But it sure felt like I coming up to Stage 3 already. I thought I could perhaps start doing all the stage 3 practices soon now because for a week and a half, I had no mind wandering and I was even catching distractions right at the start, even subtle ones. Then the past 3 days I've had nothing but mind-wandering! The mind is totally unruly like the past week and a half didn't even happen. Is this the mind's way of protesting and lashing back because I've been making good progress? [link] [comments] |
| Sudden “shift” while meditating? Posted: 01 Feb 2021 01:11 AM PST I'm very new to meditating. I've only been doing about 10 minutes a day for 2 months. Today I stretched my meditation time out a bit, and had a strange experience. I found at a point around 15 minutes in (a guess) I felt a kind of energised calmness suddenly well up in me and my breathing shifted to become very shallow and the breaths rapid - though in duration not in the time between them. There seemed to be on one hand a deeper focus, which was nice, but alongside that a very separate anxiety about the unfamiliarity. I almost gave up when it started as it was a bit terrifying, but I'm sure I can't be the only person to have experienced such a thing. Does this have a name? I would like to read more so it doesn't surprise me as much next time. [link] [comments] |
| After meditation I feel stressful Posted: 31 Jan 2021 09:15 PM PST When I start doing meditation and after meditation I feel stressful and I feel a lot of noise in my mind. It always stop me to do meditation. I don't know if I am doing something wrong. [link] [comments] |
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