Meditation: I want to believe in spirituality and Buddhism, but I can't |
- I want to believe in spirituality and Buddhism, but I can't
- One of the most difficult things I've found is working with the ego as my awareness grows.
- Can’t concentrate when meditating in the morning.
- Relief
- During meditation, should I prioritize clearing my mind, allowing my mind to flow into thought processes, or a little bit of both? I’m confused.
- Pain management
- Does being in the present moment mean that I have to feel and register each and every bodily sensation every single second ?
- Meditation causing me sadness? please help
- Self taught meditation, seeking advice
- Why I have started meditating in my sitting room!?
- I've been interested...
- I don't think I like this... weight/heat
- What is meditation
- Acceptance of Self. Is It Possible Or Is It Just An Idea?
- There’s an app called Balance that’s offering a free year subscription.
- Is my breathing pattern effective?
- Feeling around my neck when I meditate
- Meditation to Forget Someone
- Having trouble mediating
- Falling “asleep” during meditation
- New to meditation
| I want to believe in spirituality and Buddhism, but I can't Posted: 12 Jul 2021 01:31 PM PDT Hi all, in the last few months I have started doing mindful meditation (mostly Headspace or unguided) to help with my anxiety and general discontentment with life. I do this from a purely secular standpoint. I have been finding it useful and am trying to be more mindful throughout my day. However, I have a lot of interest in Buddhism and spirituality as a whole. I agree with so much of it's principles, but am finding myself really wishing that I could get on board with the spiritual aspects which I have always rejected (no belief in ghosts, spiritual energies, religion etc.) I guess some may consider it close minded, but I've generally been quite practical or science-oriented. However I'm an extremely anxious person and more recently have started to feel this sense of existential dread. I find the idea of Buddhism teachings and spirituality to be very comforting and reassuring. But ultimatley I just can't make myself believe in something that I feel is lacking the evidence. I know that using a scientific or evidence-based view maybe isn't the right one for something like this, but that is how my mind works. I am very cynical over something that people claim that can't be observed or otherwise proven. If it's something you "feel" rather than observe, then I'm not sure I do either. When I meditate, I may sometimes feel very relaxed or a sense of peace during or afterwards (although even that not often), but nothing beyond that. I guess an argument could be that there's nothing concrete to disprove these things either, but I feel the burden of proof would surely be the other way. But I really wish it was true and that I could believe in it fully. I want to believe that there is more to life than just this. I really want to believe that I get more than just one life I'm only 23 and yet I feel like my life is passing me so fast and it's terrifying. I want to experience a thousand lives - there is just too much to do and to see in one lifetime. And yet I feel totally stuck in my life now, like everything good is happening somewhere else and I don't know what to do about it I feel like if I were to somehow "force" myself into belief, then I'm just using it as a coping mechanism to try avoid fears of death/loss or my life being inadequate. I also have so many regrets over how I used to be, how I spent (wasted) my teen years. Also so much guilt and shame over stupid things I've done in the past that I can't let go of. I really would love a chance to just start again from the beginning and the idea of spirituality/Buddhism would allow me that. It's so scary to think my life is finite and once I'm gone everything I know just ends. I know this sub has a mix of all kinds of people who meditate in different ways, including those who practice Buddhism. If anyone has any advice for me or where I can go from here, I'd really appreciate Thanks [link] [comments] |
| One of the most difficult things I've found is working with the ego as my awareness grows. Posted: 12 Jul 2021 10:52 PM PDT I've long been someone who has been extremely hard on himself. Long struggled with depression, anxiety, etc. I lived as a victim for many many years. It's hard to look at at times. I've come a long way but have a long ways left to go. I now often struggle with realizing that so many of my actions are still ego fueled without my realizing. I often only realize after the fact. I'll go to reply to someone to help or comfort for example only to have my emotions reveal to me that my actions were far from pure. They didn't respond to my help, or reacted in a way I didn't expect. I suddenly am aware that I went in wanting to be validated as a helper, a "good guy". And then my ego doubles down on me and tells me now I'm a "horrible person" and I reel from this sensation that I'm the worst human being on the planet lol. I'm not joking, this is how my mind has always worked when I feel I've done something wrong. I think in the past I was very often rather oblivious to the fact that my actions were nowhere near as selfless as I thought. The intense awareness I often have now, does lend me insight. But it's difficult because I still feel very puppeteer by my ego a lot of the time. Someties I feel like I'm watching myself do things and then a literally a split second after I'll understand that my motives weren't what I thought. [link] [comments] |
| Can’t concentrate when meditating in the morning. Posted: 12 Jul 2021 09:54 PM PDT Hey guys :) I usually meditate 3 times a day (in the morning, after work and before bed). But I can really focus on the meditation in the morning no matter how hard I try my mind always wanders away. Do you guys have any idea what I can do to fix this? Any tips? Thanks!! <3 [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2021 10:04 PM PDT So I was just sitting here playing ukelele . Then I start thinking a lot about me breathing. I'm just like that I grew up overthinking literally everything. And I felt myself about to go into a thought loop. BUT... then I used what I do during my meditations, instead of overthinking how I'm breathing I just brought my awarness to it and just observed my breathe. And it's like all the negative thoughts just disappeared. It was literally like 3 minutes ago and I just started smiling so much. It made me happy knowing I don't have to be trapped and a slave to my thoughts. I love meditation. It's bringing out my inner joy frfr. But yeah, it's helping me a lot with me constantly overthinking everything, which used to stress me out to the point my hair would fall out and turn grey. I'm starting to feel at peace with myself. Just wanted to share that. Ima go back to my uke✌ [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2021 04:37 PM PDT A lot of meditation guides put emphasis on returning your focus back to your breath, but other guides (such as some listed in the popular meditation book "The Mind Illuminated") recommend to the reader the use of a meditation focus, and also recommend even focusing on trauma or painful memories optimistically as a means to process them. Should my focus in meditation be to clear my mind, to allow for a positive influx of cognitive resonance, or a little bit of both? Phrased another way, should my goal for meditation be to watch such thoughts rise and descend with little interference while pruning unnecessary and distracting residual processes? Or am I missing something completely and overcomplicating this activity? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2021 06:49 PM PDT Can anyone point me in the direction of resources that can help rewire my brain to help with chronic pain? I have had issues for years with tight muscles that eventually leads to pain and sheer exhaustion. I know this is coming from my brain. When I'm out in the woods it disappears. During random times of happiness and contentment it disappears. I've seen chiropractors and massage therapists and PTs, I've had imaging done and autoimmune testing etc. I'm under the care of a rheumatologist for muscle relaxants, and I'm just pouring money in to this problem when I know it's coming from my mind. Has anyone here ever successfully rewired their brain with an issue like this? Someone told me about the book You Are The Placebo years ago- not sure if that's the way to go and if it will give me practical tips on how to do this. Any and all suggestions are welcome! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jul 2021 12:01 AM PDT I have been practising mindfulness for quite some time now.. but I still don't understand what should be the effect of being present. For example, sometimes I forget how much pieces of bread I ate. So if my awareness is in the present moment.. do I have to remember each and every minute thing I do... and feel each and every sensation ? Sorry for the weird question. It's like I don't know what I should feel/remember in my daily life.. and what I shouldn't. I kinda feel alone and lost in this journey. [link] [comments] |
| Meditation causing me sadness? please help Posted: 12 Jul 2021 04:15 PM PDT I have been meditating on and off for years and feel like in the last year or two I have been able to go deeper than ever before and the experience is very enjoyable. My issue is that I find that consistently The days i meditate, I feel very sad later on In the day. I mediate laying down and do a lot of focusing on something specific like counting or mantras, and i do very deep breathing. I eventually enter a state that feels very good, almost euphoric and dreamy and sometimes I have quicks flashes of dreams and weird stuff. I feel like i am going somewhere deep into my mind and ive really been able to let go and surrender to this proccess latley. I open my eyes feeling very relaxed and good. But i find i always feel sad later in the day. Is this a chemical thing or a mental thing? Like is it almost a "come down" from the good feeling i achieved or is it surprised feelings that are released. This makes me feel much sadder than even my adderal comedown and coming off of other substances, it's a heavy sadness that makes me want to lay down and almost cry. Has anyone gone through anything similar? TL;DR I love meditating and it makes me feel great but i always feel sad later in the day when i meditate. [link] [comments] |
| Self taught meditation, seeking advice Posted: 12 Jul 2021 07:49 PM PDT I have been meditating for 40 years. I read some basic books decades ago. Through trial and error, and much practice, I am able to reach a meditative state where I am no longer conscious of my breathing, heart rate, or any physical connection to my body. I have reaped the benefits of this state for a very long time. I am able to maintain this state for hours. It is here that I seek direction if I don't know how to proceed, pray, and contemplate my existence. There are no images, colors or shapes, only black. It is a state of only conciousness. In this state there is only what I bring. Is this nothingness? I am aware there is a state of conciousness beyond this. Generally I stay here but on occasion I have tried to go beyond this where I have been violently brought back to being aware of my surroundings as if I stopped breathing. Am I doing something dangerous? I appreciate any input or if anyone has similar experiences. [link] [comments] |
| Why I have started meditating in my sitting room!? Posted: 12 Jul 2021 11:16 PM PDT I started regularly meditating since May. I was down with moderate Covid and found solace in breathe control. I moved to guided meditation since June once I recovered. My current routine is atleast 20 minutes of guided meditation. I started seeing changes in my thought patterns. I could gradually delink myself from the monkey chatter in the moment. A couple weeks ago, I thought to myself- "It cannot get better than this", and boy I was wrong. Yesterday, my parent's room was undergoing a minor renovation. My mother wanted to lie down having come back from her long walking schedule to rest for a while. Since I was using the sitting room, she asked if she could use my room to lie down, and I replied in affirmative. Within 10 mins, it was time for my morning meditation. Now I didn't want to ask my Mother to move from my bed(which is my usual meditation spot), so I decided to try meditating in the living room. And I'm happy I did. The sitting room is noisy. I could hear the noise from the road, my sibling kept distracting me, the fan is too loud and so on so forth. But there was something deeply liberating in knowing that all this distraction can't stand ground till eternity. Also, I found meditative focus to be like a muscle. So I realised if I include this practice in my meditation routine, I will get progressively more immune to external chatter in addition to the internal one. I will continue to update on this practice to see how effective it would actually be. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2021 06:04 PM PDT I want to get into medition for myself. I have only tried it once before in PE 5 years ago when our teacher (who I consider to be one of the best PE teachers for things like this) put a segment about it in his plan once, saying something about mental health I frankly didnt remember. I am rambling... Anyway the reason I want to get into it is just to deal with stress and the like, not assuming its some magical cure obviously. I have no interest in the spiritual nor religious side of it. What tips or techniques would you folks recommend? [link] [comments] |
| I don't think I like this... weight/heat Posted: 12 Jul 2021 09:19 PM PDT About a year ago I tried guided meditation for sleep on nights when I just couldn't stop tossing and turning. The handful of times I've used it as a tool I'm in a deep sleep within just a couple of minutes. I've been wanting to try non-guided meditation, and instead just focus on clearing my mind, and breathing. Unfortunately I've always been too shy try this in front of my boyfriend and kids. They are all of of town and decided to give it a go while I had the house to myself. I sat on the livingroom floor on top of a comfy pillow, with complete silence except for the crickets outside. I set a timer for 5 minutes, crossed my legs, put my palms upward, closed my eyes and focused on my breathing as well as acknowledging any thought that came to my mind, and then consciously deciding to put those thoughts to rest and re-focus on my breathing. I only had 2 or 3 thoughts come through (bills I need to pay), and the 5 minutes seemed to go by insanely quick. I'm kind of worried though, as I kept seeing dark shadows although my eyes were closed. I also felt like my body weighed 600lbs. My shoulders had 50lb weights on them and my cheeks were on fire. Guided sleep meditation was always so peaceful. This meditation that I tried tonight was rather uncomfortable and not really a positive experience for me. Any pointers? What was going on? Is that a semi normal response for beginners? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2021 05:16 PM PDT When you come to see that you can do nothing, that the play of thought of feeling etc just goes on by itself, as a happening. Then you are in a state which we will call "meditation". And slowly, without being pushed, your thoughts will come to silence, that is to say all the verbal symbolic chatter going on in the skull. Don't try and get rid of it. Because that will again produce the illusion that there's a controller. It goes on it goes on it goes on and finally it gets tired of itself and bored and stops. And so then there's a silence. And this is a deeper level of meditation. _ Alan Watts [link] [comments] |
| Acceptance of Self. Is It Possible Or Is It Just An Idea? Posted: 13 Jul 2021 12:40 AM PDT "We must understand the word acceptance... There is no question of accepting when I perceive what is. When I do not see clearly what is, then I bring in the process of acceptance. "If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, what you are undergoes a transformation." Jiddu Krishnamurti Is he saying that purposefully accepting yourself is actually denial? Purposefully accepting anything is a denial of what *is*? [link] [comments] |
| There’s an app called Balance that’s offering a free year subscription. Posted: 12 Jul 2021 09:16 AM PDT I'm not affiliated with the app but I've always wanted to use an app like Headspace but hadn't decided if I want to pay for a service. FYI I have an iPhone; I'm not sure if it's available on Android. [link] [comments] |
| Is my breathing pattern effective? Posted: 12 Jul 2021 11:15 PM PDT I have heard of many ways to do box breathing meditation but I personally like doing 15 seconds inhaling and 15 seconds exhaling and a 10 second hold. I feel like breathing longer calms me down more and allows me to focus more on using my diaphragm, though I haven't heard of anyone else who breathes likes this. (I'm new to mediation) [link] [comments] |
| Feeling around my neck when I meditate Posted: 12 Jul 2021 04:56 PM PDT Not every time I meditate, but most times, I get this feeling around my neck/upper chest/shoulders area like theres a coif or a tight piece of clothing. Sometimes it's more in my upper neck, sometimes lower. It isn't too uncomfortable not to sit with, but I just sit there and try to bring attention to it and nothing happens. It feels almost like static sometimes. When I stop, it goes away. When I am going through my day, I never am aware of it. It almost feels like it's a force field, and I struggle to be aware of anything below it. Has anyone else experienced this? Also, I thought I should mention that sometimes, if I'm sitting, I get this overwhelming feeling to turn my neck around in circles. Not poltergeist style, but spinning in an orbit. Sometimes I let myself do so, and my head just feels like it does so on its own. Again, this has happened multiple times, but I don't feel like anything resolves from it, and I'm not sure where it comes from or why it goes away. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2021 10:51 AM PDT I've been trying to use meditation to forget this guy who broke my heart. Luckily, it's been helping me when I sleep where I play a visual meditation before I sleep and I haven't had a dream about him since. However, I want to stop thinking about him when I'm awake. Anyone have a meditation recommendation for that? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2021 06:59 PM PDT Today I was mediating and I was trying to surrender to the thought and emotions I was feeling but I just getting frustrated. Anybody have any advice? [link] [comments] |
| Falling “asleep” during meditation Posted: 12 Jul 2021 01:09 PM PDT Sometimes while meditating, I lose consciousness and snap out of it randomly. Once while doing breath work with a friend and she told me that you arent actually asleep and that your mind goes elsewhere. When this happens, I don't remember anything, any insight? sometimes it feels as if I really have just fallen asleep [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2021 02:16 PM PDT I want to start meditating but I don't know how do you just sit on your bed throw up the set and think 🤔 [link] [comments] |
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