Meditation: Mental illness and meditation. Does anyone with mental illness struggle with remaining focused during meditation? |
- Mental illness and meditation. Does anyone with mental illness struggle with remaining focused during meditation?
- The Three Phases of Any Meditation Session
- I keep telling myself I will meditate, with persistence effort, but I don't do it.
- “Mind-Blowing” Research About the Brain
- I close my eyes and you call this meditation?
- Five reasons to meditate badly
- Learning to love.
- What is a mantra that you use in daily life or times of high stress?
- What’s the universe trying to tell me?
- Writing Poems to One's Teachers for Inspiration
- Some tips?
- Why should we be mindful for 21 minutes a day
- Another piti/rapture experience
- Anyone can tech Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya online via zoom
- Will a Neti Pot help with clearing stuffy nose?
- Will Vipassana meditation retreats deny my application if I take antidepressants?
- First Vision during meditation
- Guided meditation invited me into the Witness today, here are my insights:
- Prolonged awareness
- Some time ago I tested most of the known mindfulness/meditation apps for android. Here is a selection that includes 18 apps and comments about my favorite apps at the end of the post.
- I wonder if I'm meditating "right" / in an useful way, I need some advices
- Lunar/Astrological meditation recommendations
| Posted: 08 Aug 2021 03:52 PM PDT I finally had 30 minutes without thought. I chanted "Om mani padme hum" and I was finally free from the voices I hear and the thoughts that i engage upon. I have schizoaffective disorder, so it's hard to get out of my head, I just wanted to share that I was free for 30 minutes. I was wondering if anyone with mental illness struggle with meditation and remaining focused? [link] [comments] | ||
| The Three Phases of Any Meditation Session Posted: 08 Aug 2021 01:15 PM PDT TL;DR When your mind wanders, think of it as a part of the meditation session. It makes things much easier! "For God's sake" was possibly my most common thought during my earlier meditation sessions. And I used to think this after I realised that instead of thinking about my breath, I had been thinking about last night's game/breakfast/lunch/dinner/an argument I had, for the past ten minutes. It really helped to think of any meditation session as having three phases, and to understand that my mind wandering wasn't me "doing it wrong" - it was part of the whole process. The three phases are as follows: The first phase is when we are fully focussed on our breath, and immersed in the present moment. The second phase is when we notice that our minds have wandered. We often don't see this coming, we just suddenly realise that we are no longer thinking about our breath. Instead of seeing this as a moment of failure, we can frame this as a success. Yes, our mind wandered, but we were able to notice, and we can bring it back to the breath now. The third phase is where we return our attention to our breath. We don't need to be annoyed or chastise ourselves because our mind has wandered - that wandering is part of our meditation session! Source: A Monk's Guide to Happiness - Gelong Thubten https://www.wisdomblog.co/the-three-phases-of-any-meditation-session/ [link] [comments] | ||
| I keep telling myself I will meditate, with persistence effort, but I don't do it. Posted: 08 Aug 2021 08:22 AM PDT It's been over 2 years. Years I have known that this is something I need to do. Something that can help me ease my mind. I deal with stress, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future, but I can't even spend 10 minutes a day to sit down and meditate. I can spend hours reading and watching videos about the benefits of mediation, listening to podcasts, and still, I won't do it. I told my own mother that she should meditate to alleviate her personal anxieties. I talk the talk but won't walk the walk. Maybe it's a deeper problem. Perhaps I am afraid of what would happen. Does that making me a coward? For being afraid of going into the dark cellar of my brain, with a lit candle, and illuminating all of those terrible flaws and follies? How do you guys do it? I can't get myself to jump in. [link] [comments] | ||
| “Mind-Blowing” Research About the Brain Posted: 08 Aug 2021 05:37 PM PDT For those that are interested in how meditation affects the brain. I found this information from a book called "Altered Traits." The research was done by a group of Harvard graduates. "The four main neural pathways meditation transforms are, first, those for reacting to disturbing events—stress and our recovery from it (which Dan tried not so successfully to document). As we will see, the second brain system, for compassion and empathy, turns out to be remarkably ready for an upgrade. The third, circuitry for attention, Richie's early interest, also improves in several ways—no surprise, given that meditation at its core retrains our habits of focus. The fourth neural system, for our very sense of self, gets little press in modern talk about meditation, though it has traditionally been a major target for alteration." [link] [comments] | ||
| I close my eyes and you call this meditation? Posted: 08 Aug 2021 09:12 PM PDT I close my eyes expand to whole, and you call this meditation? I close my eyes and drink from the whole, like a baby feeds on breast. And you call this meditation? I close my eyes and celebrate existence, And you call this meditation? I close my eyes and enjoy breath, And you call this concentration? I close my eyes and hang in the moment, O list-maker bhikkhus, O no-shower-hindus, you call this meditation? [link] [comments] | ||
| Five reasons to meditate badly Posted: 08 Aug 2021 02:27 PM PDT In this article, I, an occupational therapist practicing in home health and mental health, give a handful of reasons to persist with meditation even though you think you're not doing it nearly as well as you should. https://wisdomoverlearntherapy.com/five-reasons-to-meditate-badly/ [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 08 Aug 2021 11:00 AM PDT Hey you! You can do this! We all believe in YOU! I most certainly do! Dm me anyone if you want to vent or talk! I want to suck up all the negativity in this community and help out anyway I can! [link] [comments] | ||
| What is a mantra that you use in daily life or times of high stress? Posted: 08 Aug 2021 12:03 PM PDT I am trying to find new ways to keep myself focused and mindful throughout my day, and as I am someone who likes words and quotes, vocal meditation, I was wondering what quotations or mantras people use to help get them through every day life, and the really rough times. Thanks! [link] [comments] | ||
| What’s the universe trying to tell me? Posted: 08 Aug 2021 06:22 PM PDT I'm writing now while crying, I've always had a shitty life where my ex husband stole my daughter multiple times before I file a case and win it. Tonight the same thing happens again, she's visiting him and suddenly she called and said that she's gonna travel with him for couple days before coming back to me again. Which is fine if he's a stable father I'm not here to discuss my problem I'm just new to meditation and I've heard that struggles and conflicts that tend to happen repeatedly are carrying a certain message for you to grow. I'm 34 now and this shit is happening for over 10 years and I'm still not able to know what kind of message I'm receiving! I'm here typing in another language and not sure what I'm doing but hopefully the universe can send me a message through u guys [link] [comments] | ||
| Writing Poems to One's Teachers for Inspiration Posted: 08 Aug 2021 06:19 PM PDT I was reflecting on my inner spiritual journey and thinking of all the progress I've made but also reflecting on how far I am from enlightenment; I was also thinking about how difficult the inner battle can be within and how many obstacles have to be overcome in our own hearts and minds to find liberation and full enlightenment. As I was reflecting, I got the idea to write poetry about my inner struggle and speak it out loud to one of my gurus, who is now deceased but who said before he passed away that he would always listen to prayers and would always be near to those who thought of him. I got the feeling that somehow this practice would be an important stepping stone to spiritual freedom, feeling that my teacher could hear my words and add his spiritual energy to my wishes to find freedom. I encourage everyone to write poems to the divine and to their specific spiritual teachers, especially poems about the struggles we face: what those struggles are and how we are trying to overcome them. Perhaps our spiritual teachers will hear our pleas and will aid us in overcoming our problems in creative ways, ultimately leading toward liberation and enlightenment. The poem I wrote today is not a particularly well written poem, but it's an authentic reflection of what I was feeling when I wrote it. Here it is: "Oh, this inner battle with myself, sometimes feels like it will never be won, and yet, I know fighting on is meaningful, and I believe, that one day this battle will be won, and that it will help others in their battles, may we all fight on." I believe that if we believe we can overcome our obstacles, even if we can only hold that belief for a brief time, eventually it will enable us to truly overcome our obstacles. My dad used to always tell me that believing in something makes a difference; if you hold out hope, even faint hope, it enables you to be successful down the road. I'm currently reading the story of a Holocaust survivor who was able to maintain hope in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable. She also helped one of her siblings to maintain hope and they ended up both making it out alive. She was later able to forgive the Nazis, including Adolf Hitler, and she spent 35 years spreading her message of forgiveness to the world. She said maintaining hope was one of the main things that got her through Auschwitz. [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 08 Aug 2021 11:41 PM PDT I have been into meditation for quite some years now, some periods I frequently meditate and sometimes I don't for months. However since the pandemic and some other personal difficulties I find it very hard to find the motivation to continue to meditate, which for my current state of mind is much needed. Does anyone have some tips for specific meditation techniques or mantras to get me back on board again? Thanks! [link] [comments] | ||
| Why should we be mindful for 21 minutes a day Posted: 08 Aug 2021 10:50 PM PDT
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| Another piti/rapture experience Posted: 08 Aug 2021 09:59 PM PDT I layed down on my back, prepared myself mentally for the deep breathing I was about to do, I had to wait until I told myself I was ready for this, took about not even a minute to get mentally prepared, then slowly but deeply I took 30 DEEP breaths, I immediately felt fuzz static like feeling run to my feet to my stomach and onto my lips it was a beautiful experience I truly feel happy after this! (Extra) I experienced piti about 10 months back and decided to do it again once I realized my lust was to much, now I have no need for self pleasure and this is a amazing practice to perform if you are suffering in any self pleasure or happiness issues IN MY OPINION! [link] [comments] | ||
| Anyone can tech Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya online via zoom Posted: 08 Aug 2021 06:11 PM PDT Hello, I am looking for someone with a kind heart that can teach me Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya via online or in-person if they live in the San Diego area. i don't have funds to pay for it with isha foundations and I requested volunteer work and they rejected it because they want me to pay for it Please advise Thanks [link] [comments] | ||
| Will a Neti Pot help with clearing stuffy nose? Posted: 08 Aug 2021 09:40 PM PDT Completely new to meditation and found it through healthygamer.gg on YouTube. He has one form where you take turns breathing though each nostril when the other is plugged. Each time I always run into the problem of it being very difficult to breathe through one nostril and it changes sides from day to day If I get a Neti Pot will this help? [link] [comments] | ||
| Will Vipassana meditation retreats deny my application if I take antidepressants? Posted: 08 Aug 2021 05:40 PM PDT Hello all. I am in a bit of a pickle right now in my life. Battling many demons at the same time but the main one currently is anxiety and depression (but mainly anxiety). I am fortunate in that I don't have any grave psychological problems. I'm not psychotic or anything. It's just that the pandemic really did a number on me as well as a series of familial stressors that have made things go from bad to worse. I have tried out quite a few things the last six months, institutions and medication being a few. Yet still I am left daily with feelings of despair and hopelessness. Fear has so consumed my life to the point that its crippling me and destroying my ability to repair myself. Now things brings me to my question. I am highly considering taking the next semester off of school and doing a meditation retreat or a series of meditation retreats. The main issue is that I currently am taking antidepressants, just one at night to sleep. I understand these retreats aren't keen on any types of sedatives being brought into the practice. Nothing I take is controlled and has been prescribed by a doctor, if anyone could shed some light on if this will be an issue or not it would help me out tremendously! Thank you. [link] [comments] | ||
| First Vision during meditation Posted: 08 Aug 2021 03:06 PM PDT Hi. I just did a guided meditation for loneliness to calm myself down. I had my eyes closed and ended up visualizing my partner and I in a wedding dress and wedding day. We are not married at all, in fact we are in LDR. The vision was very clear. The outfits, the actions were very clear. I felt calm but unsure. We seemed very happy in the vision but then slowly I lost touch of it and opened my eyes. Is it normal to have this vision? [link] [comments] | ||
| Guided meditation invited me into the Witness today, here are my insights: Posted: 08 Aug 2021 01:05 PM PDT
"Because what happened to you is all so so beautiful, and so so precious, as is the meaning you're making out of it."
Ultimately, my sit today reinforced the truth I've been finding: What happened to me happened for a reason. It is all very precious and sacred. Someday, some time, I will have the honor and opportunity to share what I've learned from the trauma I endured, and to provide help/support for others. I will be thankful for my experiences that presently cause me agony. For now, it is important that I continue to work with that agony and depression that has followed. [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 08 Aug 2021 07:28 AM PDT Hey guys! So, lately I've had a lot of time to myself and I've decided to extend my mindfulness practice to other areas of my life, but there's something I don't quite understand yet. So, I've read that simply being aware of your breath while doing daily activities is enough, but if I'm focused on my breath, how can I be mindful and engage in what I'm doing? It seems like I need to be aware of my breath and aware of my surroundings too? Any advice or anything at all would be greatly appreciated, thank you!! [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 08 Aug 2021 11:28 AM PDT Hi, Android users who are interested in mindfulness or meditation!
Last year I decided to find a mindfulness app to aid me to learn more about mindfulness and provide help in the form of guided meditations. Here is a list of the apps I ended up liking the most for different reasons, some of them focus more on mindfulness, others on meditation in general or something else. After sending quite a few emails I found out that even the developers of most apps didn't know how much of their content is mindfulness related. Enjoy :)
Closing notes: I've tried all of these with the exception of Headspace. Personally I suggest checking out all of the free ones, they contain tons of great content. Many of the apps with monthly payment have some amount of free content or a trial version.
Honorable mentions: Smiling Mind - My favorite free app. Calm - My favorite paid app. It focuses on mindfulness and as a bonus has a nice selection of music, sleep stories, nature sounds as well if that's something that you like. I ended up buying the lifetime subscription on a sale (140 €) because I liked the content the most and voice of the narrator (female, very calming - most calming voice out of all app narrators in my opinion). Mindfulness - My second favorite paid app. Focuses on mindfulness. Relax Melodies - Allows you to easily create your perfect relaxation soundtrack out of melodies, nature sounds and other sounds. It's very easy to use. Also has some quite nice mindfulness and meditation content. While it has a monthly subscription, you can also buy a lifetime subscription from stacksocial for 80 $. Waking Up - Tons of great content. Male narrator, discusses quite complex issues and will probably appeal more to people who are more experienced in mindfulness or meditation (but it's still worth checking out). If you are in financial difficulties and think that Waking Up might benefit your mental health, you can request a free 1-year subscription from customer support. Headspace - This is another very popular mindfulness app. Sadly it doesn't have a lifetime subscription (they used to have it but as far as I know it's not available anymore). I haven't used it. My partner has used it for a bit and she liked the content, especially the sleep stories.
I ended up buying the lifetime subrscription of Calm which is also my recommendation if you want something that is constantly updated, don't want a monthly sub and for whatever reason the free options aren't for you. If you find any errors in the list feel free to comment! NB! Headspace developers please bring back the lifetime subscription option.
Cheers :) [link] [comments] | ||
| I wonder if I'm meditating "right" / in an useful way, I need some advices Posted: 08 Aug 2021 11:23 AM PDT Hello ! I started meditating one and an half year ago. I had anxiety and concentration issues so my ex boyfriend, an experimented meditator, advised me to try meditating. This is what I usually do : I sit in a calm space and I put a 10 minutes timer on my phone. During this time I try to focus only on my breathing (the sound or the sensation) but it's a huge struggle. My highest issue is to focus on my breathing for real, not focusing on the thought "I am focusing on my breathing". After my sessions I usually feel relaxed and mindful, but during them I feel a lot of agitation. It's like a little war between thoughts inside my brain. It's extremely difficult to focus on my breathing longer than few seconds and I don't know if it's normal ... My godmother (70yo) started meditating maybe 40 years ago and she told me how she meditates : she doesn't have any issues focusing on her breathing, and she imagines herself being like a giant tree creating a bond between the earth and the sky or something like that, it's really spiritual. I'm so confused, what the hell I need to think about while meditating ? My breath or some spiritual stuff ? Also I can't relate to the folks in this sub who have some spiritual revelations while meditating, how this can happen ? Thanks for reading this post and have a good evening 🌌 [link] [comments] | ||
| Lunar/Astrological meditation recommendations Posted: 08 Aug 2021 04:47 PM PDT Hi all, I feel like I'm always looking for a good guided meditation around the lunar cycle, but can never find a reliable narrator/guide who regularly creates meditations. Does anyone have any recommendations for guided astrological / lunar phases meditations? I use InsightTimer mainly. Thank you all! [link] [comments] |
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