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It has been mentioned many times in different threads, so I thought it should be given it's own thread. I was prompted to do this after Insomia_Sucks post of "My fiancée and I tried meditation the other day.
All it did for me was make me very aware of how itchy I was.
Meh." Funny and I'm sure many of us feel the same way.
After a close family member, who has been on benz0's and anti depressive's for decades, took the meditation plunge and was able to drastically reduce his dependence on meds, I thought I would give it an honest try. I've committed myself to doing two 20min. sessions a day for the next month. I downloaded some guided audio lessons from UC San Diego to my MP3 player. I will probably download others to get a broader perspective. There is so much scientific evidence to the benefits of it out there that I can't ignore it any longer. I'm also committing to exercise and stretching.
Someone also mentioned audio books as their form of meditation. Sounds like a great idea and I intend to download a few before the next time I travel. I have always found hiking to be meditative. Unfortunately there are many here that can't even consider this due, to pain issues. What ever works for people is great. You don't need to be in a traditional meditation....pose, to get into a meditative state of mind.
Anyway, any thoughts, recommendations or the sharing of personal experiences would be appreciated. I'm a newbie at this and need all the help I can get.
MoJim
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I'll take a stab at it, though I don't think I'm qualified. I'm just regurgitating what I've read.
First we should look at what is mindLESSness aka auto pilot. Have you ever driven and when you arrived you had forgotten how you got there. It's like you were daydreaming. With so many thoughts and distractions you had become unaware of the process of driving and your surroundings. Researchers say that most people experience this on a daily basis almost half their waking hours. Especially in this day and age, there are soo many things to take you away from the here and now.
An example of mindfulness would be drinking a cup of tea/coffee and noticing the taste, smell, the warmth of the cup and maybe the steam arising from the cup, instead of chugging it down while eating a muffin and getting the kids off to school. This would be an example of casual mindfulness.
Formal mindfulness would be mindful meditation. With this you are aware of your breathing, always the breath in the here and now. Random thoughts will always enter your mind, but you will learn to gently push them away and return to the breath. Again it's about the here and now and not the past or future.
Hope this helps a little and that I didn't make this more confusing than it already is. There is a wealth of information out there at your fingertips.
I meditate when I first get up in the morning and right before I go to bed. I've already noticed from my short experience that it has been easier to go to sleep, even on a non benz0 day.
MoJim
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10-22-2016, 05:52 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-22-2016, 05:54 PM by Popster.)
Not bad MoJim...not bad at all.
Very difficult subject to explain or define. First and foremost, it is a Buddhist term that expresses an awareness of your own conscious state....mindfulness also has intention.
I would like to add that "gently push them away" is OK.....but in my experience (and the teachings of many monks) suggest that letting your thoughts "flow" through you, by not holding on to them is easier. Recognize the thought....but don't linger.....always returning to the focus at hand......which in Vipassana (or insight meditation) is always the breath.
This beautiful and simple meditation is about being empty....when your empty, your capable of receiving....this is the heart of Buddhism.....
Yessin Deedee....mindfulness is about the here and now.
BTW....I am going to the post a couple of pics in the photos thread that are related to this subject.
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence - Desiderata
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Been reading a lot into mindfulness and Buddhism, even signed up for a yoga class once a week a few weeks ago.
Yoga and meditation seem to work great but reading the books into mindfulness seemed to make me 'overthink' if anything, which is obviously the opposite of its purpose.
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I think an audio guided mindfulness meditation may be much better that reading a book. There are many free one's available online. I think it will be well worth your time. Congratulations on taking the plunge into a yoga class.
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Well, after about five weeks of my meditation journey, I can honestly say that it has helped. I can say that just sitting and doing nothing...... is really much harder than it looks. The mind wanders soooo easily. I've been able to , with practice, get myself into a meditative state more quickly than when I started. Comes in handy when your stuck on a bus with a bunch of stangers, ya know what I mean! I know when I've reached this state of mind, when I have a feeling of weightlessness. Kinda hippy dippy, right!
None the less, I will continue to practice and hopefully it will become a permanent part of my daily routine. Good luck to everyone giving it a try.
MoJim
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I cannot let anyone mislead here in this important subject.....but headphones in a lazy chair is NOT meditating.
Have nothing against anyone doing this, and I think any effort in this direction is rewarded......but I am reminded of a Sutra called "A better way to catch a snake" in which the Buddha warns how misinterpretation can become a barrier.
Google "Vipassana"....and read more than a single offering. This is called "insight" meditation and is the quickest and easiest way to get results....very powerful, very accessible to anyone.
Good luck....though you won't need it... and you will never regret the effort.
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence - Desiderata
