Meditation for anxiety & stress

[Popster]

@MoJim: that wandering mind is the key to your success.....
The fact that you are watching your mind wander is a big deal, for one thing it shows that you are not your mind.

The "monkey" mind is also what you tame....so to speak....quieting that monkey through focus and concentration is meditation.
Using your breath is easily the best way....don't need to carry anything with you......it's always there.

I am happy for you.....your journey is filled with rewards.....and there is no downside.

[MoJim]

When I'm in my LB I use lumbar support, so I'm fairly upright and very comfortable. Slouching and falling asleep is definitely not meditating. Being in a classic meditation pose could be quite uncomfortable to many. I am able to do most sessions with barely moving a muscle, something one instructor thought was worthwhile exploring.

Earbuds, headphones or speakers are great for us newbies that need guided meditation. I have tried flying solo and hopefully will graduate to the point when I can practice meditation almost anywhere, unguided.

I did G00gle Vipassana and found it to be quite interesting. Yes it did mention that sitting in a chair (probably not a Lazy Boy) is acceptable and "the physical effort to remain upright without additional support energizes the meditation practice." Hmmm....energizing the meditation practice. I will explore Vipassana more thoroughly in the near future.

There is so much to learn and I appreciate all of your suggestions, comments and wisdom.
The journey continues. Thank you Pop
MoJim

[Sal Paradise]

meditation has helped me quite a bit over the years. I used to be an angry person with a short fuse, but now after years of regular meditation (maybe I'm just getting older), I am much calmer and thoughtful with my reactions.

I don't think the importance of breathing can be overstated. Especially exhaling. Air fills up your lungs effortlessly, but it takes muscles to force the air out. That's how I usually start meditations, just focusing on exhaling all the air in my lungs, and steady breathing. After that I like to have a mantra (usually a phrase from a book, song, conversation, etc. that stuck with me) and think on it until I become a transparent eyeball.

personally, I wouldn't recommend listening to audio recordings whilst meditating, but I haven't tried it, so not certain. but seems like it would keep your mind too active. if you are going to listen to an audiobook, try "The Dharma Bums."

[MoJim]

Though I use audio, because I'm a newbie, I know that it can be distracting. It seems like, just when you start to get into a meditative state, that little voice offers up another suggestion. Amazingly though, these suggestions seem to coincide with what I am actually thinking or doing. It's like they're reading my mind

The good thing about guided meditations is that I've been able to use several resources and gained different perspectives from different instructors.

Flying solo will be my next step.

Will look into The Dharma Bums.
Thanks SP

[Popster]

MoJim....your way past needing any guided meditations.

The only guide you need is your breathing......just watch it, when you wander, just come back to watching your breath.

No effort is involved....just watch, when you wander, just come back. You will see the results for yourself and don't need me or anyone else


it's called "insight" meditation for a reason that will soon become apparent.


BTW...the reason for closing your eyes, sitting motionless, and going to a quiet place is to leave those senses alone as much as possible so you can concentrate on the breath and not be distracted by the senses.....the wandering mind is distracting enough by itself

The American Indian cross legged sitting position works....but an even more stable and easy position is the Burmese....look that up and try it..very easy, very stable "tripod".....even for newbies.
Lotus is too hard for too many and although extremely stable it is not a requirement......stability is the key.

[Batgirl]

I practice meditation regularly. It has revolutionized my life in many ways, especially in regard to depression... I am able to recognize negative self-talk when I do it and counter it. I am also able to step back and see the impermanence of painful situations.

Finding a comfortable seating position is one of the hardest parts of meditating. On my path, sitting upright in a chair with feet flat on the floor is fine, and can be ideal for longer meditations, when even relatively experienced meditators like me lose feeling in their lower extremities even with special pillows, etc.

There are lots of exciting studies about how meditation impacts the brain. It can be incredibly hard at first--I loved the post that said something to the effect of "I just realized I was itchy." However, with dedicated practice, the 'monkey mind" slows down, or, at the very least, you become aware of how quickly your thoughts and emotions change. Guided meditation can be a good start, like meditation with training wheels. However, as Popster says, eventually you need to take off the training wheels and try silent meditation. It's very much worth it!

[Popster]

The use of a chair is quite good.....do not lean back, no using the backrest

Oddly, chair don't work for me cause they make my legs go to sleep.

[nickolyko]

Well another way to meditation is pray. It dosent matter to which God you pray it can be always be effective and induces a sence of well being. We can truly save some time and stop wasting on activities and thoughts that make us anxious. If you train yourself you can win the distractions and eliminate so much of worry and anxiety. By charging your spiritual battery you can escape for a short time from all these bad emotions. It can help and even if you do ont believe in any kind of superb force you may pray to something familiar . Pray is a kind of meditation , a form of inner focus. Socrates thye philosophermany senturies ago said the famouw phrase " Know your self " . He teach his followers to come in touch and get familiar with our inner self by pray and concentration. Ok we may never get rid of our need for a good benzo from time to time . But at least those who want may try, at the end no one ever got hurt by a pray .

[Popster]

Amen

[D-izzy]

Well another way to meditation is pray. It dosent matter to which God you pray it can be always be effective and induces a sence of well being. We can truly save some time and stop wasting on activities and thoughts that make us anxious.  If you train yourself you can win the distractions and eliminate so much of worry and anxiety. By charging your spiritual battery you can escape for a short time from all these bad emotions. It can help and even if you do ont believe in any kind of superb force you may pray to something familiar . Pray is a kind of meditation , a form of inner focus. Socrates thye philosophermany senturies ago said  the famouw phrase " Know your self " . He teach his followers to come in touch and get familiar with our inner self by pray and concentration. Ok we may never get rid of  our need for a good benzo from time to time . But at least those who want may try, at the end no one ever got hurt by a pray .

Could not agree more nickolyko!

When you pray, you are actually "saying" your worries out in your mind and I think that can help you get a much better understanding of your problems and issues, it should, at least put them into a slightly different perspective and you may see them in a different light.

Its kind of like writting down your problems on a piece of paper, you have to think about them a little more, but in a different kind of way.

Prayer has certainly saved me from my own dispair on many occasions!