11-27-2016, 10:04 PM
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!
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!