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The Impact of Meditating Every Day

pascalprecht.github.io

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Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#31

Post by tshanmu »

nabla9 wrote: post #18

I have been meditating 20 years now (zazen). I do 2-4 hours a day. Several 7 day retreats per year. My starting motivation was philosophical and academic interest. I was curious how it affects the mind. Then I did it because it seemed so hard to do, mind seemed like a buggy device I had no control over. I also had self improvement goals at some point. And feeling balanced is a good feeling. But there is no way I can…

how do you find the time - sorry for asking personal questions but do you work full time, what about kids stuff? I try but unable to consistently commit more than 20 min on an off.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#32

Post by nabla9 »

Tharkun wrote: post #24
nabla9 wrote: post #18

I have been meditating 20 years now (zazen). I do 2-4 hours a day. Several 7 day retreats per year. My starting motivation was philosophical and academic interest. I was curious how it affects the mind. Then I did it because it seemed so hard to do, mind seemed like a buggy device I had no control over. I also had self improvement goals at some point. And feeling balanced is a good feeling. But there is no way I can…

Do you usually sit in seiza posture, or do you prefer agura for such lengthy sessions? I can put up with an hour in seiza, but four hours must require a fortitude of mind that I can't even begin to fathom.

I sit always in half-lotus.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#33

Post by nabla9 »

tshanmu wrote: post #31
nabla9 wrote: post #18

I have been meditating 20 years now (zazen). I do 2-4 hours a day. Several 7 day retreats per year. My starting motivation was philosophical and academic interest. I was curious how it affects the mind. Then I did it because it seemed so hard to do, mind seemed like a buggy device I had no control over. I also had self improvement goals at some point. And feeling balanced is a good feeling. But there is no way I can…

how do you find the time - sorry for asking personal questions but do you work full time, what about kids stuff? I try but unable to consistently commit more than 20 min on an off.

I work part time. I work in a small company that is very accommodating.

It seems relatively common that people who work full time can do 2 hours if that's really what they want to do. You cut down other activities, like watching Netflix etc.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#34

Post by hailwren »

aNoob7000 wrote: post #11
cube2222 wrote: post #6

I had always had some kind of anxiety or ocd for as long as I can remember. I'd searched for various ways to deal with it but only discovering meditation really worked for me. After meditating for 6 months every day (starting with 5 minutes daily, ending with 20-30) I've completely got rid of it. A nice side effect was that I got to be a happier person overall (though that wasn't ever a problem for me), and learned t…

Would you recommend an app like Calm or Headspace to get started with meditation?

I started with Headspace, but feel like I get significantly higher returns without it. Something about having to concentrate on someone else's voice that makes the whole experience a little bit less effective for me.

That said, I'd certainly recommend an app vs nothing, and perhaps as a good way to dip your toes in. I'd just also recommend trying it without the app after you've gotten comfortable with it.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#35

Post by Fishysoup »

c1sc0 wrote: post #21
aNoob7000 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you recommend an app like Calm or Headspace to get started with meditation?

To get started. Absolutely. Headspace has been instrumental in dealing with a very hard time in my life. For a secular, scientific look at mindfulness meditation read the book “Why Buddhism is true.”

Haven't read that one, but "Buddhism without Beliefs" is also a great read on Buddhism without the supernatural stuff people have attached to it over the centuries.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#36

Post by albanberg »

amriksohata wrote: post #9

Hindu sages have advocated meditating for thousands of years, they do this in a specific time called Brahmamuhurtha in the morning when its most potent. Its the same sages that promote Yoga and Ayurveda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmamuhurtha It won't be long before the West I hope catches onto the next phase which is learning about Mudras - kind of an accupressure to target certain nerves.

The Mudras are also specific yoga asanas, which are often referred to as poses or exercises in the west. These Mudras are an advanced practice and should be done with the guidance of a qualified teacher.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#37

Post by ptah »

jason_slack wrote: post #28

I have the habit now of meditation for 1 hour each morning and then for 20-30 minutes before laying my head to pillow. It's really helpful to me to get myself in a space to start a productive day and end it with a good relaxing sleep. I usually get 4.5 to 5.5 hours each night. Up at 4:30am without an alarm and to bed by 11-midnight usually. I attended a 10 day silent meditation retreat last year and it really had an…

I meditate 20 minutes twice a day and struggle to stay asleep for 8 hours. i am normally up after 6 hours sleep

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#38

Post by ptah »

nabla9 wrote: post #18

I have been meditating 20 years now (zazen). I do 2-4 hours a day. Several 7 day retreats per year. My starting motivation was philosophical and academic interest. I was curious how it affects the mind. Then I did it because it seemed so hard to do, mind seemed like a buggy device I had no control over. I also had self improvement goals at some point. And feeling balanced is a good feeling. But there is no way I can…

how did you start? did you take a course?

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#39

Post by namanyayg »

aNoob7000 wrote: post #11
cube2222 wrote: post #6

I had always had some kind of anxiety or ocd for as long as I can remember. I'd searched for various ways to deal with it but only discovering meditation really worked for me. After meditating for 6 months every day (starting with 5 minutes daily, ending with 20-30) I've completely got rid of it. A nice side effect was that I got to be a happier person overall (though that wasn't ever a problem for me), and learned t…

Would you recommend an app like Calm or Headspace to get started with meditation?

For beginners, I would recommend two things: ambient noise (with headphones/noise-cancelling works best for me), and a soft alarm for the timer. I used to DIY it, but I find the InsightTimer app is a free & customizable solution filling both these needs.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#40

Post by bonniemuffin »

aNoob7000 wrote: post #11
cube2222 wrote: post #6

I had always had some kind of anxiety or ocd for as long as I can remember. I'd searched for various ways to deal with it but only discovering meditation really worked for me. After meditating for 6 months every day (starting with 5 minutes daily, ending with 20-30) I've completely got rid of it. A nice side effect was that I got to be a happier person overall (though that wasn't ever a problem for me), and learned t…

Would you recommend an app like Calm or Headspace to get started with meditation?

Sure--I recommend whatever gets you to practice every day. If that's an app, then use an app. If it's a book or an in-person class/group or a meditation buddy, use that.

I started with an in-person class and audio guided meditations, and then "graduated" to Insight Timer (just white noise with a bell at the end) once I felt like I was getting the hang of it. In the beginning it felt like the spoken guidance was helpful, then after a while it started to feel like it was distracting me or holding me back, so I stopped using it.

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