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If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

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Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#91

Post by shock-value »

KirinDave wrote: post #55
Fishkins wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's definitely evidence that meditation alters your brain in positive ways [1]. The phrase "impulse control" isn't used in the list of benefits, but they list improvements in traits I'd associate with impulse control, e.g. increased self-awareness and reduced anxiety. [1] http://www.familyhealthguide.co.uk/mindfulness-meditation-le...

Sounds like similar benefits to exercising.

I don't think anyone is arguing that physically exercising wouldn't provide some of the same mental benefits of meditation. I for one think that it would. (Especially the act of forcing oneself to go to the gym, rather than just having fun playing basketball with friends--even if the exercise content is the same).

But in your original post you are doubting that meditation has these benefits at all. I think that is what most people are arguing against.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#92

Post by bennesvig »

KirinDave wrote: post #72
bennesvig wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. It mentions actual studies and evidence. http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/01/24/brain-structure-chan...

But these studies are on noticing structural changes, not changes in the subject's capability. What makes meditation better at this than, say, sitting down and doing math homework or going out and doing exercise? There's a lot of research to strongly correlate regular physical activity with intelligence (random googled summary with many citations here: http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/brainandex.htm... )…

Structure changes behavior which improves capability.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#93

Post by mck- »

webwanderings wrote: post #2

The misconception about meditation is that it requires one to give up everything and sit silently. This is not true in its entirety as it depends on how one interprets the word "meditation". The meditation does not necessarily require you to give up one thing for the sake of another. The goal of the meditation is to "be in awareness" and you can achieve this same goal by being alert and aware with any activity your f…

It's that feeling of being in the zone, completely forgetting about tomorrow's worries. But how does one raise awareness of being in the zone? It is that consciousness that I believe is paramount.

Training your consciousness by playing sports vs sitting in lotus is analogous to training your biceps by rowing vs biceps curls. The latter is more targeted, hence more effective.

When you do what you love and you completely emerge in it, yes, you do get in a state of bliss. But are you conscious of it? If not, which is mostly the case when you see a group of people play soccer in the park, then I don't think that is beneficial in the meditative sense. Your mind is still very much active.

The reason why the traditional way of meditation is so effective (and has therefore been used for millennia), is because it is quite hard to just sit still and do nothing. And really clear your mind of any thought whatsoever.

It is this mental challenge that will really train your consciousness and raise your awareness.

An easier way to get started is to combine the two methods, in the form of tai-chi. Get your exercise, while clearing your mind (and raise your awareness). It has helped me a great deal -- my life has been so much smoother after I trained Tai Chi for 4 intensive months in China.

If you're interested, I blogged about that experience a while back: http://kuomarc.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/tai-chi-in-pursuit-o...

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#94

Post by ricvg »

konstruktor wrote: post #78
ricvg wrote: post #27

I highly recommend to take a 10 days retreat in a Vipassana[1] meditation center. I know that 10 days is a lot to ask but in my opinion is well worth the effort. I've been there twice in the past three years. I thought that I understood everything the first time. Boy, was I wrong. [1] http://www.dhamma.org/

If those rules don't creep you out, then I don't know what does: http://www.dhamma.org/en/code.shtml No talking, no outside contact, no other forms of practice. This is not a healthy environment unless you know very well what to expect and are sure you really, really want this. It sounds very cultish to me, even though I do know somebody who goes on Vipassana retreats regularly and seems to benefit a lot. Those retre…

hehe... yeah they do look like that at first.

Personally I find that the reasoning behind these rules is very practical. You see, the course is all about understanding what sensations are and the effects that they have in our psyche. So one of the goals is to limit as much as possible all sources of sensations so that you can easily focus on a few and see how the mind reacts to them.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#95

Post by rohun_ati »

There was a study done by Sarah Lazar at Harvard Med a while back. They concluded that meditation can not only prevent age related cognitive decline, but it can actually physically reshape our brains, thickening our cortical structures. There's a TED video online, and the actual study is available online if anyone is interested (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16272874)

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#96

Post by KirinDave »

dwiel wrote: post #89
KirinDave wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's "extreme" to ask for evidence on something testable now. :(

You didn't ask for evidence in any of this posts' ancestery. If all you had said was "A scientific study regarding the connection between meditation and the ability to resist urges would be interesting and helpful to the authors assertions" you would have gotten a wholly different response.

Please assume for future correspondences that what I'd like when it comes to medical advice is real information and not anecdotes.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#97

Post by papsosouid »

mck- wrote: post #93
webwanderings wrote: post #2

The misconception about meditation is that it requires one to give up everything and sit silently. This is not true in its entirety as it depends on how one interprets the word "meditation". The meditation does not necessarily require you to give up one thing for the sake of another. The goal of the meditation is to "be in awareness" and you can achieve this same goal by being alert and aware with any activity your f…

It's that feeling of being in the zone, completely forgetting about tomorrow's worries. But how does one raise awareness of being in the zone? It is that consciousness that I believe is paramount. Training your consciousness by playing sports vs sitting in lotus is analogous to training your biceps by rowing vs biceps curls. The latter is more targeted, hence more effective. When you do what you love and you complete…

>Training your consciousness by playing sports vs sitting in lotus is analogous to training your biceps by rowing vs biceps curls. The latter is more targeted, hence more effective.

Only if your goal is to make your biceps bigger. If your goal is to gain strength, isolation is less effective, as strength involves more than just one muscle, it also involves stabilizing muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. Who says training your conciousness isn't similar?

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#99

Post by mck- »

agumonkey wrote: post #87
pestaa wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds fun and boy would I look silly doing that in the street. I'll call it walk fu. Thanks for the great idea.

Man, I was already embarrassed to write about it. I only do that inside walls of course. Outside I'm a perfectly normal alien.

Never be embarrassed. I do it all the time ;) I'd be walking home from work, focussing hard not to walk. Just staring blindly ahead, allowing auto-pilot to take me home, and focus on every sensation of every muscle in every part of my body.

Then again, this was in Hong Kong, where you see groups of oldies doing Taichi and what-not in every corner of the city. I still do it occasionally here in Vancouver, the city of Yoga, so it's still fine ;)

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#100

Post by mck- »

webwanderings wrote: post #42
prawks wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doing the dishes can be fun if you pay attention to the textures, temperatures, smells and sounds. I can't wait to do the dishes when I get home today.

Try the same when taking shower, or brushing teeth, or anything else that we do mundanely on daily basis. It is indeed easier said than done but the point is that life provides several opportunities to stay-in-present but the mind has been trained for ages to wander in past or future.

Absolutely. Try the same when reading HN. Are you conscious while you are reading these words? Were you conscious 10 seconds ago? When you're not conscious, are you really 'alive'?

Try meditating on Conway's Game of Life ;)

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