I attribute a lot of my ability to think clearly to meditation. I attribute a lot of my willpower to qigong. I should really do it more often.
Ask HN: Do you meditate?
31–40 of 71 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#32Yes -- I try to do tai chi style standing meditation, focusing on posture and breathing every morning after the gym. I can feel my thoughts slowing and becoming more focused, rather than the rapid jumping from idea to idea that sometimes happens otherwise.
Whenever I'm stressed, I'll close my eyes and focus thoughts inward, just to clear my head and reset my thought patterns.
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#33Yes -- I try to do tai chi style standing meditation, focusing on posture and breathing every morning after the gym. I can feel my thoughts slowing and becoming more focused, rather than the rapid jumping from idea to idea that sometimes happens otherwise. Whenever I'm stressed, I'll close my eyes and focus thoughts inward, just to clear my head and reset my thought patterns.
how did you get started?
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#34I don't know if it's proper meditation, but right after waking up I sit on the floor and repeat for 20 minutes: “Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” It's like a mantra. I'm not even sure about the original source of this quote. It may sound a…
Just curious: how do you know it helps you focus? Sorry if it sounds demeaning, but it's easy to convince ourselves if not careful. Have you tried measuring it in some way?
I can feel my thoughts slowing. I can't tell if I'm more productive, but I can certainly feel an effect [And strongly suspect it helps.]
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#35Yes. It's a reminder that there's a non-conceptual aspect to life—a way to be that doesn't involve categorizing or evaluating, just acting and experiencing. 'Body scan' meditation and breath watching are both great for this. It's like some deeper, unseen part of mind chooses at any given point whether to exist as that voice in your head, or your physical body. For me, exercising ambition and over-focusing on intellec…
I never really "got" meditation, so excuse for sounding tone deaf, but when you say "stepping aside when I can see it's no longer productive", do you mean thinking about your thoughts¹? Or something different, not thoughts at all?
I ask because I'm completely familiar with analyzing my own thoughts, especially when I'm having a small hypochondriac episode, and I don't understand why would meditation be necessary for that.
On the other hand, if it's not thinking about thoughts, how would you describe it?
----
¹ What Terry Pratchett describes as "Seconds Thoughts" :) http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/618907-first-thoughts-are-th...
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#36I started after reading the book "10% happier", it gives me happines, calmness and makes it easier to tackle everyday stuff. I have gotten a small window of opportunity from when something happens until I react that makes it possible for me to react more true to myself.
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#37I pray for the same reason the late C.S. Lewis prayed: "I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me." - CS Lewis I know it might tick some people off that I mention prayer in a thread about meditation, but I respect a person's right to believe whatever they want. All I ask is they respe…
Wow great quote. I think it would be narrow minded to not consider prayer a form of meditation. I know people who would describe a wide array of nontraditional activities as "meditation" as well: skiing, playing an instrument, driving, weight lifting, yard work. Surely prayer has a place too.
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#38If you're interested in trying it out but don't know where to start then you might want to take a look at http://calm.com (I work there), or our mobile apps on android and ios (both called "calm").
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#39No, it's a waste or time
Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate?
#40I pray for the same reason the late C.S. Lewis prayed: "I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me." - CS Lewis I know it might tick some people off that I mention prayer in a thread about meditation, but I respect a person's right to believe whatever they want. All I ask is they respe…
I'm personally big on the Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Total atheist, so maybe I should replace the word "God" with "Brain" or something.
You could quote Epictetus instead. He talks quite a bit about that http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html