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The Impact of Meditating Every Day

pascalprecht.github.io

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Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#11

Post by aNoob7000 »

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?

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#12

Post by raidicy »

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…

I've been interested in learning more about meditating and Raja yoga meditation specifically. I hesitate to read the book in parent as it seems that Buddhist meditation is focused on love, compassion, empathy or some kind of goal. I don't think the positive emphasis of Buddhism is bad. Rather I've been more interested in "abstraction of the mind" and the general non-religious approach of raja yoga. (I am sorry if the previous comparisons are naive/incorrect)

I'd love to know of any western oriented books on Raja yoga, however.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#13

Post by pbowyer »

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.

> 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.

Mudras are awesome! I discovered them accidentally because I'd get spots on my fingers that felt "heavy" and would make me jerk and shiver when touched.

Pressing them can clear the tension, but it's always a temporary relief. If I can shiver then the energy release is much better.

I've tried various mudras but not known what to expect from them, or how best to use them. And never seen an explanation (or anyone else) experiencing what I do.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#15

Post by cube2222 »

raidicy wrote: post #12
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…

I've been interested in learning more about meditating and Raja yoga meditation specifically. I hesitate to read the book in parent as it seems that Buddhist meditation is focused on love, compassion, empathy or some kind of goal. I don't think the positive emphasis of Buddhism is bad. Rather I've been more interested in "abstraction of the mind" and the general non-religious approach of raja yoga. (I am sorry if the…

I don't think the first chapters focus on any kind of goal. They were mostly mechanical stuff that would probably apply to any kind of meditative activity.

I haven't really gone beyond the first few chapters. I think the book, if you really want to go with it all along, gives a few years content of practicing for most people.

It's true there's some spiritual content in it, but I was largely ignoring it and it didn't bother me at all.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#16

Post by cube2222 »

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 haven't used any of them. I've heard good things about them though from other people using them.

I myself think that meditation is the hardest - and for me the most effective - when I do it with as few external stimuli as possible.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#17

Post by yodon »

awinder wrote: post #10
seren wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started meditating using some written guide/books and Headspace. An app is helpful to guide you at the beginning, but past a certain point having someone talking during most of the session seems a bit detrimental to your actual focus or awareness. I even wonder if there isn't some sort of Pavlovian response, whenever you listen to Andy Puddicombe voice, you want to meditate. The core of the issue is that there is a…

I even wonder if there isn't some sort of Pavlovian response, whenever you listen to Andy Puddicombe voice, you want to meditate YES. I've wondered the same, it almost seems like a waste if that's not what they're going for because it's right there. Understand that these meditation apps (Headspace/Calm) are mostly VC funded , and they don't only want to teach you something, their investors also want some hockey stick…

Please don't use code formatting for quotes. It makes your text unreadable on mobile.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#18

Post by nabla9 »

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 justify the amount of time I spend meditating with any of those. Meditation teachers say that first you start to work with meditation, then it starts to work with you. The whole view of the world changes.

I'm completely secular humanist but meditation has turned into spiritual practice. If I worship something, it's this moment. Asking why I meditate is like asking why people go surfing. Staying in the moment and balancing on the wave between the past and the future is not a activity you do for gaining any other goals. Being alive and experiencing the raw existence is something you sacrifice other things in your life.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#19

Post by PascalPrecht »

spodek wrote: post #7

> I try to meditate every morning for about 15 minutes and been doing that for quite some time now. I find that doing any Self-Imposed Daily Challenging Healthy Activity will improve your life tremendously, meditation being just one type of SIDCHA. While the benefits differ slightly, the magnitude of benefit from other SIDCHAs -- like exercising, drawing a picture, writing a blog post, writing three business ideas, c…

Thanks for you feedback! I'll have a look at that.

Re: The Impact of Meditating Every Day

#20

Post by ir0s »

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've recently started using Headspace, and am a big fan.
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