What area's of your life has had the biggest impact due to meditation? What type of meditation you do? How frequently and how much duration? Comparison between daily practice vs long duration retreats?
Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
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Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#2Not much, my advice is do exercise instead, even 15 min a day will make a difference...
Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#3I don't do the meditation exactly, but I recently trekked to Mt Everest base camp and stayed in Nepal for few days. I get mentally overwhelmed with the natural beauty and that sort of creates effect similar to meditation.
After coming back, I feel much calmer. Very few negative thoughts occur in my mind and I noticed that I don't get worked up that easily. I somehow learned to not get angry at the slightest provocation.
Not sure if this helps you, but thought I would put it out there.
Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#4i know meditation has a very calming effect on mind and body hence letting go any tension in our muscles and thoughts.
but meditating on my own din yield any result for me as i felt the same before and after meditation except for very minor mind level improvement which faded away in mins.
but i started trying guided meditation with help of audio and you tube and apps and they seem to give some good effect. but still not something that surprised me.
but later i stumbled upon this app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitness22....
just try the body scan and sleep in the single sessions and u ll know for yourself it leaves a lasting effect both at mind and body level.
one day i got sever headache at 10 am and din know what to do and then i tried body scan and in 20 mins suddenly somehow i felt very relieved and the pain became negligible and disappeared.
other day i felt so tired on eve at 5 pm and then i tried body scan and i felt a boostof energy and some unknown pain in my body like ankles and legs came to my awareness and then when i focused on those areas and try to relax them it became well.
i am not able to follow it regularly but am trying to but i use the sleep one every day before i sleep and it really is like a disconnect from the day and a portal into night for me.
they even have 20, 14 n 7 mins version... i always go for 20 mins as i use it when i have some discomfort but u can experiment with others as u like.
Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#5Going to church has been easier for me, and it also connects you to the community. Also only once a week.
Since this will inevitably come up, I am liberal, and yes I still go. If you’re liberal and don’t like church, one thing I would suggest is that by going to church, you can actually make it more liberal instead of leaving it to others. Also fyi gays are the new jews and will be fully integrated like Jews were between 1930-1960 (until 1959 it was legal in Houston, Texas to restrict Jews on the deed restriction!!).
Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#6It helps you be more mindful and detach from the moment to moment undulations of modern life. This can be good and bad.
I can meditate anywhere. But usually I sit in half-lotus, slowly easing myself into a blank state. I think about radiating outward. Anywhere from 5-25 mins.
Never did a retreat.
The problem with meditation is I think that it can release a latent and light form of schizophrenia. Things that society values, you no longer value as much. It makes it tougher to fit in with "normal" people. The benefit is that you can draw your path more clearly and execute more clearly. I'd like to hear others' opinions as well.
Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#7It helps you be more mindful and detach from the moment to moment undulations of modern life. This can be good and bad. I can meditate anywhere. But usually I sit in half-lotus, slowly easing myself into a blank state. I think about radiating outward. Anywhere from 5-25 mins. Never did a retreat. The problem with meditation is I think that it can release a latent and light form of schizophrenia. Things that society v…
I would agree that's true. The same happens if you go really deep on certain types of philosophy, you end up "looking behind the curtain".
Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#8Meditation helps me. I'm calmer and I can stay concentrated for way longer periods of time when doing something. I also, rarely get bored because of it.
Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#9It helps you be more mindful and detach from the moment to moment undulations of modern life. This can be good and bad. I can meditate anywhere. But usually I sit in half-lotus, slowly easing myself into a blank state. I think about radiating outward. Anywhere from 5-25 mins. Never did a retreat. The problem with meditation is I think that it can release a latent and light form of schizophrenia. Things that society v…
I found myself valuing things society forgot about was important.
Re: Ask HN: How has meditation helped you?
#10I have been doing it consistently, 10 minutes a day after waking up, longer on weekends, 15 minutes or more. I have been consistently doing it for 6+ months now.
I am observing that it is helping me become mindful of my thoughts. Before, when thoughts appear in my head -- I don't take a second to say 'yes, that's my thought'. Now, when a thought, especially negative ones, come into my head -- I can observe it and reflect on it first, seeing it for what it is. It has helped me become the observer of my thoughts if that makes any sense.
I also notice I am calmer in lots of situations and less prone to rush or panic. I think it helped me become slower, calmer, more focused, and more clear-headed. I ended up quitting caffeine or weaning off of it, as I noticed that it was causing negative effects on my thinking and sleep. It also helped me self-reflect and assess my life every day.
I recommend if you want to try meditation, do it consistently until it becomes a habit.