The last few days I decided to start meditating. I'm not into the whole spiritual hoopla of it, I'm into it just for the proven benefits. An issue I've been having recently has increased my anxiety. My therapist claims that I've gone through a "paradigm shift" in my thinking. Okay, he's pretty spot on about that, but it's led me to have a pretty miserable few weeks. Lots of anxiety, an overabundance of thoughts and emotions, flashbacks, etc. Not fun things. It felt like I was losing control, and my response was that I wanted to numb everything. Just step back and shut it all down. Were I a recovering addict, this would have been relapse territory. So, a few days ago I decided to give meditation a try. I needed to reestablish control, clear my head, and focus on things one at a time. I felt overwhelmed. Now, I've tried meditation in the past. It wasn't really a serious attempt, and I felt more awkward than anything. I still feel somewhat silly, but this time it's kinda necessary. It's either going to be this or something else, and that "something else" probably isn't going to be healthy. The good news is that right from the start I noticed an immediate benefit. I *FELT* better. I was using a guided meditation that I had gotten from YouTube that lasted for fifteen minutes. I've been trying to do it once a day, though yesterday I did it twice. I notice that I'm sleeping better (insomnia pretty much gone!), and that my thoughts are much more controlled and orderly. My anxiety appears to be down, and as a result I feel much more calm. Now, here is the question. How many people here meditate, and how long does this effect last? My concern is that I'm experiencing a placebo effect, and that eventually this is going to wear off. Also, for anyone who meditates, what types of meditation do you do?
I've done it before in the past and still occasionally now, but I've never done it regularly despite my always thinking it was a good idea. I always did a sort of "counting" meditation: close my eyes, breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold, count + 1... usually till 100 or so, depending on how I feel. I do it in silence, with the exception of focusing on the sound of my inhaling/exhaling. I've heard from others too that if you're worried you're going to fall asleep, you can do it with your eyes open staring at a point in the distance... but for this, something that's still yet moving (like a candle flame) is good to focus on so you don't get bored either. I find that I feel more relaxed and clear headed after for the next couple hours or so. I usually use it when I'm distracted by other stuff (read: sexuality crap) when I need to be doing something else. Lends me enough time to get focused onto whatever I should be doing. A professor I had last term actually holds meditation sessions every Wednesday morning on campus that he leads... I'm interested to try, maybe I'll go this week.
Man...I really wish I could do it. Ive tried for such a long time now to no avail. I know it could really help me.
I've done it before. It's really relaxing, and that's mainly why I've done it. The first time was in my school's health class, and there was a segment on stress. What I've done it mostly eyes closed, upright sitting posture, and rhythmic breathing (4 counts in, 2 counts held, 6 counts out, 2 counts hold). The relaxation lasted pretty much till about 30 minutes after, but the feeling was tremendous! Also, I've heard that having a slight smile on the face adds to the positive experience. I've yet to try it without a smile though
I do meditate from time to time. At the beginning I did feel better and then it faded after a few weeks, but with practice I get real progress made on myself every single time; that makes for permanent effects because it unlocks stuff and solves problems. I got taught by an Art teacher how to do that while in college, as well as astral travel and such. It is a color-oriented really really deep meditation where you actively exchange and "speak" with your subconscious.
Here are the two meditations I've used. Meditation on the Movement of Breath - Chakra Mindfulness Meditation - YouTube Movement Meditation with Claire Osborne - YouTube Those are the two that I'm currently doing. The first one lasts for fifteen minutes, and it helps me the most. I do it before I head to bed because the cause of my insomnia is that my mind never shuts down. By the time I get to the end I just have a feeling like I could keep on going forever. I usually struggle the most in the beginning, but by the time my focus moves to my forehead I'm pretty into it. Honestly, it's the first time meditation has ever "worked" for me. The second meditation I do occasionally throughout the day. Generally, I'm in my office. I don't even get out of the chair. I just move my arms, hands, neck, jaw, and back. I do some stretching. I focus on my breathing, but breathe freely. I then start doing the naming thing. Though, I've incorporated a gratitude exercise into it. Since I'm trying to build self-worth and all that, I name a part of my body and say something like (either out loud or in my head): "I'm grateful for my hands." Or "I love my nose." Yeah, that seems kinda silly. I don't try to think about that, I just say it as if I were saying "the sky is blue" or "the grass is green" and keep going. If I feel odd, I acknowledge it, keep breathing, don't focus on it, and turn my attention back to the breathing and movement - and keep going. Honestly, it's going to sound silly as hell, but I've caught myself off guard one time. I just started focusing on my breathing and started naming things in the room (in my head). "Paper." "Keyboard." "Mouse." "Stapler." "Folder." LOL. :lol: It seemed to have basically the same effect. It calmed me down, cleared my mind, and I was able to refocus without further distraction from my thoughts. The first meditation is superior, at least for me, but the second is good if I don't have a full fifteen minutes. The second one lasts - for me - five minutes tops, generally about two or three. I haven't tried doing the first one without the video. I find the voice pleasing and for some reason it helps keep me focused. I'm thinking about incorporating things like this meditation into my daily life. Brushing my teeth? Mindfully aware of each stroke of the brush. Focused on my breathing. The movement of my arm. The feelings in my mouth. Eating? Mindfully aware of each bite of food. Each movement of my jaw as I chew. The taste of the food. The texture of the food. Basic little things like that. Seriously, I feel like I want to do it all the time now. Even though I feel totally weird about it. However, generally my mind is ALWAYS somewhere else rather than where I am currently. Sometimes, especially recently, it's like I have thirty or forty thoughts all going through my head at once. I'm just afraid all of this is a placebo, and that in a few weeks it's all going to be gone. Then it's back to old me. :icon_sad:
I meditate, but like everything else I do it my own way. I don't focus on breathing, inner peace, chanting, or any of that stuff. I sit or lay down, focus on something (like a blade of grass or a cloud, or if there isn't anything simple to focus on I'll close my eyes and just relax. I concentrate squarely on the object I see or thought in my head, and imagine how it impacts the world. I bask in its beauty, think how thankful I am for whatever it is I'm focusing on, and how different the universe would be without it. My process is a bit more spiritual than some, because I think that everything has a purpose and when meditating I focus on the value and meaning of whatever I see, as well as what it's purpose might be. I find that it helps me to put my own issues into perspective. That's just how I do it though. Oprah probably has a better way, but my way works for me.
I meditate although I have never really examined meditation formally or read any books about it. I'm a violin player and I've found that I play best when I create a certain meditative and free mental space within myself. This enables me to be more productive with my day as well, and freer from negative thoughts about my orientation. To create that state of mind I listen to music and breathe to the tempo of the music. I think breath is really powerful, just focusing on doing that and turning off my mind will put me in this altered state of mind where I'm really relaxed and not limited by thoughts. I try to live in that state of mind and stretch it as much as possible. Practicing creating that mental space allows it to become more natural, today while I was walking I realized I was breathing in rhythm with my steps. A lot of great drummers are aware of how to use rhythm to create this state of mind. I heard through a colleague that the drummer who plays with feist actually swims with a metronome every morning. So you could try incorporating music in your meditating, it doesn't have to be really spacey music or anything, just something you like that you can get lost in. ---------- Post added 9th Jul 2012 at 05:57 PM ---------- try simply tapping along to a metronome, or music with a steady rhythm. If you try to make your listening really deep and not listen to yourself or the music but rather how the two sound together, as a holistic sound it pulls you into that meditative mindset.
There's some very solid research on meditation and its effect on mood, brain function, blood pressure, immune response, and all sorts of other things. Jon Kabat-Zinn has done a lot of work in integrating meditation into a medical model and written extensively about it. My guess is what you're seeing isn't placebo. Though, realistically, when we're talking about altering brainwave function through thought, that's sort of messing with the whole notion of what placebo is, if you think about it It does sometimes take multiple attempts to be successful at meditation, particularly for people who have very analytical minds. But like anything else, a little practice makes a huge difference, and I think, also, that being ready to put the energy into doing it has an impact on the success as well. Perhaps you just weren't ready for it before, but are now.
I have the same problem. I would never have the nerve to sit down on the ground with my legs crossed and chant. I don't know if it can be considered meditation, but sometimes I lay in bed with my eyes closed and just imagine being surrounded by immense white emptiness. I never understood what people meant by "clear your mind," because that sounds impossible to me. I just take a few moments and imagine myself in a place where none of my problems matter. There are two other things that I know work miracles for me, when I can force myself to do them: Keeping a journal and exercising. I started a journal to write about a girl, because I wasn't able to talk to anyone about it. When I write down what I'm thinking, some of its weight just leaves my mind. Exercising has so many benefits. I feel better because my body feels (and looks) better, and every time I exercise I feel like I accomplished something. It just makes my day brighter.
I too meditate, but familiar only with meditation in Buddhism, and not regularly, I'm kind of lazy, only when I have will and time or need. But It makes a real difference when I've done, not a placebo effect, for me anyway. I use meditation on pacing most times, It needs concentrating on how each leg moves, but on one leg at one time. I started only concentrating on moving up and putting down, after practicing until comfortable as books advice. It has several stages that breaks the movement of leg into clear phases. each adds one when moving to next stage. Kind of meditation to gain peace in mind hurriedly, but it goes away as it comes, but still very helpful. Buddhists use it to calm mind before starting serious meditation. Also this is the most simplest and easiest for me. I thought putting some details I know, still you may know them, anyway can easily Google this.There are two categories of meditation in Buddhism. One on concentration (samatha) and one on analyzing intellectually (vipassana). All the forty types fall under these two. I usually use one or two from each. Pacing falls under samatha. Buddhism is a philosophy based on developing mind and it's meditation is one method for dealing with mind and tackle it's problems. Samatha helps to develop peace , but do not deal with the problem itself, it only suppress it. So " old you can come back", but can't predict how long it could take, depends on the person and the training and progress. On the other hand vipassana attacks the problem so it's a profitable investment. But needs some knowledge in Buddhist teachings as otherwise you could be lost in mistakes. I'm a Buddhist and I study it when there's time. However the most basics as I get it, not accepting or rejecting anything you come across and need to use intellect in analyzing. There's also a type on breath, I practice it some times, but rather bit different from yoga (one in your video). Only concentrates on air, like inhale, exhale (breath in, out) and not in body movements this is how it is used in samatha and can be also used in vipassana. This one makes me feel like light as air and I think it may be concentrating on air gives the feeling of it's characteristics. It's type that said to have an effect considerably longer time even used in samatha. This seems to be getting too longer than I meant, so I'll put only one more thing and that's all ( I don't know even if you are interested) . These types are recommended to deal with one or more conditions in mind, like type on breath for unstoppable thoughts, pacing for laziness, etc.
Wow sm prob, that's really interesting and reflects a lot of the experiences I've had. I think I'll look into meditation in greater detail. What are some books you would recommend on the topic?
I lead people in meditation circles, I noticed I could myself fall into the clear thought and put myself in the surroundings when I did this. The problem is you have to train your mind to clear, and if you don't have the proper training... Example, I was lead in meditation circles where I listened to the sound of someone's voice telling me where to focus, and it got me so close to my mind being completly clear, it wasn't till after being led I was able to accomplish this during a hand push Thai chi practice. Mind blank, not even thinking about life, my surroundings... Etc... It's something I wish to do on a more professional level one day.
Really sorry, can't name one in specifically, :icon_sad: for I read a lot, in non-English, (English is not my first language). However I've read some books from Ven Ajahn Chah and they are great and inspiring, (check- Books by Ajahn Chah), You can find in The Teachings of Ajahn Chah a free collection in various languages. He's a world famous teacher. I've also used this site Dhamma Talks (((((0)))) Attaining PEACE with KNOWING & SEEING a Handful of Leaves has sources from various countries and languages. It's a great site. Even names doesn't say it's meditation, still a lot are on it. Like Anapanasati: Mindfulness of Breathing under the category Ven Buddhadasa Bhikkhu (on main page) are on " meditation on breath in Buddhism" .:icon_bigg Hope this is helpful, ask anything, I'll try my best.
Thanks to everyone whose responded! I'm reading everything, I just haven't had much to add yet. I'm going to keep everyone updated on my progress. So far, I'm noticing a benefit. On a scale of one to ten (one being no benefit, and ten being life changing), so far it's been about a four or a five. I would say though, that when I really get into it, it brings about an intense heightened awareness of everything around me. I'm still educating myself on meditation, but it seems to fall under two categories which I'd define as movement vs non-movement meditation. I'm not sure how well that correlates to what smprob wrote about vipassana vs samatha meditation. I want to thank you, though smprob for your insight. I'm checking out the links you posted. I hope people keep sharing. I had no idea so many people on the forums practiced meditation. The good news is that the more I do it, the less silly I feel.
Welcome! ya, sharing sounds great, you can count me in :icon_bigg and congrats on your progress. don't get clearly, what you meant, so IDK. But as you'll be sharing, I could learn it later. All the best!
I think there is a difference between meditation and finding something meditative. Meditation (as you've described) can be powerful and genuine, but in my experience something that your passionate about and that you can take your time doing can be just as beneficial. For me it's photography, reading, playing the piano or listening to music. There are a myriad of ways to find reflection and peace without relegating your meditation to simply sitting and thinking (which is also good).
