Anybody on here medidate?

[The-One]

Or into Buddism?

It's just a random question because I hear those type of people tend to be quite happy living as a monk up the Himalayas.

When I tried to meditate a while ago I found myself thinking "hmm, is this meditating? what's for dinner when i get home? urgh, i need to clean up. omgs this is a waste of time when i could be doing something".

As to how some people who can be very serene and all that with it, i don't know how they do it!

 

[A new life]

Pemma Chodron Has some fantastic recordings.
My favorite is Getting Unstuck.

As for the actual meditating,
Focus on your breath
Breathe in breathe out
When thoughts come, And they will,
Gently return to your breath

Consistency is the key.

Good luck to you

 

[Callie]

I meditate. You learn ways to calm yourself down when you get anxiety attacks and meds really aren't any help.

 

[yesm]

it's all about not giving up. You'll know when your in a more relaxed state because you'll think about it and then realize your trying to acheive a state of mind detached from thought and then return to it.

as I've practiced more I can get to a state where my thoughts considerably have less and less impact and i can return to my breathe and note the thoughts and then return to breathing...

I imagine when you get really good at it you can acheive things like feelings of well being and bliss, but for me usualy i get toa nice relaxed state then once i'm there i get this urge that... ok i did it now i want to stop... then i fight that urge and press onward and become even more relaxed till i get to a point where i'm comfortable there...

i haven't practiced much but on a good effort i can usually just meditate for an hour...

unfortunately though it can be very hard innitially to reach a state of calm... I find it helps more to go to the local temple... guided meditation can be much easier and give you some of the satisfaction it could take years to cultivate on ones own...

but i find it is by no means just a matter of sitting there and waiting to feel blissed out. it's about mindfullness and breaking the habbits and auto-matic-ness of the mind...

many of the things especially thinking... we do without effort so much so it takes more effort to be mindfull of those things then to just do them automatically...

when you "think" am i meditating don't look for an answer... instead focus back on your breath... feel the breathe enter... feel the time inbetween exhale... feel the exhale and repeat...

try to notice when you stray from this path, note it, and return...

i find that after focusing on my breathe in this way... eventually my breathing slows... i become more calm... muscles relaxed..

although i'm not sure i get much out of meditating... it seems to be more of a neccessity at times due to the futillity of my actual existence...

but it's a hell of a lot better than thinking negative thoughts...

 

[Lonesome Crow]

For me its more of just letting go. I guess giving up all the bullshit that bothers me is another way of putting it.
There's not a right way or a wrong way...just taking a simple stroll in the park is a form of meditation.
Or just playing my guitar and playing whatever and letting music flow through me is meditation.
It more about Being in the moment...when I'm in the moment theres actually peace.
My consious mind is designed to solve problems...sometimes it creates problems so I can resolve it.
Other times it projects whatever about the future and generates phantom fears.
I had OCPD..so meditating instead of popping pills helped me. Kind of found a way to turn off my brain
or not run with all the crazy honeysuckle that goses on in my head even if I cant trun it off sometimes...
I dont need to figure all the honeysuckle out or need all the answers.

I started meditating over 15 years ago...it changed a bit for me.
My perceptions of life had also changed.
Today..i just spend 15 mins to an hour alone so I'm not rushing around and generally start my day off with a good attitude and energy in the morning.
In the evening is like whinning down and just letting go of everything....
Kind of like taking a shower to get me ready for the day then taking another shower to wash off the daily dirt and grime so I dont carry it into tomorrow.
Just keeping simple.

 

[Bread]

I've read some Jon Kabat Zinn and tried meditation, but nowadays, it's mostly a forgotten practice, m'afraid. I should really see into taking it up again sometime. Just got a vivid mind, can't seem to bolt it down when I'm at rest, and enjoy a moment of peace. Nowadays, most I ever go into meditation is doing breathing meditation when I'm feeling nervous.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

Theres an article that came across years ago about Cool Breathing Tech.
Basically you just focus on the tip of ur nose then pretend theres cool air. Breathe in the cool air to cool off your brain. I followed the simple instructions and it actaully worked...Sometimes I still practice it when
I remember to.

In the process of applying that simple excersize..I started to notice my
breathing when I get stress....I stop breathing or my breathing becomes
irregular. It makes all the sense in the world. If my brain dosnt receive
proper intake of oxegen it donst function at its best.

At first I just practice deep breathing for 5 mins on the hour every hour
to chill the fresia out. As time went on...when I catch myself stressing it..I just take in deep breath N chill out when I need to N want to.
Over time it just become habits of me taking deep breath.

One of the greatest living tools Ive learn in recovery was to allow myself
to start my day over anytime I want. I use to get up feeling like honeysuckle and my mind racing about all kinds of bullshit then it would fresia up my whole day. So I just took the simple suggestion and start my day over again anytime I need to. I would do it at lunch break..then do it between 2 hours work breaks. Its still applying the principle of breaking things into small portions becuase when I first got clean N sober... I couldnt do it
oneday at a time. I however could do it an hour at a time or 5 mins at a time..So its simply just building on that...I choose to be happy 5 mins at a time. You dont need to be a spirirtual guru to achive peace N happiness or practice meditations...

So in so many ways its just about me getting over, letting go, giving up honeysuckle and moving forward.

I have a lot of spitritual books and stuff like that.
A definitions of a spiritaul person is " A WELL ADJUSTED PERSON"..
Like fucken WOW man thats like a brain fart moment and an awakening

One of my hobbies is Remote Control Air planes...
It takes a lot of focus becuz my giantic models actually looks like a little spect in the sky.lmao
At first I could only fly for 5 mins becuase I would get a headache from focusing on the model fly back N forth.
The more I practice I was able to fly for 15 mins intervals. Then I started doing aerobics or evasive manuvers.
Yeap..sometimes when I'm in the middle of doing crazy stunts I notice my brain drifting and wondering what the fresia is for dinner.
The samething happens when I'm playing my guitar or having sex.lmao
In other words...my mind drifted and I wasnt living N experincing life in the moment.

 

[Haz]

I give myself at least half an hour each day just to sit in the backyard and listen to nature for a bit, or ride my motorbike to a quiet spot downtown and just sit.

Meditation is not rocket science, I feel it is necessary to purge the brain of useless, cluttered information and try to organise things in perspective again. I used to think the only way to be happy was to fill every moment of my day with constant stimulation, but this would lead to me putting off things that needed to get done (much like you describe washing up being a chore).

This works for me though, and the thing is I find my time spent doing things I enjoy is so much more valuable when I take time out to disconnect from them.

 

[Brian]

I'm trying to make it a routine.

It's different for everybody I believe, based on our patterns, tendencies, and beliefs. For me it definitely starts with muscular relaxation, because when not up and moving my shoulders and neck are very prone to tensing up. There is also meditation aimed at relaxation, meditation on a concept or question, and even a sort of Walking Meditation that I have seen some Buddhists and others practice.

I find that because I'm a high-energy sort, meditation is easiest for me after exertion. A session of yoga (thank you, P90X) is ultimately the best thing for me to prepare for meditation, as it is exerting and also helps me get in to focus before hand. Give it a try.

 

[Badjedidude]

I don't really meditate or do anything special or religious like Buddhism or whatnot...

...but there are moments like the other night. Went fishing, stayed later out in the woods than I thought I would... so I built myself a nice fire and just sat by the fire for a couple hours after dark, not really doing anything. Just enjoying being alone and with my thoughts, enjoying the night and nature.

*shrug*

I find that I regularly need quiet moments in nature in order to keep myself centered and mentally/emotionally balanced.... errr... as balanced as I'll ever be, anyway.