Who here meditates?

[WavyDavey]

Just curious about people's meditation practice. What type do you do? How often? And most importantly, how it has impacted your life.

I've been meditating for a few years now. At first, I did the counting the breaths thing. Then, it was watching all the thoughts come and go like clouds. Currently I practice "just sitting", which really doesn't have any intent of "doing" behind it, and is very, very peaceful. It's the only practice that has brought real equanimity to my life, and I'm thankful for it.

I'd like to start standing meditation again, but it's very taxing. Friends that do martial arts highly recommend it.

So how do you meditate? Cushion? Chair? Music? No music? Tried meditating and found it difficult? Love it? Hate it? Chime in!

[Esya]

I guess I did it in the shower today. I mostly meditate in yoga class when we do it together and otherwise when I feel I need it. It really depends what and how I do it. Outside class I just do it when I feel I need it and when it crosses my mind, like in the shower today. Today was mostly a focus on my breath and physical body as I was/am strugging with tension. When I do a more elaborate meditation I like to try to meditate focusing on my breath to shift focus to my physical body to observe it, back to breath and on to thoughts to mindfully observe those, back to breath and observe my emotions to finally come back to my breath again. Never did a standing or walking meditation, so far sitting and lieing down.

[LilLash]

I try and often fail to meditate daily. I try to do it at night before bed. On the days when it's harder to let go of the day, I find I can only focus on counting breaths. If it's not been as stressful, I "just sit."

I used to have a cushion and mat on the floor, but a bad bout with fleas make me throw it out. Now I have a chair that's the right height to keep my short little legs bent at a 90 degree angle and me feet flat.

I get more vivid dreams on the nights that I meditate, but I also sleep better and generally just feel better. I have more patience and equanimity. 

[Bhuvana]

I do meditation on and off. But when I do it (early in the morning), I just sit and do nothing. I let go of my thoughts and sit there at least for 20 - 30 mins. some times I turn on the music. I know I should practice regularly but I am not... 😞

I hope to do regularly very soon.

[NicMcSky]

I like your strategy of meditation based on the kind of day you've had. I also find it so interesting that you get more vivid dreams on the nights that you meditate! Something I need to pay attention to!

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[NicMcSky]

I meditate with the aid of the free portions of the Calm app. I love it. I too don't meditate as often as I want to! I would like to meditate daily but it usually turns into an average of about 10 days per month. I think it has impacted my life in a positive way! I'm hoping it has contributed to making me patient, calm, and optimistic. A session will be from 3-15 minutes at a time. I haven't mastered any longer than that because I get sleepy; not sure how to get around that. I sit on the bed or couch. Standing?! No way, it's supposed to be relaxing! 😜

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[WavyDavey]

@NicMcSky, congrats on your practice!

Getting sleepy/unfocused is pretty common in meditation. Some people count their out-breaths, 1 to 10 and then repeat. I used to focus on the end of my nose, which sounds silly but does keep the mind from wandering. Other folks use music, and there's tons of good music out there to calm and focus the mind.

The standing meditation I learned, called Zhan Zhuang, makes it pretty much impossible to fall asleep. It may sound odd or uncomfortable, but it's a very peaceful practice as well as good for building up the energy system of the body. It's used in internal Chinese martial arts.

Getting meditation to be a daily practice is where I feel the dividends start really paying off. I got more out of meditation for 15 minutes every day than I did for meditating for an hour 3 times a week.

[Esya]

I saw some apps suggested here on the forums today and I feel like trying them out. They are called headspace and calm (already decided calm is not for me as it makes sound even when I have my phone on silent, a thing I personally cannot stand in apps, but it could work for others). This might get me into meditating more often.

[DerrickS]

@Esya Headspace and Calm are the two best meditation apps that I've used. 

I also really like Tony Robbin's meditation exercise that I that was mentioned here. It's only an exercise, not a program or App, but I personally found it really useful.

[NicMcSky]

Thank you, @WavyDavey! Thanks for all the informative tips as well. I will take a look into standing meditation--I might like it more than I think!

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[NicMcSky]

Hi @Esya.. I use Calm and really like it--but yes, it does use the sounds (I just took a look at it and I'm surprised there's not a way to disable them?) so that wouldn't work for you if the sounds are an annoyance.  😉  I've used Headspace in the past and LOVED it! but didn't have enough free features so I think that's how I found Calm (at least a couple years ago.) I try not to pay for apps; plenty of good free material out there. On the other hand, Headspace's paid subscription features seem like they'd be worth paying for.

[ebonyk93]

Hi @Esya @NicMcSky I use the calm app and there is a way to turn the sound off. There is a speaker button in the top right corner of the main screen, this allows you to select different sounds and also comes up with an option to turn them off altogether with a little toggle button at the bottom of the screen. You can also select whether calm can play sounds outside of the app e.g. when you lock your phone but still have the app running in the background. Hope this helps if you try to use the app again 😊 

[Esya]

@ebonyk93

Thanks, I just had another look because of that. I can see why people like this app if they are looking for more features like the breathing, music and sleep stories on top of meditation. For now I am going to stay with headspace though as I am only looking for meditation in those apps and the headspace has my preference for that part.

[emili]

I don't meditate. I can't shut my mind off long enough. However, I do practice focused thoughts- which isn't even a thing except in my mind. If there is something I worry about or can't help thinking about- I let it come. I focus all my attention on that one thing until I found something that helps or I am so exhausted from it that I let it go. I find if I do that, I don't take it to bed with me.

[Esya]

@emili

What you describe is a form meditation 😉 . Meditation is not about shutting your mind close, most people cannot do that.

[NicMcSky]

@ebonyk93 Thanks for the tip!  🙂

[NicMcSky]

@emili I tend to do something like that without even realizing it!

[SantiR]

I have found some Youtube videos that will provide you with mantras. These are excellent to meditate. I do it when I'm laying down on my bed, to relax after a stressed day or just to get some good sleep. Breathing is very important. Then, you can pronounce the mantras yourself and that should get you to a full meditation session. 

[User79]

Personally, I practice mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on your breath, feel the way it enters and leaves. Notice the way it moves through your nose and throat, notice how your chest and belly move. It is natural for outside thoughts to enter, without judgement or planning acknowledge them as thoughts and send them off then return to the activity at hand.

This repeated focus of bringing your mind back to the activity at hand makes a massive impact on concentration, it opens the opportunity for people to respond rather than react to stressors and makes people more aware of themselves and more present in the moment. As someone who is very busy and has ADHD it makes a massive difference in my day to day life.

As for your other concerns, it's really dependent on you. I use a cushion and no music and practice about 10 minutes a day. But find what works for you. I find having a place to consistently meditate helps.

Also remember, meditation is like brushing your teeth - twice a day is good, once a day is okay, and once a month is better than nothing.   

[SunsetRunner]

Hello,

I usually meditate on most days for 10-20 minutes sitting. I have tried meditating w/ music but that just lulls me right to sleep. I tend to spend my days on the move quite a bit and lose mental focus so for me taking the time to stop and practice helps get me back on track especially for those important projects.

I managed to find the "Calm" meditations app and that has been useful for me in my off days as it's been helping me w/ guided meditation to be able to practice for longer periods of time, I just like how I feel after my sessions are over so peaceful and energized.