Do You Meditate?

Hanley

guile4582 wrote: »

i see aswell some people are trying to make a buck off classes too. i'm weary of mediation being bought and sold, it is not a commodity. (although i do agree with retreats! they obvs incur costs)

How do you feel about education?

Or fitness?

What about cookery classes....?

If you can't do something, but someone specialises in teaching other people to do it, and you don't have the time, energy or inclination to invest in trying, and possibly failing, yourself - some sort of financial exchange is a rationale economic decision.

Better than blowing out your arse on pints and shots anyway!

dastardly00

I've been exploring/practicing/learning mindfulness for a couple of years now. I've been using Headspace for over a year. I enjoy it.

guile4582

Hanley wrote: »

How do you feel about education?

Or fitness?

What about cookery classes....?

If you can't do something, but someone specialises in teaching other people to do it, and you don't have the time, energy or inclination to invest in trying, and possibly failing, yourself - some sort of financial exchange is a rationale economic decision.

Better than blowing out your arse on pints and shots anyway!

why compare everything to spending money on alcohol? like that is the only alternative to spending your cash cos the masses do it?

i am just saying it doesn't sit easy with me. that is all (I tend to come at this from a Buddhist standpoint I must also state)

this is a good read: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21589841-western-capitalism-looking-inspiration-eastern-mysticism-mindfulness-business

what did you make of the final scene of Mad Men

Different people look at things in different ways i suppose.

scrumqueen

I actually downloaded the app there a couple of weeks ago and have been meaning to find the time to start it but havent got around to it.

Got one of the mindfulness colouring books as a Christmas present which I have been using a bit after turning the phone off for a couple of hours before bed.

I did do that breathing thing when trying to get to sleep before and it worked great (breath in for X, hold for Y and exhale for Z) but it doesn't seem to be working for me anymore maybe because my head is too buzzy!

syklops

i see aswell some people are trying to make a buck off classes too. i'm weary of mediation being bought and sold, it is not a commodity. (although i do agree with retreats! they obvs incur costs)

Bizarre comment. Classes are no good but retreats are fine? Whats the difference, aside from one of them taking longer?

coffee_cake

scrumqueen wrote: »

I actually downloaded the app there a couple of weeks ago and have been meaning to find the time to start it but havent got around to it.

Got one of the mindfulness colouring books as a Christmas present which I have been using a bit after turning the phone off for a couple of hours before bed.

I did do that breathing thing when trying to get to sleep before and it worked great (breath in for X, hold for Y and exhale for Z) but it doesn't seem to be working for me anymore maybe because my head is too buzzy!

Try listening to white noise, it's unreal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArwcHjmsw3A

guile4582

Retreats i have attended are often in isolated areas with very little noise allowing you to focus more easily. It is all encompassing. You don't talk to anyone bar the instructor, who is available on a one to one basis for discussion and aiding you strengthen your practice. It is usually over a couple of days too, giving you time to settle in away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. I currently live in a very busy city, hence why "retreats are fine"

I highly recommend attending.

of course you can say, yes you can grab a tent and find somewhere in the west of ireland and do all this for free yourself, which is true. but at retreats meals are also prepared for you and needs catered for, which is a great stress reliever. I think retreats and what one can achieve at home in peaceful surroundings, classes pale in comparison to this.

paying for something like this through classes for example gives people an expectation, an expectation of a certain result, this i feel can cloud things. again much like fitness classes but of course it can work for people, but for me, it goes against the very nature of the exercise. but i could be 100% completely wrong. like another poster said, there is no right or wrong way. there just is.

again my opinion.

syklops

Do I respond and completely derail the thread or just smile and nod?

Retreats i have attended are often in isolated areas with very little noise allowing you to focus more easily. It is all encompassing. You don't talk to anyone bar the instructor, who is available on a one to one basis for discussion and aiding you strengthen your practice. It is usually over a couple of days too, giving you time to settle in away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. I currently live in a very busy city, hence why "retreats are fine"

guile4582

syklops wrote: »

Do I respond and completely derail the thread or just smile and nod?

feel free to pm me

Alf Veedersane

guile4582 wrote: »

Retreats i have attended are often in isolated areas with very little noise allowing you to focus more easily. It is all encompassing. You don't talk to anyone bar the instructor, who is available on a one to one basis for discussion and aiding you strengthen your practice. It is usually over a couple of days too, giving you time to settle in away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. I currently live in a very busy city, hence why "retreats are fine"

I highly recommend attending.

of course you can say, yes you can grab a tent and find somewhere in the west of ireland and do all this for free yourself, which is true. but at retreats meals are also prepared for you and needs catered for, which is a great stress reliever. I think retreats and what one can achieve at home in peaceful surroundings, classes pale in comparison to this.

paying for something like this through classes for example gives people an expectation, an expectation of a certain result, this i feel can cloud things. again much like fitness classes but of course it can work for people, but for me, it goes against the very nature of the exercise. but i could be 100% completely wrong. like another poster said, there is no right or wrong way. there just is.

again my opinion.

But that's kinda bypassing the point where people get to working out how to meditate properly. Or how to. Yeah, you could sit in silence somewhere and let it happen but there's more to it than that.

There are ways to bring yourself to the point where you're meditating that people can be taught.

So retreats and classes on how to meditate are often very different.

Jimmy Iovine

Transform wrote: »

yup good read and very tied into meditation alright.

two good primers on meditation - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wherever-You-There-Are-Mindfulness/dp/0749925485/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345894016&sr=8-1

this podcast does a good job of taking all the woo woo stuff away from meditation and breaking it down simply - http://www.richroll.com/podcast/light-watkins/

i did 3 seminars before xmas and it was mainly coaches that showed up. in the business and personal development section this was a really really important point in an extensive article i wrote for it -

"Your enthusiasm for the job and your passion to help people will be challenged because fitness is an extremely tough industry to make as your life’s work so we will break down what has worked for us as a guide but this by no means is a presentation on what’s ideal but just what’s worked for us because this is a continual evolution in which we will adjust as our process and systems develops and evolves. You character can and should be molded by what we present here"

Becoming an indispensable employee that your company treasures or being a trainer that never want’s for clients has at it’s core a person that helps people with their problems, you do your job while fully engaged in the task or the people you’re working with face to face and you always over deliver, when ever possible, on the customers expectations.

To do all of this successfully you need to constantly work and develop your own sense of worth and gratitude (start a gratitude journal), understand your value system, carve timeout to recharge and learn to meditate so you can become fully aware and open to what your work and your clients truly both want and need".

I went to the library and took out the Kabat-Zinn book. I'm going to try and get through it over the next few weeks. Many thanks.

I used Headspace for the second day in a row today. I had the most amazing feeling at the end of the 10 minutes. My mind felt so uncluttered.

I know about NLP through reading about it and talking to my dad. Has anyone ever used it, or another method, to clear your head when an issue arises.

I felt enlightened at 8:30 this morning. That was replaced by a feeling of rage and contempt for the world by 10:30 after I finished the last episode of "Making a Murderer" and got a phone call from the car garage to say that my car needs to be fixed at a cost of €1,250.

I needed to do work but my head wasn't fully clear until after lunch. I wasted an hour or more simmering away.

cc87

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdcXKrpbnrM

Robert T

cc87 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdcXKrpbnrM

I received the Andy Puddicombe Guide To Meditation and Mindfulness book for Christmas and would highly recommend it to anyone using Headspace, it helps give some further information on the purpose meditation and why the app's sessions are designed the way they are.

Hanley

Robert T wrote: »

I received the Andy Puddicombe Guide To Meditation and Mindfulness book for Christmas and would highly recommend it to anyone using Headspace, it helps give some further information on the purpose meditation and why the app's sessions are designed the way they are.

Sweeeeeeet that 'll be my next read.

Jimmy Iovine

I did day 4 of the Headspace trial there and I almost nodded off completely when I was supposed to be counting my breaths. Don't know if I was doing it right with that. I had my headphones in and I couldn't tell if it had finished or if it was still going.

Precious flower

Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube is quite good as well, I really enjoy her style of yoga.:) Eating well, exercising and mediating are all things I am trying at the moment to lessen my anxiety symptoms.

pinkstars

Just signed up for Headpace subscription - love to hear how people are getting on!!!

pinkstars

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

I went to the library and took out the Kabat-Zinn book. I'm going to try and get through it over the next few weeks. Many thanks.

I used Headspace for the second day in a row today. I had the most amazing feeling at the end of the 10 minutes. My mind felt so uncluttered.

I know about NLP through reading about it and talking to my dad. Has anyone ever used it, or another method, to clear your head when an issue arises.

I felt enlightened at 8:30 this morning. That was replaced by a feeling of rage and contempt for the world by 10:30 after I finished the last episode of "Making a Murderer" and got a phone call from the car garage to say that my car needs to be fixed at a cost of €1,250.

I needed to do work but my head wasn't fully clear until after lunch. I wasted an hour or more simmering away.

Do you mind me asking what Jon Kabat Zinn book?

Hanley

pinkstars wrote: »

Just signed up for Headpace subscription - love to hear how people are getting on!!!

Think I'm 40ish days on the trot now. Brilliant decision

pinkstars

Worrying now that I spent too much money on subscription and feeling bad. Urgh

Mellor

I never read through this thread until now. My initial thoughts were that no I don't meditate. But the more I think about it, I suppose I do. Albeit in my own way.

I do a lot of stretching, yoga type stuff at home. I'm not particular flexible, so spending relatively long sets in An awkward position involves me zoning out and focus nothing but my breathing.

Regarding listening to meditation sounds/noise in bed. I tried one app but found the noises very "obvious". Would try again if a good app was recomended.
I still find the best way for me to relax at night is to read a book. I might get 2 pages read or 50 pages. But when I'm out, I'm out in seconds.

Mr. CooL ICE

I'm 5 days into the Headspace trial. I'm determined to get it working for me. I really scoffed at the idea of meditation beforehand but reading this thread and what it does for people made me realise how wrong I was all along.

My thoughts are horribly unfocused and my attention span is terrible. It made studying during college a near-impossible task and makes me unproductive in work. Hell, even while training, it has made me miss the most basic of cues. If I could even increase my focus by 10%, it would be a massive improvement for me.

YFlyer

I practice Transcendental Meditation for 23 years.

pinkstars

YFlyer wrote: »

I practice Transcendental Meditation for 23 years.

What's this exactly?

YFlyer

pinkstars wrote: »

What's this exactly?

It's a mental technique where the person uses a mantra to innocently and effortlessly allow the mind to settle down. The mind becomes fully alert and the body get deep rest, deeper than sleep. It's a forth state of consciousness that is different to waking, dreaming or sleeping. Stresses are released resulting in a number of health benefits.

Mellor

YFlyer wrote: »

The mind becomes fully alert and the body get deep rest, deeper than sleep. It's a forth state of consciousness that is different to waking, dreaming or sleeping. Stresses are released resulting in a number of health benefits.

Has the claim of being "deeper than sleep" backed up by test? In the past, people were free to make those claims and there was little available to validate (or refute) it. But it should be fairly simple with modern technology.
Same situation for health benefits. Any research to show these health benefits, or to highlight exactly what benefits exist?

Hanley

Mellor wrote: »

Has the claim of being "deeper than sleep" backed up by test? In the past, people were free to make those claims and there was little available to validate (or refute) it. But it should be fairly simple with modern technology.
Same situation for health benefits. Any research to show these health benefits, or to highlight exactly what benefits exist?

You only really get meditation once you've meditated for a while tbh.

Pseudo scientific arguments to refute it aren't hard to create, but I'd put money on it being like bodybuilding in the 60s / 70s. It'll take science years to back up and "prove" what those practicing it already know thru empirical observation.

Mellor

Hanley wrote: »

You only really get meditation once you've meditated for a while tbh.

Pseudo scientific arguments to refute it aren't hard to create, but I'd put money on it being like bodybuilding in the 60s / 70s. It'll take science years to back up and "prove" what those practicing it already know thru empirical observation.

My comments weren't aimed at meditating, but rather the specific claims by that particular organisation. In particular, "deeper than sleep" sounds a bit flakey to me. In particular because it was coined years before anyone had the means to measure consciousness.

And, if those claims end up being tacked-on pseudo-science, that only refutes those claims specifically. I've no doubt that mediation is beneficial. I'm just not convinced about all the claims.

Have you done it? Transcendental meditation that is.

Hanley

Mellor wrote: »

My comments weren't aimed at meditating, but rather the specific claims by that particular organisation. In particular, "deeper than sleep" sounds a bit flakey to me. In particular because it was coined years before anyone had the means to measure consciousness.

And, if those claims end up being tacked-on pseudo-science, that only refutes those claims specifically. I've no doubt that mediation is beneficial. I'm just not convinced about all the claims.

Have you done it? Transcendental meditation that is.

Haven't done a TM training course but its on my radar. Heard a lot of good things from it (Tim Ferriss and Arnie love it) and Sarah was on a mindfulness course recently with some TM students and they were singing its praises too.

Getting into a really deep state with conventional meditation does feel like a different level of consciousness. It's really hard to explain. It's like the breaks have been taken off and solutions / ideas just come to you.

Confucius say

Close to a year now meditating nearly every day. My advice is not to think about your progress too much and approach each session innocently without judging your performance afterwards.
Why is this in the fitness forum?