No.5302
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAVPDYhW_nwDoes anyone have any experience with meditation or mindfulness?
Ive been seeing it again and again and it *supposedly, i havent checked myself** studies show it can help you focus better and reduce overstimulation from the outside world.
As someone who has struggled my entire life being overstimulated by everything, and who has felt my anxiety increase and my ability to focus drop over the past few years, I wonder if i should try meditating. Leaving aside all of the spiritual aspects, and leaving aside all of the stemlord objections, are there tangible benefits? Did anyone try?
How do i properly do it? For how long?
Thank you.
No.5324
At least you will improve your patience and focus, that's the minimum what trying to stay with the breath does. This kind of concentration brings some calm and relaxation because you stop churning your anxious or unpleasant thoughts for a while.
Other benefits I've observed during the last years are:
– the increased ability to "step back" and disengage from some overwhelming emotions or obsessive thoughts (I had strong obsessions before, not anymore);
– automatically becoming mindful and making your breath more comfortable in stressful situations (helps your body to relax because the stress causes strained breath);
– being able to catch "subtle" thoughts flying through the mind without verbalization, kind of peek into your subconscious processes;
– some long-forgotten memories coming up.
Basically, meditation is looking at your mind and getting to know it better day by day. Focusing on the breath creates a "still spot" from where you can observe all its movements without being carried away by them because you have your breath as an anchor.
Start with 7-15 minutes daily, see if you can push it further without straining yourself too much. Guided meditation is everywhere now, I recommend this one for a start:
https://www.dhammatalks.org/mp3_guidedMed_index.html"Headspace" is ok too but it's more commercialized with all the theme-based courses. But avoid the "accept everything, just be here now" Western McMindfulness – it's a waste of time, the mind should be more proactive during the meditation (see the attached book for some theory).
No.5730
>>5324I just started the free trial of headspace, and its been good so far, I am more focused and can sit for more than 10minutes in one place, but I don't intend to buy that stuff once the trial is over. Tried a video you linked, its good but its really hard for me imagine breath moving through different parts of the body, I guess that will come with time.
No.5761
>>5730Probably observing breath at one spot would be the best for now. The sensitivity to both breath and body will grow eventually.
No.6340
Rev Left Radio had an episode on meditation with Michael Brooks a while ago. I never tried out any of the stuff they talked about, but it was a good episode and some stuff may be helpful.
https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/meditation-materialism-and-marxism No.6341
>>5324Based buddhist anon. I am still appreciative of your answers the other day.
No.6446
Letting you know that there is a Lucid Dreaming thread that has meditation guides
No.6825
>>6341Aw, thanks!
>>6347Doubts here, otherwise rich and successful people would be happier by default. Instead they are doing drugs and having "I should buy a boat" existential crises.
Also, aging, illness, death, loss of loved ones will still exist in the communist future. Eliminating capitalism would improve the baseline for everybody but it's similar how therapy can bring you from a depression to the ordinary level of (un)happiness. Meditation can take you beyond the ordinary and towards the unconditioned happiness by changing how your mind perceives the world, stress, pain.
Anyway, after capitalism is gone, everybody will have enough free time to meditate 2h+/day.
No.6826
>>6825>picWhat an absolute unit!
No.12767
>>5302How does one get into meditation? I just meditate one day and forget to do it the next day.
No.12768
>>12767Try to keep a schedule, it'll get uncomfrotable but after a week or two you'll be so used to taking 10-20 minutes off to sit still and meditate that you'll do it with ease.
No.12770
>>12768As cringe as it sounds, I downloaded an app. I hope it helps. I've been getting increasingly worse anxiety since I stopped my casual meditation 8 years ago. It's reaching a very uncomfortable point where even office work is becoming unbearable. I have stopped smoking weed completely because of my anxiety too.
No.12772
>>12770It's not cringe m8, just do your thing (though keep that phone off while meditating)
No.12777
>>5302https://zmm.org/teachings-and-training/meditation-instructions/Just do zazen and mindfulness on your own, it's difficult when you start but just keep at it. Be careful not to fall into any buddhist trap of making you pray and chant towards "deities" and shit, which is a danger with these guided meditations. If they say something to the effect of "light washing over you", end it there. Zazen meditation is compatible with atheism, other religions, anarchism, communism, etc. because it is all about you learning more about yourself, your mind, and so on. I mean, Zen is of course a religion, with structure, priests, hierarchy, blah blah blah, but the cool part is you don't need to take part or learn any of that if you don't want to, and still get the benefits of zazen.
I attached some Crazy Cloud poetry for your reading pleasure.
No.13516
is it normal to experience false sense of epiphany and generic smugness after meditation?
I'll be quite honest : I don't believe in Buddhist/Hindi bullshit in wishing good well on all the living beings and am exclusively focusing on breathings and disassociation from my own emotions because that's what was recommended on book 10% happier.
I think using meditation to calm my nerve has been beneficial but not sure if I am being ineffective / self-delusional by not following more traditional apprach
No.13608
>>5302>are there tangible benefits? Did anyone try?I'm practicing regularly for around half a year by now; I managed to develop sort of a reflex that often when I'm lost in thought or strong emotions, my mind yanks itself out of it and lets me observe what's going on more impartially.
On the other hand, while my "field" practice (when riding a tram, walking alone, etc) has improved, I feel stuck or even regressing in my practice "on cushion", my peak was around half an hour daily, but nowadays I can barely sit 15 minutes. I wish I had a proper teacher, but alas, the quarantine doesn't make this easy (I've been attending Theravada online meetings though).
>How do i properly do it? For how long?For me a turning point was reading "Mastering the core teachings of the Buddha" (
https://www.mctb.org ), it was very refreshing to read someone describe samadhi and vipassana in detail, without the usual obscurantism, and with warnings about what you're getting yourself into (especially the "dark night of the soul" deserves mention, people generally don't like talking about potential negative consequences of following a spiritual path)
It's rather low on practical instructions though, for me helpful were Leigh Brasington's "Right Concentration" (for samadhi) and Yates&Immergut&Graves "The Mind Illuminated" (for vipassana).
No.13609
>>13516I think you might be experiencing a jhana (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhy%C4%81na_in_Buddhism ), I mean in the second sense given on wiki (high concentration state).
From what I know the opinions on deliberately aiming for jhanas are mixed, some people think it's a waste of time, but tbqh it's not like your third eye would go blind from a bit of literal mental onanism.
You could always try some "insight" rather than "concentration" focused practice for a change (more or less, taking in sensations as they come and go, rather than focusing on something in particular) and see how it goes.
No.13610
>>12777Just to offer a counterpoint: I'm this
>>13608 anon, and I have tried doing zazen without a teacher a couple years before, and it ended up being a complete and utter waste of time for me. I'm sure it would be better with a teacher, but for self-study I would personally not recommend a tradition that has a bee in their bonnet about speaking clearly and explaining theory. Of course, to each their own, maybe some people handle this style of teaching better.
No.13614
>>6347>just take happy pills broThe absolute state of fuck yeah science redditors.
No.16784
>>12744>>12747>>12748>>12749Is that from /fringe/ ? I recall seeing a big thread on unusual meditation methods and was never able to recover it after the fall of 8chan but it seemed the board went down before then.
No.20994
MEDITATE
No.30966
>>12744>>12746>>12747>>12748>>12749>>19384 I remember this /x/ stuff from 8chan. Funny to see it again.
No.31754
What are you supposed to do with your eyes? I try to relax them but I can feel the muscles tensing.
No.31791
I havent built up the habit but I have done various forms of meditation. It has been time and time again proven effective.
>Awareness meditation aka mindfulness meditation is bringing your focus to your breathe or your heart beat or your movements and other sensory experiences without analyzing them
>zen meditation seems nearly impossible since it's goal is to have a blank mind
>metta meditation aka loving kindness meditation aka compassion meditation is an exercise in compassion and love for others and empathy building by imagining taking in someone's hardships and pain and breathing out love
>transcendental meditation is just doing a personal mantra chanting it and focus on the vibrations
TM is what brought meditation to the west and I heard it's basically a money making scam by the organization behind it where you chant a personal mantra given to you but the mantra is basically same for everyone. While i have heard interesting experiences with TM it doesnt work in studies like other meditation forms do and zen often doesnt perform well either compared to metta meditation for enhanced capacity to empathize and awareness meditation for general wellbeing. There also are forms made by psychologists such as autogenic training (iirc) which i find quite easy to learn. It involves imagining your arms and legs getting warm and heavy. It's meant as a exercise to train yourself to go into relaxation on your own command quickly.
No.33911
>>21721>Advaita VedantaIs a school not a technique
No.33912
>>12749>getting rid of your fear of shit being thrown at youGenius
No.33934
>>13516I exclusively meditate for that sense of smugness to be perfectly honest
No.33939
>>33934In a guide to meditation by David Brandon, the says people start meditating for a variety of reasons, one of which is to kick spiritual sand in the face of others. I guess you could say that's smugness. But he says any reason is a good one if it gets you started, and the reasons often change anyway, as you get into it.
No.33940
>>33939Originally I wanted to be able to get to sleep better. When I tell people about the Dao they just think I am a bit mad.
No.34064
>>5324>>33940Now I remember it was this book as well years ago that I used. Small world.
No.34065
>>31754Someone answer pls
No.34066
>>34065I'm sorry but I skipped that step. Third eye and all that. Or maybe I am just talking smack, who the hell knows.
No.34141
Today's meditation: Why I am the smartest and everyone else is an idiot
No.34169
Anyone know what's the best material on Hakuin?
No.34304
Are there any guided meditations that are not this ancient wisdom esoteric bullshit but futuristic transhuman esoteric bullshit?
No.34623
>>34141Today's meditation: why the fuck can't I focus on work as I chain smoke cigarettes next to the trashcan at work.
No.34649
What is the materialist explanation for OBEs, ego death and all the other cool shit meditation and psychedelics do for you?
No.34650
>>34141Important meditation
No.35042
>>31789Seems interesting anon, thank ya
No.38009
>>33942Wait. Who's this guy? He has meditation and capitalist critique theory on his channel wtf?
>>34304Well, there's this
>>5324 and
>>33942This second guy seems to be a communist and has guided mediations on his channel.
No.38076
Day 2 of failing to meditate. God damn. You'd think doing nothing for 5 minutes would be easy.
>>38010What can one expect after, say, reaching first jhana? People write as if you'll have complete control over your mind and simply have unshakeable willpower, but it doesn't sound realistic. The book even describes witnessing "ultimate truth". While I've had deeply spiritual experiences that one might describe as that, I also think such experiences can easily lead one astray.
More than anything, what can I expect as a casual meditator?
No.38084
Day 1. Just finished my first 15 minutes. Crazy what the brain wanders off into. A tiny psychedelic experience. Tried to maintain focus. Crazy how little I let my mind idle during the day. No wonder I'm a nervous wreck lol.
👍 looking forward for the next 15 minutes. I'm following this book
>>38010 (thanks anon). It suggest 1-2 hours a day (at least the quick skim I read said so) but I'm shooting to complete the first step, which is to make meditation a daily habit. I'm comfortable with committing to 15 minutes daily.
Anyone else doing meditation?
No.38508
Meditating more than 20 minutes has been very challenging. I can only do 20 min sustainably. It's been almost a month of near daily meditation. So far, I have seen no obvious benefit but I do feel a bit more chill.
I feel like my mind is scattered. Might even be something like ADD or some shit like that. I'm trusting that there will be a bit of a decrease of this judging by the people who swear by meditation, but really just going on hope since I don't feel substantially different.
The only nice thing about being very aware of meditation is that I'm more likely to do a small, 30 second meditation during the day if I'm feeling anxious or stressed and it really helps. I also feel I'm getting better at relaxing and focusing.
I'll report back later.
No.38509
>>38508Anything longer than 15 minutes and I fall asleep…
No.38511
>>38509Have you tried meditating on a chair without touching the back?
Learning to not fall asleep is an advanced step of progress in this book
>>38010I also get sleepy and sometimes doze off but usually the uncomfortable position I end up in wakes me up. If I'm sleep deprived it can happen often during those 20 minutes.
No.38519
>>38511I can't do it unsupported, I can sit for like a minute before my back starts to hurt.
No.38521
>>38519Oof, gotta work on that homie.
Another technique I was taught by a japanese Buddhist monk is to semi close your eyes. This helps with staying awake and wandering off a bit.
No.38535
>>38519sign of spine/disk problems likely. You need to stretch and also start doing exercises that strengthen your back and lower back in particular
No.38542
Did a meditation waiting at the bank. The bank has a turn system, so I opened my eyes each time a turn was called, then closed them immediately, until it was my turn. It wasn't even that long but the effect was more profound than my morning meditations. I felt calm, content, joyful. There were some rich ladies complaining about the customer service at the bank. I couldn't help but laugh. It was so amusing.
>>38535Could also be the psoas. The back is a bitch. If anon can't sit in a chair for even a minute, then they really need to put in effort to work on that ASAP.
No.38830
Meditate daily mofos
No.39428
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
Namu amida butsu
[infernal screeching]
No.39443
Remember the red mist is your friend, it helps in decision-making.
Unique IPs: 28