Hello All, Now this is probably going to be a really silly question but I'm going to risk being laughed at here. What exactly is meditation and how do you do it? Are there any particular exercises that would benefit us whilst going hard mode? I have never really thought about meditation during my whole existence and I'm 35, but lots of people mention it and it seems like a minefield. In particular I am just curious how you do it and what benefits can it bring? Thanks for your help.
Believe it or not, meditation is contrary to what exists on the internet as your standard preconceptions. Meditation is not deep or profound thought. Mediation is emptying your mind. It is both NOTHING and EVERYTHING. Meditation is stillness, the stillness of the mind. When you meditate you simply just REALISE the truth. I meditate ten minutes before bed time. It involves thinking about jack-shit and observing my breathing patterns. Inhale-exhale - that's it. No mumbo jumbo.
Simply speaking you just need to find a quiet place, sit in comfortable position, focus on your breath and observe your thoughts. Yes, easier said than done. Practice makes perfect. My favourite guide: http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate And if you're still wondering if you should give it a try, check this out: http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/05/100-benefits-of-meditation/ Just remember not to meditate for benefits. Meditate to meditate.
+1000, when you eat you just eat, when you sleep you just sleep, when you meditate you just meditate. Sounds simple yet 99.9% of people don't do this when they meditate.
A common beginner approach, is to simply focus your awareness to your breath. Sit in ideally a quiet place, keep a straight back, and close your eyes. Depending on your comfort level, sitting on the edge of a chair is a good choice, something the traditional sitting can cause discomfort. Simply follow your breathing from the moment you inhale, to the moment you exhale. Feel it, experience it, and be aware of it. Now, the tricky part. Your mind will wonder. Thoughts will spring up. "I'm hungry", "oh yea that tv's shows on tonight".. that kind of thing. The key of meditation is to than to return your thoughts back to the breath as soon as you catch yourself distracted. Now you may think, gosh I'm bad at this. As long as you try to focus on the breath, catch yourself, and immerse yourself in the process, it can work wonders. Theres a reason it's a practice that's been around for thousands of years. Start small, maybe like a minute. Get in a consistant routine, than maybe work your way up to 5. Hope that helps a little, if you have any questions, I'd be happy to get into more depth on specifics, but the internet and books have plenty out there
Thanks so much everyone, exactly answered my question. It reminds me of sometimes walking to work all anxious about the day ahead. In my mind I would try to clear my head on my there and afterwards on my way back. On my way there I would hope I would have a good day and on my way back I would be thankful the day is over. I made a few changes since them days and I'm sure the anxiousness increased my PMO activity at the time as it would get my frustrations out. I don't think like that so much now anyway because I have since changed a few things at work, but I will try this just to relax me for the day ahead and see if I can be more aware of myself each day. Thanks everyone.
I also find meditation helpful. I use yoga to help prepare myself for the meditation phase. Essentially what everyone else is saying with 25 minutes of stretching with a focus on breathing. The yoga helps me avoid thinking about my sore back or whatever. To clear my mind in the meditation phase focus on breathing evenly and acknowledge the thoughts that drift into your mind and then let them go by refocusing on breathing.
