Anyone use meditation?

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  • Mslmesq
    Mslmesq Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Two good books: Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana and Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Actually, anything by Jon Kabata -Zinn. Or Tara Brach.

    Tai Chi is also a meditative form of martial arts. Yoga is also good.

    Simple meditation exercise, sit cross legged and breathe. Just listen to your breath go in and out. Focus only on your breath.

    Simple awareness exercise to stay in the moment. Pay attention to and focus on your senses. Ask yourself in the moment, what do I see? What do I hear? What do I smell? What do I feel or touch? Etc.

    Good for you. Mindfulness and metitation takes practice. One can get better at it. The positive effects are astronomical. And mindfulness can be applied to eating as well.
  • Leesseebee
    Leesseebee Posts: 216
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    I am not sure where you are from but you might consider looking to see if there is vipassana in your area-it is a ten day free meditation course and I recently got back and it was a wonderful experience and has helped me get into meditation
  • ChristineinMA
    ChristineinMA Posts: 312 Member
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    My recommendations? These items have helped me tremendously

    http://www.amazon.com/The-Mindful-Way-Through-Depression/dp/1593851286 <
    includes a CD with meditations by Jon Kabat-Zinn

    http://www.amazon.com/Savor-Mindful-Eating-Life/dp/0061697702/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377784484&sr=1-2&keywords=savor#_ <
    almost anything by Thich Nhat Hahn is awesome

    www.self-compassion.org <
    low-budget recordings of guided meditations
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    Try this: http://eserv.co.uk/irl2/how-to-meditate-a-guide-for-beginners/

    :)
  • stringsnthings
    stringsnthings Posts: 11 Member
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    I use binaural beat meditation audio which is free on youtube. It calms my anxieties really well
  • amanduh9911
    amanduh9911 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thank you all for all the feedback!! I am very excited to look into all the recommendations. I also do plan to start Yoga as well! =) I love hearing your stories of success with the things you all have tried. I have spent most of my morning researching and I am so hopeful that I will find something that works for me! =) I really do appreciate all the feedback!
  • amanduh9911
    amanduh9911 Posts: 16 Member
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    The 10 days sound amazing I just know I could not leave my little boy for that long. =)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    If you do yoga, please make sure to take classes before trying on your own or with DVDs.

    Meditation you can learn on your own if necessary, but you can injure yourself doing yoga wrong.

    Anyway, if there is a Buddhist center or anything nearby, likely any meditation "classes" would be free, though they might request a donation of your choosing IF you want to give it.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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    yep, booze makes me meditate
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    OP...it's not a simple thing. The first thing you need to identify is what you want to get out of your meditation. Different forms of meditation will provide you with differnt results and outcomes. But even then...it's not that easy...someone looking for more spiritual enlightenment may try hatha yoga...but may ultimately determine that zazen provides them with the spiritual discipline they are looking for. It's really about trial and error and finding what fits.

    Myself, I practice tai chi and quigong for general well being, increased energy, mental tranquility, to combat insomnia and get a more "healing" sleep, improved circulation, it leaves me feeling joyful...almost giddy kind of high all day, and greater spiritual awareness. Of course, these are only my experiences...your mileage may vary.
  • olymp1a
    olymp1a Posts: 1,766 Member
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    Forget about DVDs audios or anything else. Find a local Vipassana retreat and go there for 10 days. It is completely free (you donate money only after you have complete one and only if you really want to, no pressure whatsoever) and trust me, it works wonders! It is hard because it's 10 days, 9 of which you don't speak to anyone, but I can't even put in words what you will experience and how amazing you will feel after.
    I'd just like to point out that not everyone can get away for 10 days at a time. So while this is a lovely thing if you can, it isn't helpful advice to anyone who can't.

    I am working full time and have lots of responsibilities. Instead of taking my annual leave and go on holidays to a beach resort, I used these days for the meditation retreat. It all depends, how much you are willing to do something about yourself, because this is what meditation is, paying attention to yourself and digging deeper. :)
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    this is one of my favorite techniques. i got it from a book about dreams. the idea of this is to raise awareness of your dreams by practising mindfulness. it's really just a mindfulness technique that you could apply to anything.

    everytime you pass through a doorway, touch the doorframe and say to yourself (silently is fine): "Am I dreaming?" You could swap out anything else in there, like "Am I focusing?" "Am I mindful?" "What am I thinking/feeling at this moment?"

    try it and see how hard it is to remember to do that EVERYTIME you pass through a door. :laugh: i had a lot of trouble with it at first. once you get in the habit, though, you can really start training your mind to pay attention. you could even change the trigger if you want to.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
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    I am looking into meditation and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for where to start? I am looking for something to help with mind, body and spirit. Something to help with my anxiety and possibly change my mindset and help me get more motivated and on track with fitness. I have never done anything like this so I am not sure if I need dvd's or some kind of audio. Any suggestions?

    meditation for ME is nothing more than "zoning out" in relaxation. i "meditate" a few times a day... in the morning when i'm having my cup of coffee on my balcony-- i watch the sky, listen to the birds, let my mind go where it wills. when i'm cooking-- i am soooooo relaxed when i'm cooking. in the shower-- its as if i have no memory of being in the shower, i just "zone out" and again, let my mind go where it goes. even spending a couple hours before bed on the couch, watching the history channel.

    i have struggled with anxiety disorder along with depression my entire life, and have a strong family history of it. even lost my father to suicide. i am no "meditation" expert but these things as exampled above feel like meditation to me. if i am SO busy that i don't do these things for a few days, i will lose my mind. maybe you just need to incorporate those "moments" throughout your day of peace and uninterruption. that may be easier said than done for a lot of people, but i find that having these moments incorporated into my schedule is much more beneficial than trying to "meditate" in the "traditional" sense i guess. i've tried it, and it didn't stick with me.
  • Vajrayoginigirl
    Vajrayoginigirl Posts: 10
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    I've meditated for the past 16 years. It is amazing. If you go to this website, you can type in your nearest big town to you. They may have classes there. http://kadampa.org Enjoy! It's the most amazing things you'll ever do. (As well as looking after you physical body!)

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