I used meditation in college as a student-athlete mainly to learn how to relax during 800 and 1500m races. Many people believe that in order to run fast you have tense your muscles and push harder but the opposite is true. When you relax and concentrate on your form and breathing the speed flows right through you.
Haven't used it in quite a while but when I did it brought a nice balance to things. Good focus, a gentle calm, better stress management, etc. Nothing mystical. Just healthy benefits.
| For the study, participants were taught to meditate by focusing on the sensation of their breathing, acknowledging and dismissing any stray thoughts that popped into their heads.
For those who do practice meditation, what are other techniques that are effective to you?
It's worth spending a bit of time reading on, as I find the descriptions here to be overly superficial, perhaps largely because meditation is more defined by what you do not do, than what you do. It's also worth noting that there are many types of meditation. Years ago I read "Buddhism without Beliefs" (on "agnostic Buddhism"). Bullshitty as the title may sound, the major thing that I came away with was a decent meditation practice that I stuck to for a few months.
Sadly, I've found even for those convinced of meditation's benefits, like exercise, knowing you should do it doesn't mean you do.
As a side note, the all time best quote on meditation, from Tom Robbins' Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates:
"Meditation hasn't got a damn thing to do with anything, 'cause all it has to do with is nothing. Nothingness. Okay? It doesn't develop the mind, it dissolves the mind. Self-improvement? Forget it, baby. It erases the self. Throws the ego out on its big brittle ass. What good is it? Good for nothing. Excellent for nothing. Yes, Lord, but when you get down to nothing, you get down to ultimate reality. It's then and exactly then that you're sensing the true nature of the universe, you're linked up with the absolute Absolute, son, and unless you're content with blowing smoke up your butt all your life, that there's the only place to be."
The article describes the basics of vipassana (insight) meditation. The same description applies to zazen, the meditation practice in Zen. I believe it is actually the basis for all meditative practice.
You can layer on certain guided thoughts (like mantras and chants), but meditative practice is more powerful the simpler it is. You must strip away as much as possible -- to just sit and bring the body, breath, and mind into sync using breath focus and an aware non-judgmental mind. There are many books written on the subject; I can personally recommend Mindfulness in Plain English (free version at http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html).
Meditation of this form is key to transforming your entire life. It is the gateway or pathway you can use to find and accept your true self and see yourself and your life for what it is. It is how you truly see that you cannot escape the present moment and that you have the full ability to choose how you relate to it. Sogyal Rinpoche says it better than I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tIBYxed16s.
I sit on a cushion for fifteen minutes or so, sitting cross-legged so that my back is relatively straight and my knees keep the whole posture relatively stable.
Beyond that, it's just sitting and observing. If (ok, when) I notice my focus has drifted and I'm getting caught up in thoughts, I stop feeding into them and return focus to my breath, posture, and surroundings.
It can be dreadfully boring, but when I do it periodically, it really does help - like taking the lid off a pot on the verge of boiling over. (It's an especially direct way to train your mind to stay focused, too.)
There's a decent chapter about sitting meditation in Brad Warner's _Hardcore Zen_, which I also recommend because it isn't a bunch of new-age-y sunshine and lollipops. (Looking at a lot of other Western books on Buddhism, you'd think Zen had antioxidants or something.)
That description of meditation uses terms which cause a lot of confusion. Focusing on anything leads to problems. Dismissing thoughts leads to repression and unconscious expression of the thoughts. The way my teacher puts it is "rest in the experience of breathing." That means fostering awareness of every aspect of experience: the physical, the emotional and the mental.
As for "effective," if you practice with any hope for improving your life, you're likely to end up disappointed. That said, I do two hours of dzogchen meditation a day, one hour when I've just gotten up, and one just before bed. This allows me to be highly functional on five hours of sleep a night. (I've always gotten about five hours of sleep a night, but this allows me to function that way) and has opened up a world of new possibilities in emotional awareness and emotional regulation. It does force awareness of the pressing problems in life, which is uncomfortable, but better, in the long run, than ignorance.
It is supposedly a transcript from the buddha discources.
There is nothing "spiritual" about it and is very systematic (basically lists of what to do) and worded very carefully. Most practaces I have gone to seem to lack the precice details.
Here is the main part, sorry for the length, but I tried to summarise and it would not do.
"Now how is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit?
"There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore.[1] Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out. "
"[1] Breathing in long, he discerns that he is breathing in long; or breathing out long, he discerns that he is breathing out long. [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns that he is breathing in short; or breathing out short, he discerns that he is breathing out short. [3] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the entire body,[2] and to breathe out sensitive to the entire body. [4] He trains himself to breathe in calming bodily fabrication (the breath),[3] and to breathe out calming bodily fabrication.
"[5] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to rapture, and to breathe out sensitive to rapture. [6] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to pleasure, and to breathe out sensitive to pleasure. [7] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication (feeling & perception), and to breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication. [8] He trains himself to breathe in calming mental fabrication,[4] and to breathe out calming mental fabrication.
"[9] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the mind, and to breathe out sensitive to the mind. [10] He trains himself to breathe in satisfying the mind, and to breathe out satisfying the mind. [11] He trains himself to breathe in steadying the mind, and to breathe out steadying the mind. [12] He trains himself to breathe in releasing the mind, and to breathe out releasing the mind.[5]
"[13] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on inconstancy, and to breathe out focusing on inconstancy. [14] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on dispassion [literally, fading], and to breathe out focusing on dispassion. [15] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on cessation, and to breathe out focusing on cessation. [16] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on relinquishment, and to breathe out focusing on relinquishment.
I have not practiced in a long time, but the core idea of mindfulness meditation is to enjoy the "right here right now". If focusing on your breath isn't for you, you can focus on something else that puts you in that state, like closing your eyes and simply listening to the sounds around you.
This should help in quieting your inner monologue. When you find your brain trying to restart that monologue, just acknowledge that it happened and refocus. Remember not to think of these events as somehow being bad or failing since then you are dwelling on the past, just refocus without judging.
That's the essence of mindfulness meditation (the technique used in the paper). There's a completely different school that requires the use of mantras like "om" etc. Transcendental meditation is an example of a mantra-based technique. For myself, I find the mindfulness approach more useful and grounded than the mantra approach. There are also more active techniques such as tai chi, qi gong and yoga but they only qualify as "meditation" if they're done with a very conscious and meditative mindset.
I have been burning birthday candles in little wooden heart shaped blocks. (drill 1/4" hole) They take about 20 minutes, and provide just enough structure and "accomplishment" to keep up the practice. I usually do this in the morning before dressing.
Initially, I would count breaths and see how long I could go without thinking about anything. Over time (years), the "water got clearer" and I usually spend the time drilling deep down to see how I am "really" feeling. It's like practice so I remember to do that throughout the day, and feels like a natural consequence of quieting your thoughts.
As for reading, I recommend "Three Pillars of Zen" to hear about other people's experiences with enlightenment, and www.101zenstories.com for koans to contemplate.
Other techniques ? There is only one core technique. Some people do yoga as an adjunct activity. I have an hourly chime that keeps me centered in case I stray. Minimum amount of TV. Walking vs driving. If I have to drive, I stay in the right lane and focus on the sensation of driving instead of pedal to the metal. I throw away stuff or sell them on ebay constantly to keep down the clutter.
Do you mean other meditation techniques? Or other techniques, outside of meditation?
I can't speak to the non-Buddhist traditions, but within Buddhism, there are literally hundreds of different meditation techniques beyond the technique described above.
There's a lot of breath-based techniques, but there are also a lot of techniques that use other objects of meditation. Personally, I find walking meditation to be quite effective, for a change of pace.
I highly recommend http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/discussion as a forum for open and fairly nondogmatic discussion of practice. The existing threads have a huge variety of practice techniques and discussions/diagnosis for their results.
The key to proper meditation is a good view and three well made cocktails. For the view your choices run ocean, mountain, or city. In each case, classy hotel rooftop works well.
For the cocktails, the importance of quality vermouth and bitters cannot be overemphasized. A top notch Americano requires both and will aid you greatly in your meditation.
An equally valid interpretation is that Tolkien rots your brain. This is shoddy science, because their "control" experiment is little more than a fig leaf.
It seems unlikely that Tolkien rots your brain, but I agree that it would have been more useful to compare meditation to just sitting quietly or taking a nap (and to reading Tolkien). I recall some previous studies on meditation found that it didn't make much difference if you were doing specific meditation or just spending some quiet time.
I don't see how that is an equally valid interpretation. In the abstract all they claim is that both meditation and listening to a recorded book improved mood, but only the meditation group improved along other dimensions. It did not note any negative effects from listening to Tolkien. The aim was to have both groups engaged actively on something (meditation vs listening to a recorded book) and to compare the outcomes. Why is that an invalid comparison?
I used to meditate but no longer do since I'm starting to trip (audial/visual hallucinations) very fast and the trip is usually not a good one. It is a very powerful natural psychedelic experience, comparable to third plateau of DXM at least... but controllable, unlike DXM.
They are just another distraction, like any other thought but visual. Just let them go. The bigger a deal you make of them, the harder that will be. Acknowledge them and let them go.
As you progress in your practice you might have spacial and auditory hallucinations too. The same thing applies here. Just let them go.
My wife was raised Buddhist. We talked extensively about the affects of meditation after reading an article on the over-use, abuse and misunderstanding of meditation in some Western mainstream practices. The article covered a few obvious but damaging cases: depressed and marginal personalities attempting to meditate for hours during a first attempt. What struck me when talking about it with my wife is that meditation is a skill; it's something you have to learn to do and something someone else should probably teach you so that you use it responsibly.
Perhaps it's overwhelming those who use dissociative drugs in high doses like yourself. I'm sure it's a good trip for those who have decided that they would rather not drink gallons of cough syrup. http://www.erowid.org/dxm
Its funny, the first time I had a visual hallucination when I was meditating I thought I was watching one of those trippy music visualizations in my mind.
Be aware that there are some reports of these Goenka retreats being cult-like and involving some aspects of brain-washing. Additionally they may force a particular style and experience of meditation.
(I do not wish to start an argument, I am just pointing this out so that readers might be better informed. I have considered going, and did some research online looking for accounts of the experience. I am not decided yet, but time-wise it is not possible for me at the moment.)
I started daily zazen meditation about 6 weeks ago, having tried it on and off before. The effects are subtle but powerful, providing me with patience and a hightened state of relaxed alertness. Combined with Yoga ever other day, it feels great!
I once went to a lecture given by a psychoanalyst who was also a Buddhist. His main point was that Buddhism and analysis were very similar means of self-introspection.
Does anyone here have a perspective on both to share?
Well, oddly enough, I'm midway through an M.A. in Buddhist Studies, and did my undergraduate thesis on psychoanalysis, so, yes, I have a perspective.
I'd argue that the differences between the disciplines outweighs the superficial similarities. If one is so inclined, one can definitely make lists of similarities, and can stretch the interpretation of the doctrines of one field to fit the other, but what would be the point, really?
I'm working on a startup/iPhone app that is tangentially related to meditation. I've been meditating off and on for fifteen years now and as part of the app development I took it up again, as a kind of dogfooding approach. I've successfully used meditation in challenging sport situations (mountaineering, skydiving, swimming) but I've also had moments where everything in my life was going wrong except the meditation. Meditation can help you stay healthy, focussed and relaxed but anyone claiming it will fix your life is a charlatan.
For me as a one who lives in Eastern country and practiced breathing, I can really say that it helps your body and mind. It is far old tradition to practice some kind of breathing(or zen you say, or yoga for more physical). After a few months of daily practice, I myself experienced amazing response of my body.
But never attend classes that has some kind of religious color or ask you to buy some products. They might not be a hoax but some were reported as hoax and made some news in here.
I can say it's true that meditation does help with insomnia. In my case, it has made me sleep easily. Give it some time to relax and breathe, next thing you know you are feeling groggy. I know some serious meditators avoid falling asleep if they want to do these for hours, but it can be a challenge achieving that.
Focusing on breathing is great, I was thought that at meditation class, with more details of course. But it's really important to keep your eyes almost closed, not open nor closed, almost closed. You have to be aware of the world, meditating is not about shutting yourself from the world
I learned to meditate as a child. Independently discovered it you might say. I had no fancy terminology for it, no official system. I just did it. But I agree, it's very very helpful and healthy.
[+] [-] johnohara|15 years ago|reply
Haven't used it in quite a while but when I did it brought a nice balance to things. Good focus, a gentle calm, better stress management, etc. Nothing mystical. Just healthy benefits.
[+] [-] markbao|15 years ago|reply
For those who do practice meditation, what are other techniques that are effective to you?
[+] [-] wheels|15 years ago|reply
Sadly, I've found even for those convinced of meditation's benefits, like exercise, knowing you should do it doesn't mean you do.
http://monkeymindonline.blogspot.com/2008/04/critical-analys...
As a side note, the all time best quote on meditation, from Tom Robbins' Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates:
"Meditation hasn't got a damn thing to do with anything, 'cause all it has to do with is nothing. Nothingness. Okay? It doesn't develop the mind, it dissolves the mind. Self-improvement? Forget it, baby. It erases the self. Throws the ego out on its big brittle ass. What good is it? Good for nothing. Excellent for nothing. Yes, Lord, but when you get down to nothing, you get down to ultimate reality. It's then and exactly then that you're sensing the true nature of the universe, you're linked up with the absolute Absolute, son, and unless you're content with blowing smoke up your butt all your life, that there's the only place to be."
[+] [-] Oxryly|15 years ago|reply
You can layer on certain guided thoughts (like mantras and chants), but meditative practice is more powerful the simpler it is. You must strip away as much as possible -- to just sit and bring the body, breath, and mind into sync using breath focus and an aware non-judgmental mind. There are many books written on the subject; I can personally recommend Mindfulness in Plain English (free version at http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html).
Meditation of this form is key to transforming your entire life. It is the gateway or pathway you can use to find and accept your true self and see yourself and your life for what it is. It is how you truly see that you cannot escape the present moment and that you have the full ability to choose how you relate to it. Sogyal Rinpoche says it better than I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tIBYxed16s.
[+] [-] silentbicycle|15 years ago|reply
Beyond that, it's just sitting and observing. If (ok, when) I notice my focus has drifted and I'm getting caught up in thoughts, I stop feeding into them and return focus to my breath, posture, and surroundings.
It can be dreadfully boring, but when I do it periodically, it really does help - like taking the lid off a pot on the verge of boiling over. (It's an especially direct way to train your mind to stay focused, too.)
There's a decent chapter about sitting meditation in Brad Warner's _Hardcore Zen_, which I also recommend because it isn't a bunch of new-age-y sunshine and lollipops. (Looking at a lot of other Western books on Buddhism, you'd think Zen had antioxidants or something.)
[+] [-] Estragon|15 years ago|reply
As for "effective," if you practice with any hope for improving your life, you're likely to end up disappointed. That said, I do two hours of dzogchen meditation a day, one hour when I've just gotten up, and one just before bed. This allows me to be highly functional on five hours of sleep a night. (I've always gotten about five hours of sleep a night, but this allows me to function that way) and has opened up a world of new possibilities in emotional awareness and emotional regulation. It does force awareness of the pressing problems in life, which is uncomfortable, but better, in the long run, than ignorance.
[+] [-] kindly|15 years ago|reply
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/ati_website/canon/sutta/m...
It is supposedly a transcript from the buddha discources.
There is nothing "spiritual" about it and is very systematic (basically lists of what to do) and worded very carefully. Most practaces I have gone to seem to lack the precice details.
Here is the main part, sorry for the length, but I tried to summarise and it would not do.
"Now how is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit?
"There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore.[1] Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out. "
"[1] Breathing in long, he discerns that he is breathing in long; or breathing out long, he discerns that he is breathing out long. [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns that he is breathing in short; or breathing out short, he discerns that he is breathing out short. [3] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the entire body,[2] and to breathe out sensitive to the entire body. [4] He trains himself to breathe in calming bodily fabrication (the breath),[3] and to breathe out calming bodily fabrication.
"[5] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to rapture, and to breathe out sensitive to rapture. [6] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to pleasure, and to breathe out sensitive to pleasure. [7] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication (feeling & perception), and to breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication. [8] He trains himself to breathe in calming mental fabrication,[4] and to breathe out calming mental fabrication.
"[9] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the mind, and to breathe out sensitive to the mind. [10] He trains himself to breathe in satisfying the mind, and to breathe out satisfying the mind. [11] He trains himself to breathe in steadying the mind, and to breathe out steadying the mind. [12] He trains himself to breathe in releasing the mind, and to breathe out releasing the mind.[5]
"[13] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on inconstancy, and to breathe out focusing on inconstancy. [14] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on dispassion [literally, fading], and to breathe out focusing on dispassion. [15] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on cessation, and to breathe out focusing on cessation. [16] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on relinquishment, and to breathe out focusing on relinquishment.
[+] [-] div|15 years ago|reply
This should help in quieting your inner monologue. When you find your brain trying to restart that monologue, just acknowledge that it happened and refocus. Remember not to think of these events as somehow being bad or failing since then you are dwelling on the past, just refocus without judging.
Edit: you may find this presentation that Jon Kabat-Zinn gave at Google interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc
I also found his audio book "Mindfulness for Beginners" very enjoyable. The second cd contains 2 guided meditations which may help you get started.
[+] [-] GiraffeNecktie|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] waivej|15 years ago|reply
Initially, I would count breaths and see how long I could go without thinking about anything. Over time (years), the "water got clearer" and I usually spend the time drilling deep down to see how I am "really" feeling. It's like practice so I remember to do that throughout the day, and feels like a natural consequence of quieting your thoughts.
As for reading, I recommend "Three Pillars of Zen" to hear about other people's experiences with enlightenment, and www.101zenstories.com for koans to contemplate.
[+] [-] pvdm|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sovande|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] michael_dorfman|15 years ago|reply
I can't speak to the non-Buddhist traditions, but within Buddhism, there are literally hundreds of different meditation techniques beyond the technique described above.
There's a lot of breath-based techniques, but there are also a lot of techniques that use other objects of meditation. Personally, I find walking meditation to be quite effective, for a change of pace.
[+] [-] programnature|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|15 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] rubashov|15 years ago|reply
For the cocktails, the importance of quality vermouth and bitters cannot be overemphasized. A top notch Americano requires both and will aid you greatly in your meditation.
[+] [-] Estragon|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] GiraffeNecktie|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gcheong|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tokenadult|15 years ago|reply
http://norvig.com/experiment-design.html
[+] [-] silentbicycle|15 years ago|reply
Sleeping? Sitting quietly? Playing cards? Deliberately "carrying on" doesn't suggest anything in particular. Tolkein is a funny choice, though.
[+] [-] mannicken|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gojomo|15 years ago|reply
http://www.sfweekly.com/2002-08-28/news/bad-vibes/
So sure, try it, but if it doesn't feel right, don't force it.
[+] [-] xavoy|15 years ago|reply
They are just another distraction, like any other thought but visual. Just let them go. The bigger a deal you make of them, the harder that will be. Acknowledge them and let them go.
As you progress in your practice you might have spacial and auditory hallucinations too. The same thing applies here. Just let them go.
[+] [-] zeraholladay|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] edkennedy|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jayair|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] petervandijck|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] d_c|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] alexkiwi|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] brihas|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kalmar|15 years ago|reply
http://melissamaples.com/how-not-to-do-a-goenka-vipassana-re...
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/criticism/goenka.htm
(I do not wish to start an argument, I am just pointing this out so that readers might be better informed. I have considered going, and did some research online looking for accounts of the experience. I am not decided yet, but time-wise it is not possible for me at the moment.)
[+] [-] akaalias|15 years ago|reply
If anyone is interested, I built this webapp for myself to keep track of my progress. My meditation training can be found at http://stepset.com/habits/efac7b8e-6446-11df-ab99-7f306a906e...
[+] [-] 10ren|15 years ago|reply
This one claims to have the fulltext, but their webpage is broken for me: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/42975499_Mindfulness...
[+] [-] tome|15 years ago|reply
Does anyone here have a perspective on both to share?
[+] [-] michael_dorfman|15 years ago|reply
I'd argue that the differences between the disciplines outweighs the superficial similarities. If one is so inclined, one can definitely make lists of similarities, and can stretch the interpretation of the doctrines of one field to fit the other, but what would be the point, really?
[+] [-] andrewbadera|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] minus1|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yewweitan|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] c1sc0|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kymmx|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|15 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] mkramlich|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] moolave|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Tawheed|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ufomuffin|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Estragon|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] djshah|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] obinine|15 years ago|reply
http://diydharma.org
including a comprehensive howto guide:
http://diydharma.org/how-meditate
[+] [-] mkramlich|15 years ago|reply