[crassT]

2 questions if you don't mind.

Firstly, why do you think it's worth it and do you notice a substantial difference in your life when you stop for whatever reason?

Secondly every time I read something like this, or talk to people that meditate, it seems extremely unscientific and filled with subjective analysis. Can you point me to something that would convince me that it has real world benefits, past that of taking a nap, or stopping for 45 minutes to think about your day/life.

[ph4]

It's worth it to me because I have seen significant shifts in my baseline sensory clarity, concentration, and equanimity. These improvements benefit everything I do every moment of the day.

There is a lot of scientific research on meditation underway. You might want to check out the IONS Meditation Bibliography to see if any of the studies interest you: http://noetic.org/meditation-bibliography/bibliography-info/

[funkjunky]

try doing your own experiment and just do it, I'm pretty sure you can find 20 minutes a day to set aside for it. The first thing that you will notice is that it is TOUGH, but after several weeks you'll start to gain moments of clarity and eventually it will "click" and you'll get it. Or it wont, and you can just move on

[crassT]

Actually since this thread I've been doing 30-45 minutes a day as an experiment. I have done meditation before alone and with a group, but never to this extent. While it's far too early to comment on how it's going without bias, I can say I have noticed several personal improvements that I believe I can attribute to the meditation. These mostly stem from applying mindfulness to my everyday life, which seems to be different to your experiences, but then again it has only been 2 weeks.

So far I find it more than worth the time investment, and at this point the 45 minutes flys by.