Meditation- the easiest ways

[Yomyom]

People are attend to run from themselves, to do everything expect living in the moment.
Meditation brings back the focus to the present and reduce the chatting on your head.

My guess is that meditation effect everyone differently, it's not a Formula

Meditation is not a magic pill, and it's not going to solve your problems, but it can help you by giving you a new approach for life

There's a lot of methods when it comes to meditation, basically any method that brings your awareness back to the present is a meditation.

I have very little experience on trying meditation, but I did a lot of research about it.

My first experience was very weird
After two weeks of practice I nothic that my anxieties level was really down and basically very empty, then my depression got stronger and stronger (I guess to fill the void)
After that I tried couple of different method

I rated them according to their level of lightness (in my opinion).


1) Alan Watts- guied on the Basics of meditation, very funny to hear him explain and guide, after you understand the point you can do it totally alone without a guide



2) mooji- I remember the days I practiced his meditations, it was so wonderful, the philosophy of mooji based on the idea that the mind is empty, the Awareness is pure (I think it's the easiest way to explain it) I think this meditation is a little harder from the first one
Here's an example, you can search in YouTube for more



3) yoga nidra- one of my favorite methods (mostly because you need to lay down, and not moving at all)
This meditation move between several kinds of Awareness levels, very relaxing and wonderful but it's very hard not to fall asleep in the process.
Very recommended!
There's a lot of yoga nidra in YouTube here is one-



(I couldn't find any other good and easy meditation, if you know on one, add it here)

Apps

1) insight timer- free meditation app
With no questioning the best app for meditation, any kind of meditation you ant you can find there, there's a lot of groups For consultation and research (the meditations and the groups are free, but to get access to the courses you'll have to buy a membership)

Insight Timer - Meditation App - Apps on Google Play

Everyday Wellbeing for Sleep, Anxiety and Stress

play.google.com

2) headspace: meditation & sleep
For people who looking for a guide, this is the perfect app, every day 10 minutes, work from the foundation, very good app!

Headspace: Meditation & Sleep - Apps on Google Play

Guided meditations for everyday stress, general anxiety, mental health, wellness

play.google.com

The first ten days is free, for the others you'll have to buy a membership, if you want I downloaded the files of the app from a torrent and you can download it free from here

Gofile - Free Unlimited File Sharing and Storage

Gofile is a free, secure file sharing and storage platform. With unlimited bandwidth and storage, you can easily store and share files of any type without any limits. Our advanced features, such as CDN support and password protection, make Gofile the ideal choice for individuals and businesses...

gofile.io

All the other app I looked for was just fine, not really anything worth trying

Books
I'm not usually read books on this subject but you can visit on library Genesis, they have a lot of books on almost every subject your looking for, and for free
Here is link to meditation books (choose the one that you want)

Library Genesis

Library Genesis is a scientific community targeting collection of books on natural science disciplines and engineering.

libgen.is

If there's anything I missed I'll love to hear about it


Hope you find it useful

 

[Myforevercharlie]

I listen to Jason Stephenson, he's got tons of guided meditations.
He once was an alcoholic who turned his life around, i think he's a huge inspiration.

 

[LivideLamb]

Thanks for sharing all those links and videos !

I started meditating every morning since approximatively two months. I've meet some people who tried to sell me meditation as something that will cure every and any diseases and problems... Sitting still, and listening to silence feel like I have a rock in my chest (just anxiety because my brain make its own background noise). I feel like after some times of practice it has become easier to feel calm when i do it...

I can only encourage people to try it, if it can relax them. Even just a little.

Thanks again for all of those information and i will go straight away listen to some !

 

[BabyYoda]

Ayt, thanks for this.

 

[LuzurPhagget]

Thanks for sharing.

For me, I think of meditation as a sort of training exercise for my mind. I mean, I'm trying to exercise my body, so it only makes sense that I should also exercise my mind.

I spend just over 10 minutes just sitting still and paying attention to my breathing. I like the idea of it "training" my mind to focus and not allowing my thoughts to have control over me. To be honest, I'm not ENTIRELY sure how much of benefit it's been for me, but I have faith/hope it's done SOMETHING for me lol.

I'm trying to experiment with different breathing procedures. One I've seen is breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 and exhale for 8. To be honest, I don't think that's one for me. I actually kind of get a little light-headed! And I've been wearing my fitbit-watch to monitor my heart rate and weirdly, my heart rate actually rises during my meditation! What the hell, shouldn't it go down as it's supposed to be relaxing?? Who would have thought BREATHING would be so fucking complicated?!? lol. So yeah, going to try different techniques. Hopefully I'll find one that's best suited for me.

 

[Yomyom]

Thanks for sharing.

For me, I think of meditation as a sort of training exercise for my mind. I mean, I'm trying to exercise my body, so it only makes sense that I should also exercise my mind.

I spend just over 10 minutes just sitting still and paying attention to my breathing. I like the idea of it "training" my mind to focus and not allowing my thoughts to have control over me. To be honest, I'm not ENTIRELY sure how much of benefit it's been for me, but I have faith/hope it's done SOMETHING for me lol.

I'm trying to experiment with different breathing procedures. One I've seen is breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 and exhale for 8. To be honest, I don't think that's one for me. I actually kind of get a little light-headed! And I've been wearing my fitbit-watch to monitor my heart rate and weirdly, my heart rate actually rises during my meditation! What the hell, shouldn't it go down as it's supposed to be relaxing?? Who would have thought BREATHING would be so fucking complicated?!? lol. So yeah, going to try different techniques. Hopefully I'll find one that's best suited for me.

In breathing meditation the holding of the breath is not really important, the only thing that important is to be totally and fully aware to the breathing the inhale and the exhale
Over time you will learn to control the rhythm of the breath.

I actually kind of get a little light-headed! And I've been wearing my fitbit-watch to monitor my heart rate and weirdly, my heart rate actually rises during my meditation! What the hell, shouldn't it go down as it's supposed to be relaxing??

It's a normal feeling, it's happened to me when I started, I think it's because the mind don't use to be aware and it's a little Scary at the beginning.
The important thing is to release that feeling by focusing on the breath
With time the different will come

 

[Quarky00]

Should have been tagged as [RESOURCE] , very useful! Thanx

Breathing

One I've seen is breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 and exhale for 8. To be honest, I don't think that's one for me.

I found most guided meditations uncomfortable, as it's very personal and per situation . I start with 4-1-6-2 (inhale-hold-exhale-rest in seconds) which appears to be my natural/comfortable , slowly move to 6-2-12-1 and finish with 10-1-16-1 . It's sooooo personal . Wrote myself a simple script with sliders -- I increase by 1-2 seconds where and when I feel I can . The first priority is to keep the breathing in order i.e. same length of inhalation/exhalation every cycle . Secondary is to increase the duration of those .




Pulse/HRV

I've been wearing my fitbit-watch to monitor my heart rate and weirdly, my heart rate actually rises during my meditation! What the hell, shouldn't it go down as it's supposed to be relaxing??

Heart rate does not indicate calmness .. It usually increases because of more oxygen intake (breathing deeper) , use HRV as an indicator .While inhaling , in a relaxed state , my pulse can go up to 90 , when I exhale it's around 65 . HRV is basically where breathing meditation meets psychophysiology.

HRV is the measure of the inconsistent gaps between each heartbeat. High HRV shows proper emotion regulation, decision-making, and attention, and low HRV reflects the opposite. The parasympathetic nervous system works quickly to decrease heart rate, while the SNS works slowly to increase heart rate. Research suggests that a person with higher HRV while resting can provide more appropriate emotional responses compared to those that have low HRV at rest. In individuals with PTSD, HRV and its HF component are reduced whilst the low-frequency (LF) component is elevated.

This is my HRV while doing breathing exercises. Important parameters are rMSSD and LF/HF which are the same in these 2 samples (and not that good) -- but the 2nd one is clearly less erratic .

 

[Deleted member 1465]

I never got along with any meditation. I had to be moving or doing.
Mindfulness freaked me out as I have an overactive imagination and breathing exercises did more harm than good due to my tendency to suffer from concious breathing.
Driving was my meditation. Nothing would put me in the moment or relax me more that driving.

 

[Yomyom]

Driving was my meditation. Nothing would put me in the moment or relax me more that driving.

I had 3 tests drive, and around 100 lessons, my focus on driving is so suck, the people in my country should be thanking me for not driving

Should have been tagged as [RESOURCE] , very useful! Thanx

You right I forgot, never mind too late now

I found most guided meditations uncomfortable, as it's very personal and per situation . I start with 4-1-6-2 (inhale-hold-exhale-rest in seconds) which appears to be my natural/comfortable , slowly move to 6-2-12-1 and finish with 10-1-16-1 . It's sooooo personal . Wrote myself a simple script with sliders -- I increase by 1-2 seconds where and when I feel I can . The first priority is to keep the breathing in order i.e. same length of inhalation/exhalation every cycle . Secondary is to increase the duration of those

I don't really understand the idea of counting in the breath, it's not really help to the meditation, it does relaxing, I guess from the extra oxygen you're getting, but for the meditation its only Disturbed

 

[Quarky00]

I don't really understand the idea of counting in the breath, it's not really help to the meditation, it does relaxing, I guess from the extra oxygen you're getting, but for the meditation its only Disturbed

Synced breathing = changes the para/sympathetic nervous system :) Counting can also bring attention to breathing ...

 

[LuzurPhagget]

Should have been tagged as [RESOURCE] , very useful! Thanx

Breathing

I found most guided meditations uncomfortable, as it's very personal and per situation . I start with 4-1-6-2 (inhale-hold-exhale-rest in seconds) which appears to be my natural/comfortable , slowly move to 6-2-12-1 and finish with 10-1-16-1 . It's sooooo personal . Wrote myself a simple script with sliders -- I increase by 1-2 seconds where and when I feel I can . The first priority is to keep the breathing in order i.e. same length of inhalation/exhalation every cycle . Secondary is to increase the duration of those .

View attachment 31729


Pulse/HRV

Heart rate does not indicate calmness .. It usually increases because of more oxygen intake (breathing deeper) , use HRV as an indicator .While inhaling , in a relaxed state , my pulse can go up to 90 , when I exhale it's around 65 . HRV is basically where breathing meditation meets psychophysiology.





This is my HRV while doing breathing exercises. Important parameters are rMSSD and LF/HF which are the same in these 2 samples (and not that good) -- but the 2nd one is clearly less erratic .

Interesting. Thanks for the info! Wow, breathing/heart rate just got more complicated.

Lol, this is how I feel learning a new breathing technique.




But that's interesting the exhale part is usually always the longest part.

 

[Yomyom]

Synced breathing = changes the para/sympathetic nervous system :) Counting can also bring attention to breathing ...

Wow, I didn't know about that, thanks

My experience in counting was end when I just kept count without noticing and totally forgot to breath

 

[Quarky00]

Lol, this is how I feel learning a new breathing technique.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/data/attachments/31/31743-38bd12c5fd64a4c8ddbe315138b392c9.jpg

Yep

I just kept count without noticing and totally forgot to breath

Yeah it's hard ...

/ Notice that everything meditative can be a meditation , like driving (or not lol)

 

[jgm63]

I recently recommended this to someone :

Spoiler: Start Meditating NOW

@Myforevercharlie : Can you share with others how you have found it to be so far ?

 

[Sensei]

I do zazen and I think this video is very accessible and pedagogical. Contrary to most other videos, they mention seiza, the position I use. It's somewhat less intimidating than the lotus position.

 

[Myforevercharlie]

I recently recommended this to someone :

Spoiler: Start Meditating NOW

@Myforevercharlie : Can you share with others how you have found it to be so far ?

I have trouble sleeping, get probably 2/3 hours without waking up. Thanks to this video i slept 5 FIVE! hours. Maybe it's not for everyone but me it helped.

 

[BlackPoppet]

I try and do " walking meditation " it's where I walk and think. I learnt in on a mindfulness course I did a couple of years ago. It really does help me, because walking and thinking through my problems is a good way for me to work through issues. I also meditate for other reasons pertaining to my Pagan spirituality. It's called " going within" connecting with spirit guides and helpful spirits. That's a personal, separate thing for me. Not pertaining to my mental health issues.
Im a very antsy person and the walking meditation is good for people who need to always be moving because of nervous energy. Which I have in abundance.

 

[Yomyom]

Someone ever tried yoga nidra and can tell me how it was effects on him?

I try and do " walking meditation " it's where I walk and think. I learnt in on a mindfulness course I did a couple of years ago. It really does help me, because walking and thinking through my problems is a good way for me to work through issues. I also meditate for other reasons pertaining to my Pagan spirituality. It's called " going within" connecting with spirit guides and helpful spirits. That's a personal, separate thing for me. Not pertaining to my mental health issues.
Im a very antsy person and the walking meditation is good for people who need to always be moving because of nervous energy. Which I have in abundance.

Daoizm/Buddhism? I remember I saw a video of teacher in a temple in Thailand guides it

I do zazen and I think this video is very accessible and pedagogical. Contrary to most other videos, they mention seiza, the position I use. It's somewhat less intimidating than the lotus position.

How much time took you to get use to the positions? Its painful.
I always found zazen as a very difficult meditation, but I also think it's the most effective

 

[Sensei]

How much time took you to get use to the positions? Its painful.
I always found zazen as a very difficult meditation, but I also think it's the most effective

I use a seiza meditation bench. With it, I can easily sit in seiza for a quarter of an hour or more. Without it, only a couple of minutes. (I've learned to appreciate some pain when I meditate, though. I reminds me of the present and that I'm really alive.)

 

[Myforevercharlie]

I do zazen and I think this video is very accessible and pedagogical. Contrary to most other videos, they mention seiza, the position I use. It's somewhat less intimidating than the lotus position.

I just lay down

 

[Sensei]

I just lay down

If it works, it's the right way to do it.

 

[Yomyom]

@Sensei
There is a reason why the sitting position is important to you?
Do you think it's helping in some way to the meditation or it's just a tradition?

 

[jamie1234]

@Yomyom

Hey there. Meditation has my interest for about six years ( with different levels of intensity) now. and it is funny to see that you shared a video of Mooji.
I was actually quite into his teachings and even lived in his ashram at Monte Sahaja for some time. I do meditate from time to time and sometimes i got really present. But the tendency to run away from uncomfortable feelings is very strong. I'm addicted to weed so that makes it more difficult too.
But still meditation attracts me somehow very much. If you like Mooji and Alan watts I recommend you to have a look at Rupert Spira. In my view he is the best "non-duality" teacher when it comes to explaining the deepest form of meditation.

Peace :)

 

[Yomyom]

I love mooji, everyone around him sound so peaceful (or they doing a lot of drugs, I don't know but that's also an option).

I especially love his mantra's band

 

[jamie1234]

Yes I love the music very much as well. I know most of them very well. I loved to make music over there with them.
As far as I know they don't do drugs haha. Perhaps some of them smoke some weed occasionally. The Ashram in Portugal where he lives is very beautiful.
I was very lucky to spend some time over there twice. The second time Mooji even invited me to come to him and bought me a flight ticket and covered al my expenses living there.

 

[Sensei]

@Sensei
There is a reason why the sitting position is important to you?
Do you think it's helping in some way to the meditation or it's just a tradition?

I discovered Zen Buddhism through Japanese martial arts in which it's custom to sit in seiza. I find the lotus positions uncomfortable and I think it's easier to sit with a straight back when sitting in seiza.

 

[ManWithNoName]

People are attend to run from themselves, to do everything expect living in the moment.
Meditation brings back the focus to the present and reduce the chatting on your head.

My guess is that meditation effect everyone differently, it's not a Formula

Meditation is not a magic pill, and it's not going to solve your problems, but it can help you by giving you a new approach for life

There's a lot of methods when it comes to meditation, basically any method that brings your awareness back to the present is a meditation.

I have very little experience on trying meditation, but I did a lot of research about it.

My first experience was very weird
After two weeks of practice I nothic that my anxieties level was really down and basically very empty, then my depression got stronger and stronger (I guess to fill the void)
After that I tried couple of different method

I rated them according to their level of lightness (in my opinion).


1) Alan Watts- guied on the Basics of meditation, very funny to hear him explain and guide, after you understand the point you can do it totally alone without a guide



2) mooji- I remember the days I practiced his meditations, it was so wonderful, the philosophy of mooji based on the idea that the mind is empty, the Awareness is pure (I think it's the easiest way to explain it) I think this meditation is a little harder from the first one
Here's an example, you can search in YouTube for more



3) yoga nidra- one of my favorite methods (mostly because you need to lay down, and not moving at all)
This meditation move between several kinds of Awareness levels, very relaxing and wonderful but it's very hard not to fall asleep in the process.
Very recommended!
There's a lot of yoga nidra in YouTube here is one-



(I couldn't find any other good and easy meditation, if you know on one, add it here)

Apps

1) insight timer- free meditation app
With no questioning the best app for meditation, any kind of meditation you ant you can find there, there's a lot of groups For consultation and research (the meditations and the groups are free, but to get access to the courses you'll have to buy a membership)

Insight Timer - Meditation App - Apps on Google Play

Everyday Wellbeing for Sleep, Anxiety and Stress

play.google.com

2) headspace: meditation & sleep
For people who looking for a guide, this is the perfect app, every day 10 minutes, work from the foundation, very good app!

Headspace: Meditation & Sleep - Apps on Google Play

Guided meditations for everyday stress, general anxiety, mental health, wellness

play.google.com

The first ten days is free, for the others you'll have to buy a membership, if you want I downloaded the files of the app from a torrent and you can download it free from here

Gofile - Free Unlimited File Sharing and Storage

Gofile is a free, secure file sharing and storage platform. With unlimited bandwidth and storage, you can easily store and share files of any type without any limits. Our advanced features, such as CDN support and password protection, make Gofile the ideal choice for individuals and businesses...

gofile.io

All the other app I looked for was just fine, not really anything worth trying

Books
I'm not usually read books on this subject but you can visit on library Genesis, they have a lot of books on almost every subject your looking for, and for free
Here is link to meditation books (choose the one that you want)

Library Genesis

Library Genesis is a scientific community targeting collection of books on natural science disciplines and engineering.

libgen.is

If there's anything I missed I'll love to hear about it


Hope you find it useful

Thanks for posting, man.

 

[Wallace]

If you're interested in Buddhism at all, look up Ajahn Brahm's talks and guided meditations on Youtube. He was a student of theoretical physics at Cambridge before becoming a monk. His talks are one of the few things that can make me feel better.

 

[Done at Fifty]

Thank you for sharing. I'm going to try these today.
I am stressing about the week ahead as per usual and need to calm my neurotic mind.

 

[WornOutLife]

Today in the morning, I had my first experience with meditation. It was not the usual one, with spirituality and all that stuff, I'm an agnostic and that wouldn't work for me. Instead, I listened to an atheist guy who you probably know, Sam Harris, talking for 8 minutes, guiding me on what to do and I somehow, was able to be focused and control my thoughts and emotions.

I will check the resources on this thread too. I think meditation and mindfulness might really help me and before I ctb, I wanna try out all the options I have in this goddamn life.