I'm interested in learning a bit about this. After reading comments in the mdma thread, I see there's a few of you doing it.
For you guys that meditate, how does one learn it? Where to go, etc.? How long to learn? Is it something anyone can do, or are there people that can not do it?
Any help and advice appreciated. I know nothing about it.
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I love meditation. The easiest is to sit in a quiet room and count your breaths. You will likely have trouble with that and have to bring yourself back to counting, and that's totally fine. You can also meditate on specific topics or issues, but as a beginner that's the easiest.
Great idea for a thread and I hope it gets a lot of posts!
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Mindfulness meditation and transcendental meditation are very valuable assets.
In regards to preparing yourself for a great mindset, get the book/audio book: The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Llama.
Anyone can definitely do it, just prepare yourself to accept that it will take years to get truly good at it. You will never perfect it, but it is pretty amazing what it can do for your life.
I had anxiety issues up to about 21-22 and started learning then, now anxiety still comes but I have built up a nature to suppress it via meditation so it doesn't negatively affect my life.
IF you do not have a positive attitude first and foremost you will be wasting your time.
Last edited by Jordan!; 01-05-2015 at 03:44 PM.
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I overcame crippling anxiety issues with meditation & yoga years back. If you're interested but not sure how to meditate, or how to get started a lot of yoga studios around Calgary have meditation workshops or group sessions. I know Breathe Hot Yoga does meditation classes. They're great if you're just getting started. Good luck! This is honestly one habit no one will ever regret getting into.
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Beware the new age mysticism. Meditation in itself is okay; Kundalini, new ageism, Taoism and the spritualities associated with meditation border on brainwashing.
Focused breathing and calming the mind are healthy, but beware of the overwhelming excess of spiritual disinformation that goes with researching meditation. If someone gives you spiritual information about the subject be incredibly reluctant to believe it.
By opening your mind to different meditative practices you open yourself up to religion disguised as fact, science and spirituality. I'm hardcore into researching religion and have found new ageism and meditative preachers are just about the most deceptive group there is. Don't take my word for it, don't take anyone's word for it. Be careful.
Last edited by AcGold; 01-05-2015 at 05:29 PM.
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You have to learn how to totally relax your muscles. It's a hard thing to describe and for some people it comes more naturally. It can take a bit of focus to sustain it but then you do, you can actually get a body buzz going. It almost starts to feel like you are sinking or floating. I can't always get in the frame of mind to do it, but when I do, it is the best feeling in the world and I always feel so rejuvenated after. Some people believe that when you maintain it long enough, it can aid in healing.
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Mindfulness meditation is the winner for me, find it to be the easiest to start and a lifetime to master. But ultimately for me it works to calm me, relax, and I get a lot out of it. They key is the different types of meditation, are you in bed wanting to relax your muscles and get into an excellent sleep? Is it the end of the day and you need to meditate to clear your mind and relax, the link below covers the key stuff you want to practice and become comfortable with.
Came to post about Sam Harris and saw Thor beat me to it!
His new book "waking up" is a great resource on non-secular mindfulness meditation. He posted chapter 1 of the audiobook on his site and he also has a good but infrequently updated podcast called exploring the mind that I recommend.
Here's the thing about meditation - Almost every single high performer I follow admits to including it in their daily practices in some form or another, and attributes massive benefits in quality of life and performance. It appears to be a common factor in achieving higher levels of success, longevity and satisfaction in life. Dr Peter Attia speaks of stress management as one of the pillars of longevity (along with hormone modulation and sleep optimization) and he supports meditation as a tool to cope with stress. I've also read quite a bit to suggest that meditation also assists with hormone modulation and sleep optimization.
From what I've been able to gather, there seem to be three main types of meditation: focused attention, open monitoring and transcendental. Personally I practice mindfulness (because I have a very restless mind) which I categorize inside of open monitoring. I have never tried transcendental but two of my business partners practice it and are really seeing benefits, I notice a positive change in their ability to cope with stress and change in particular.
There are HUNDREDS of resources available in all categories of varying secularity and cost. After trying it, I am sure you'll be frustrated, but intrigued and craving more. Meditative practices first came into my life as a young lad during martial arts training where we would work to cultivate mental stillness and clarity before training so we could leave daily life at the door and get the maximum benefit of our training through deeply mindful focus and presence. I can vouch for the statement you made about having life altering experiences meditating as I have had almost indescribable experiences where I've felt so deeply open and connected to something EXPANSIVE that I have never been able to repeat through any other substance or experience.
Anyhow, to the frustration/intrigue I suggest that you need to find the style of meditation that works for you, because not all meditation is the same. As many have alluded to here, there are a lot of sources that mix meditative practices in with secular teaching and philosophies that do not need to be part of the practice in order for the practitioner to receive the benefits. Second, find a good teacher (or community) that can support you.
I am currently enrolled in Mark Divines Unbeatable Mind Academy, it's a subset of his larger SEALFit business and has been awesome so far. I also listen to Tara Brach's podcast for guided meditations. It's a personal practice for me, but I am aware of several groups in and around Calgary like the Centre for Transformation that are worth working with as a start to your own journey.
Dan Harris wrote a book called "10% Happier.." that is a very worthwhile read. His story is incredible. Here's a lengthy but interesting video with Dan:
Looking forward to others sharing their experiences and resources here!
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More than 85% of mammalian species are polyphasic sleepers, meaning that they sleep for short periods throughout the day. Humans are part of the minority of monophasic sleepers, meaning that our days are divided into two distinct periods, one for sleep and one for wakefulness. It is not clear that this is the natural sleep pattern of humans. Young children and elderly persons nap, for example, and napping is a very important aspect of many cultures.
A short nap is usually recommended (20-30 minutes) for short-term alertness. This type of nap provides significant benefit for improved alertness and performance without leaving you feeling groggy or interfering with nighttime sleep.
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More than 85% of mammalian species are polyphasic sleepers, meaning that they sleep for short periods throughout the day. Humans are part of the minority of monophasic sleepers, meaning that our days are divided into two distinct periods, one for sleep and one for wakefulness. It is not clear that this is the natural sleep pattern of humans. Young children and elderly persons nap, for example, and napping is a very important aspect of many cultures.
A short nap is usually recommended (20-30 minutes) for short-term alertness. This type of nap provides significant benefit for improved alertness and performance without leaving you feeling groggy or interfering with nighttime sleep.
Come on, how do you feel after a nap? Naps are great.
Humans may not be polyphasic sleepers by culture, but we are polyphasic in terms of how long we can put effort into tasks, mental tasks being no exception (i.e. the natural circadian rhythm). The brain as an organ consumes a great majority of our energy on a daily basis. Science is only beginning to understand WHY we need to sleep, so its difficult to point to evidence that naps are "good", but we all know we feel better after taking them.
I think it depends on the quality of work you need to do. Olympic athletes have a very high rest to work ratio, but the demands on their systems is tremendous. Some dude down at a packing plant might need less, because his errors on less than optimal work are not enough to prevent him from being "successful" in his life. Just a thought.
I also think that if you need naps, it could be a sign your sleep overall isn't very healthy.
But really, I don't think that sleep and meditation are very much linked. This is anecdotal on my part, but it feels different. Meditation doesn't necessarily make me feel rested as much as it helps me deal with emotional turmoil, stress and feeling mentally fuzzy.
Hey has anyone every used a meditation app? I've heard of apps like calm and apparently they're alright but I don't love the idea of putting more screen time in my life.
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Meditation
