Good morning! Sat for 20 minutes first thing this morning. Also sat for 30 minutes when I got home from work at about 8 pm last night, having got up to late to do it in the morning. I've always had a pattern of, if I fail to do it at the intended time in the morning I'm discouraged and that's it for the day - seem finally to have got past this and, although I prefer first thing, know I will just do it as the first point it becomes possible, even if that is at midnight. So I feel much happpier and stabler in my commitment now, although I still much prefer first thing - my tired mind wonders much more in the evening.
Devon, what I'm doing at present is firm commitment to 20 minutes zazen/formless meditation/mindfulness of breathing/whatever you call it, and if I feel like it some loving kindness or breathing into the heart or visualisation or whatever for a few minutes at the end. This seems to work well for me.
Love to all of you, feeling VERY GOOD about this and very supported at the moment (gee, such positivity is not like me at all :-)
Good morning everybody, it's another fine, sunny day here in Germany, and I've just finished sitting. Only ten minutes because I couldn't really concentrate, so I'll have another try this evening. I'm still very new at this meditation thing, and although I enjoy it and feel good (clean, calm, happy) afterwards, my Type-A gotta-get-it-just-right mind can't stop gnawing on whether I am really "doing it properly." Whatever that might mean.
It's typical of me that I would rather believe what I read in a book about meditation, than what my body and mind tell me after having meditated. But I am confident that this too will pass.
I sat 20 minutes earlier this morning: not quite first thing, but early enough that I wasn't already tired & distracted from the rest of the day. (I'm finding morning *really* is best for me: something I already knew but had "forgotten"!)
Devon, I don't do any sort of visualization, so I have no insight about that. As a Zennie, I don't have much experience with visualization practice. For me, my life already feels full to the bursting with words, images, and metaphors, so I enjoy the "break" afforded by daily attention to the naked present moment, unadorned.
5 minutes last night, followed by a stress-relieving bath. I'm trying to rearrange some things in my life right now (small things) and I forget how hard I find change to be. (Too many things to think about when they're new and different!) ...On top of an already demanding week, so I realized last night that I needed that five minutes, and that bath. The good news is that I'm providing myself the things I need.
Brenda, I was glad for your note of reassurance - you had me going there for a minute ("Massive heart attack" -- whaaa?).
Devon, I don't do much visualization, mostly mind emptying. I have found it very helpful in the rest of my life to have that practice of stepping back from my thoughts. ("Step away from the thought... It's not a helpful one.")
Udge, during the previous 100, I had a hard time for a while reckoning with my inability to concentrate. The folks here were marvelously reassuring that I wasn't going to be able to rely on concentrating, that the effort was the whole point. Returning to the breath, returning to the breath, returning to the breath. Oddly, since then (since I stopped struggling about trying to concentrate), it's gotten a little easier.
Yes, MB's so right. I think it can't be said enough that it's not about effort or concentrating, just 'showing up' over and over again and having the intention. Sometimes it will be focused and sometimes it won't. Over time the times it is will start to outnumber the times you're all over the place. But the latter are just as much part of the practice.
I did 5 glorious minutes in the vines and the sun thismorning. It doesn't sound like much but it felt very refreshing. I was only home for 12 hours and am on the move again now.
lots of bells ringing with everyone's comments, and not much time but just to say that I am beginning to get a sense that it is a sort of yoga of the mind for me - letting the mind release and be soft as opposed to pulling/stretching/ forcing. Easier said than done but worth the non-effort!
xyytus (!) (yes please but not to much we're trying to meditate here!)
devon, I don't visualize either during the mediation itself. If I'm particularly working on something I might set it as an intention at the beginning, forget all about it during, and come back after I've closed the meditation to see if any new thoughts, understandings, directions or intuitions have arisen on it.
If I'm doing a healing, it's completely different. Then I let whatever image arises to arise and work with it. It may be visual, medical, aural or simply an intuition. If it transforms into other images, I let it. As long as I've set a deep intention for healing, I trust what comes up to be relevant to the work I'm doing.
A friend of mine meditates before working, always on the breath, finishing with a vision of pure light, and he says this gives him optimum concentration.
Walking home from work today I went down to the beach and made my way for some distance along the shore. The tide was almost at the full, and I sat for 15 minutes or so on a great log of driftwood.
Sitting with the Great Blue Heron that comes here every day to fish ... his stillness and my stillness ... just this.
Sat yesterday and today about 15 minutes in the morning. I was a bit more still today. But as the day went on I was feeling a lot of general anxiety. Then this afternoon I booked a trip to Mexico (yes it will be nice) that raised my anxiety level to new heights! Hard to enjoy it this way. I have a hard time balancing excitement and anxiety (one's fun the other is not). But it will calm down. Luckily tonight I have my yoga class.
Yes, Leslee: what MB said. Hurray after the initial jitters subside!
I sat an additional 10 minutes tonight "just because" I was feeling a bit unsettled. It was helpful not to *fight* my antsy mind but simply to let it calm & quiet itself. I'm hoping I'll sleep well because of it...
I sat 30 mins last night (ie day ten) before going to bed. It was a restless disatisfied time with many interruptions from all the five other inhabitants, but I tried to let it be. I know it's good for me, I can feel it.
16 Comments:
Good morning! Sat for 20 minutes first thing this morning. Also sat for 30 minutes when I got home from work at about 8 pm last night, having got up to late to do it in the morning. I've always had a pattern of, if I fail to do it at the intended time in the morning I'm discouraged and that's it for the day - seem finally to have got past this and, although I prefer first thing, know I will just do it as the first point it becomes possible, even if that is at midnight. So I feel much happpier and stabler in my commitment now, although I still much prefer first thing - my tired mind wonders much more in the evening.
Devon, what I'm doing at present is firm commitment to 20 minutes zazen/formless meditation/mindfulness of breathing/whatever you call it, and if I feel like it some loving kindness or breathing into the heart or visualisation or whatever for a few minutes at the end. This seems to work well for me.
Love to all of you, feeling VERY GOOD about this and very supported at the moment (gee, such positivity is not like me at all :-)
I meant to say my mind wanders, though it wonders too of course...
Good morning everybody, it's another fine, sunny day here in Germany, and I've just finished sitting. Only ten minutes because I couldn't really concentrate, so I'll have another try this evening. I'm still very new at this meditation thing, and although I enjoy it and feel good (clean, calm, happy) afterwards, my Type-A gotta-get-it-just-right mind can't stop gnawing on whether I am really "doing it properly." Whatever that might mean.
It's typical of me that I would rather believe what I read in a book about meditation, than what my body and mind tell me after having meditated. But I am confident that this too will pass.
5 mins shamatha & 14 accumulations yesterday.
Hello, everyone!
I sat 20 minutes earlier this morning: not quite first thing, but early enough that I wasn't already tired & distracted from the rest of the day. (I'm finding morning *really* is best for me: something I already knew but had "forgotten"!)
Devon, I don't do any sort of visualization, so I have no insight about that. As a Zennie, I don't have much experience with visualization practice. For me, my life already feels full to the bursting with words, images, and metaphors, so I enjoy the "break" afforded by daily attention to the naked present moment, unadorned.
But that's just me... :-)
btw, my word verification was
exhfi
Ex-hifi? A high-fidelity stereo system that has ceased to be??? ;-)
5 minutes last night, followed by a stress-relieving bath. I'm trying to rearrange some things in my life right now (small things) and I forget how hard I find change to be. (Too many things to think about when they're new and different!) ...On top of an already demanding week, so I realized last night that I needed that five minutes, and that bath. The good news is that I'm providing myself the things I need.
Brenda, I was glad for your note of reassurance - you had me going there for a minute ("Massive heart attack" -- whaaa?).
Devon, I don't do much visualization, mostly mind emptying. I have found it very helpful in the rest of my life to have that practice of stepping back from my thoughts. ("Step away from the thought... It's not a helpful one.")
Udge, during the previous 100, I had a hard time for a while reckoning with my inability to concentrate. The folks here were marvelously reassuring that I wasn't going to be able to rely on concentrating, that the effort was the whole point. Returning to the breath, returning to the breath, returning to the breath. Oddly, since then (since I stopped struggling about trying to concentrate), it's gotten a little easier.
Yes, MB's so right. I think it can't be said enough that it's not about effort or concentrating, just 'showing up' over and over again and having the intention. Sometimes it will be focused and sometimes it won't. Over time the times it is will start to outnumber the times you're all over the place. But the latter are just as much part of the practice.
hi everyone.
I did 5 glorious minutes in the vines and the sun thismorning. It doesn't sound like much but it felt very refreshing. I was only home for 12 hours and am on the move again now.
lots of bells ringing with everyone's comments, and not much time but just to say that I am beginning to get a sense that it is a sort of yoga of the mind for me - letting the mind release and be soft as opposed to pulling/stretching/ forcing. Easier said than done but worth the non-effort!
xyytus (!) (yes please but not to much we're trying to meditate here!)
devon, I don't visualize either during the mediation itself. If I'm particularly working on something I might set it as an intention at the beginning, forget all about it during, and come back after I've closed the meditation to see if any new thoughts, understandings, directions or intuitions have arisen on it.
If I'm doing a healing, it's completely different. Then I let whatever image arises to arise and work with it. It may be visual, medical, aural or simply an intuition. If it transforms into other images, I let it. As long as I've set a deep intention for healing, I trust what comes up to be relevant to the work I'm doing.
A friend of mine meditates before working, always on the breath, finishing with a vision of pure light, and he says this gives him optimum concentration.
Walking home from work today I went down to the beach and made my way for some distance along the shore. The tide was almost at the full, and I sat for 15 minutes or so on a great log of driftwood.
Sitting with the Great Blue Heron that comes here every day to fish ... his stillness and my stillness ... just this.
Sat yesterday and today about 15 minutes in the morning. I was a bit more still today. But as the day went on I was feeling a lot of general anxiety. Then this afternoon I booked a trip to Mexico (yes it will be nice) that raised my anxiety level to new heights! Hard to enjoy it this way. I have a hard time balancing excitement and anxiety (one's fun the other is not). But it will calm down. Luckily tonight I have my yoga class.
vulsq - sounds vaguely dirty.
Janice, that sounds absolutely lovely, you and the heron...
Leslee, hurray (once your anxiety settles down)!!
Off to sit.
Yes, Leslee: what MB said. Hurray after the initial jitters subside!
I sat an additional 10 minutes tonight "just because" I was feeling a bit unsettled. It was helpful not to *fight* my antsy mind but simply to let it calm & quiet itself. I'm hoping I'll sleep well because of it...
I sat 30 mins last night (ie day ten) before going to bed. It was a restless disatisfied time with many interruptions from all the five other inhabitants, but I tried to let it be. I know it's good for me, I can feel it.
brava, qB!
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