Discussion
Hythan said:
Anyone partake in this?
Statistically, there must be quite a few of us.Hythan said:
Why did you start it?
I've had an interest in Buddhism for a number of years, having grown up close to a monastery and was curious to find out more.Hythan said:
What did you want to achieve?
Happiness, an absence of worry and anxiety, greater clarity of thought, lower blood pressure....Hythan said:
Did you find it easy at the beginning/now?
Yes but then I do have a background in therapy and some hypnosis training. There are similarities between accessing trance and the meditative state.Hythan said:
What benefits do you get from it?
I'm not sure I've got to the point of great benefit yet. I've had some unexpected ups and downs and at times it appears to have freed up some creative processes and thoughts.Hythan said:
Any tips for beginners?
Start by doing a Mindfulness Training course which is pretty much Buddhist meditation without the Buddhism. Then develop a self discipline for your practise and meditate regularly. (I do tai chi and chi kung but also a bit of breathing meditation.)
Why did you start it?
Trained in other martial arts so tried tai chi, and chi kung (meditation) is part of the training.
What did you want to achieve?
Knowledge.
Did you find it easy at the beginning/now?
It's not difficult. Tai chi as a form of moving meditation requires regular practice. Chi kung just requires concentration; I also do the basic abdominal breathing meditation as part of chi kung practice. There are a few rules to remember but it's not difficult. It really is just about doing it regularly. I teach basic chi kung to cancer patients and they love it and pick it up quite quickly. Whilst there is a specific order to the routine I teach, I tell them that if they practice anything they remember then they will still gain the benefits in terms of relaxation.
What benefits do you get from it?
I always feel more relaxed afterwards.
Any tips for beginners?
-Don't worry about not doing it right. Even if you get the timing of the breathing wrong, you will still gain some benefit in terms of relaxation.
-Try different meditation methods eg breathing, visualisation, chi kung. One of them will be better suited to you if you find the others just leave you thinking about your worries.
-Practice regularly not just when you feel stressed/anxious.
Why did you start it?
Trained in other martial arts so tried tai chi, and chi kung (meditation) is part of the training.
What did you want to achieve?
Knowledge.
Did you find it easy at the beginning/now?
It's not difficult. Tai chi as a form of moving meditation requires regular practice. Chi kung just requires concentration; I also do the basic abdominal breathing meditation as part of chi kung practice. There are a few rules to remember but it's not difficult. It really is just about doing it regularly. I teach basic chi kung to cancer patients and they love it and pick it up quite quickly. Whilst there is a specific order to the routine I teach, I tell them that if they practice anything they remember then they will still gain the benefits in terms of relaxation.
What benefits do you get from it?
I always feel more relaxed afterwards.
Any tips for beginners?
-Don't worry about not doing it right. Even if you get the timing of the breathing wrong, you will still gain some benefit in terms of relaxation.
-Try different meditation methods eg breathing, visualisation, chi kung. One of them will be better suited to you if you find the others just leave you thinking about your worries.
-Practice regularly not just when you feel stressed/anxious.
Headspace, Andy Puddicombe is a good place to start. I've been doing it for about 6 weeks and it's really helped to clear my mind.
https://www.headspace.com/andy-puddicombe
http://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_ta...
https://www.headspace.com/andy-puddicombe
http://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_ta...
I first got interested 12 years ago, when I lived a few doors away from the western Buddhist order in Moseley. I got as far as buying a book online but that was it, didn't ever go in or anything. 5 years ago someone recommended Jon Kabat Zin's mindfulness books and that's when it actually started.
I tried Buddhist classes in a nearby town, found them fairly accessible. Enough to get the basics. I have since been to a few sittings at a local Buddhist hermitage, but my mainstay is Mindspace http://www.mindspace.org.uk/. I have found their online meditations very helpful and I even managed to get the OH to take their classes.
Why do it? To relax. I am rubbish at switching off. To relieve stress, to improve focus.
I am not regular, though I incorporate lots of small mindful moments where I can. I really ought to get back in the swing of things, as the benefits were tangible when doing it daily.
I tried Buddhist classes in a nearby town, found them fairly accessible. Enough to get the basics. I have since been to a few sittings at a local Buddhist hermitage, but my mainstay is Mindspace http://www.mindspace.org.uk/. I have found their online meditations very helpful and I even managed to get the OH to take their classes.
Why do it? To relax. I am rubbish at switching off. To relieve stress, to improve focus.
I am not regular, though I incorporate lots of small mindful moments where I can. I really ought to get back in the swing of things, as the benefits were tangible when doing it daily.
> Why did you start it?
Tried it once in uni and found it a really positive experience. Didn't touch it again until a couple of year ago when a hippy friend dragged me down to a drop in class at the local Buddhist centre.
> What did you want to achieve?
To be happier, less caught up in the anxieties of the past and the worries of the future. The term they use is mindfulness, living more in the moment.
> Did you find it easy at the beginning/now?
It's best not to go into a session with specific objectives. You'll find you have good sessions and a sessions where you find it much harder to focus. It is important not to view a session in terms of success or failure. Often the meditations where you really struggle can be the most helpful.
> What benefits do you get from it?
Went for the first time in months and am currently going through a breakup. Really helped clear my head and left with much less of the stress and worry I went in there with. Really helped to put things in perspective. Generally I find it makes me happies, more clear headed and compassionate.
> Any tips for beginners?
I would suggest finding a drop in class at a local Buddhist centre - no mumbo jumbo at mine and it's much easier when you're guided and you have also had to put the time asside for it so you will be forced to focus.
Tried it once in uni and found it a really positive experience. Didn't touch it again until a couple of year ago when a hippy friend dragged me down to a drop in class at the local Buddhist centre.
> What did you want to achieve?
To be happier, less caught up in the anxieties of the past and the worries of the future. The term they use is mindfulness, living more in the moment.
> Did you find it easy at the beginning/now?
It's best not to go into a session with specific objectives. You'll find you have good sessions and a sessions where you find it much harder to focus. It is important not to view a session in terms of success or failure. Often the meditations where you really struggle can be the most helpful.
> What benefits do you get from it?
Went for the first time in months and am currently going through a breakup. Really helped clear my head and left with much less of the stress and worry I went in there with. Really helped to put things in perspective. Generally I find it makes me happies, more clear headed and compassionate.
> Any tips for beginners?
I would suggest finding a drop in class at a local Buddhist centre - no mumbo jumbo at mine and it's much easier when you're guided and you have also had to put the time asside for it so you will be forced to focus.
Hythan said:
Why did you start it?
Martial arts, at the end of every practice an old Aikido instructor used to do 10 minutes of breathing and relaxation with us. Hythan said:
What did you want to achieve?
I didn't want to achieve anything this old guy made us do it but after a few weeks I realised that I was leaving the class in a really good frame of mind, usually if I do an evening of martial arts practice (any type, I do a few on and off) I find it hard to sleep for a few hours, with this 10 minute relaxation and concentration I could go home, shower and be asleep within an hour.Now I do half an hour or so most evenings during the week and find it really helps to get me relaxed and also believe it's helped me physically with recovery after hard practice or gym sessions.
Hythan said:
Did you find it easy at the beginning/now?
Easier now to do it on my own but conversely I find doing it in a group is becoming harder for me as I've found my own way of tuning out after reading a few mindfulness books and things online. I can be very hard at first to allow yourself the time and to not be self conscious during the process but the benefits are definitely worth the effort.Hythan said:
What benefits do you get from it?
Better sleep, better clarity of thought, much more patience and the ability to react more proportionately to situations at work and at home.What do I want to achieve? I'd like to be in a position where I'm fully capable to let go of my ego and allow my body to be completely autonomous in deciding how I move through the world, they call it flow state or "the zone" in sport, it's unrealistic to expect to be able to achieve such a state 100% of the time but even if you can achieve it 10% of the time then that's 10% of your brain you get back that was previously occupied with all the bulls
t that comes with normal 21st century life.Hythan said:
Any tips for beginners?
Give it a go it's not for everyone, don't be surprised how hard it is and how persistent you need to be. Hythan said:
Why did you start it?
Curiosity - Mindfulness becoming a favoured therapy wanted to know what was going on. Became more urgent when unexpectedly became unwell due to work related stress. Used Mark Williams Danny Penman bookHythan said:
What did you want to achieve?
Change the way I feltHythan said:
Did you find it easy at the beginning/now?
Beginning - Williams Penman book and CD is very gentle introduction. Very easy and helpful. Mindfulness for dummies is also goodNow - weird thing is now although I feel more relaxed and balanced generally I don't experience the profound feelings during meditation that I did to start with
Hythan said:
What benefits do you get from it?
I was genuinely surprised at deep relaxation and sense of wellbeing right from the start. Found 'body scan' meditation profoundly relaxing - though not the real point of meditation but was helpful at the time and motivated me to continue
Was surprised, as a miserable old cynic, that empathy was something that can be cultivated and worthwhile to do so.
Thinking patterns changed. Less fretting, kinder to myself. A few moments of genuine insight into my thinking patterns have been really helpful
Hythan said:
Any tips for beginners?
Give it a go Give it a chance - set time aside and make it daily for a few weeks. I get up up to an hour earlier to meditate.
Although I share experiences with everyone who has posted here it is an intensely personal practice and not in the least self indulgent
Hythan said:
Anyone partake in this?
Yes.Hythan said:
Why did you start it?
As part of my Dialectial Behavioural Course.Hythan said:
What did you want to achieve?
Confidence to be comfortable with myself and to become more focused on what I want to.To live in the moment now and to not let the past direct negative future actions.
Hythan said:
Did you find it easy at the beginning/now?
I've had some very good support and highly recommend using the Headspace app as a starting point. It teaches you how to meditate rather than just guiding you so you have the skills to meditate without the App.Hythan said:
What benefits do you get from it?
Calm. Contentness. Understanding how my actions effect others and vice versa. Very cleansing.Hythan said:
Any tips for beginners?
Headspace on the App Store.Local evening classes and to reach out to others that you know too.
https://hbr.org/2014/02/what-to-do-when-you-cant-c...
Quite an interesting article which covers some of the benefits of meditation
Quite an interesting article which covers some of the benefits of meditation
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff