Anyone Have Any Luck With Meditation?

[boltsoros]

Hi All,

Has anyone out there ever had any luck with meditation or mindfulness? Both of these remedies seem like they will work for anxiety and panic.....mindfulness trains your mind to live in the moment. Is it possible to learn these qualities from a DVD or video? I would much rather go to someone to learn it but when I searched form meditation studios, the closest one I came up with was an hour and a half away. Just wondering

[Xerosnake90]

Love meditation. I use the calm app for iOS. It has background music and a calming voice to guide you through it. Always refreshes my mind and gets me back on track.

[Nec]

I always do meditation before I go to sleep. It makes you forget about all problems and just silence your mind and live in the moment. Yes it helps me a lot.

[Joe.]

Very helpful, I like to think it 're-orientates' your brain.

Just, you do need some free time and patience which is a problem for me

[boltsoros]

Did you learn it on your own......a video? Another teacher? I assume it takes a lot of practice to get it right.....just like anything else in life worth doing

[Try_Repeat]

Hello boltsoros

Yes, meditation is very helpful and powerful tool. I managed to get rid of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, alcoholism, smoking and many personal problems through it. But it is not a "remedy" it's a tool. You can't just sit and meditate and wait till your anxiety will go away (that is why sometimes people need coach. Learn to meditate is not hard. But sometimes it is not obvious for people how to use it against anxiety and depression.)

You can read how to meditate on my site:

http://nperov.com/meditation/how-to-meditate-properly-5-steps/

And try to manage to get through you problems yourself.

Or you contact me (email is on my site), I can teach you by Skype about using meditation against anxiety related problems. Or you can go to any other teacher. But not every teacher have experienced panic attacks in his past=)

[Try_Repeat]

It has background music and a calming voice to guide you through it. Always refreshes my mind and gets me back on track.


I always do meditation before I go to sleep. It makes you forget about all problems and just silence your mind and live in the moment. Yes it helps me a lot.

Yeah! It's good, that meditation helps you, guys! But meditation is much much more than just relaxation technique and boltsoros, you should aware of this fact. Using meditation only for removing stress and attaining relaxation it's like using your new multi-functional tablet for making calls only. It's not bad, but why not to get from it more?

Meditation is a tool for training your mind, boosting awareness and acceptance, changing your negative reaction to certain things and problems (not just forgetting about them), finding the source of your problems and many other and other things. Meditation is not only about sitting and meditating it is for using skills gained by the practice in whole your life.

[Dahila]

Meditation is a tool for training your mind, boosting awareness and acceptance, changing your negative reaction to certain things and problems (not just forgetting about them), finding the source of your problems and many other and other things. Meditation is not only about sitting and meditating it is for using skills gained by the practice in whole your life.

Meditation fails when you have a goal. meditation has not reason other that to " to be" . When you want to attach the goal as Try_repeat said, it does not work. It has very nice side effects though, managing chronic pain, lessening the stress, helping to face difficulties in everyday.
Meditation, of course the Meditation is a different life it is like life stopped to let you be happy and calm, and see what is around you, all the wonders. ............ There is not success or fail in meditation, there is not physical gain, but I do it for many many years. I seriously think I would give up years ago if it was not for meditation;)

[Ponder]

Yep - You need to drop the sale of mindfulness as mediation full stop. But do understand how meditation can help - John Kabat Zin is the expert for helping to understand the difference.

It's been WAY over rated and pulled apart and misconstrued like westerners who've pretty much done the same thing with Buddhism. Due to the over analyzing that goes on, it destroys the focus and intent.

Bit like a gym junkie in their bright gym-ware springing out of an over sized four-wheel drive to grab a loaf of bread, or bouncing off the walls after a yoga session unable to srop telling everyone how great it was. Meditations can helps for every day side effects like that, but to get an understanding of the process is so much more that sitting and staring at a dot:

Google:

the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.


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Try John Kab-Zin on Youtube. He has some good meditation practices for beginners, but again - mindfulness typically takes place when people are doing - (it's viewed like -> they are not aware of the doing - but more aware of what it is that they are doing)
Anything that you can effortlessly put your mind into without without (see how I stuttered or repeated a word - that should not impair the message from my point of view,(not another's) however I understand how it makes the reading a little harder for others - I leave it in, as an example for me to judge on it :) ) passing judgments on the reason, perfection and or anything that takes your mind from it's task. Non Judgmental awareness is a common phrase, however you will still make discernment that guide your activity - just not about the way your doing it - You just do it without doing it as all. As soon as you catch yourself doing the task, and no longer doing it, then you've lost it.

Is why breathing is the focus for many beginners. (And self professed Masters "rolls eyes" hehe) It's so automated that no matter how much you lose awareness, it's the very first thing that falls back into line when one can no longer think. SIGH!
__________________________________________________ ______

Walking is second to breathing - but go somewhere you like. If your not a nature person, then whilst it may help listening to birds, whale and flutes - Going for a mindless walk in the Mall may work better if your that way inclined. Eckhart Tolle, in his book "The Power Of Now" - talks of how his years of sitting on a park Bench - An explanation of from that perspective can be found here:

Mindfulness from a Park Bench:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ppjc81l_bk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ppjc81l_bk)

I did sleep on park benches more than the a rare occasion (Not such a bad thing, you should try it some time :) ) - I really like his analogy with how the world just comes into view when sitting like so. The world is a highly strung place full of too much self importance.

Here is another link - this one I just found and think a good one for myself:

The Egoic Mind
Explained:
http://www.theworkbook.org/egoic.htm

My hangup is described quite well as 6 minute & 13 second mark ... working on it. I'm seeing the pattern and wish to be free from it - We have the power to create our own space and detach from such oppressive thoughts - you don't need some external all knowing being! AKA - my point to come on how religion plays on just that! <-- First thing I did to free myself was rid myself of such a trap.

"Identification with thoughts; Is Ego" - I guess not so much the thoughts themselves ... but thinking is still overrated and i prefer just staring. We humans don't know how to think or simply do it tooooo much.
Edit -(excuse my notes - I'm hung up as you can see. hehe - but then again, I really don't care and that's when I excel) Makes me thing of how we analyze ourselves and others - but intent also plays a part. :) (not all black and white.) THIS VIDEO IS GOOD - He is so talking about me and I welcome it - possibly you too, I'll let you be the "judge" of that rofl ...
The world in which we live feeds the ego and the way we see gravitates to the past - we also feed our own and others egos as well - region plays on it.

_______________________

John speaks more basically and effective about mindfulness through meditation where I think Tolle is more a teacher on a much deeper level. If your new to this kind of thing - Try John Kabat-Zin first. Don't let me put you off if your not religious - Don't freak out when Tolle speaks of Jesus ... he does so from Jesus as a mere man and nothing more. Christians actually think Tolle is the Anti-Christ, but that's another story.

People wont be able to help themselves now - SIGH ... all that damn wrong and right. SIGH (hehe , see what I mean about the breathing - cool hey) Anyways - although I did not understand Tolle in part - I listened like 20 times with an audio file (The Power Of Now) I think I am ready to take his other teachings in. He is the master of defining "letting go" taking it from a meaningless cliche and making it a tool for having no more story. To go from crying about are psst to simply just drawing. To go from telling to more speaking.

Best go make some break and check out the EGO link.

I don't know - I'm still just watching ... avoid all those in here that "Tell" you anything.

Peace as best you can find it ---- until the mind kicks in ;)

Dave.

[Dahila]

I think you are wrong Ponder about losing focus, while breathing, it does not mean you lost it. It calls for going back to breath and kindly treat yourself. start from the beginning. I find that being kind to myself and forgiving giv3es me the most needed side effects; peace, calmness.
Breath is not only for beginners it is a focal point of any meditation. I do not like mantra meditation , I think it is too mechanical, but it works for some people. Our mind is like crazy monkey and it want to jump from branch to another, from tree to shrubs. When it does we need to acknowledge it and maybe focus on the problem, you can focus on it focusing on breath also, in the rhtyme of breath
If I am wrong correct me please:))

[Ponder]

I feel you have misunderstood, however am always ready to concede I am wrong. If I indeed did say that, then sure - I agree with you.

I did a search to see how where it is you think I was wrong. I used the word breathing three times with the third more a Joke. LOL @ wrong and Right - I much prefer not talking in such term, but understand the context used.

I'm guessing your referring to number one here?

1. Is why breathing "is the focus" for many beginners.
2. Walking is second to breathing - but go somewhere you like.
3. all that damn wrong and right. SIGH (hehe , see what I mean about the breathing - cool hey)
_____________________________________________

I don't feel I said anything about "about losing focus, while breathing" ? Perhaps in further in more context?

I am now reading the rest and re-reading me :)

I could not agree more but prefer to say I feel as you do :)

Edit - About the mantra thing - Dogma is what ruins that but with good intent I think is good for some - like affirmations ... I'm OK with them although used to struggle with the concept sold in things like the secret - law of attraction and all that - I have gleaned, but there are many many traps in there for me. Perhaps I need more veil lifting - I really don't know.

PS - I feel stupid attempting to iron these kinks out, given the traps with right and wrong - so I guess I'm just trying to understand more than anything else. Thanks for the clarification Dahila - I'm off for a bush walk - might do that video now on how Mindfulness helps me. Rest easy. ;)

[jessed03]

It's worth doing. Meditation has stood the test of time, hasn't it? There's something to be said for that. Though, so have crocodiles, I guess, and they aren't good for anxiety.

But do try some meditation. Perhaps the biggest con in all of Eastern philosophy is the idea that it's difficult to get into. It's not. You can start today if you want. If you haven't already. All you need is some light guidance.

We all know it's great for improving focus, reducing stress, even preventing some diseases - but try to go into it without expectations (hard to do when you're desperate to cure your mental ailments, I know). You'll find one day you'll have a session that's so intensely relaxing, you won't want to 'wake up.' Several weeks later you'll notice you feel slightly calmer and can deal with stress a little better. And best of all it'll happen naturally. The problems arise when you try and rush it, or force it. If you're happy to just go with the flow, you'll love it.

[Dahila]

Jesse where is the like button here?

[Ponder]

Jesse, your response brings hope to me. TY

[jessed03]

Jesse where is the like button here?


Jesse, your response brings hope to me. TY

Thanks! Good to see you feeling more at peace too, Dave.

[JulianS]

Hi All,

Has anyone out there ever had any luck with meditation or mindfulness? Both of these remedies seem like they will work for anxiety and panic.....mindfulness trains your mind to live in the moment. Is it possible to learn these qualities from a DVD or video? I would much rather go to someone to learn it but when I searched form meditation studios, the closest one I came up with was an hour and a half away. Just wondering

Mindfulness is fantastic. From what I understand, Panic is Fear that has been suppressed in the subconscious, and mindfulness reduces the EGO allowing you to be aware of your subconscious. Best Audiobook that I read about it is 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle. There is also "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass and 'Repeatlessness' by Dr. Joe Marshalla...all are great guides into getting mindful as quickly as possible, and actually staying there.

And as you are inducing an altered state of consciousness, you will also essentially re-program your sub-conscious at the same time, essentially reducing the symptoms for future episodes.

The only snag (of course) is learning to keep your, 'attention' inwards for a longer period of time. Your, 'attention' is the secret here. Keep it focused on your internal body (one of the many ways of mindfulness) and your EGO noise will naturally reduce, as well with any anxiety that is cropping up.

Hope this helps;-)

[Dahila]

Hi Julian welcome to forum, thank you for interesting post :)

[Try_Repeat]

Meditation fails when you have a goal. meditation has not reason other that to " to be" . When you want to attach the goal as Try_repeat said, it does not work. It has very nice side effects though, managing chronic pain, lessening the stress, helping to face difficulties in everyday.
Meditation, of course the Meditation is a different life it is like life stopped to let you be happy and calm, and see what is around you, all the wonders. ............ There is not success or fail in meditation, there is not physical gain, but I do it for many many years. I seriously think I would give up years ago if it was not for meditation;)
This is absolute true=)