Where to start with meditation

globst · 2018-10-29T18:49:34+00:00

The mind illuminated if you are serious about it. It's a large book split into 10 stages (Each stage can take many weeks/months to master) with a literal step by step method for concentration meditation.

Headspace is good if you want a quick introduction but it's not so great (in my opinion) for cultivating strong concentration.

The mind illuminated is the best resource I've found out there to help develop strong concentration. From there accidental insights and mindfulness can be developed.

KinkysMT · 2018-10-29T13:49:15+00:00

Try the apps Headspace or Insight Timer. Lot's of good guided meditations from 5 minutes to half hour.

madhguru · 2018-10-29T17:47:10+00:00

I promise you it is not complicated, does not require an app, a teacher, or anything. The same mental gymnastics that keeps people out of the gym is what keeps people from meditation.

Step 1: sit down

Step 2: set a timer on your phone for however long you want (once you get to 30 minutes, you're doing something worth being proud of)

Step 3: throw your phone far away

Step 4: focus on

A) sitting up tall, sit against a wall if you have to

B) breathing

Step 5: quit thinking something amazing will happen. Just sit there, and when you're done get up and go about your business.

I repeat. Don't over complicate this.

Terra501 · 2018-10-29T18:50:41+00:00

Sit comfortably. Lotus not required.

Focus on your breath as it comes in and goes out. Some people try to breathe at a four or five second interval in and then the same time for out.

Put the tip of your tongue behind your front tooth to minimize swallowing.

Close your eyes until you can barely see out of them. So that you were just looking through the slits of your eyes. Minimizes distraction.

every time you realize you have become distracted thinking about something other than your breath, just focus on your breath again. Always come back to your breath.

Good luck man you’re taking on an amazing asset with breath meditation. You may also note that Kelly McGonagal’s book The Willpower Initiative has a few chapters about what Stanford research found that breath meditation does. just three minutes will make phenomenal changes over time; basically the blood is being redirected from the reactionary brain to the frontal lobe during meditation, which of course centers the individual.

TimmyTurnersNuts · 2018-10-29T14:27:18+00:00

Headspace app for sure. Worked/Works wonders for me

light-----------dark · 2018-10-29T14:49:05+00:00

Headspace app no doubt.

Laid an amazing foundation for my daily meditation for the last two years.

Andy Puddicomb (co-founder that does all the guided meditations) is a proper Buddhist monk, and brings mindfulness meditation principles into each meditation to learn.

Duzand · 2018-10-29T18:57:15+00:00

I'm more old school, I don't think apps have any place in meditation.

I recommend any books by Alan Watts or D.T. Suzuki, or see if a local organization has any beginning meditations classes you can attend. Start by learning from people who know what they're fucking doing, not some bullshit phone app.

theherosmyth · 2018-10-29T21:55:14+00:00

There’s about a 20 minute video on Youtube where Sam Harris and Dan Harris explain meditation on the Joe Rogan podcast. I’m sure if you look for it you’ll find it.

I really like their explanation because it made something clear to me that I never understood.

Beyond all the tips people give like sit down, quiet your mind, focus on your breath, when a thought pops up refocus on your breath etc. They explained that the benefit you’re after is actually in the moment where you realize that you’re thinking, and bringing your focus back to the breath. This practice strengthens your meta-cognition, or your ability to realize that you’re thinking.

Why that’s useful is because a lot of people just inhabit thought after thought after thought as they pour forth into consciousness, not even realizing they’re being lived by this constant stream of randomness, or as Sam Harris said, being lost in thought.

So you don’t fail when a thought appears in your head, but rather the practice of continually refocussing is like bicep curls for the mind.

Awayhethrows1961 · 2018-10-29T13:45:13+00:00

Start with 5 minutes twice a day, morning and night. Just sit there and focus on your breathing. What helped me at first, as weird as this sounds, was to focus on feeling the air coming in through my nostrils and then out over my lips.

throwawayycheyeah · 2018-10-29T14:34:14+00:00

I have been trying to start with shower meditation. So far I feel no different :/

Lion-Slicer · 2018-10-29T15:15:45+00:00

Maybe try an app like Calm or Headspace to get you going.

gurgaboiz · 2018-10-29T15:38:01+00:00

Start with guided meditation. 10 min in the morning gets my mind right and actually wakes me up.

TheYoonFather · 2018-10-29T17:14:59+00:00

If you would like a book suggestion, I would recommend checking out 10% happier. Very entertaining and informative read.

tee0005 · 2018-10-29T17:40:16+00:00

Headspace App mate

superbat33 · 2018-10-29T20:19:05+00:00

Use the 10% happier app

buddhismo_communismo · 2018-10-30T00:33:32+00:00

First I would recommend getting a meditation app like Insight Timer. Plenty of guided meditations there. The app allows you to set preset meditation periods so you can have a variety of different meditation themes at your disposal for however long you choose to sit. Start with 15-30 and meditate consistently and you will see beneficial results almost instantly and neurological changes to your brain between 4-8 weeks in.

In Buddhist training it's typical to have at least two general meditation practices: A Samatha or Concentration/Stillness meditation and a Vipassana or Mindfulness/Clear Awareness meditation.

Samatha: loving friendliness or "Metta Bhavana" is a useful and scientifically studied samatha practice that induces oxytocin hormone release in your bloodstream which is the same hormone released when you orgasm. Use this and visualize the person you love, followed by who you like, who you are neutral towards, who you dislike and who you hate. Picture them smiling as you carve a great big, real world smile on your face (even if you have to fake it at first). Wish that they be happy, healthy and free from stress. Repeat 3 or more times each.
Vipassana: Mindfulness of the Body or "Kayagasati". Relax. Immerse yourself in your body. Just watch what's going on. Notice sensations, any sensations. When you notice, filter them through four categories be they pleasant, unpleasant, neutral or both. Be very descriptive with what is happening (e.g. dryness in the back of your mouth or itchiness in your palm). By cultivating feeling tones you will develop the skill of increasingly become more aware in daily life of the four noble truths/three characteristics of existence/emptiness/sunnata/nibbana.

Along with this the most crucial aspect of meditation is to be UNFLINCHINGLY STILL. Don't scratch that itch. Good luck:)

Title	Where to start with meditation
Author	Olram_Sacul
Upvotes	19
Comments	21
Date	October 29, 2018 1:40 PM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/9sd683/where_to_start_with_meditation/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/where-to-start-with-meditation.136049 https://theredarchive.com/post/136049

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