Meditation

lodro · 2015-09-13T23:41:18+00:00

Does anyone have a large amount of experience in meditation?

Yes; several years of daily practice, mostly of mindfulness.

I'm interested in it and the benefits associated with it, but how do you get to the truth of meditation without wading through the bullshit?

It can take some doing, but in any reasonably populated Western city you can find good, in-person, free instruction in mindfulness-based techniques (e.g. following your breath). This is the kind of technique that is most applicable to seduction and working with emotions, thoughts, attention, in daily life. It is very neutral, and uses the breath as an object for gradually settling your awareness in the present moment.

I went to a meditation class yesterday

Good. In-person instruction is necessary.

and I sat with my feet in a bucket of salt water while a guy told me that I should feel a breeze coming from the top of my head and that cervical cancer is contagious.

You said it best yourself: this can't be it.

Westernized Buddhist centers are usually the best bet in my experience. You don't want to go to a cultural Buddhist center for immigrants, as they don't really meditate - that's more like a church. The Westernized ones - most of them teach Zen or a Tibetan derived form - will generally be very happy to offer you free ongoing instruction and group practice opportunities placing your awareness on the breath (mindfulness / shamatha / vipasana / etc). They'll generally drop the subject of Buddhism instantly if you express that you're not interested in religious teachings.

You might think you could just learn this from a book, but the process of mastering this technique is actually quite subtle and challenging. It's far, far more effective to get it straight from the source - an experienced teacher who you can connect with easily.

It's very popular nowadays to try to learn everything yourself with a video or an app; I've met hundreds of people who've tried meditation, but the only ones that could really connect with it in an ongoing way and reap the benefits are those who were able to connect with a living, breathing, meditation teacher.

Best of luck. :)

SpartanAesthetic · 2015-09-13T21:45:07+00:00

Headspace. Great free app.

kemar7856 · 2015-09-14T00:43:31+00:00

I started doing it recently 10 mins a day it takes alot of practice because you start thinking about but I can say it does help

OPEN_EVERYBODY · 2015-09-14T02:24:40+00:00

Between each thought that enters your mind is a second of silence. Make that silence last two seconds, then 10 seconds, then minutes... Allow your thoughts to just flow through, do not judge them. When your mind wanders off too long - just focus on your breathe and then try again.

drewcontreras · 2015-09-13T20:45:16+00:00

just focus on your breathe. inhale 4 sec hold breathe 8 sec exhale 8 sec try to monitor your thoughts so you are present (absence of thought) do not try to think and don't try not to think. just breathe

Title	Meditation
Author	reecewagner
Upvotes	6
Comments	9
Date	September 13, 2015 7:57 PM UTC (10 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/seduction
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/seduction/comments/3ktkd8/meditation/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/seduction/meditation.1394144 https://theredarchive.com/post/1394144

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