Meditation general

>>36921684
Forgot to add: I haven't masturbated in three days and I'm still not sure what to do about it.

>>36921684
How to meditate? Any books you can recommend? My consistent nightmares and anxiety have convinced me that it could be a prudent thing to look into.

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>>36921684
How long have you been meditating OP?

>>36921869
Slap on some headphones, sit somewhere comfy or lay down or what-have-you, then close your eyes and listen to this for its full duration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPpUNAFHgxM

Whenever you get antsy and want to check the time remaining or get up and walk around or any of that, just politely remind yourself its only 15 minutes.

>>36921869
I recommend attending a meditation course rather than reading a book. Meditation cannot be explained, only experienced. A teacher will be able to guide your experience.
For newbies, maintaining focus on your breath for a session of 10 minutes is a good place to start. Hard mode: Try to focus on the breath without controlling it.
Once focus is established, you can fill the silence inbetween your thoughts with attitudes such as "gratitude" and "compassion" to promote growth.

Did anyone realize that they get worked up about stuff for no particular reason?

Yesterday I had one of my episodes. Some annoying thoughts here and there. It was a rainy day and I went to the store to buy some stuff. On the way some car splashed a puddle right in my face. I just watched him drive away with no reaction whatsoever.

If I don't care that someone just splashed me with dirty water in the middle of the street, why should I give a fuck about some, probably made up stuff, that's in my head.

>>36921941
>Feel the weight of the air around you
Literally impossible.

>>36922242
>he cant feel the air

>>36922261
No, neither can you unless it's blowing or your lower/higher up than you are normally.

>>36921869
>>36922025
>>36922054

Just my two cents, but sitting meditation is a bit of meme by the way. Especially for newcomers.

We as westerners already spend out days sitting in front of a computer, sitting in school, sitting on a bus or in a train, sitting in front of a TV, etc.

Active meditation is more optimal.

You don't have to learn Yoga or Kung Fu (although you can), you can literally just go for a walk or a jog. That is a form of meditation in itself.

>focus on your breathing
>let your thoughts pass, and clear your mind

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>>36922242
>>36922288

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_pressure

>>36922391
Fucking retard. I didn't say it didn't exist, I said you can't feel it. It would be like feeling the earth's pull in space. Sure it's pulling on you but unless you're a brainlet it's obviously impossible to feel.

>>36922352
I felt, what people usually describe when they talk about meditation, when I was in the city waiting for the bus. I just actively observed everyone who is passing by and marked them as important. I wasn't even aiming at meditation, I was just sick of people walking around without even noticing each other.

>>36921684
You're learning mindfulness at last, OP. Cultivate mindfulness long enough and you will begin to reap wisdom. At long last have you begun to think clearly and have eyes to see the fog most people will live and die in.

You have found the path, anon. If you follow it you will be richer than any money could make you. But be careful; it is easy to step off the path if you do not keep your eyes on it and to do that is worse than to have never walked it at all.

>>36922352
I prefer sitting meditation because it gives me a chance to sit properly on the ground with good posture, and it's now an "activity" instead of passive.

>>36921869
The easiest way to learn meditation is through doing it. Because meditation is an inherently subjective experience by almost all means no one can show you or tell you exactly what it feels like.

My suggestion is to sit in the half-lotus position (my preferred method) or the more Japanese like kneeling position seen in Zen practice. Once you are comfortable and settled in begin to breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth. Make sure that you're inhaling with your gut rather than your chest.

When this is done begin to practice making those two motions of breathing into one. You may feel like they always were one with a little practice.

Once you can do that one should move on to practicing true mindfulness by putting effortless effort into holding onto no thought. If it helps you might imagine yourself standing beside the river of your stream of consciousness, just watching it all pass by.

With twenty minutes a day in the morning or before bed every few days you'll begin to cultivate mindfulness. It won't take long to see results if you do stick to the practice.

is there science behind this or is it just another meme

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>>36922391
>You can't feel atmospheric pressure
Pic related: (You)

>>36922352
Not a bad suggestion, but I would like to clarify that walking or jogging in itself is not meditation. If you're walking and your focus is still running astray with your thoughts, then you are not meditating.
>>36922479
Increasing your awareness of your surroundings is another way of increasing focus. Training your focus to employ also your peripheral vision is neat.

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>>36922687
meant to reply to>>36922435
my bad

>>36922625
>Make sure that you're inhaling with your gut rather than your chest.
Why? Too much abdominal pressure is bad for your digestion. The muscles responsible for expanding the rib case for inspiration stimulate the nervous system, and restraining these muscles increases stress.

>>36922683
There is actual science behind it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waking_Up:_A_Guide_to_Spirituality_Without_Religion

>>36922703
No you fucking can't, not when you're at the same altitude as you are normally. Yes, you are retarded.

>>36922683
A lot of science. Meditation has been proven to reduce symptoms of pain, stress and depression in patients with chronic pain.

>>36922732
>too much abdominal pressure is bad for your digestion

What are you talking about? Here, lay down and just breathe naturally. Notice how you breathe. Now stand up and do the same. You'll notice you use your abdomen when you're laying down.

Pretty sure monks wouldn't have done this for thousands of years this way if it was >bad for your digestion.

>>36922688
>but I would like to clarify that walking or jogging in itself is not meditation. If you're walking and your focus is still running astray with your thoughts, then you are not meditating.

Well, yeah, the same can be said about just sitting on a pillow on the ground. If you're not meditating, then you're not meditating.

The difference is that if you're physically active which is better for your mind than being inert.

>>36922809
Whatever buddy we're all dumbasses and you're the genius

>>36922809
Before a pedant comes along, yeah I should of said when you're exposed to the same pressure. Some people can feel a storm over their head because of the change in pressure.

>>36922891
>Hahaha I may be unable to support my retarded claim, but there's more of us. Though luck pal.

>>36922809
If you sit down and close your eyes and clear your mind and shut up and stop checking your phone every 45 seconds and you're not wearing a canada goose coat, you can definitely feel it.

>>36922921
No you'll feel a breeze. Are you seriously implying you're feeling ~10 tones/square meter of pressure constantly? Yeah, no, because there's ~10 tones/square meter of pressure pushing outwards too.
In an airplane your ears pop because the air pressure inside your ear is higher than inside the cabin. If you were there constantly the air pressure would equalize and you wouldn't feel it. You'd need even higher change in pressure to feel in on your skin, and again it would eventually go away.
>phone
fuck no I am no normie. Why would I clear my mind? Thinking is fun.

>>36923133
>he hasn't trained his body to feel air pressure

look at this over-thinking nub

>>36923277
You can't. You're imagining things, you're the one overthinking so much you start to imagine things.

>look at this guy who didn't train himself to telekenetically move objects.