Meditation

Started by dsanchez, January 02, 2020, 17:35:49

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dsanchez

hey, I remember someone mentioning he/she meditates. How often do you do it? When do you do it? Going through a very stressful time at work and need to relax. Any suggestion is welcome :)
2023.11.22 Lima
2023.11.27 Montevideo

SueC

I can't help with meditation because I'm useless at traditional meditation - but I think some of my leisure activities achieve the same end - such as long walks in beautiful scenery, reading books that take you out of your own universe into another place entirely, playing a musical instrument, anything that breaks your mind out of a loop.  A colleague used rock climbing and abseiling to de-stress.

Listening to music with headphones on in the dark is a pretty good way to de-stress too - or on speakers in broad daylight perhaps jumping up and down to the rhythm.  ;)

Laughing - perhaps it's time for a favourite comedy programme (binge watching may be indicated if things are really dire), or to get together with a particularly silly friend - or find a "laughter yoga" type group near you - groups of people who get together to laugh, and it's effective because laughter is infectious.

When I was super-stressed out at work, acupuncture was actually really helpful for me.  It sort of forced me to relax - you can't be tense with needles in you or it will hurt because muscle tension will bend the needles, so it's amazing how you relax everything with acupuncture needles stuck in various places. Often I'd fall asleep during actual treatment.  Once, when I was particularly stressed, I had a sort of proprioceptor hallucination during acupuncture - when I closed my eyes, I suddenly felt as if I was floating off the table, feet-first, until I was levitating in mid-air - that was really interesting. :cool

Good nutrition with perhaps some extra B-vitamins and magnesium can be helpful.  Extra sleep, if you can get past the insomnia that can happen with stress.  Cuddling your cat or dog and playing games with them.

If all else fails, there's this guided meditation... :angel


Hope you de-stress soon!






SueC is time travelling

word_on_a_wing

Hi David,
I agree with what Sue is saying, that there's many ways to de-stress. I personally do meditate, so could share a few ideas.

I find it helpful to do some stretching before meditation. Also doing some exercises to activate the abdominal area, such as leg lifts and/or plank (Particularly useful if you are someone who holds tension in the stomach area, which I tend to do when stressed).

The types of meditation I may then do can vary, but here is an example of a short one: an 11min meditation for stress release that perhaps you may like to try:
8-stroke-breath-meditation

Following this you could either lay down and have a nap (and I find often useful shifts can occur at such times, such as body jolts, or dreams), or you could remain sitting and meditate.
And how to meditate more generally? It's a tricky question as there's so many variations. Some key principles I've found have worked for me:
-don't try to achieve a still mind. When one sits to meditate then stuff will come up. Like washing a dirty rag, the water will be discoloured to start with
-allow whatever arises without judgement.
-if a specific thought hooks you, let go of the content. I find it useful instead to notice how the thought that arose is effecting my energy/how I'm feeling (more widely than the thought itself)
-notice resistance, and lean into it
-equalise attention (ie for every sensation and sound: not preferring one over another, and allowing equal awareness of it all).
...and then when you get the hang of that...let it all go, let go of any and all concepts and ideas, including these principles (huh?)

May I suggest some meditation music:
When I first started with meditation I would simply sit with this music, listening and opening ...perhaps an easier thing to try than all those ideas / 'principles' I shared above that I'm realising may seem a bit much 😆

Also during a nap may I suggest listening to a gong (in person is very powerful if you ever get the chance, but there are recorded ones such as this (short, but you can listen on repeat):
"Where the flesh meets the spirit world,
Where the traffic is thin..."

Ulrich

Quote from: dsanchez on January 02, 2020, 17:35:49Going through a very stressful time at work and need to relax. Any suggestion is welcome :)

What I'd do to relax is: drink tea (or beer) and watch The Cure @ Hyde Park.

Alternatives:
- I'd go to the sauna and sweat in a (rather dimly lit) "meditation sauna" - you don't have to meditate in there.

- Taking a walk; after walking (not running or jogging) for 10-15 minutes I mostly feel very "calm" inside.
The holy city breathed like a dying man...

SueC

So, @dsanchez, long time no see, I hope things are less stressful for you!  :)  Are any of these techniques working for you at all?
SueC is time travelling

MeltingMan

Quote from: dsanchez on January 02, 2020, 17:35:49hey, I remember someone mentioning he/she meditates. How often do you do it? When do you do it? Going through a very stressful time at work and need to relax. Any suggestion is welcome :)

I'm currently trying every afternoon/evening - a little (with one or two cups of tea). After 6 p.m., all screens stay blank unless an interesting movie comes along. I also avoid speaking, which is difficult. Now the days are getting longer again, but when it gets dark, I consciously leave out the light. An hour or so. Sometimes I just sit there and listen. Then that's my kind of meditation.
En cette nation [Russie] qui n'a pas eu de théoriciens et de démagogues,
les pires ferments de destruction ont apparu. (J. Péladan)

word_on_a_wing

I just found an easy to follow 'how to meditate' thing that may be worth a read to anyone interested in this topic...

www.lionsroar.com 
"Where the flesh meets the spirit world,
Where the traffic is thin..."