sweep

i think, therefore i am confused

i do not think, therefore i am

Hans

I'll second that!

Amie

I have tried to meditate several times, the problem is my brain will not cooperate. I could not seem to "quiet" my thoughts whatsoever. Very frustrating...
Amie~

cydonia

Quite a bit, but not recently. One of the major pitfalls for me is falling asleep. If i'm sitting up in a chair and relaxed i always think "oh it will be so much more comfortable if i lay down" and then i'm snoozing.

The benefits have been mild euphoria, kind of like after jogging. It does tend to clear your mind as well.

The only problem is that i was doing it for (at least now i feel) the wrong reasons. I was trying to be at one with the universe and send out all my energy to the universe in order to fulfill my desires and create afluence. I think alot of creative visualization was involved as well.

Man, it looks so corny after typing it.

Hail_Isis

I meditate. I have high stress and high blood pressure, and it's helped me a lot.

Tom Sawyer

Often when I'm at work, I zone out infront of my computer for a while.

Does that count as meditation? If so, then I have experienced benefits from meditation in that the work day seems to go by quicker.

Debbie T

What may help you Amie is a tape on meditation. Sometimes we need something that keeps our minds focussed like being aware of your breathing and a tape can help with that. Learning this also helps when you have insomnia and your mind won't shut up. You can learn how to quiet your mind, but it does take some practice and the tapes will help with that.

kalamasutta

I have meditated now for about ten years, mainly in the early hours of the morning for periods varying between ten and thirty minutes. Just the simple "watch the breathing" sort - sit straight, feet on the ground, hands on lap, eyes closed, and just concentrate the attention on the point of the nose where the breath moves in and out. Each time I become aware that my mind has wandered away I gently bring it back to the breath - no point in anger or frustration, much more helpful to feel pleased with myself that I have become aware of my mind drifting.(Ultimately, for me, the idea is not to change myself, to become "better", more to accept and be with whatever is within each moment)

I think that a large part of my everyday anxieties are created by the constant self-reference, judging everything in terms of "I", "me" and "mine". The never-ending wanting this, not wanting that, liking this, not liking that.......the assumption that the more I have of what I like - and the less I have of what I dislike - the happier I shall be. Yet all things seem to just keep spinning around, the mind like a fish out of water, or a little hampster in a wheel, always thinking that the next grasping step will bring a happy conclusion! The main culprit for creating this "I" "me" "mine" seems to be the constant chatter of the mind, the endless monologue and stream of thought that hits in the first moment of wakefulness - the same tired thoughts and conditioned reactions, creating a strong sense of "self" looking out from behind the eyes. Simple breathing meditation helps break up the chatter of the mind, and in a way breaks up the sense of "self". My own experience has been that during the day, even when no longer formally meditating, my mind returns quite naturally to the breath out of the habit gained while meditating, breaking up the mindless stream of repetitive thought patterns - bringing me back to the moment I am in. The strong sense of self is broken down and a lighter sense of being results.

Its difficult to judge just what benefit there has been....so many other things are happening, and not easy to see just what causes what.....yet I feel the results are positive.

Worth giving it a go...and finding out for yourself!



[ September 17, 2002: Message edited by: kalamasutta ]</p>