Do you meditate?

I do a ten-minute meditation on most days. Usually in the middle of the day, or when I feel overwhelmed by the world’s demands.

I do either Yoga Nidra (a type of guided meditation that’s very effective for me), or a free-form meditation. For the latter, I simply set a timer and become mindful of my breath, sounds, thoughts, and the sensations in my body. I alternate between these four or concentrate on just one for the whole ten minutes.

I’m not experienced at meditation, so my focus slips away frequently. That’s okay though. I still notice a calm that’s otherwise hard to find. My mind is usually fairly wired, so it really needs those moments of peace.

Meditation also serves as a helpful tool for gauging my emotional state. When I struggle to achieve even a few seconds of quiet in my mind, that means I am not doing well. It alerts me that I need a break and should steer away from further commitments for a while.

@longgone -Thanks for the link
I like both guided & free-form.
As for calming techniques, I’ve used square breathing
It keeps me out of jail XD

Ha. No.

I meditated off and on for probably 30 years, and then 4 or 5 years ago, I began to meditate daily. In that time, I’ve missed one day. I remember it, because I remarked on it on the day because it was so different.

I used to just follow my breath and allow my thoughts to get still. It’s not easy at first, but becomes easier after some time doing it. It’s quite remarkable how much better I feel after some time just sitting and breathing. The thoughts come, I allow them to have some space, and then I allow them to recede. It works to keep me calm.

I recently started a meditation course from the Self Realization Fellowship founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920. It has some different techniques, and it has been challenging adjusting to the new way of doing the meditation. I’ve been doing it for about a month, and this morning was the first time I felt good about what had happened. This new form uses affirmations and prayer before the meditation, and then you can concentrate on some of the words while sitting silently. This worked well this morning.

@Hawaii_Jake – How long do your meditations last?

Some are as short as 10 minutes. The average is between 15 to 20. This morning was about 20.

@Hawaii_Jake -Perfect amount of time, IMO.

Yes. I am taking a course called Waking Up by Sam Harris.
https://wakingup.com/

@Caravanfan -What do you think so far?

Om, let me think about it.

I mediate 20 to 40 minutes in the morning, counting breaths from 1 to 4. I suffer from depression, which is particularly acute in the morning. It keeps intervening, and tries to get me to stop meditating. I note the thought, with the understanding that the more I feel like quitting, the more that I need to meditate. By the end of the meditation, I can notice a difference. How long it lasts, I can’t say, but it is a pleasant way to start the day.

@lucillelucillelucille I just started, but I like it.

@Caravanfan -I need to get back to a daily practice as I liked it as well.

I am starting to mediate when getting dental work done. Still need numbing, but I focus on keeping my mouth open wider and not choking on the water, and breathing thorough my nose.