^this been a while since i’ve done an early mornin run. now that the weather is warmer and the sun is out earlier, i think this is a great reminder to make it happen again.
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I hadn’t run in a long time (new kid in our life, various injuries, winter etc) and recently started again as we have been having glorious spring weather. It’s really, really nice. Also, doing it “just because” has been an enjoyable difference, instead of going out with a specific training purpose.
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When I lived in Thailand, I went on a 10-day silent retreat. No talking, no communicating, no outside influence (phone, internet, newspapers, books).
The Buddhist meditation is not meant to clear the mind, but still the mind and stop it from racing from the day to day problems we have.
I really enjoyed it as we lived like Monks (2 vegetarian meals a day with dinner just a broth and tea).
It is relaxing and when you are done the normal stresses in life really didn’t seem important but it’s amazing how quickly day to day issues creep back.
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I’d recommend just trying to fit in 5 to 10 minutes a day, and also to not worry about doing it every day.
I find that after exercise, when I’m cooling down can work. And an elevated heart rate sometimes can serve as something to focus on. Before bed, or even in bed (although you may fall asleep) works for me too. I usually can also find some time during the work day.
I agree with BCtriguy1 that you while exercising can have that effect. I tend to take late night walks, and I’ll sometimes use that as a walking meditation.
There are also meditation apps with guided meditations. Not everyone likes them, but I find them helpful.
I think one of the best intro meditation books.is Dan Harris’ 10% Happier. A bit on the corny side, but surprisingly good.
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I like Sam Harris’ Waking Up app. It’s pretty much an intellectualized meditation practice without any of the new age, woo woo stuff that creeps in or is a feature of a lot of meditation practices. It costs money but there might a trial period you can sign up for and do the introductory meditations.
Going off on a tangent here:
Meditation crept in to the lens of wellness and productivity influencers a few years ago, and one thing that always struck me as funny was listening to the hyper-productive tech bro types talk about it. For instance, Tim Ferris would often talk about his morning routines, and they would go something like this:
“I wake at exactly 4:47am and consume 500ml of water at 18*C with sea salt and lemon. I immediately hop out of bed and in to my cold plunge for 90 seconds where I practice mindful breathing. Following this, I journal for the next 4 minutes while walking backwards on a treadmill. I finish journaling, and get to a few important emails. I hop off the treadmill, I have another sip of water, which also counts as my breakfast as I won’t eat until 1pm this afternoon, and do a 7 minute body weight circuit. It is now 5:09am, I’ve cold plunged, meditated, worked out, finished my work day, had breakfast, and I feel ready to take on the day. I will now spend the next 10 minutes meditating while simultaneously listening to two separate audiobooks at once, both on 2.5x speed.”
I know everyone is different, but to me, the point is to make time in your day to slow things down, eliminate distraction, and point your lens inwards a little. Any activity that allows you that, be it sitting in a dark room, walking in the early morning, gardening in solitude etc, is beneficial. But for me, the whole 10 minutes a day thing just doesn’t work. It’s just not enough time to “get in the zone”.
I’ve found the same thing. Again, I don’t think the point is necessarily to quiet that mind, but that certainly can happen and for me it’s more like at least 15 or 20 minutes to get there.
I read an article, ages ago, by a fellow who went to a silent retreat in India. He did not enjoy it, neither did a guy he was there with. The first words the guy spoke, after two weeks of silence were, “That fu@kin’ sucked!”
I’ve always thought that was hilarious.
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I have and use his app. Mostly listen to the conversations, but the guided meditations are good. And I agree that it goes on the experiential side and is more about exploring the mind, self , and consciousness.
There’s free content that you explore before subscribing.
I was lucky enough to get in during the beta testing and avoid the subscription.
That’s the answer. Nearly, I won’t say always, when someone claims to speak for a god or is inserted between you and the god, its a grift. Being religious or spiritual or whatever is fine. Organized religion is a scam and always has been.
I pray daily. I find value in praying in many ways but for one it is a specific time every day that I take time to think of others. Praying also helps me focus on gratitude for the simple daily events that are constant like the sun rising, birds at the feeder etc.
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Same for me. I pray each day and meditate for 30 minutes. I do it in the mornng when no one is up and before my coffee and it just calms me. Instead of my mind racing about what has to be done that day, I start off slowly.
It’s hard at time. I’m a CPA and we are in tax season but taking that time seems to make my days less frantic.
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I get that 10 minutes may not be enough. It depends on the person. But if someone is having a difficulty finding time, then setting aside 10 minutes may help.
One you’ve had some practice and understand what you’re doing and what your goals are, a brief moment to refocus on the present may be enough.
I got started when my employer offered it as some form of corporate self-help, power training. But it resonated, and I’ve since gone in a different direction. I do believe it can help in a corporate or, really, any setting. I do it now not just for the benefits, but because it’s interesting.
When can we start a thread about psychodelics?
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I’ve not meditated in a while now, but I’ve been thinking about getting back into it. Probably only done mushrooms maybe once since I started meditating several years ago. Now you have me thinking that trying meditation on mushrooms is a good excuse to do them again.
This. I’ve always thought prayer or even meditation to be strange. You are, in effect, talking to yourself. I would rather spend the time some would spend praying or meditating doing something productive. If I have a spare 30 minutes, I’m going to go for a run or a walk or doing yardwork. I can just as easily calm my mind and quiet the chatter while doing something productive.
Think how much could be accomplished if all the time people spent praying was utilized instead to accomplish something.
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I mean, clearing your mind is kind of talking to yourself as well. Or maybe just listening to what your mind is telling you. I wouldn’t necessarily say it is unproductive, any more than time spent sleeping or eating would be. It is something that helps you focus, and can increase your enjoyment of life, reduce stress etc.
For me, the effect of burning some calories and increasing fitness is more of a fortunate byproduct of my chosen mental relaxation method than the goal of going out for the run. Like I said, I go with no music, I track no metrics etc. it’s just me and my thoughts for 20-30 minutes.
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I guess there are different types of practices but at least the ones I’ve done did’t involve talking to yourself much, if at all, mostly just trying to focus attention and observing the nature of mind and experience. Certainly led me to the conclusion that we don’t create our thoughts but experience them as they appear in our consciousness.
I often wonder if that is true, or, if that experience is just a byproduct of modern society where distraction and hyper stimulus is the norm. I would imagine in a slower, more simple pace of life, we would experience our thoughts very differently.
It seems like people who are incredibly mentally strong (championship athletes, business moguls, even just freaks of nature like Wim Hof) create their own reality through incredible focus and sheer force of will. These people can accomplish seemingly impossible feats and create their own reality through intense focus and drive.
It makes me wonder if controlling our thoughts is a sort of muscle or skill that most of us just never learn to develop, so we have the experience like you describe: being a somewhat passive vessel where thoughts come in and out of our consciousness.
To your first question (in the title): if ever there were the right time, it probably is now, and to be followed up with, it can’t hurt.
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Many meditation practices are basically exercises to develop the mind akin to exercise to develop the cardiovascular or musculoskeletal systems. Nonetheless I don’t believe “you” generate your thoughts any more than “you” make your heart beat or determine the forces skeletal muscles cells are producing at any given moment.