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68 Comments
- shinedout, on 10/17/2007, -1/+16Nice to see this getting dugg up. I meditate twice a week and it definitely decreases my stress level.
- hex2bush, on 10/16/2007, -2/+14"Control Your Own Thoughts" - No.
Every form of meditation I've read about, controlling your thoughts was not the goal. Observing your thoughts is the goal. Notice when you lost focus on: breath, mantra, (yoga) pose, etc... and go back - without judgment.
Steve Levine has a wonderful book called: "A Gradual Awakening"
Also just as great: "The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hanh
"How to Practice" by Dalai Lama
"Full Catastrophe Living " by Jon Kabat Zinn
I liked all the above the most because they're great for us Westerners and they get to the heart of meditation - in my opinion.
There's more, but I found those to be the most in the spirit of what meditation is about. - DryMaltExtract, on 10/16/2007, -2/+11I just close my eyes, take a deep breath and then go back to chopping up the bodies. Works wonders.
- o0joshua0o, on 10/16/2007, -0/+7I used to medidate daily in college. It was weird, but I started recalling all kinds of things from my early childhood that I'd completely forgotten about. It also relaxed my body and made my mind feel more alert. I'd like to start doing it again.
- swrostmore, on 10/16/2007, -0/+5Article doesn't suggest that you "control your thoughts" during meditation - it suggests that meditation makes you better able to control your thoughts.
- dellis, on 10/15/2007, -0/+5http://www.livescience.com/health/051111_medidate. ...
Is that what you were looking for? - djmusho, on 10/16/2007, -1/+6True recommended to everyone!!
I get my inspiration from meditating!! - BossKey, on 10/16/2007, -1/+6I definitely benefit from daily medication.
Oh wait...meditation...that works too... - MMarquit, on 10/16/2007, -2/+7When I take the time to meditate, not only does my stress level drop, but I actually work more efficiently, since my mind is cleared and activated.
- FreakyD, on 10/15/2007, -2/+6How about daily masturbation?
- mwalker05, on 10/15/2007, -0/+4im not against meditation or anything here and studies do show that meditation reduces stress. however there are no studies that show meditation has any greater physiological effect on the body that simply resting doesn't accomplish. so if you don't want to stop and chant in the lotus position, you can simply just take a timeout. don't go spending a few hundred dollars on any classes though.
- dcnstrct, on 10/16/2007, -0/+4Meditation is not merely resting. There are numerous studies that show it enhances the higher functions of the mind. Recent studies of monks and those with years of training show substantial changes in brain response compared to those who are "just resting" or relatively new to meditation. Further, there are certain meditations that have been shown to decrease the body's resting rate to a level even below that of sleep.
Check out the work of Richard Davidson from the University of Wisconsin or the articles and books by Sharon Begley, a science writer with the Wall Street Journal. This ancient practice is beginning to receive more research and scientific understanding that it is a unique discipline and method of changing the mind and brain, much in the way athletics conditions to the body.
As someone said above, it is not really about "controlling" the thoughts but rather awakening a deeper intelligence and awareness from which the thoughts arise. When you are in that space, thoughts and impressions do not have as much power to knock you from your center and send you down the path of Jerry Springer like drama in your head. For me personally, the 15 minute meditation I do twice a day feels like getting a few hours of sleep -- it can be that powerful sometimes.
Everyone should give it a try -- there are many gateways and techniques, just have to find the right one that works for you. - SirZRX, on 10/16/2007, -0/+4i want to practice meditation...can someone post a link with videos and techniques for starters?
- offspring06, on 10/15/2007, -0/+3I know that is a stress reliever.
- cryptomystic, on 10/16/2007, -0/+3you fail.
- debuggercll, on 10/16/2007, -0/+31) 'Minuet' is a type of french dance
2) Why are you telling your mom that you're coming? That's just gross.
3) A sentence about a dance, your mom, your 'nub', and coming has got the be the one of grossest things I've heard today.
4) You a crazy person, go to a dungeon. - RobotBuddha, on 10/21/2007, -1/+4Not as horrible an article as I'd expected. But for all the research out there, I'm always surprised that these kinds of articles are usually so reluctant to reference them. Instead it's usually just "scientists say", or a couple links to horribly written 3rd hand descriptions of a study. I should probably stop complaining and actually do a writeup with proper citations myself.
- FoxFaction, on 10/16/2007, -0/+2Everyone always says "meditation" like it's jogging or something and I should just know how to do it. Aren't there a lot of different ways to meditate? For anyone who might actually be interested in trying, this article doesn't really help at all. :P
- inactive, on 10/16/2007, -0/+2"Man has conquered space, Mount Everest and numerous other challenges"
In regards to space....we've conquered a grain of sand on a beach. - AlfaWolph, on 10/21/2007, -0/+2Please do. I'd digg that.
- rune420, on 10/15/2007, -0/+1Wow, you're so manly.
- dudad, on 10/15/2007, -0/+1Meditation can also be a cause of synesthesia. (Though what types of synesthesia it causes hasn't been studied too thoroughly.)
- hex2bush, on 10/16/2007, -1/+2Absolutely. And thank you for pointing out my error.
I should have prefaced my comment with - "to clarify" or something like that. But You did that quite well.
I have made that mistake myself. I thought that I could control my thoughts completely with meditation and become sort of super-human. Yes, it was my ego in charge - which makes me very angry many times! - portos12, on 06/26/2008, -0/+1Yes meditation helps a lot.
http://www.bluedune.net - ps3udov3ctor, on 10/15/2007, -0/+1as opposed to the pre-modern world in which "activity, achievements and results" were very much detested.
- haraldsin, on 04/18/2009, -0/+1Very nice too emphazise this important topic. I really try to have two meditations per day. In the beginning it was less, but then one see the result of more peace of mind, no stress-feeling, and good attention. Then one cannot be without it. For myself i see how the medtitation has shortened the healing process, if a flu, cold, or other sickness should occure. It is much less of sicknesses and they get cured faster. Good test results have been seen on zen meditation and sahaja yoga meditation. Actually on many quite easy to do relaxing techniques as well. Have a look into a small presentation on youtube on one of them. http://www.youtube.com/haraldsin
Meditation should be enjoyable and a good way to feel recharged in the environment we live in. - dcnstrct, on 10/16/2007, -0/+1Science is progressing further and it is possible in the 70's science was not advanced enough to measure what is going on. Look at how recent plate tectonics as a science is and how it was treated when it was first proposed. We are only beginning to make small understandings of what is going on with consciousness.
Also, there are differences in the depth of meditation, different people, and different practioners. A world class athlete running versus a random guy who just started will bring different results. TM is just one style and I have seen meditation masters who say it is not even real meditation. I don't know, it is not what I practice, so I can't say.
But I can say that no matter what study you can put out there, you could never tell me not to meditate. The inner feeling beyond anything I have ever experienced -- exercise, good eating, drugs, whatever. One of the better analogies I have heard is that it is like taking a bath. If you have never taken a bath, you do not know what it is like to be clean, but if you have and you have not bathed for a month you know how gross your body feels. In the same way, meditation is like a bath for the mind. And there are a lot of people out there who have never bathed at all... - Velireon, on 10/15/2007, -0/+1Unless you ever want to cum again.
- dcnstrct, on 10/16/2007, -0/+1Meditation methods:
For those who are looking to explore different ways, one of the best texts is Osho's Book of Secrets. It covers the 112 methods of meditation and the practical way to practice them, problems you might have, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Secrets-Keys-Love-Medit ...
Some practices that are common may not be the best way of entry. For instance, breath watching which is a classic meditation practiced around the world and mostly associated as a Buddhist practice, can be torture for those first trying to meditate. But don't give up! There are other ways into meditation.
I've personally found the books of Osho to be the best instructions in English that are clear and easy to understand. Sometimes the translations in other books make meditation seem more complex then it actually is. It is not about complexity but the quality of the practice and the quality of your awareness. Check out the book and glance through at the techniques -- one or two are bound to fit for you and work.
Of course if you can find a teacher in person there is no better way. Books can only point the way but they cannot dynamically tell what the problem is or suggest a better practice unique to you. - inactive, on 10/16/2007, -0/+1You started out interesting, but a lot of that stuff sounds crazy. I try to meditate 15 minutes in the morning. I get present mindedness out of it. When I maintain that through the day, nothing bothers me. If I don't do that, my thoughts eat away at me. Without the mental discipline of meditation, I'd be stressing myself out all day by default. I still like getting intoxicated quite regularly and have an occasional cigarette. If you evangelize a lifestyle with meditation, you're going to exclude a lot of people who could get benefits from it.
- vertinox, on 10/16/2007, -1/+2@"Also remember this. If you ever find yourself in a country where meditation is widespread, don't drink the water. While they were passively meditating and dying of cholera and groaning with dysentery we were inventing modern plumbing."
Like Japan? - lOvOl, on 10/15/2007, -0/+1Well, there are many kinds of meditation out there and all are not created equal in terms of benefits or usefulness in one's daily life. Also, for extroverts, meditation probably doesn't do as much for them as introverts who need their alone time to relax. Extroverts on the other hand tend not to be "thinkers" in the first place, so the way they energize their minds is through the absorbtion of other people's ideas. That is not to say one group is superior to the other, but extroverts are typically bored out of their mind by even the idea of meditation and would rather say "***** this meditative *****, I am gonna go party".
I don't actively do any formal form of meditation myself, but I do spend quite a bit of time doing several activities without distraction that seem to help me become more being more immune to stress and better able to think and make intelligent decisions in my daily life. I hardly ever get angry at anyone unless I have not slept for a few days because of some work related project I have to finish, but that is a rare occurence. The reason I am so cool in my temperament I believe is that I can handle a hell of a lot of stress that just doesn't get to me. What helps me do this is:
(1) Rigorous physical exercise. I lift weights and do wind sprints. I have jogged in the past, but that doesn't seem to be as efficient in getting your whole body in shape as doing sprints (actually sprinting, jogging/walking, sprinting, etc. over and over again). Weightlifting is extremely important especially if you stick to dumbbells and exercises which require a lot of mental concentration to maintain balance. When I am lifting, it is just me against gravity. In between sets, you contemplate about a lot of different things, especially if you don't have music going (depends on my mood). Of course, I do all of this in my garage and if you are in some noisy gym it is probably going to be a lot harder to get into the "Zone". Simply put, if your brain is not getting a workout, then you are not going to be building up your stress resistance. Easy workouts like the kind advertised on TV are near useless.
(2) I do brainwave entrainment for about an hour a day (not every day as I have a job and other responsibilities like everyone else). Brainwave entrainment has quite a bit of science behind it even though a lot of crackpots and mystics over the years have given it the reputation of pseudoscience at best. When I do brainwave entrainment, I concentrate on paying attention to the stimuli rather than disassociating which I don't think is as effective from a meditative standpoint in terms of giving your brain a mental workout. You could say this is sort of like Zen meditation except that instead of focusing your mind on various parts of your body, you focus on the stimulus itself. For long-term users of brainwave entrainment, I find this to be necessary to overcome the natural habituation to repeated stimuli.
(3) I practice static apnea about as frequently as I do brainwave entrainment. Basically, what this means is I fill my bathroom sink up with water, optionally throw in a tray of ice cubes, then hold my breath underwater for as long as my current safe tolerance allows. Conventional wisdom is that this is bad for your brain, but what it actually does is cause your body to engage the mammalian dive reflex which opens up your carotid artery to your brain allowing more blood to go to your brain which improves circulation. Plus, when you have your head underwater, to be able to hold your breath for the longest time possible, you need to clear your brain of as much thought as possible since thinking increases your metabolism and the higher your metabolism, the faster you burn oxygen and build up carbon dioxide in your body so this is a good meditative practice in controlling your overall impulsivity since if your mind can overcome the natural instinct to breathe, your mind can probably overcome the natural instinct to lash out at someone if they do something which might normally make you angry.
Of course, eating a good diet and getting plenty of liquids and avoiding alcohol, tobacco and other carcinogenic drugs helps as well, but you can chalk that up to the advice of the "no duh department". Aside from that, the three things I mentioned above help out a lot in terms of becoming adept at stress management. The more your individual cells can handle stress (i.e. the healthier they are), the more likely they can help you maintain overall control of your mind and body in stressful situations which for most people is called "Life". - vertinox, on 10/16/2007, -0/+1I've personally read/heard about several methods. The only one I can do effectively is the breath count. It works to an extent with my anger management and drinking. I still get angry and drink, but it doesn't get as bad if I've been meditating.
- sokaro, on 05/21/2008, -0/+0It's simply not true the things people like mwalker05 say about meditation. Meditation does indeed give benefits and has effects on the body that resting or sleeping do not.
For example: slower heart rate, greater increase in digital blood volume, and greater decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Here are a couple of sources:
Delmonte, M.M. [1387]
"Physiological Responses during Meditation and Rest."
Biofeedback and Self-Regulation 9, no. 2 (1984f): 181-200.
Patel, C.H. [2143]
"Yoga and Biofeedback in the Management of Hypertension."
Journal of Psychosomatic Research 19 (1975b): 355-360.
It's not difficult to find information like this and more when you study the physiological and psychological effects of meditation. Look around using a search engine. - x5pfif, on 10/17/2007, -0/+0Oh yea i do meditate aswell... n its an amazing feeling once u do it .. and get used to it. Helps control your mind and body. Also keeps you healthy.
- sanyassin, on 10/16/2007, -0/+0synchronicity.org
- hex2bush, on 10/16/2007, -2/+2You can. If you concentrate on being present fully while driving, driving can be a form of meditation.
So can washing the dishes. ("The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hanh )
Or vacuuming the carpet.
Saying the rosary. - sokaro, on 05/21/2008, -0/+0Well charles, I have read plenty of research that has shown great benefits to meditation.
You seem to have an irrational grudge against it actually. - GhostLLP, on 10/15/2007, -1/+1Observing your thoughts is usually the goal for the introductory meditation techniques, as it is a prerequisite for the more advanced forms of meditation. But certainly these more advanced techniques make use of controlling thoughts, usually to a stage of single-pointed awareness, and then eventually to a state of "no mind." You will find these techniques very common in forms of Higher Yoga and especially Hermeticism.
- sokaro, on 05/21/2008, -0/+0It's simply not true the things people like mwalker05 say about meditation. Meditation does indeed give benefits and has effects on the body that resting or sleeping do not.
For example: slower heart rate, greater increase in digital blood volume, and greater decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Here are a couple of sources:
Delmonte, M.M. [1387]
"Physiological Responses during Meditation and Rest."
Biofeedback and Self-Regulation 9, no. 2 (1984f): 181-200.
Patel, C.H. [2143]
"Yoga and Biofeedback in the Management of Hypertension."
Journal of Psychosomatic Research 19 (1975b): 355-360.
It's not difficult to find information like this and more when you study the physiological and psychological effects of meditation. Look around using a search engine. - sanyassin, on 10/16/2007, -0/+0thats exacatlly what meditation is
when you are tired you rest
when hungry you eat
when horny you fu%k
no new age anything - lakshmisims, on 05/31/2008, -0/+0I have been experiencing my own inner peace through meditation and healing techniques. I met a teacher and healer named Dr. Sha. I first learned of him through a movie screening named "Soul Masters. www.soulmasters.com Which is a documentary about his work and his teacher in China Dr. Guo.
I was very moved by the real life examples they showed in the movie. So I started to read some of his books and then attenended some of his trainings. Every day my life is getting better and better. I am learning techniques that are simple and dont take much time and that work. He teaches things to help heal not only myself, but to help other people as well. His web site is www.drsha.com. Go read more.
He is amazing. I feel joy bubbling up inside my heart, and I find I am looking forward to each day and to the future. Also I am finding more and more peace inside myself so less worry is taking over.
Namaste! - GhostLLP, on 10/16/2007, -0/+0As I pointed out in my previous comment, thought observation is a very very basic form of meditation. I assure you, in certain advanced forms of meditation it is quite possible to control your thoughts, stop thinking, and even to stop practically all brain wave activity.
If you're interested, you can see a video clip of some of these types of meditation being demonstrated with an EEG machine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFFMtq5g8N4 - mindfulme, on 12/29/2008, -0/+0All you really have to do is sit and breath for ten minutes each day, and you'll feel the effects. I got a CD/DVD set with a meditation cadred to this and it was really simple, but you don't actually need the CD or DVD to do it. Basically, what you need to do is just sit in a quite space, breath in and out slowly, and try to focus on your mind and observe your thoughts. You'll be amazed at how your mind slows down and how you feel so much more aware because of it. (for reference, the disk I bought were from http://www.mydailymeditation.com/ but I wouldn't recommend buying the disks - they're expensive. Just try breathing deeply and focusing on your mind for 10 minutes each day - you'll feel the effects.
- sanyassin, on 10/16/2007, -0/+0you must be as Lance Armstrong with your meditative lifestyle
people think they can do 1 - 2 hours a day
and Nirvana will follow
sorry
all else must go
you must choose
all or nothing
your passion must be total'
your commitment herculean
and of up most importance
must have a master in your life
but silly fools think they can
Do everything themselves
let`s see how far you get
will you walk in Jesus`s footsteps
Or be truly courageous and become the Buddha
your choice
mediocrity
or
brilliance - CNau, on 03/25/2009, -0/+0So many of us think we have to sit still and meditate. It can be ANYTHING we do with attention...anything at all. Walking, dishes, making jewelry (my favorite meditation), looking at the sunrise, watching the stars, just watching the waves.
- charleskiddell, on 10/16/2007, -0/+0You haven't been to Japan recently, like maybe not since 1920. In the meantime watch the American film "Lost in Translation", or go to YouTube. Oh, and they use our plumbing.
- photuris, on 10/16/2007, -0/+0No, actually I don't know why, but as someone new to meditation, I am curious.
- SoniaGallagher, on 05/20/2009, -0/+0Meditation has impacted me in a positive way in my professional, personal, and spiritual life. So much that I have created a website to share information about the benefits of meditation and how to practice it in daily life for the busy overworked professionals that need it the most!
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