Meditation is the sh*t (srs) (no hippy) (strong informative thread)

[zer0time]

2 things I can recommend:

1. The power of now (book)
2. Peaceful warrior (movie)

[powahshake]

Been meditating for a few months on and off, can't seem to do it daily though. Maybe I should just take 10 min. every evening before bed and commit to it then.

Thoughts?

Also, this book has been great for me: Wherever you go, there you are. Simple about mindfulness, written by Jon Kabat Zinn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Kabat-Zinn

http://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-T.../dp/1401307787

Do a moving meditation such as Tai Chi or Chi Gong. I am doing the latter and basically it's a hell of a lot more fun and relevant for lifters than sitting meditation. Being constantly moving gives you something to do rather than sitting there allowing things to happen; and you use this time to make your muscle contractions finely coordinated with your breath. There is nothing to get bored of when you're doing this because you're constantly concentrating on keeping your movements as smooth as possible and aligned with your breathing. Because it's fun like lifting, you don't want to not do it, it's very addictive.


Works amazing effects on lifting. By circulating your chi around the body, you hit weak spots and they become easier to activate. With a state of heightened chi your body does all the little things you have to keep strict when lifting a lot more automatically e.g. when overhead pressing I felt my glutes lock into position much more naturally, and my abs too, and my lifts felt a lot smoother and more powerful.

Here's a link to get you started: Martial Arts - Qigong For Health And Vitality

This is the FASTEST technique I have ever experienced, short of hallucinogenic drugs. It exceeds the effects of hallucinogens in many ways, yes even things like ayahuasca and ibogaine, the big guns. I have been practising it around 6 hours a day on average for the last 4 days and I feel reborn. Years of emotional knots just blew away in a split second. Suddenly I am my 13 year old innocent self, before a whole load of crazy chit happened in my life. You can FEEL THE HEAT directly moving through your body, following the movement of your hands. You can visualise it, check this video out, it's exactly like the image at 0:13. In a sense it is controlled calisthenics, there is a lot of bodyweight squatting and stuff involved. I cannot recommend it enough, it's as if my life has switched onto level 3.




Note: I would strongly recommend getting an experienced teacher when learning. Like lifting, it can have serious negative effects if you are not aware of certain things. Any powerful technique to radically alter the body of course generally also comes with the power to radically harm the body when done incorrectly.

[yaFeelMe]

Been meditating for a few months on and off, can't seem to do it daily though. Maybe I should just take 10 min. every evening before bed and commit to it then.

Thoughts?




Also, this book has been great for me: Wherever you go, there you are. Simple about mindfulness, written by Jon Kabat Zinn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Kabat-Zinn

http://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-T.../dp/1401307787

why can't you do it daily? Lack of time or something else?

If it's boredom you're most likely just thinking with your eyes closed. Nice links though. Mindfulness in daily activity is as important as meditation if not more.

[Merauder]

12 hours a day for 10 days? Damn... That sounds like a challenge, you would surely learn a lot about yourself though.

Series of 10 days pass by all the time. You might as well take one of those to meditate.

[yaFeelMe]

amidoingitrite?

I was laying down and I closed my eyes listened to the first track.. It took around 5 minutes for me to be able to concentrate. I had bad thoughts still circling my head. Throughout the first tracK I got a few headaches. Towards the end I started feeling better. Like my mind was erasing bad thoughts.

I listened to the Theta Wave for 4 loops and I felt my body change, physically in my legs I felt them get stiff.

I then listened to the first music video thing. And closed my eyes and focused on breathing like the first track. After a few minutes, my leg muscles started twitching. And my eyes got heavy with tears.. and some voice in my head said I LOVE MY LIFE..

I listened to the second video. I dont feel the high anymore, but I still feel good. Can do you do this multiple times a day?

Don't make the mistake of pursuing meditation just for feeling "high" or "good". Although that is a huge benefit, it should be looked at from a different perspective. Just concentrate on the doing and let the effects follow on their own accord. If you keep meditating to achieve something then you are entering the realm of desire, which will ultimately lead to suffering.

YOu'll find this is one of the biggest paradoxes. THe more you desire, the further your goals drift away from you.

Meditation can be done more than once a day. There is no limit. It's simple. If you feel like meditating, meditate. If you don't, don't. Also I would suggest allowing yourself to be in a state of surrender throughout the day and ESPECIALLY after you meditate.

Look it up on calmdownmind if you need more explaining.

[liore22]

so wut do do? i listen to the tracks and justfocus on breathing. do i supress all misc thoughts? just keep focusing on my breathing?

[yaFeelMe]

so wut do do? i listen to the tracks and justfocus on breathing. do i supress all misc thoughts? just keep focusing on my breathing?

NO SUPPRESSION OF THOUGHTS. Let them be with no resistance to them. Just focus on breathing. Go look up some simple zen meditations.

[lnvictus]

so wut do do? i listen to the tracks and justfocus on breathing. do i supress all misc thoughts? just keep focusing on my breathing?

Let things be.
Thoughts will come for sure, but they will also go away.
Be an observer of this impermanence
In between inflow and outflow of thoughts, silence remain. You're striving to be in that state of silence. That's the natural state.

Breathing is used as a tool to ground oneself
Eventually you won't be needing to focus on breathing. You'll go straight into the state of being.

[polkster84]

Exactly. As you sit there focusing on the internal (breath, heartbeat, ect), allow your thoughts to pass you by. Do not engage them. If you notice you are entertaining the ideas or probing the thoughts that occur, return your focus to your internal anchor. You must distance yourself from the thoughts as if you are a third party. Let them drift by as you enjoy the serene calm of nothingness.

[yaFeelMe]

Anyone else feel like meditation and mindfulness is turning them into what the misc dubs as "alpha"? I hate using that term but I don't know what else to refer to it as. Maybe our natural role as men.

Emotions don't dictate my actions at all anymore. The voice in my head that is limiting is gone. I'm more dominant even though I make no attempt to be. I'm calm, cool and collective in situations where others freak out. The only way to start a fight with me would be if you actually hit me. Words have no effect on me now.

My attachment to things is gone. I feel like I'm becoming more of a natural man now. I know when to take action and do so without hesitation. It's weird. I feel like everyday I become more aligned with this natural self that I as a man am supposed to be.

People have more respect for me in situations. I chalk that up to being completely nonreactive in conversations.

Any other misc brahs noticing some huge changes?

Former anxiety, depressed, afraid, timid, weak brah here. Feels goodman that I look back on how I used to be and it makes me laugh.

Accepting that fact that my will has no control over life and letting myself surrender to the vastly more intelligent life force has been the greatest thing. Simply allowing myself to be as I am and being sincere with my actions has changed my life situations so unbelievably much. My intuition is so good it's starting to scare me haha. I wake up feeling like the world is mine to have fun in. The seriousness of life is gone. I can't stop smiling. I look like an idiot walking to class because I'm laughing at how great it is to be here and alive.

I still get negative emotions sometimes, but that's inevitable. You can't have happy without sad. But I'm not identifying with them anymore. I just live in this state of peace and the emotions are just running in the background.

This is around my 2nd or 3rd year of practicing meditation and inner awareness. It really is the sh*t

[magog704]

i sit in the cross-legged position and count my breathing to 10. i let thoughts come and go like passing clouds. sometimes i forget to count when my mind becomes bigger.

[youonlyliftonce]

I've been meditating with binaural beats for a year now every night for an hour. One thing I have not gotten over is my family. I live with mom and dad and I find myself irritable around them. This is something I've tried meditating over alot but I have adverse thoughts and feel too emotionally connected with them. I go a day without being in contact with them I have no problem. I"m not sure if they play mind games on me or i'm just losing my mind theta mediting too much. I just havent felt myself lately and feel like a robot. This december I am skipping binaural beats and am meditating without its support so I'll post back in a week if its too much theta or my mom and pop are complete *******s.

[cwat726]

That's an awesome transformation. Mirin brah

[Chupacabro]

Recently finished reading Meditation for Dummies. It was an excellent introduction into meditation. A very, very good place to start for beginners such as myself. Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Meditation-For.../dp/0471777749

[hickorysmoked1]

I like reading the stories of meditation transforming peoples' lives, or affecting even in the smallest ways especially on bb.com. Anymore meditation transformations?

[yg7s7]

I started meditating again recently and last night was the second time.. I'm having a breathing problem! I try to inhale and exhale fully and soon I'm out of breath and I start panting! damn

what do I do?

Recently finished reading Meditation for Dummies. It was an excellent introduction into meditation. A very, very good place to start for beginners such as myself. Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Meditation-For.../dp/0471777749

I think someone posted a download link to that and Mindfulness for Dummies in this thread lol

I like reading the stories of meditation transforming peoples' lives, or affecting even in the smallest ways especially on bb.com. Anymore meditation transformations?

for me, I started having lucid dreams when I started meditating.. it's def a transformation in a good way

[yaFeelMe]

I started meditating again recently and last night was the second time.. I'm having a breathing problem! I try to inhale and exhale fully and soon I'm out of breath and I start panting! damn

what do I do?






I think someone posted a download link to that and Mindfulness for Dummies in this thread lol



for me, I started having lucid dreams when I started meditating.. it's def a transformation in a good way

I know for me after about 5 mins into meditation my breathing becomes much slower and deeper. Also usually we only breathe mostly our of one nostril at a time, but I automatically start using both my nostrils at the same time.

Try to let your breathing happen naturally and see what happens.

[ajn]

Anyone else feel like meditation and mindfulness is turning them into what the misc dubs as "alpha"? I hate using that term but I don't know what else to refer to it as. Maybe our natural role as men.

Emotions don't dictate my actions at all anymore. The voice in my head that is limiting is gone. I'm more dominant even though I make no attempt to be. I'm calm, cool and collective in situations where others freak out. The only way to start a fight with me would be if you actually hit me. Words have no effect on me now.

My attachment to things is gone. I feel like I'm becoming more of a natural man now. I know when to take action and do so without hesitation. It's weird. I feel like everyday I become more aligned with this natural self that I as a man am supposed to be.

People have more respect for me in situations. I chalk that up to being completely nonreactive in conversations.

Any other misc brahs noticing some huge changes?

Former anxiety, depressed, afraid, timid, weak brah here. Feels goodman that I look back on how I used to be and it makes me laugh.

Accepting that fact that my will has no control over life and letting myself surrender to the vastly more intelligent life force has been the greatest thing. Simply allowing myself to be as I am and being sincere with my actions has changed my life situations so unbelievably much. My intuition is so good it's starting to scare me haha. I wake up feeling like the world is mine to have fun in. The seriousness of life is gone. I can't stop smiling. I look like an idiot walking to class because I'm laughing at how great it is to be here and alive.

I still get negative emotions sometimes, but that's inevitable. You can't have happy without sad. But I'm not identifying with them anymore. I just live in this state of peace and the emotions are just running in the background.

This is around my 2nd or 3rd year of practicing meditation and inner awareness. It really is the sh*t

once again everything you post is like an observation from my own life. exactly the same here.

the capacity i used to have to judge things as serious or fearful is essentially nonexistent now. it isn't possible for my mind to hold on to negative thoughts or become "freaked out" by anything. in the past, i used to get scared at the thought of going through ego death or possibly losing my mind or something. 'ego death' doesn't actually mean you lose your ego, it just means you realize that your ego isn't the full story, it's only one side of the coin. i used to always have a voice in my head second-guessing my actions, it's completely gone now. unlike before when i would have to constantly confirm my identity through my thoughts, thinking now just feels like a pleasant accessory to life and not life itself.


and for anyone who's interested in this stuff, imo it's a huge mistake to think of this process as being "spiritual" or "mystical" or anything like that. it's actually quite scientific and factual, when you think about the fact that we are PRIMATES lol. it just so happens that there are a species of primate on this earth called homo sapiens, whose brains evolved the weird/useless capacity to denote meaning to the environment around them. you are just one out of the billions of those creatures running around. our minds place a layer of meaning and emotion over reality, just like placing a layer or filter over an image. it's a biological process that's always running in the back of our mind, we can't stop doing it anymore than we can stop the beating of our hearts. the aim of all this 'meditation/mindfulness' stuff is to train you to sense this process happening. we all think thoughts, feel emotions, create attachments to people/things, and have desires. but there is no "you" doing it, these are all simply attributes that are inherent to humans. so everything you are up to this point, your personality, hobbies, interests, people you are attached to, etc.. everything you identify with when you think the word "I", is a product of your human/homo sapiens nature. think about the experience of life in the same way you think about a gift, you didn't have to do anything to earn it because it arises of itself. do you remember the day when you decided to become an "I"? no, because that feeling of "I" and everything that comes with it is inherently part of the human experience.. just like say, photosynthesis is part of the plant experience. you won't grasp this point of view unless you've decided that you are interested in 'knowing the truth', if not then you'll remain as you were before. it doesn't matter either way - there's no right or wrong way to live life, because whether you realize it or not we're all just holding on for the ride anyways.


i also realized that we really do create our own external reality. too much has been happening in my life lately for it not to be true. you just have to expect positive things to happen, and not be surprised when they happen. i've become so convinced of the positive nature of life, that when something really good happens to me out of the blue (which is quite frequently), i don't even react to it internally. i just say "of course" and go about my day.. i've chosen to have a positive experience in this life, so of course positive things will happen to me.

[Mr.PissShivers]

Anybody familiar with Neville Goddard?

[Dr_Decay]

Anyone else feel like meditation and mindfulness is turning them into what the misc dubs as "alpha"? I hate using that term but I don't know what else to refer to it as. Maybe our natural role as men.

Emotions don't dictate my actions at all anymore. The voice in my head that is limiting is gone. I'm more dominant even though I make no attempt to be. I'm calm, cool and collective in situations where others freak out. The only way to start a fight with me would be if you actually hit me. Words have no effect on me now.

My attachment to things is gone. I feel like I'm becoming more of a natural man now. I know when to take action and do so without hesitation. It's weird. I feel like everyday I become more aligned with this natural self that I as a man am supposed to be.

People have more respect for me in situations. I chalk that up to being completely nonreactive in conversations.

Any other misc brahs noticing some huge changes?

Former anxiety, depressed, afraid, timid, weak brah here. Feels goodman that I look back on how I used to be and it makes me laugh.

Accepting that fact that my will has no control over life and letting myself surrender to the vastly more intelligent life force has been the greatest thing. Simply allowing myself to be as I am and being sincere with my actions has changed my life situations so unbelievably much. My intuition is so good it's starting to scare me haha. I wake up feeling like the world is mine to have fun in. The seriousness of life is gone. I can't stop smiling. I look like an idiot walking to class because I'm laughing at how great it is to be here and alive.

I still get negative emotions sometimes, but that's inevitable. You can't have happy without sad. But I'm not identifying with them anymore. I just live in this state of peace and the emotions are just running in the background.

This is around my 2nd or 3rd year of practicing meditation and inner awareness. It really is the sh*t

I had this feeling. Then I went to depression again.

[Thewix]

Hey bros, I've been doing guided meditation for 10 minutes before bed to relax me for an awesome nights sleep.

I'd like to take it to the next level, I tried just some meditation music last night and tried to emulate what the guided meditation recommended and it went OK for my first attempt I guess.

Any recommendations for taking it to the next level, or are the recommednations on the first page good ones?

Thanks in advance Meditation brahs.

[Dr_Decay]

Hey bros, I've been doing guided meditation for 10 minutes before bed to relax me for an awesome nights sleep.

I'd like to take it to the next level, I tried just some meditation music last night and tried to emulate what the guided meditation recommended and it went OK for my first attempt I guess.

Any recommendations for taking it to the next level, or are the recommednations on the first page good ones?

Thanks in advance Meditation brahs.

power of suggestion is strong, right?

[Thewix]

power of suggestion is strong, right?

Understand this, I do not.

[svartberg]

Hey bros, I've been doing guided meditation for 10 minutes before bed to relax me for an awesome nights sleep.

I'd like to take it to the next level, I tried just some meditation music last night and tried to emulate what the guided meditation recommended and it went OK for my first attempt I guess.

Any recommendations for taking it to the next level, or are the recommednations on the first page good ones?

Thanks in advance Meditation brahs.

Ya dude, I guess the next level for you after guided meditation, would be the OP with Binaural beats.

[zer0time]

subbed.

[Dr_Decay]

Understand this, I do not.

it means guided meditation (power of suggestion) is a hell lot quicker than your own uncertain solo-meditation.

[Thewix]

it means guided meditation (power of suggestion) is a hell lot quicker than your own uncertain solo-meditation.

I see, thank for explaining.

I'm hoping with a bit of practice to get rid of the need for the voices.

[powahshake]

Hey bros, I've been doing guided meditation for 10 minutes before bed to relax me for an awesome nights sleep.

I'd like to take it to the next level, I tried just some meditation music last night and tried to emulate what the guided meditation recommended and it went OK for my first attempt I guess.

Any recommendations for taking it to the next level, or are the recommednations on the first page good ones?

Thanks in advance Meditation brahs.

Try some Chi Gong bro, read my post: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post983780503

Moving meditation is MUCH more fun than sitting meditation IME. Because it's more fun, it's much easier to zen the hell out into total absorption and it's much easier to do it for long. Not to mention that Chi Gong movements are like high rep calisthenics focusing on form & contraction. My mind-muscle connection has improved vastly since I started.

[JohnnyPotsmoker]

Can OP please clarify what he meansby holding his emotions in his hands? You seem to have the state of consciousness I wish to achieve.
How did you go by this? How did it all come clear to you?
Thanks OP for this amazing thread. You'll inspired people to try something which will change their lives for the better.

[chevy72blu]

Glad to see this thread alive and strong.

As I've posted a few times, I was once very depressed (in therapy, seeing a shrink, etc). Western medicine helped with the symptoms, but I wasnt ultimately cured until I experienced very powerful breakthroughs in meditation.

I have since been good for the past several years, but anxiety has been creeping in lately. What changed? I stopped meditating. I have recently begun again and im already beginning to get back to my old self.

This is a great audio series for people new to meditation (or struggling with it). Completely free and you dont have to register for anything (direct download). Click the "Discover meditation: download your free course" button at the top left http://www.project-meditation.org/community/

I am new to mantra based meditation, but I find that I can achieve a meditative state quite a bit sooner than breath focus or chakra. I have reached the deepest states of peace through chakra meditation, however.

For those who arent aware (maybe repost), Jim Carey is a HUGE proponent of meditation and mindfulness. The breakthrough he describes was exactly, and I mean exactly, what I experienced.

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