Meditation

In my late teens I tried meditation and found my mind accelerated rather than calmed, and got increasingly frustrated with the buddhist monk who was taking the course.

10 years ago I started a yoga practice as recovery exercise from sport. Occasionally as part of a class there would be a meditation and I would find myself fidgeting after 30 seconds. I tended to scoff when people suggested that the Hatha (physical) yoga was a preparation for meditation.

These days meditation has become a regular part of my life. To my own amazement I can now sit still and meditate for 15 minutes which is an utter revelation. There are different types that I practice, some pranayama (breath) meditation, sometimes guided. I even find a meditative aspect to some cycling - on the road focus can go towards cadence, on a mountain bike it can be focusing on where I am looking, where I wish to go.

More and more people I encounter have a regular meditation practice and there are many resources that are free and fantastic. One I have been using recently is from renowned philosopher Deepak Chopra:
https://chopracentermeditation.com/

Who else on here meditates? The server goes into periods of "guru meditation" but what about the users of lfgss?

The final meditation period of the Hatha yoga classes I need to return to is probably my favourite part of the session. It makes me so relaxed I feel like I'm levitating. The intense silence helps reawakens my body too, once I'm allowed to move it again.

However, dedicated meditation with nothing active before or after it's not my bag at all. TheoryGirl and I went to a Kundalini meditation class in Portugal, my first of any discipline, and I spent the whole time willing it to be over, which is neither restful nor in keeping with its aims - my mind throbbed throughout, to the point I couldn't settle for thinking negatively about how stupid it was to shut my eyes but aim them at the tip of my nose, while an instructor in robes showed signs of the resulting calmness I was sure belonged to everybody but me. A Kundalini yoga session a couple of days later was even more comical.

Unsure whether to +rep for promotion of Meditation, or -Nerg for promotion of Chopra...

I meditate and do yoga. I did once sign up for a kundalini class but thankfully I YouTubed what it was first so I knew not to go.

@theoryswine

I tried Kundalini yoga after a couple of years of yoga and got really frustrated. My experience was that I had to practice hatha yoga to help my body calm my mind before I could focus more on stilling my thoughts. Your account reminds me of the first meditation classes I mentioned above, which left me boiling with frustrating rather than radiating calm.

Now I can go straight to meditation but still prefer to do something physical first.

There are more and more meditation apps around. I have been using smiling mind and recently added headspace to my phone as well when I want a guided meditation. And just use a meditation timer when I wish to do my own meditation - it's nice because it signals the end of a session with a gentle chiming noise.

I wish I were more structured and could get into a daily practice, but generally find I do 3 or 4 sessions a week. Is anyone else practicing - any apps you use?

I like Untime as a simple timer, brings you out with gentle trippy synth sounds (dilate option).

@dancing james

At the danger of moving away from meditation, I was wondering wether your form when doing sports and posture in general has noticeably improved since taking up and practicing yoga for such a long time?

I run quite a lot, around 80-100 km a week, and since taking up yoga 2 months ago I feel my whole running form has started to change and my slightly knocked knee feels like it tracks much straighter, hence no more problems with my patella.

Also the meditation/resting bit at the end of the class is hugely depended on the instructor...I always cringe when someone goes into the detox and world peace routine...

Where are you based? Rebecca Bougue does really good sessions in Kings X and Chelsea for Cyclists and runners. Much more focused on the bio mechanics of a moving body, and the meditation at the end of a session is basically silent
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/157019/

In general posture etc is much better from regular yoga. I have done some work with cyclists using yoga techniques to help them on the bike. For me I use alignment techniques from yoga whilst cycling, organising my shoulders, chest, neck and lower back, engagement of bandas (or abdominal lock) for stabilisation, engagement of feet and spreading evenly through the soles to help stabilise knees and aid patella tracking. Then there is the ability to use yoga breathing to help on long climbs and with recovery from intense periods of cycling.

Last year I qualified as a yoga instructor. When I have given yoga lessons to cyclists it has been on a 1:1 basis, so very much targeting peoples individual issues. One student was getting lots of neck pain and had not managed to address it with 2 bike fits and physiotherapy. When he came to me an hour of cycling would cause pain. So rather than look to work on his neck, we focused on chest, shoulders and extension in the spine to better support the head - instead of trying to get already aggravated neck to do more work. We also worked on lower back, forward bends and knee stabilisation, and just before the event looked at restorative poses that could be done off the bike to help with recovery. He then completed the transcontinental with no problems.

And I totally agree, that hippy mumbo jumbo in meditation is infuriating, I prefer breath and mindfulness meditation.

I prefer breath and mindfulness meditation.

This. I try and fit it in here and there but I'm crap at structured stuff unless there's an app bugging me to do it at lunch time which just feels laboured.

I've found it's helped with my ever worsening mood and also with focus. Also noticed my bouldering is better/smarter when I've taken some time beforehand.

Yep, even simple tasks get done better when I have meditated. I find the time investment is paid back many times over, as my focus and efficiency improves so I then get more done.

Hi thanks for your detailed replies. I am based in clapham, totally random but I think I was Rebecca's flatmate for a couple of months about 8 years ago....I remember that she was a dancer/choreographer. I will get in touch with her and see what she says.

I was just surprised at the effect a couple of weeks of yoga have had on my body but I come out drenched in sweat after each session, as I feel like I really have to work against my body (probably not something a yoga instructor would approve of) especially keeping my legs aligned and harmstings stretched. I am as exhausted as after a good run really.

Meditation appears to be getting knocked here. Let's remember that most people are looking at yoga as physical activity, which is fine but it's a foundations of creating a healthy machine in order to meditate from a spiritual perspective. If your not that why inclined then meditating is useless and yoga may as well just be stretching and posture correction with a bit of cardiovascular.
To call it mumbo jumbo is a bit harsh.
Not everyone has the yearning for spirituality, I understand it may seem hippy ish.

I don't think meditation is being knocked, just some of the fluffy hippy bullshit and new age nonsense that some practitioners utter. You may wish to read without prejudice.

Understood... agree it may be being used inappropriately by people who don't understand it. Just to give weight to the yoga. Sad it being given a bad name, it could help so many people if only they knew.

indeed, as far as i can see most people on this thread are espousing the benefits of meditation.

I have been enjoying the Headspace app a lot. Perhaps it's that I have a little more time out here in the countryside but it is becoming a part of my routine. The more I practice the quicker my mind unwinds. Also it is free of hippy mumbo jumbo which makes it much more palatable to me.

Headspace app allows me to track how regularly I am practicing. Have now done at least one meditation per day for over a month.

They sent me a one month free trial code. If anyone wants it drop me a PM.

As yet I have not achieved luminescent transcendence but I am finding it easier to settle down and meditate from doing it regularly.

The headspace app annoyed me, I've been using aura health recently and much prefer it.

What about it? He can sound a little too calm bordering on smug but I like the exercises.

I think that was it. Just prefer Aura really as it's free and the sessions only last 3 minutes which suits my current attention span.

I am looking to increase meditation time, currently 15 mins a day.

Just downloaded Headspace. Hopefully it can calm me down a bit, currently too much on edge :/

I have found it really useful. Also the tracking tells me I have now done over sixty consecutive days where I have meditated. The 10-30 day introduction is a good place to start.