I haven't meditated much, though it is something I am looking into more. I had to do a speech on it so researched a little and several studies show there are health benefits from meditation, the worst possible outcome is you don't get anything out of it and wasted a little time. One good thing is meditation doesn't have to be a religious thing. I just read Zen Mind, Beginners Mind which isn't necessarily a meditation book, though it addresses it some. It's a good read though and can get you to start thinking about things. There are probably a lot of resources online if you're interested into looking into it more; websites, blogs, Youtube channels, etc.
Thanks for the info. Since I first asked this question I've taken the plunge and learned how to do TM. The money was what made it a tough decision, but it was time to try it. I'm hoping it will help with my patience. With an 11 month old and another on the way, it's extremely important to me. So far I'm enjoying it. No major life changes to report, but it's extremely relaxing and very energizing. Also, super easy to do. 20 minutes twice a day. The time flies by. If anyone else practices TM I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Practice? Hell no, I'm a pro at it already. In fact, I'm the best, I will out transcendentally mediate anybody!!! Seriosuly....I think its painfully obvious by reading my posts, I'm nowhere near inner peace.
By money, do you mean you joined a group doing it? Good to hear it's working out well so far. I think it's going be sorta like adding a little exercise or drinking more water every day, might not have these dramatic results, but it's a positive benefit that adds up over time.
For transcendental meditation you sign up for a course taught by a certified instructor. They teach you the practice over a course of 4 days. The first day is individual instruction and the next 3 are group discussion with some group meditation. The course was $1500 which is pricey, but if it works, I'll consider it worth every penny.
Gotcha, and little pricey but I tend to be a tad thrifty. If you don't mind, you should post an update here a few months down the road or whenever, would be interested to see how it went.
I agree, and I'm also a frugal person which is why I waited about 5 years to finally committ. And regarding the updates, I absolutely will post them. Good / bad / mediocre I'll post my experiences with it as I go. I either want to share this with people if it's helpful, or keep them from wasting money if it's not. So far, I've had some good and just so so sessions. When it's really quiet, the process goes exactly as described. I start with 30 seconds of quiet, then start repeating my mantra quietly to myself. This is followed by thoughts, and when you notice yourself having thoughts you innocently go back to the mantra. Eventually I just kind of find myself in this very peaceful state of mind for a few moments. Then you go back to the mantra and the process repeats. Other times if it's too noisy or there's too much comotion in my house, I have a hard time settling down and my mind races with thoughts. Which they say is fine, as long as you go back to the mantra when you've noticed you're locked in thought. At the end of 20 minutes, you're supposed to sit quietly for 2-3 minutes and quietly "come out of it". I find the 20 minutes flies by, but that 2-3 minutes drags! They say that coming out slowly is extremely important though so I tough it out.
The instructor gives you one. No idea what the thought process is. They tell you to keep it quiet, and after you say it a few times outloud they instruct you never to say it outloud again, only in your head during meditation - save for a quick check the next day in the course to make sure you still have it correct. They instruct you to repeat it to nobody. They claim it's unique to you, and to say it out loud defeats the purpose. I think a big part of it has to do with money (the skeptic in me) but another part of it I believe is valid. The mantra cannot have any meaning associated with it or it won't work. Saying it out loud, writing it down, or discussing it with people can assign a meaning.
I guess what I will be curious, besides your overall thoughts, is if the money is worth it in your opinion. Obviously you have a setting and teacher and I can't see everything they tell you, just seems what you've said so far you could have learned online. Might be completely off though and probably easier for you to answer after completing the course. The little bit of meditation I've done, I more or less use exhale and inhale for my mantra, focusing on that. If thoughts come then can either let them gently pass through or go back to focusing on the breathing. I haven't done a lot though so can't speak on it too much. I imagine that's what some on this forum say when they're participating in another activity... To be fair, if he hits on FA and the Draft this year then I might too, off to an interesting start but we have a ways to go before we're playing games.
yes you are..... you just like a good argument or debate..... you would have been a good lawyer or should I say one that would have been held in contempt.....
In the mid 70s, it was quite a fad. It cost money then, too. I don't see a lot of 60 year old enlightened gurus walking around, but I'll bet people are still making money teaching it.
In all seriousness...this. I may be young but I know no-one can find inner peace for you....there is no secret or magic technique. Meditating is great but if that is the only change one makes to their life....it will be a very short lived change with minimal impact.
Beatles are still around. I think you might be surprised if you checked out the list of notables who practice it. It's not quite the crackpot fad you make it out to be. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Transcendental_Meditation_practitioners Hell, just the S's are impressive. Scorsese, Seinfeld, and Stern. Howard Stern is where I first heard about it. The way he broke off from his usual irreverence and spoke passionately about how much the practice changed his life is what originally got me interested.
If you're interested go for it. Though the people you listed are pretty much the opposite of what I would consider good
What do you have against Scorsese? I can see Stern not being everyone's cup of tea and maybe Seinfeld not doing it for you, but you don't like Scorsese's movies? But in all seriousness, that was just a small sample. I think you would be hard pressed to write off everyone on that list. I'm already practicing, and I'm not here to be the grand defender of the program because it's only been a month and I'll wait a full year at least before passing full judgement. In addition to what I mentioned last time, I still have not skipped a single session. It's still something I look forward to every day, and it's very enjoyable and refreshing. As far as the reason I signed up for it - which is my temper - so far it's had marginal impact there. I've been better, but whether that's just me trying harder for my son or the actual TM, it's hard to say. What I have noticed is a significant increase in my happiness. Not that I've recently been unhappy or had any problems with depression, but I find myself doing much better with enjoying the moment and "living in the now". Rather than replaying the past, or constantly looking forward to something in the future, I've been really just enjoying the little things in day to day life much more.
I think sometimes meditation and hypnosis both have this mystical and magical stigma attached, and they're really not that. Meditation can be a spiritual or religious thing, but it can also be completely secular if you want. I've meditated a few times and have no religious or supernatural beliefs. Different people will have different reactions to things but studies I've seen do show benefits to meditation. It's probably not going be some panacea to all your problems, but for some it might provide some help. I look at it similar to maybe a player in the locker room listening to music before a big game to relax, it's just about quieting your mind and putting it in a different place. As I've said before though, my experience is also very limited so take my two cents with a grain of salt (+2 points for idiom linkage).
If someone is presenting "inner peace" as something that can be purchased for a large amount of money, I would stay well clear. Experts on meditation, people who truly spend their lives doing it tend to be Buddhists who aren't even allowed to handle money. The practice of meditation, mindfulness and acceptance can be enormously beneficial and I'm saying that as a Clinical Psychologist who follows evidence based practice. It is becoming integrated into therapeutic approaches like mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy (there is a wonderful introduction to this on iTunes as a free podcast by Prof. Mark Williams of Oxford University, who is also one of the most interesting and humble individuals I've ever met), with good supporting evidence of its efficacy. I also attend when I can a secular, meditation teaching session on a weekly basis held at a Buddhist Monastery. For two hours they offer expert guidance and the sharing of a lifetime of experience with people of all faiths and backgrounds who are there to just develop mindfulness in their everyday lives. Guess what, there is no mention of "inner peace", in fact I've listened to a Buddhist Nun talk about how constant preoccupation with her gardening and the stream of thoughts she experiences regarding it regardless of what she is doing. Being mindful is about observance, acceptance, and moving away from both trying to hold on desperately to the good and escaping the bad, but rather just experiencing the good and the bad and letting them pass through. Oh, and of course, all of the advice and guidance, books and materials, and weekly sessions are free. Maybe try looking for something similar?
In fact maybe also look at their website, http://www.amaravati.org and click on the audio and books section. They provide masses of audio information and teaching that is aimed at the beginner and is all completely free to download.
Used to meditate quite often. Mostly Zen. Not so much recently, though I hope to get back into it soon.