meditation time

[wenwu]

this is one of those question that in some of the internal arts forums has starte some debates and also has risen alot of egos

 

but

 

how long do you spend in mediation

 

general i dont set a time limit, i don't use a countdown timer but rather a stop watch to check how long i have done and i hit around 30 mins of standing, wether this compares to other or not is fairly unimportant as we are all on our own path

 

but

 

some days i am really not in the mood, i stand or sit and can't seem to get centred or alined, i still get someof the feelings i get from the longer session but on these days i struggle to get to 10 mins,and this seems hardly worth the effort i usually go off and do something and sometime return to it later sometimes not

 

so.....

 

 

how long do you spending in meditation?

how strict are you on your timing?

how do you cope with the times when you just can't get in to it?

[orb]

this is one of those question that in some of the internal arts forums has starte some debates and also has risen alot of egos

 

but

 

how long do you spend in mediation

 

general i dont set a time limit, i don't use a countdown timer but rather a stop watch to check how long i have done and i hit around 30 mins of standing, wether this compares to other or not is fairly unimportant as we are all on our own path

 

but

 

some days i am really not in the mood, i stand or sit and can't seem to get centred or alined, i still get someof the feelings i get from the longer session but on these days i struggle to get to 10 mins,and this seems hardly worth the effort i usually go off and do something and sometime return to it later sometimes not

 

so.....

how long do you spending in meditation?

how strict are you on your timing?

how do you cope with the times when you just can't get in to it?

 

 

From your description it seems to me that you have a very good practice. I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep doing what you are doing.

[Ya Mu]

My tradition say for self-cultivation an hr a day. For healers manipulating energy daily we say 3 hrs a day.

 

Some days are better than others, always has been and always will be.

 

Stick to what works for you.

[Apech]

Currently two sessions of 40-45 mins. each.

[JohnC]

An hour when I wake up, and an hour before bed.

[wenwu]

hey guys thanks for the feedback

 

so what about those days that you just can't get into it, ??

[shontonga]

hey guys thanks for the feedback

 

so what about those days that you just can't get into it, ??

 

 

Hello Wenwu

Nice to meet you!

 

 

 

how long do you spending in meditation?

how strict are you on your timing?

how do you cope with the times when you just can't get in to it?

 

Hmm?

 

1. 2 hours of sitting at night seems to be relied upon, then whatever chance allows

but some days no (defined) meditation, others times ... for days and nights.

depending on the way of things.

 

2. Am not strict about much of anything

goes against this child's beliefs!

People are strict(rigid?) enough, figure they might balance me out, lol? does that work?

Life is to live, meditation is life and keeps this one going. Simple stuff, that.

At time more seems to be needed to keep functioning,

when all's well a little less is fine for maintenance.

would say there is meditation both daily and nightly,as needed.

 

C. Like mentioned, am not strict... much???

not in time(no sense of it anyway.), not in method.

If in the stage of learning something specific practice is more devoted.

Have preferred methods that are employed depending on the nature of life but

am Not limited in a technique, anything can be a meditation.

 

examples?

2 hours meditation at night tend to have an effect of calming & stabilizing

but also allowing me to function the next day since sleep is lacking, at best, that sitting is the supplement .

(Innumerable meditations!?!)

If not able to hardly stand, feeling like unable to move, or keep going, swallowing the sun works well.

If not energy at all(need energy to do that) will take sun directly.

When waiting for others tend to sit with a heart mudra, it relaxes the chest, face, neck head, then so much more! Leaves me peaceful rather than feeling ...? Postal?

When walking among people

(Be aware.)

a meditation is to feel them

a meditation is to feel the space around them

a meditation is to make eye contact and stay centered no matter what is felt within you

a meditation is to feel love then let that love be for a person you see, just as they are, just as you are

a meditation is to walk through them with forgiveness(damn powerful.)

a meditation is to feel your self between the earth and the sky

and as practiced observe you own reactions.

Observe the reactions around you.

 

Meditation is an endless way of playing with life

Have fun with it.

Remain curious, it is forever unknown.

 

Shon

[soundhunter]

In this season of my life as a mother to 3 little kids, time to myself is very rare and shortlived, so my meditation sessions are often only a few minutes at a time, multiple times a day. By nighttime I'm too sleepy and don't bother. I do Tai Chi twice a week and also practise it throughout the day around the house. I've been surprised to make some progress and feel some interesting things and gain some insight with such "lightweight" sessions, it's really surprised me how much those little sessions have added depth and wonder to my life.

[Guest sykkelpump]

For me it iis importent to do it 2 times a day for min 20 minutes ,every day.that is nessesary for progression in training the mind to be quiet.and always meditate when you are awake,not tired.

[JohnC]

When I can't get into it I let my mind wander. I still do the practice and stick with everything, I just don't try and force anything.

 

I think forcing the mind or trying to fight yourself is a lose lose battle.

 

Basically stick with the discipline, but let your mind clean up on whatever your doing. I think that after you think about, mull over whatever is pulling your attention, your mind will naturally let it go and you will then be able to do your practice well.

 

I did vipassana, and the first day is like clean up on life. If you haven't gotten enough sleep, you'll fall asleep meditating. Your mind is constantly jumping from one thing to another. After that though the ego runs out of stuff to think about, and since your not talking, or doing anything other than meditation there is no new stuff to think about... and your mind quiets down.

 

John

Edited January 18, 2009 by JohnC

[idquest]

hey guys thanks for the feedback

 

so what about those days that you just can't get into it, ??

 

You might do simple yoga stretches/breathing in kidneys in times when you feel not up to more concentrated meditations

[Gerard]

You need to balance sitting with either standing or walking meditation, otherwise you will stuck to much chi in your head which only brings problems.

 

The rule is to walk for the same amount of time you sit. And it walking meditation is easier before you start the sitting period. A prostration period is also very beneficial before you start your meditation practice.

 

So the order would be:

 

1. Prostration

2. Sitting

3. Walking

 

 

The rule for standing is slightly different as it is a personal matter. Just experiment with what suits you best.

 

 

In addition doing IMA also counts as grounding energy into earth avoiding the issue of having excess chi in the head.

 

These videos will show you how to prostrate, walk and sit properly (Vipassana method followed in Thailand):

 

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=A9WTbTOM12s

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=598PsFsw7GU&...feature=related

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=HLcIQEbLyUg&...feature=related

 

 

Good luck.

[Ian]

how do you cope with the times when you just can't get in to it?

 

 

Interesting. I just was on retreat and my teacher addressed this question very emphatically. He said to get up, indulge karma, have a coffee, even a beer (!), come back, try again.

 

Or just stretch, loosen, soften, try again. Even if you can only do 30 seconds at a time that's good.

 

Also, my friend, who has started to make very good progress, reported that she had whole days where she couldn't even start, and just did movement practices instead and that worked pretty good.

 

Basically the message from this discipline is to stay flexible and playful, as your opponent is the solid stuff that takes itself seriously.

[Mal]

so what about those days that you just can't get into it, ??

 

"Do or do not there is no try" So I always try to do

 

i.e. I don't let my mind talk me out of practice. I might not feel like it but I'll always start my practice. Often once I'm going through the motions it will "click" and everything is good. If not then I'll walk away to do something else........ and try not to feel disappointed or beat myself up about it (need practice on that one, but I'm getting better)

[phore]

i have been changing my schedule frequently lately.

Right now i practice for a little over 2 hours from about 11pm to about 1am

 

I never yield to arduous mental conditions during meditation. I dont really know if this is a useful policy or not.

 

It seems to me that it would be somewhat like postponing weight training because the weights just seem heavier today.

 

[WhiteTiger]

"Do or do not there is no try" So I always try to do

 

i.e. I don't let my mind talk me out of practice. I might not feel like it but I'll always start my practice. Often once I'm going through the motions it will "click" and everything is good. If not then I'll walk away to do something else........ and try not to feel disappointed or beat myself up about it (need practice on that one, but I'm getting better)

 

Yes mal I totally agree with phore.

 

I never yield to arduous mental conditions during meditation. I dont really know if this is a useful policy or not.

 

It seems to me that it would be somewhat like postponing weight training because the weights just seem heavier today.

 

 

Just because its harder at times to do meditation we shouldn't not attempt to try.

 

A person that wants to become a priest lets say, would do meditation everyday for a certain amount of time no matter what out comes happen. (Unless something extreme is preventing them from doing so)

 

A person whom wishes to seek salvation from the suffering he has had to deal with will Meditate and will not stop until he is free, if he truly had the will to do so.

 

A person that just is on their path and enjoys their path never moving forward or at least not moving forward because of his or her amount of effort put in is truly stuck in their practices... basically means that their are some big issues missing from the whole picture.

 

Idk, Mal I think you should attempt to spend time into doing your meditation even when getting no results for at least the alloted time you normally do on good days. If nothing happens or changes it would be good to observe the internals and externals that could be distracting you.

 

Once found those out you can decide to overcome them, or escape them all together.

 

But i guess thats just the way i personally would handle the situation and just my advice.

 

 

how long do you spend in mediation

 

 

Not long enough.

[Squatting Monkey]

Early in the morning is the only time I have for cultivation. To avoid drowsiness, I do movement and standing first, then sitting.

[wenwu]

thanks for all the great input guys

 

happy niu year to you all

[DaoChild]

Hi Wenwu,

 

I get up early before class and do a 20-30 minute meditation, every morning. And then I usually do another 30 minutes of purely deep breathing meditation at sunset or night time. One thing I realize in my own practice of life (martial arts, meditation, herbs, studying, etc.) is that discipline and devotion -- consistency -- are of the utmost importance. Especially with meditation, you will see it has a cumulative sort of effect, so keeping with it daily is important.

 

When you have one of those days when you can't do it.. just sit calmly, quietly. Maybe breathing and focusing on breath is easier than resting in stillness, so do that. Enjoy it too, maybe if you can't sit still, do a movement meditation. Even if you don't know Taiji, just move your body slowly and let it guide you.

[Bruce]

Right now, I'm practicing 40min to 1hr a day, sometimes over 2 sessions (having a bit of lower back issue at the moment). If I have the time I may sit more sessions, but right now I'm not feeling the need for it. My last Zen teacher actually told me to chill a bit when I told him I was sitting 3 or 4 40 minute sessions.

 

I should add that what I am feeling the need for is more movement, and so I'm starting to incorporate some basic gigong. This morning I did some moving reps of Tai Chi postures, that I remember from when I practiced it. I felt a lot more energetic during my sitting practice for it!

Edited February 13, 2009 by Bruce

[CarsonZi]

20 minutes before breakfast and 20 minutes before dinner work great for me. Mind you that is just meditation time not posture, energy, prayer or rest time.

 

Love,

Carson

[Unconditioned]

Every night before I sleep for as long as it takes. Usually anywhere from 10-30 minutes... not really looking to log a certain amount of time doing it just doing "whatever feels right" time wise.