Meditation

[InvertMouse]

Hello everyone . I subscribe to a few marketing as well as psychology podcasts, and meditation gets mentioned quite often in topics of this sort.

 

To be truthful, I never spared meditation much thought. I have a day job, so I pursue my game development endeavors before and after office hours. If I have time to sit there and think about nothing, why not do some work instead? Or at least, let me think about the things I want to get better at. For example, I evaluate my performance after a basketball game, and that helps me improve. Meditation, however, requires you to empty your mind. What can I possibly gain by doing that?

 

As the topic gets brought up over and over, I am becoming more interested in meditation's potential. I actually gave it a try this morning (probably not even doing it right at all), and I have short sessions scheduled into my personal calendar.

 

Having played basketball for 20 years, I do believe in this concept of the subconscious. Using my brain to anticipate movements is several hundred milliseconds too slow. If I instead switch off my mind and depend on muscle memory, I can make a move before my brain has made the decision to do so. Commentators often say a player is "unconscious" when they are dominating. Those who have been through the journey will understand right away.

 

If I sound like I am rambling, that would be because I am. I am certainly not some kind of genius who claims to know anything about the human mind. In that case, maybe meditation has some benefits that I am unable to even comprehend at this stage.

 

I wanted to ask if anyone has some insights on this topic? Maybe if you have tried meditating and have stories to share, etc. General opinions are welcome, too. Thank you !

[Darklord Rooke]

There's more than one kind of meditation, mate

 

There's mantra or Transcendental meditation, which helps you relax, and there's Vipassana which is what Buddhists practice. Vipassana is often called 'Insight meditation' because the idea is to develop insight into yourself, and the world around you. Buddhists are cool, so naturally Vipassana is the way to go

[monkeysrumble]

I've been pretty interested in the topic myself as well. Though everyone I personally know that does meditation are a bit errr....crazy. And I'm not saying craziness and meditation go hand in hand I just happen to be a very unlucky person I guess. I've always wanted to learn more about it but I'm more interested from an academic perspective instead of a personal one. I just want to satiate my curiosity. 

[OriginalRen]

ASMR. That is all.

[cenric]

I use meditation sometimes to relax and deeply think about something. When my minds not full of distractions I can relax easier and completely focus on one thing.

Can't say about any long term benefits though.

[Darbury]

Great topic!

You might be interested in reading Jon Kabat-Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living, which is a nice introduction to secular meditation for beginners. (I've based my own meditation and mindfulness practice in part on the program in this book.)

The funny thing about meditation is that it requires some motivation to get started, but once you do, you kinda need to let go of any expectations of getting anything from it. Imagining meditation will make this sudden difference in your life is the quickest way to get frustrated with it and give up. Maybe something will change, maybe something won't. Just be there in the moment and observe whatever happens (or doesn't happen).

 

The observing is where the magic lives.

[Zenophilious]

I've tried to meditate, but unless I take my ADD meds I can't quit my thoughts down.  When I do, though, I find that it's easiest for me to meditate after doing some yoga and listening to some quiet, peaceful music.  I focus on the music, get lulled to a half-sleep state and just stay there.  Help a lot with stress, which is always a plus.

[InvertMouse]

Thank you for the responses everyone! I had no idea there were different types of meditation. At the moment, I am trying out one where you focusing on your breathing. No idea what type that even is . I will see if I can give the materials you shared a look, too!

[Flutterz]

I've never tried meditation, so I can't contribute much... but I do zone out a lot when thinking of something random

[mjriedstra]

Thank you for the responses everyone! I had no idea there were different types of meditation. At the moment, I am trying out one where you focusing on your breathing. No idea what type that even is . I will see if I can give the materials you shared a look, too!

 

Meditation in all its forms is a way of attaining a certain beneficial state of mind, be it relaxation, emptiness, focus, a feeling of becoming one with the world, or whatever else. The main character in my first novel has a self-developed form of quick-acting meditation that he uses to rein himself in when things are going off the rails (or when things are going too well and he can't cope). His mantra is "Breathe in peace, breathe out everything." The idea behind it was that by focusing on negative attributes that you want to rid yourself of and intentionally expelling those attributes along with your breaths, you center and master yourself.

 

I think of most meditation as being a formalized version of what people naturally do every day when they, for example, take a deep breath before tackling a daunting task. Scheduling meditation into your routine could improve your ability to call upon that state of mind — whatever state you choose to aim for — when you really need it.