LowPlanetary

How Do I Know If I'm Meditating Properly?

5 posts in this topic

I do the do-nothing technique, and i'm not sure if i'm doing it right, because my body feels so restless and wants to move around everywhere, and i have to resist the body from getting up and moving around therefore defying the idea of the do nothing technique which means to do nothing.

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Make it a challenge not to move when you feel restless and you feel a deep urge to move. If you overcome this you will get better and better at it which will grant you more peace and an awareness when you do want to move again.

So keep practising to just accept this feeling of unease and really just observe it.

 

Good luck with your practise!


In the depths of winter,
I finally learned that within me 
there lay an invincible summer.

- Albert Camus

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So i'm basically supposed to resist movement in my body, but not resist thinking during the do nothing meditation?

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11 minutes ago, LowPlanetary said:

So i'm basically supposed to resist movement in my body, but not resist thinking during the do nothing meditation?

You shouldn't be moving your body around during meditation. Small adjustments to correct your posture are ok, but be mindful and don't be doing it constantly. Try to get as comfortable as possible before you start meditating so that you're less likely to want to move about. 

I'm not really sure what you mean when you say that your body "wants to move around everywhere". If you mean that you want to move around to avoid feeling uncomfortable, pain in the legs or the back, then you should avoid this - except for small adjustments as I said. The important thing is to be mindfull of the sensations of pain or discomfort, feel into them, don't try to get rid of them, observe them in an objective and non-judgmental way. Also be mindfull of the thoughts that arise with the discomfort. Don't be a slave to your mind when you start thinking about wanting to move or get up. Just remain aware and mindfull.

The Do Nothing technique is simply about being completely aware of whats going on with your mind, body and other senses, without intentionally doing anything. The main 'rule' is to just drop any intention to do anything, particularly when it comes to thought.

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Notice your thoughts coming and going.  Try not to drift too deep into thought and try return to noticing the thoughts.

The fact that you're resisting wanting to go and move around is a good thing.  What I usually do is remind myself that it's just a thought that wants me to get up and move around and I just continue watching that thought trying to make me get up. 

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