Too Much Meditation?

[john5170]

This is related to those that have been meditating for more than a year.

I have been meditating daily for several years now. The past couple of months I meditated for around 1 hour per day. I thought "more" = "better". But that is not true.

I took a break for the first time for 3 days now, and did not meditate. And I felt more 'relaxed' in my mind than ever. Not necessarily present, but I felt that I do not need to 'try' to achieve presence, and it felt really good.

So if a part of presence - by definition - is just 'letting be' and 'doing nothing', so doesn't the act of 'meditating' defy the 'doing nothing', because you are sitting down and 'doing something'.

Meditation is a big time commitment, and I do not mind putting in the time if it is worth it. But now I am starting to doubt it. Maybe just being 'aware' throughout the day would be enough?

Maybe I should meditate 1 day on then 1 day off? Can you 'experienced' meditators share your meditation routines?

[Max_V]

I just commited to meditating every day. I stopped listening to my thoughts about doing it or not because there is always a chance that it’s some sneaky way of the ego to make me stop.

So when you go through fases where meditating feels awful, that’s great. You are releasing emotions and resistance. After that you will feel 2 times better as you did before going through the fase. So it’s all worth it 

[DoubleYou]

6 hours ago, john5170 said:

So if a part of presence - by definition - is just 'letting be' and 'doing nothing', so doesn't the act of 'meditating' defy the 'doing nothing', because you are sitting down and 'doing something'.

Exactly. But the act of meditating doesn't actually exist. Meditation is the absence of a meditator. That's what 'letting be' really means. 
I think that's the beauty of meditation. Even if it's an egoic decision to meditate, eventually that doesn't matter because 'being' takes over.

6 hours ago, john5170 said:

I felt that I do not need to 'try' to achieve presence, and it felt really good.

Try to integrate ^this^ into your meditation practice. 

7 hours ago, john5170 said:

Meditation is a big time commitment, and I do not mind putting in the time if it is worth it. But now I am starting to doubt it. Maybe just being 'aware' throughout the day would be enough?

Being aware throughout the day and meditation are in essence the same thing. It's a good thing that those lines are fading. But it's because of your daily meditation that you are realising this now. That's how it's paying off. 

[Blissout]

Sages who reached self realization meditated for almost the whole day.

So no, there is never "too much meditation"

The more you put the more you gain.

 

[LaucherJunge]

You can always meditate no matter what you are doing or not doing.

[Vitamine Water]

The more you play tennis, the better tennisplayer you become. 

[WelcometoReality]

@john5170 Before the realization I was never really into meditation. It just wasn't my thing. What I did do was going for long walks in the woods. That was my meditation. It was not something I had to force myself to do, it was totally effortless. That is still something I enjoy.

What is meditation for someone might not be for someone else. It can be anything from long walks to doing the dishes, it might even be meditating . Maybe playing video games or playing an instrument.

It is something that feels really natural to do. Effortless being. Find that and practice it daily.

[Max_V]

@WelcometoReality You are very wise. Thanks for all your comments, they are really appreciated.

[john5170]

Anyone who has been meditating for more than a year, do you mind sharing your routine (for sitting down and meditating) ?
Example :

Day 1 - 20 minutes

Day 2 - 1 hour

Day 3 -....

[ajasatya]

@john5170 there are many enjoyable meditative practices to achieve a mindful lifestyle. these are the ones that i've incorporated in my life so i can have a huge variability of possibilities without overdoing any of them:

• zazen
• kin'hin
• silent contemplation
• hatha yoga
• bhakti yoga
• biodance
• ayahuasca trips

[Aimblack]

Shinzen likes to put it this way, we meditate alot so that eventually the habit of meditation is the thing that meditates, just like in the beginning when you begin to drive or do any new activity you need to focus to perform that task but after a while the habit of driving the car is what eventually drives.

Edited October 4, 2017 by Aimblack