Can't seem to follow the meditative life, suggestions?

[electroBeam]

I can't seem to follow the contemplative/meditative life. My mind is in overwhelming resistance to it. Back 6 months ago, I use to be able to meditate for 1 hour while being almost comfortable, now I can barely do 30 minutes.

I have (and have had) for a long time a strong desire/longing to just sit in nature and literally do nothing. Not try and quiet the mind through zen, or try and feel chakras, but just to be without trying to do anything. And when I try and meditate, I just get a very strong resistance to it. Its getting to the point where now I'm only meditating for 25 minutes a day.

I feel like my spiritual battery has run out, and I have barely any energy left to meditate. The only spiritual practices I can do now without resistance is a shamanic technique where you visualize going through a tunnel in the ground into an enchanted forest or whatever god comes up with.

I don't know what to do, or how to move forward. I don't like asking people for help. I like to try and figure it out myself, but I'm at my last refuge, and need some feedback.

Anything will be appreciated, thankyou.

[Rilles]

You have to keep going, try to connect with your original motivation, maybe find some new technique, try yoga? 

There is nothing wrong with meditating for 25 mins if its qualitative, my ex could barely do 5 mins without asking ”how long has it been? wow feels like forever”

Dont put too much effort into it, drop the spiritual battery idea, just sit and come what may. Let that resistance be, its all in the body if you really observe it.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Rilles

[DoubleYou]

Your idea that meditation has to be comfortable is keeping you from experiencing what is.

What if this resistance is the one thing you're overlooking? This resistance is you, resisting. Why? Follow it and let it guide you through this seperation within you. What are you resisting? Really feel it out.

When there's resistance in meditation it doesnt mean the meditation failed. A meditation is the oppurtunity to meet this resistance head on. There's something that you are not allowing right now in this moment. What is that? Try to really, really get to the bottom of it. 

Hope that helps. If it doesnt work. Just keep meditating. When the mind is empty, resistance is faced without you even noticing.

Edited June 17, 2018 by DoubleYou

[Arkandeus]

any meditation involves a transcending of time as you are more present

a 30min meditation now is probably twice as intense and long as a one hour meditation before

you are dealing with abundance of time here, you have more time, and what you with it you do it faster so to say more vividly and intensely

this is acceleration of your spiritual evolution

if you aim to cling to old structures like "progress means meditating one hour" you will feel the insanity, that structure is already primitive to your current being

[Telepresent]

@electroBeam Fuck it. Do the opposite. Your mental/emotional state wants you to stop for a bit? Stop for a bit. Maybe use the time writing, or reading, or napping, or eating chocolate, or pleasing yourself, or whatever. If it's right to return you'll return. Why force yourself to do something that isn't working? If you want to make sure you're doing something spiritual/contemplative, there are other ways

[furashido]

On 2018-06-17 at 10:34 AM, electroBeam said:

I can't seem to follow the contemplative/meditative life. My mind is in overwhelming resistance to it. Back 6 months ago, I use to be able to meditate for 1 hour while being almost comfortable, now I can barely do 30 minutes.

I have (and have had) for a long time a strong desire/longing to just sit in nature and literally do nothing. Not try and quiet the mind through zen, or try and feel chakras, but just to be without trying to do anything. And when I try and meditate, I just get a very strong resistance to it. Its getting to the point where now I'm only meditating for 25 minutes a day.

I feel like my spiritual battery has run out, and I have barely any energy left to meditate. The only spiritual practices I can do now without resistance is a shamanic technique where you visualize going through a tunnel in the ground into an enchanted forest or whatever god comes up with.

I don't know what to do, or how to move forward. I don't like asking people for help. I like to try and figure it out myself, but I'm at my last refuge, and need some feedback.

Anything will be appreciated, thankyou.

Incorporate it in your life in such a way, that when you actually sit down to go deep into meditation, it is as a constant flow with little to no resistance. During the day, try to be aware as much as you can. Find a way to pull your self into the moment. Observe that you are observing. you could create a key sentence that you use to do it. For example "here i am observing", and try to observe without judgement or values based on preconceived notions. Do this to detach from your thoughts and become grounded. This way, you will prepare your self and soon find your self in a meditative state through out you day, and when you want to go deeper, there is less resistance.

If you find it still find it difficult, just observe your thoughts. As they start to dissapear new things will start to happen without you having to interfere.  

Sometimes, we discover truths that are hard to understand or even accept, as your view of reality expands with knowledge, there are reactions that happen which leads to us taking a step away from the work, and this is also a part of the journey as you are actually contemplating and accepting. So when you are ready, you are naturally drawn back to continue where you left off.   

You can do it.

Edited June 18, 2018 by furashido