No more passion for meditation

[Ali123]

Ok, i have been doing the "do nothing" meditation for about 7 months. At the start, i was meditating with ease and couldn't wait to start. I usually did it before going to bed. But, all of a sudden, i don't have that passion anymore. Whenever i want to meditate, i don't have the energy to sit motionless. I can't stop moving. Usually, i do my meditation on a chair, but now i am usually doing it lying in my bed because i can't stand it. I meditate a couple of times in the morning but it didn't make any changes. Please help me because i know the importance of meditation.

[Shin]

Happens all the time.

That's just your mind trying to trick you into lazyness and going back to inconsciousness.

It's never gonna be easy, there will always have resistance to meditate or any other spiritual practice.

 

Of course there are !

You're slowly realizing that you're a sneaky filthy ass who lies about everything !

Including its own existence !

 

?

Edited October 20, 2018 by Shin

[Light Lover]

@Ali123 I think this is good news! It shows progress, and 7 months is a key turning point so I think that this is normal, your mind is 'resisting' what is happening, the changes you are making to your conciousness, this happens with everyone who meditates for months on end! I had something like this, but not exactly the same, but just so you know you are not alone, for me I had depression come up, addictions, mental turmoil and restlesness during meditation and some truly awful sessions, all around the 7 month mark, just before it all went after my conciousness finally raised to the point where I was basically in the meditation state throughout the whole day and the problems went!

You are getting all of this out of your system, so it will come to the surface, this is healthy and normal, my advice would be to just continue doing what you are doing, I wouldn't meditate lying down personally because I think it sets off the need to sleep in your mind, but as long as you personally feel you are still getting through the sessions OK then that is fine I guess, you got to do what you got to do to get through each session, if that means changing your position and going to other measures you deem neccessary, then that is what you got to do.

As for changes, you won't notice any changes yet, that is how the process works, if you keep at it you soon will. If you feel demotivated to do it, just do it for the minimum time you normally do it for during the day and stick with that for now to save your energy, for example, just 30 mins a day,  or 20, as long as you keep at it and are doing it daily as you know, that is the main point. I am sure you can find some way to keep yourself motivated to do it, you got to ask yourself what is making you do it in the first place and use that to guide you.  I do hope this helps, I have been where you have been, and I can say if you can just hold onto it for a little longer your will be living in inner peace every day and it will be a part of your being.

[Rilles]

notice the resistance, find out where it is located, sit down and meditate on the resistance, bam! youve tricked your mind 

[i am I AM]

I don't know why you're thinking lying down meditation is such a cardinal sin: it is usually associated with visualizations, but as long as you don't relax into something other than awareness... that sounds like it works to moi.

Maybe you could switch it up some days with some yoga, so you can focus calming of your body.

Edited October 20, 2018 by i am I AM

[AlwaysBeNice]

Push through or experiment with something else, chanting, lying down, or just doing in the world (because at some point, the momentum of your practice can't be destroyed and it can happen more by itself).

Edited October 20, 2018 by AlwaysBeNice

[Jack River]

Doing nothing is effortless dudes. Is there motive/desire contradicting itself and does that make it all a chore? Can’t do nothing until we understand doing. The insight into this is huge dudes. The insight underlies all insights. 

Edited October 20, 2018 by Jack River

[Adam M]

Do a retreat.

That helps me get back in touch with why I'm meditating by showing me deeper levels.

Or maybe do some shrooms :)):)

[Gabriel Antonio]

Maybe you should switch technique or practice.

I personally don’t benefit from sitting meditation. At least the techniques I have experimented.

Have you ever tried Tai Chi or Qigong? They are sort of like meditation with motion. I really recommend. 

[Hellspeed]

Why would you think motionless meditation is the most optimum?

[Arkandeus]

Just let the motion flow, youre not going to do the same meditation your whole life, its the moment to change

[Ali123]

Just to report on my situation. I took in all the feedback given and these are some of the results:

-At first, I actually got that passion for meditation back and meditated for 30 mins without moving.

-The next day, I meditated for 30 minutes again but moved at around 15 due to an itch in my eye.

-After these days, the same has happened as before. No passion for meditation, thinking about doing everything except meditation. This is partly due to me seeing that no results are arising from meditation, but i just feel that i have to meditate in order for something good to happen, as my life isn't the one i would like. Is it possible that the "Do nothing" technique isn't effective? Or is more time needed for success. Also, If "do nothing" meditation isn't effective, which one is? Thanks!

[PsiloPutty]

Sorry you're still struggling. There have been some great suggestions in this thread though. Have you experimented with other kinds of meditation? Just focusing on your breath? Repeatedly saying and mantra in your mind? Body scanning?

I understand where you're coming from, because I feel it some mornings as well. It sounds like you're dissatisfied with your life right now and you're putting too much emphasis on meditation being the way to change it to something that you like better. That's a natural inclination, but it won't work because it involves too much intent. Mentally, you're asking too much from your time in meditation, too much pressure. I know those are discouraging words, because you don't know how to not intend. I struggle with that one as well. We are all in this together, friend.

[Flammable]

@Ali123 The problem might lie in the fact that you are expecting something good to happen which means there is movement of thought/self. Thus, your desire for becoming better is the exact thing preventing you from 'becoming better' (using it for the lack of a better phrase). 

As @Jack River often mentions, try to look and understand why thought wants to get better or do something in the future. That could solve your problems. 

Try to understand what is rather than try to become something fixed in the future. Here is a quote from our lovely Alan here which might point you to something essential:

 

Now in this question 'Can I improve me?' there is the obvious difficulty, that if I am in need of improvement, the person who's going to do the improving, is the one who needs to be improved.

And there immediately we have a vicious circle.

Edited November 1, 2018 by Flammable

[Jack River]

1 hour ago, Flammable said:

 

Now in this question 'Can I improve me?' there is the obvious difficulty, that if I am in need of improvement, the person who's going to do the improving, is the one who needs to be improved.

And there immediately we have a vicious circle.

Allan watts is the man?

Problems/conflict is only a fact when there is this divided action, as in psychological becoming. As the “self” that sees itself different form the process of thought is looking to thought to end itself, and therefore providing sustenance to the illusion of self. Any action we take from the standpoint of self/ego to change the fact, sustains the fact. The fact being conflict/problems. This psychological momentum of self always trying to escape the fact keeps the fact alive. @Flammable you got it dude??

Edited November 1, 2018 by Jack River

[Preetom]

17 minutes ago, Jack River said:

Any action we take from the standpoint of self/ego to change the fact, sustains the fact. The fact being conflict/problems. This psychological momentum of self always trying to escape the fact keeps the fact alive.

Worth contemplating over and over again. Thank you!

[Forestluv]

I'd throw in some yoga

[Ali123]

Thanks for the advice given! I will start looking at my thoughts during meditation. I'll probably try to change my meditation technique, as I find this one ineffective. Any suggestions on a technique which could work out? 

37 minutes ago, Serotoninluv said:

I'd throw in some yoga

I don't have any yoga classes near me. Another thing which may not allow me do yoga is the fact that yoga is prohibited in Islam, which i am part of. If yoga isn't an option, what could be a suitable option?

[non_nothing]

On 10/20/2018 at 1:04 PM, Ali123 said:

Ok, i have been doing the "do nothing" meditation for about 7 months. At the start, i was meditating with ease and couldn't wait to start. I usually did it before going to bed. But, all of a sudden, i don't have that passion anymore. Whenever i want to meditate, i don't have the energy to sit motionless. I can't stop moving. Usually, i do my meditation on a chair, but now i am usually doing it lying in my bed because i can't stand it. I meditate a couple of times in the morning but it didn't make any changes. Please help me because i know the importance of meditation.

I had the exact same thing happened me about almost same as yours (7 months). I felt the exactly same as you. I couldn't stand sitting straight, I was cheating that with lying on bed comfortably with lot's of thinking involved.

 

Then suddenly I felt the guilt that you felt too. I knew the importance of meditation and I just cannot help it. It stuck me as same as like yours.

So what did exactly save me from this and allowed me to continue meditating today?

I acknowledged that even lying down can be observed. I did not resist it. I kept my oath. My oath was to meditate everyday for minimum half hour. I just made an agreement on those days that If I couldn't sit straight, I would simply just lay on floor perfect (I abandoned lying on bed habit, I'd lay on floor). I would just observe everything. No matter what, the oath is to spend 30 minutes exactly away from my ego/desires/computer/internet/book/other things I like to do/.

No matter how, I would spend this 30 minutes doing nothing, however position. Even if my mind would be full of thoughts, events etc. the oath shall be kept. Even though judging that this meditation session were going to suck i.e I would not sit straight. Everyday I would be doing meditations, everyday couldn't be perfect. The golden key is to remember when the good days come, not everyday will go good forever like this, you gratitude to have this good day. When the tough days come, you remember this won't go like this forever, good days will also come. You remember the good days and this rule (golden key) then be grateful. You just keep going!

 

This is the key that I'm presenting you in a rusty old metal box. It had opened a lot doors for me. Now is your time. Blessings 

Edited November 1, 2018 by non_nothing

[Forestluv]

19 minutes ago, Ali123 said:

I don't have any yoga classes near me. Another thing which may not allow me do yoga is the fact that yoga is prohibited in Islam, which i am part of. If yoga isn't an option, what could be a suitable option?

Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube is fantastic. Could you do it in your home? Perhpas just call it "stretching" or "exercise"?