How Do You Know If You Are Meditating Well

[Wouter]

I am trying to implement a meditation habit (today I did my 23th consecutive day of 20 minutes). But I don't really know after a meditation if I did it "right". Are there specific ways you can tell if your meditation session was "a good one" (with wich I mean: it contributed to one's "merging into reality" as Leo discribes it)

[Falk]

21 minutes ago, Wouter said:

I am trying to implement a meditation habit (today I did my 23th consecutive day of 20 minutes). But I don't really know after a meditation if I did it "right". Are there specific ways you can tell if your meditation session was "a good one" (with wich I mean: it contributed to one's "merging into reality" as Leo discribes it)

Don´t worry you can not meditate "wrong", spending time without distraction is always something valuable , specialy in todays overstimulated times.

Try experimenting with different meditations: breathing, do nothing, strong det sitting, body scan and see who you like it, also increase the time if possible.

 

[Wouter]

@Falk Thanks for the answer, I will defenitely try a lot of techniques, but currently I am doing the same techniques for 30 conscecutive to gain consistency. How do you judge weather "you like it" after a technique? For example how do you know the ego isn't judging wheather it's comfortable?

[Naviy]

13 hours ago, Wouter said:

I am trying to implement a meditation habit (today I did my 23th consecutive day of 20 minutes). But I don't really know after a meditation if I did it "right". Are there specific ways you can tell if your meditation session was "a good one" (with wich I mean: it contributed to one's "merging into reality" as Leo discribes it)

You are doing it right when you do it every day, never skipping. Also, might want to increase time to 30 minutes.

You've just started doing this practice. I think right now you do not have the capability to evaluate the quality of your meditation. Do it for 6 months, not missing a single day, and then you will be able to kind of evaluate, if it was good or bad and if you like a technique or not. And I think that after like 2 years of daily meditation and using different techniques, you will notice that there are almost no bad meditation sessions, because you gain some required and unique discipline and experience from the "bad" meditations too. You need both "good" and "bad" meditations - they make you more consciouss and experienced in mindfulness and meditation. Bad meditations give you the kind of experience you'd never get in a total calm and full of awareness meditation. 

So, do all of them. Do meditation when you feel it is good. Do it when you feel it is bad. Do it when you are confused and lost and cannot evaluate your progress. Do it when you feel great progress and grateful for this practice. Do it when you do not want to do it. Do it when you like or do not like the chosen technique. For the best results you need to do meditation in all states and attitudes, even if a particular attitude lasts for weeks and maybe months, and it is not pleasant or confusing.

[Gmork]

14 hours ago, Wouter said:

I am trying to implement a meditation habit.

If you starting habits try to mediate 1m every hour. Its good tool to notice how good general 'mindfulness' you have, and its good for hacking willpower and all the struggle you might have.