Is staying present the same as meditation?

[sausagehead]

Will staying present for 30 minutes a day have the same benefits as doing a 30 minute meditation with your eyes closed? I stay present for at least 30 minutes a day while driving and going about my day and I’m wondering if this will have the same benefits as meditation or if I should also have a routine where I mediate with my eyes closed.

[steenadrianmr]

@sausagehead Thank you for asking the question I've been unconsciously thinking about. 

[Preety_India]

Meditation feels like I'm accessing a different state a new state of consciousness and a better one. Albeit at a much slower rate than psychedelics 

 

Whereas staying in the present moment makes me more calm headed, less anxious, less worrying and more focused, less scattered and more grounded. 

Hope this helps 

Edited March 2, 2020 by Preety_India

[Osaid]

@sausagehead I think "staying present" and meditating are the same thing. But, there are different methods for meditating. I don't think doing it while you're driving or doing your daily activities is an efficient way of going about it if you're looking to seriously expand your consciousness. It is definitely not a bad thing either, It's good to be mindful of everything. But, if you're looking to get serious exponential work done around your awareness, you should designate time to just be still and meditate. Look up Leo's videos on meditation methods, they're super easy to get into and help a lot with guiding you into meditation. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Osaid

[TDW1995]

@sausagehead I would recommend doing both meditation and staying present throughout the day.  I definitely think both are very beneficial.  Each day I have an hour commute to and from work and I do my best to drive mindfully.  I also try to stay mindful throughout the day, trusting that by flexing the "Now" muscle will pay off in the future and eventually become my more natural state of being.

The reason why I think you should also do meditation while sitting still is because when you go about your day, even though you are mindful, you are still doing some manipulation.  When you're sitting still, you should be able to concentrate better.

[inFlow]

Staying present grows your awareness and ability to be in the moment, it's also a technique! Do it! Also don't forget to do other consciousness work exercises like contemplation and actual breathing meditation or yoga. You need to quiet down the mind for this work we are doing.

[Ero]

@sausagehead There are various forms of meditation, all dependant on technique, focus and experience of the individual. As well, there's a great amount of variety in the depth and extent, to which one is "present". You just have no idea to what extent you can be conscious. It's not a binary "present/ not present" . What you can observe by making lifestyle changes, by removing certain toxic habits, improving diet, sleep and so on is that naturally you will become "more" present. I advise you to start develop a more sophisticated understanding of how one accesses such meditation states, what is their meaning and so on. Simply asking won't cut it.

[Adodd]

I would say staying present can be a form of meditation, but the word meditation covers a pretty broad spectrum of practices. Hope this helps answer your question.