6 Years of Daily Meditation - My Thoughts

[PukkaDanks]

Hey all,

 

Roughly 6 years ago I watched Leo's no bullshit guide to meditation. I thought the video was incredible and from that point on I've meditated every day for at least 20 minutes, as well as doing a few retreats for 3-7 days.

I made a video to share my experiences as - as I think currently the benefits of mediation have become a bit overblown, it's a power tool sure, but is it life transforming? Perhaps not. 

I argue that one of the greatest benefits of meditation is it actually lends itself really well to habit stacking. Once I implemented a meditation habit, I found it way easier to start building other positive habits on top of it.

I'd really love to hear your thoughts on whether your journeys have been comparable to mine, I feel like mediation must affect different people in such massively different ways!

Thanks,

Tom

Edited June 26, 2020 by PukkaDanks

[Shiva99]

13 minutes ago, PukkaDanks said:

Roughly 6 years ago I watched Leo's no bullshit guide to meditation. I thought the video was incredible and from that point on I've meditated every day for at least 20 minutes, as well as doing a few retreats for 3-7 days.

I made a video to share my experiences as - as I think currently the benefits of mediation have become a bit overblown, it's a power tool sure, but is it life transforming? Perhaps not. 

Have you been consistently meditating every day for 6 years? If so, Why are you still meditating for only 20mins a day? This could be a huge factor in your progress. I highly advice you to increase meditation time up to at least 1 hour a day. 20mins is not nearly enough to reap the benefits immo.

I noticed a big difference when i upgraded my meditation habit from 20min to 1 hour. I can't even get into a good session if i only go for around 20mins because of too much monkeymind. Longer sessions up to 1 hour totally get me into the zone almost everytime. You can also try out different meditation techniques. Maybe the one you are doing is not fitted for you.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Shiva99

[PukkaDanks]

@Shiva99

 

Interesting, I've found 20 minutes work with my 'schedule' quite well. Obviously, I could meditate for an hour but it would perhaps be to the detriment of other en devours I consider important.

I will take your advice though and try an hour though. When do you think I'd start to see the difference, would I need to commit to trying an hour for say 6 months?

Regarding my consitency, clearly I have missed days, whether travelling or sick etc. but I'd say generally I'd only miss max 3-5 days a year

Edited June 26, 2020 by PukkaDanks

[Shiva99]

4 minutes ago, PukkaDanks said:

Interesting, I've found 20 minutes work with my 'schedule' quite well. Obviously, I could meditate for an hour but it would perhaps be to the detriment of other en devours I consider important.

Hmm yea i see what you are saying. Sacrifices have to be made tho. I'm waking up around 5am, so i can get my hour of meditation in, before doing anything else. That's only because i'm not working right now. Back when i would have a job i would wake up at 4am, just so i could get my meditation in every day.  

7 minutes ago, PukkaDanks said:

I will take your advice though and try an hour though. When do you think I'd start to see the difference, would I need to commit to trying an hour for say 6 months?

Not sure. I began seeing results after 2-3 months when i started doing 1 hour every day. Everyone is different though. Maybe try not focussing on the benefits too much.

 

[allislove]

@Shiva99 it's not about timing - it's about enjoyment. For you 1 hour is enjoyable, for someone else 20 minutes.

@PukkaDanks to make meditation "life transforming" you may combine it with psychedelic journey  

"Meditation is who you are. It's not what you do"

[LfcCharlie4]

9 minutes ago, dimitri said:

@Shiva99 it's not about timing - it's about enjoyment. For you 1 hour is enjoyable, for someone else 20 minutes.

@PukkaDanks to make meditation "life transforming" you may combine it with psychedelic journey  

"Meditation is who you are. It's not what you do"

 

THIS!!!! 

Any practice should not simply be done out of routine or because you 'should do it' it should be done because you want to do it and love to do it, for that is true meditation. 

For many, I often feel activities they love can be a greater source of meditation in many situations. 

And, this is not to dismiss meditation, I practice near enough everyday, but because I want to and love to, not because 'I should.' 

However, the one caveat I would say is at the start discipline can help form a habit, especially if your life is all over the place, and Francis is aiming this message at Non-Dual seekers, not average folk trying to meditate to improve sleep or reduce anxiety etc. 

[allislove]

@LfcCharlie4 ?

Recently I've started to meditate longer than 20 minutes just because I simply want. 
That's amazing to be driven by an inspiration and not a motivation.

[Malekakisioannis]

@PukkaDanks After so many years of daily meditation,the title should have been ''6 years of daily meditation-My silence''

[nistake]

I also think that the duration is absolutely depends on the person. If you only meditate for 20 minutes and you feel that's enough for you, that's okay. Brute forcing longer durations is not really a good idea just because you should.

[Shiva99]

30 minutes ago, dimitri said:

it's not about timing - it's about enjoyment. For you 1 hour is enjoyable, for someone else 20 minutes.

I don't enjoy it at all. I have to force myself almost every day to do it. But what other choice do i have? Total and insane monkey mind all day no thanks.

It doesn't work for me like that. If everything in my life needs to be done out of sheer enjoyment, i don't do anything and sleep all day.  

[allislove]

Just now, Shiva99 said:

I don't enjoy it at all. I have to force myself almost every day to do it. But what other choice do i have? Total and insane monkey mind all day no thanks.

It doesn't work for me like that. If everything in my life needs to be done out of sheer enjoyment, i don't do anything and sleep all day.  

It's fine to force yourself at the beginning to make a habit as LfcCharlie4 mentioned.

Figure out what you enjoy, do you have a dreamboard for that?

I find Wim Hof breathing, cold shower, clean diet to be as important as formal meditation practice.

[Shiva99]

6 minutes ago, dimitri said:

Figure out what you enjoy, do you have a dreamboard for that?

I don't know what i enjoy anymore. I've been trying to find out but it's not working. I had a passion for Psychology, and after doing the LP course i wanted to become a Psychologist, but learning about nonduality ruined it all for me. I had a dreamboard and all, but it doesn't resonate with me anymore. I can't get back the same zest i once had.

6 minutes ago, dimitri said:

I find Wim Hof breathing, cold shower, clean diet to be as important as formal meditation practice.

Yes. Doing all of these except for the breathing. Also running 5k daily.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Shiva99

[nistake]

@Shiva99 Yeah, pretty much everybody starts out like this. My sessions used to be a total clusterfuck, but fortunately I've progressed and now I can enjoy the silence (more or less). I'm sure you can also learn to handle your monkey-mind, you just have to be persistent. Once you reach that stage, your meditation will be much more enjoyable.

[Shiva99]

2 minutes ago, nistake said:

@Shiva99 Yeah, pretty much everybody starts out like this. My sessions used to be a total clusterfuck, but fortunately I've progressed and now I can enjoy the silence (more or less). I'm sure you can also learn to handle your monkey-mind, you just have to be persistent. Once you reach that stage, your meditation will be much more enjoyable.

I ment that i have a crazy monkey-mind all day if i don't meditate every day . My sessions are pretty good.

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, PukkaDanks said:

the benefits of mediation have become a bit overblown, it's a power tool sure, but is it life transforming? Perhaps not.

The reason you feel that way is because for meditation to be life-transforming it must be done with extreme rigor.

If you half-ass meditation, it is 100x weaker than if you do it rigorously.

Most people in the West are not taught to do serious meditation. They are taught meditation for newbies.

It took me a lot of trial and error just to learn this. And I'm by no means a great mediator. But I understand what makes it powerful or life-transforming.

Also, not all people are equally suited for it.

To really appreciate meditation it must be done as a hardcore monk, virtually full-time. But almost no one is willing to pay that cost.

With consciousness work you get what you are willing to put into it.

[allislove]

@Shiva99 have you experienced the breakthrough non-experience? 

Learning about nonduality may play bad role since by learning something you add some ideas, new beliefs.
Spiritual work is about LETTING GO, meditation is about LETTING GO, it's not about adding, it's about losing.
To lose everything for nothing. Theoretical pointers are important but they should be directly investigated.

What I am saying is: let go that "it doesn't work", even don't put your attention on it, really.
It works, use dreamboard, write what you want, anything which comes to your mind, work with it everyday, meditate, continue practices.
It is worth it. If you are tired of all of it - 5-MeO may be your answer  

ALL IS GOOD NOW.

[nistake]

@Shiva99 Oh, I see. Well, that's normal, I guess.

What I've been working on nowadays is to implement meditation into my everyday life. Basically just focusing on the present moment no matter what I do. Work/chores/driving, etc. I find it helps as well.

[Shiva99]

8 minutes ago, dimitri said:

 have you experienced the breakthrough non-experience? 

Yea several, but it was not enough. My ego came back pretty quickly. I say it lasted about a day.

9 minutes ago, dimitri said:

It works, use dreamboard, write what you want, anything which comes to your mind, work with it everyday, meditate, continue practices.

What if i don't know what i want anymore?

 

[PukkaDanks]

Thanks for the opinions guys, I may as well try the hour, because I don't have much to lose

 

@dimitri its a good point, I guess its how you classify life transforming!

[allislove]

21 minutes ago, Shiva99 said:

Yea several, but it was not enough. My ego came back pretty quickly. I say it lasted about a day.

You probably well aware that ego is illusion and it can't come back  
You have to realize that this is all of it, pure Love.

What if i don't know what i want anymore?

Take a piece of paper, draw the vertical line, on one side write what you DON'T WANT, then reverse it to what you WANT, throw the paper away and put WHAT YOU WANT on the dream board.

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by dimitri