What do you think about meditation?

Meditation in formal or informal (walking or just a body scan) is incredibly important to my health. I notice a huge difference when I'm not doing it. When I am tired I use guided meditation, when I'm more energized I do silent meditation. I'd really like to dig into a meditation retreat as a yearly thing.

I totally agree with this @andrew_lutsyna, it's a huge highway to creativity, focus and self-awareness... although for many initial experiences often range from sleepy brain fog to chasing rogue thoughts like a pack of over-caffeinated racoons. It's like we attempt to apply the same over-efforting mindset and as a result, feel frustrated or that we're obviously just one of those people who 'aren't very good' at meditating 🙈 Here are three things that have helped me cultivate a consistent daily practice in recent years... 1 // Sharpening the Axe ➬ there's an old saying: to cut down a tree in five minutes, spend three minutes sharpening the axe. For meditation, sharpening the axe simply means preparing your inner state (and the external space), so that meditation can come naturally. 2 // Breathwork ➫ instead of attempting a distracted 15 minute Headspace, consider spending 10 of those on breathing (e.g. 'fire breath' to activate your nervous system if you're feeling groggy in the morning) or taking extended exhalations (free divers call this 'triangular breathing') to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (slowing your heart rate etc.) and very effectively calming the monkey mind. 3 // Environment Design ➩ this sounds obvious but taking the time to consciously create a space that isn't blindly bright, has fresh airflow, with a comfy seat (I have a triple-cushioned throne!) and maybe even listening to binaural beats will make a world of difference. I wish that I'd discovered meditation 10 years ago when I'd started building my startup.(I've recently completed a 9 month meditation teacher training and am eager to find ways of sharing what I've learnt... so please feel free to get in touch!)

It's an amazing thing. I started my practice a year before, at that time I was kinda calm & after learning basic I stopped practicing. But recently a month before I was kinda stressed/sad, so I started meditating again. I can say I feel much better or mindful now. Re: place, I prefer a quiet or slightly quiet environment and I try to meditate every day. The best thing I learned so far is if you get distracted during meditation it doesn't mean you are doing it wrong. No matter how many times you get distracted, noting that & getting back is important.

I'm a huge fan, I started taking it seriously about four years ago, fell out of love with it, then got really into it in a big way about a year and a half ago where I've been doing it quite consistently since. It sounds so cliche but it has changed my life, it's given me control over my emotions and instincts and impulses in a way that I feel makes me a better human.

I wish I could echo everyone’s sentiments here. I started and stopped, started and stopped probably three times over five years. At the beginning of 2019 I committed to giving it a full year, without giving up, whatever the results. I’ve been using Sam Harris’s meditation app. I’ve sat on average 5 days a week this entire year — sadly, no positive effects. It doesn’t appear to be getting easier, I don’t have better focus that I can tell, and I wouldn’t say I have gained new perspective. That’s not true; I have been introduced to Buddhist principles regarding the illusion of the self, which has been eye opening. Anyway, I’m going to follow through and do it until the end of the year, so hopefully I’ve made some progress by then, enough to want to continue beyond my one-year commitment. I have to believe there is merit to it given what a panacea so many people, and people I respect, insist it is. But in case other frustrated and confused meditators are reading this wondering how everyone says it’s so life changing, you’re not alone!

I've discovered meditation while practicing yoga a view years ago, started unsteady and then started with Headspace after the trial period to give it a shot. Tried other tools as well and this was my decision to continue. My run streak is now 850+ days at an average of 20 minutes every morning and I enjoy the various possibilities to meditate, like for example with breathing and visualization. I love guided excercises as it helps me to focus and bring me back to the present, no music, pure silence and guidance. After all this time I'm continuously evolving my experiences and findings, still sometimes feels like a beginner. For me it's a lifetime challenge, which enriches my life on a daily practice and makes me a better human too, as @abadesi already shared.

I meditate in an unconventional way, I take a walk around the office for maybe 20 minutes when I get stuck on a problem. My mind often wanders off to other topics and it helps me re-engage the problem once I'm done as I feel refreshed.

Meditation is one of the best habits I have cultivated last year. It allows me to see things clearly with intention. I do meditate everyday for 10-15mins. I'm a big SimpleHabit user and there is a one particular teacher, Cory Muscara who helped me developing a mindset to be grateful, mindful and more authentic. After listening to Naval many times I started experimenting non-judgemental awarenesses which makes not to judge others and yourself. It had a pretty significant impact on me. Also started practicing this method of doing nothing and observe thoughts as they flow. There's 346 method which is about breathing. No matter what method we follow meditation opens doors for many possibilities. With consistency the results are even better. It's a phenomenal experience and I highly recommend everyone to make a promise to themselves about meditating at least 5mins a day. Andrew thanks for initiating this thread and love all the comments. I would recommend to tweet a tweetstorm once it reaches a certain level. Helps others to discover unknown methods.

A cliche like many others here, but meditation has changed my life completely. I follow the Self Realisations fellowship / Paramahansa Yogananda path, which is quite a demanding practise but totally worth it. The practise has completely changed me for the better, for myself and everyone around me and professionally, one gets a whole other perspective on how to deal with people, problems and opportunities. Everyone struggles with meditation to start with but it’s certainly worth persevering.

I'm a big believer in the benefits of meditation, but I find it hard to instigate on my own. Our office started a daily meditation series nearly a year ago that's helped me get into more of a routine. That, and a frequent yoga practice have helped me centre and focus.

Initially I tired to learn how to meditate while doing my yoga practice, however, cannot say that it was a successful experience. Mostly it felt more like some relaxing breathing exercise. Now I'm doing my meditation in the middle of the day - it helps me to refocus and slow down my thoughts. I find some cosy room in the office and listen to my meditation record, which I've got from one private session with a psychologist and coach of positive thinking. It is a 12-min record and it's enough for me to restart and refresh my thoughts. Now I meditate every day, it helps me to stay focused, be more self-aware and I finally was able to 'get the sense' of meditation :-)

Agree with @abadesi that it's a life-changing habit. It's probably the single most beneficial "practicable" skill, but like exercise, nutrition, it takes regular practice to have the most impact. That said, I love that I can always come back to meditation when I find the time, space, and self-commitment for it. My ideal is 15 minutes every morning, but just finding 10 minutes during a lunch break is more frequently my norm.

I do believe that your mindset has a very powerful impact on all that you do and how you feel. I think that is the main benefit of any activity that you can really focus on directing positive thoughts. I use meditation as that activity, but I think other activities can accomplish this as well. Finding a quiet place away from everyone is sometimes hard for me but I would love to make more of an effort to do this more often! Have you seen benefits in areas of your life since you started? How long have you been meditating consistently?

I practice moving meditation and standing meditation from the qigong and tai chi traditions.

Meditation is a way of concentration in human mind.its amazing power for control mind.it helps focus,concentrate,control tention,face difficulties,mental power,peace of mind.its avoid loud,sound, public presents.it helps to mind alone.meditation is an real processing in the way of different thinks into one.daily meditating person will take decisions are 95 percentage successful.By RAJESH p Mani ACHARY.Metal article worker

I practice almost daily, specifically in line with the Thai Forest Tradition of Buddhism. I prefer no sounds, maybe a guided talk from the abbot Thanissaro Bhikkhu. I dive into how my breathing feels, make my body comfortable, and I pose questions to myself about how to make it more comfortable. And I stick to that, and that's all.

I love meditating! It has hugely improved my life! I got serious about it about a year ago. It was hard at first to get into it but it has evolved into an almost daily habit/practice. I meditate using guided meditation videos on YouTube. I've also purchased some audios. Guided meditation works best for me because it helps me not to get distracted and I especially love the ones that use visualization techniques as I've got an active imagination.

I like Vipassana meditation, which is from the Theravada Buddhist tradition. It's like mindfulness where you observe thoughts, feelings and physical sensations without attachment. The change it creates is subtle yet profound. I find that I am more mentally resilient and less reactive. You don't need an app. Getting instruction can help to get started. There are great guided meditation podcasts too. Tara Brach is one of my favorites. It's helpful to approach it without expectations and with patience. Initially, taming our monkey minds can be frustrating

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8. I also used meditation as a professional ski racer. It gave me a huge advantage when I could run the course in my mind exactly the way I wanted to. When the starter said , "GO!", I could let my boded what it had been trained to do without my head getting in the way.

I've been a daily mediator for the past 5 years and is been nothing short of life changing. I've been fortunate to have a good friend who's a mediation teacher, and he's led me to teachers like Gary Weber and Tony Parsons (nondualists), or Culadasa and Shinzen Young (zen/concentration). There's a lot of different methods out there, and all have merit, plus it makes meditating interesting because there's so many different strategies. Not only does everyday things like concentration and mental clarity improve, but in the long term I've become a more loving, kind, and compassionate person. I'm typically pretty happy and borderline joyous, which I would've never have been able to say before. If you dive deep enough there are communities like Dharma Overground that claim to be able to teach actual enlightenment/liberation/awakening within this life. It's kind of lofty to pursue but ultimately a good life goal.