Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a desolate, post-apocalyptic world, where the very fabric of reality seems to have been torn apart. The air is crisp and cold, with a hint of wood smoke and ash. The sky above is a deep, foreboding grey, with snowflakes gently falling onto the frozen mountain landscape.

In the distance, a lone building stands tall, its sleek, futuristic design a stark contrast to the barren, icy surroundings. The snow falls gently around it, casting an otherworldly glow over the entire scene.

As you watch, the dark ambient music washes over you, drawing you deeper into this dystopian world. The soundscape is haunting and evocative, with a sense of longing and despair that perfectly captures the mood of this frozen, post-apocalyptic landscape.

Do you usually use a timer when you meditate or do you stop when you feel "done". If you don’t use a timer, how do you know when to finish?

I’ve usually been meditating with a timer set for 20 minutes, however I’ve been experimenting a bit with ending it early when I feel like I have calmed my mind. I’m not sure what approach I prefer, so I’m curious to hear others experiences.

I've been meditation almost daily for 15-20 minutes the last 1.5 months. I enjoy the pratice, and it is nice and relaxing, however I find the changes, if any, to be very subtle (to the point that they might as well be placebo).

Curious to hear your experiences.

I just recently hit the 30 minute mark and the difference between 15 and 30 is remarkable, I've heard the difference between 30 minutes and 90 is even more stark, but I am aiming for 45 first!

This is such a nice introduction for people that are very new or have just started with meditation.

I want to share a particular interesting meditation that i stumbled upon in a science podcast i quite enjoy. I noticed that on days when i am extremely late for my daily meditation I have trouble to focus and stay awake. Means I get very sleepy during classic sitting meditation late in the day. When that happens a couple of times, I switch to the suggested STB Meditation from the podcast.

Which helps me greatly to keep awake and do -some- meditation practice, instead of breaking off and giving up entirely (which frustrates me greatly).

Feel free to share what you think, or what your favorite strategy against sleepiness is.

Peace is in the void.

What are you doing right now? It's what you do, it's what you are used to doing.

Is that a healthy habit? Fuck that question. Here's a better one.

Is this a habit that you want to be? Do you want to be this current collection of habits?

It's fine if you do. But understand this is what you are. A series of learned and repeated actions.

Do with that what you will.

“In asana our eyes are open, our ears are open, our minds are open, our hearts are open. As the months turn into years, we realize that our practice is a long unfolding, an opening into promise. We learn to stand easy, firm, and relaxed, and our problems become the open windows of opportunity.” –Rolf Gates

I was introduced to mantra meditation in a yogic setting, so I began with traditional vedic mantras ("Om", "So Ham", "Om Namo Narayanaya", etc)

Recently I've been experimenting with different mantras. Some of my favourites have been: "Be here now" and "Love, Truth"

What mantras do you use?

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/2534576

Instant Zen #49: Sitting Meditation

Foyan, Cleary translation

The light of mind is reflected in emptiness;

its substance is void of relative or absolute.

Golden waves all around,

Zen is constant, in action or stillness.

Thoughts arise, thoughts disappear;

don't try to shut them off.

Let them flow spontaneously—

what has ever arisen and vanished?

When arising and vanishing quiet down,

there appears the great Zen master;

sitting, reclining, walking around,

there's never an interruption.

When meditating, why not sit?

When sitting, why not meditate?

Only when you have understood this way.

is it called sitting meditation.

Who is it that sits? What is meditation?

To try to seat it

is using Buddha to look for Buddha.

Buddha need not be sought,

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1082995

Search for and reside in the still point of the mind. This point lies beyond the senses and truth and light await the searchers who arrive.

I find this an excellent book by the late ex-neuroscientist and meditation adept, that illustrates how the mind works and distils the core of Buddhist meditation into easy to follow steps - the medtiation practice, as always, is the challenge to progress.

I have some The Mind Illuminated guided meditation audio files created by a meditation teacher if anyone is interested.

Has anyone used the book?

An absolute favorite.

Welp, I've only been meditating for a couple of days, but I already feel like I've made some progress. I have been feeling anxious about everything my whole life, and this video convinced me to start meditating.
It's a short and funny introduction to meditation, where the very basics are explained with some simple analogies and such. I recommend it to anyone who's interested in the subject.

Medito is a completely free and open-source meditation app for both android and iOS. I am not associated with it in anyway but have been using it for the past few months and absolutely love it! There are so many guided recordings, there's a timer feature, there are background white noise options, etc.

I am looking for guided metta meditations. Any good ones?

Nobody was claiming ##meditation @ libera.chat, so I've registered it.

For directions on how to log in:

https://libera.chat/guides/clients

All beings are welcome.