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60 Days of 60 Minutes of Meditation - Let's Not Do Anything Together

MetalGear

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Not sure if it was Singer or Tolle, but what struck me was the notion that if your inner voice was a friend who was always with you, like an invisible Siamese twin, would it be your friend? A good friend? Or would you punch him/her in the face?

When you recognize this inner voice's neurosis, you begin to move toward awareness.



The Surrender Experiment was eye-opening -- not just for the "surrender" aspects, but because it was very entrepreneurial related, specifically, watching a productocracy go from nothing to billions. Several times. Not sure if anyone caught that.

However The Untethered Soul is what I consider to be a biblical type of work, something I've listened to hundreds of times. It is something you need to listen to over and over to make it part of your life. One read is like dropping a seed and hoping. Several reads is dropping the seed and adding water and sunshine.

Thanks for the recommendation, I am on vacation and will book binge The Surrender Experiment
 
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MTF

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So say you work 8 hours, and each hour has 1 unit of output. That is, 8 units of output in 8 hours.

If 1h of meditation make you 25% better, then you produce 8.25 in 7 hours.

Now if you still work 8h, then output is 10...

What a fun way to put it. @ZCP's engineering mind will love it :D

So the experience felt like being in a place between sleep and awareness. Similar to a state just before you fall asleep. Went through some thoughts of what I have to do for the day, some for the future planning. A lot I can't remember though I know I didn't fall asleep. Feels like a part of my brain that is responsible for memory formation just shut off.

Awesome, thank you for sharing that. Welcome to the "challenge." (it's not really a challenge, it's just daily self-reflection)

I like a bit of philosophy here and there. I read a bit of Discourses - Epictetus, but it wasn't an easy read for me personally. If you're able to sit through the difficult reading, then it can be an enjoyable experience.

IMO difficult reading = shitty writing (or in this case, translation). As a writer myself, I pay a lot of attention to using simple words, sentences, paragraphs, etc. If you can't explain something simply, you don't understand the topic well. Moral letters to Lucilius are much more accessible.

Or to make it super easy, A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine.

I've meditated in so many different circumstances now ( vehicles, darkness well before sunrise, last hour of the day.. ) and though each hour session has not always been my best, I'm stronger. I notice the small moments that take little effort to give someone and something full attention.

Love it! No excuses - just doing it wherever and whenever you can to keep it up. Great "work". (in quotation marks because it shouldn't really feel like "work")

Not sure if it was Singer or Tolle, but what struck me was the notion that if your inner voice was a friend who was always with you, like an invisible Siamese twin, would it be your friend? A good friend? Or would you punch him/her in the face?

Singer offers this fun exercise to imagine spending a day with your inner voice. Imagine this guy/gal sitting with you on a sofa and behaving the way it behaves in your head. You'd be running away from this psycho instantly LOL.

The Surrender Experiment was eye-opening -- not just for the "surrender" aspects, but because it was very entrepreneurial related, specifically, watching a productocracy go from nothing to billions. Several times. Not sure if anyone caught that.

I'm very much looking forward to reading it but want to finish The Untethered Soul first. I don't get certain chapters but some are incredibly well written and well reasoned.
 

redshift

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The Surrender Experiment was eye-opening -- not just for the "surrender" aspects, but because it was very entrepreneurial related, specifically, watching a productocracy go from nothing to billions. Several times. Not sure if anyone caught that.

Yup, totally. I re-read it once just for the business side of things. His earlier ventures (the construction company etc) were all built on the same principles as well and would likely have grown big had he decided to pursue those instead. Also, his lifestyle was a great illustration of living below your means while exploding income.

However The Untethered Soul is what I consider to be a biblical type of work, something I've listened to hundreds of times. It is something you need to listen to over and over to make it part of your life. One read is like dropping a seed and hoping. Several reads is dropping the seed and adding water and sunshine.

Yup, exactly the same qualities as your books :) By "listened to" do you mean the audiobook or the course ? If you mean audiobook, I would highly recommend his course "Living from a place of surrender - The Untethered Soul in Action". That was even more eye opening and valuable for me and gave a lot of deep insight into the teachings of both the books. It's available on video format (on sounds true) and audio format (on audible).
 

Olimac21

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Day 22.

So so today, I focused more on body scan exercises and breathing exercises.

And I think is time for me to read Michael Singer! Should I start with The Surrender Experiment or The Untethered Soul?
 
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MTF

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Day 17 completed.

That was by far the deepest session I've ever had (except for one or two sessions in a float tank but that's different). I lost sense of time for the majority of the session so it also went by fast. I found a position that allowed me to largely forget about my body and that was also very helpful as before, I often struggled because of some bodily discomfort.

I envisioned sitting further back in my head, the real me (the awareness) watching what was in front of me (my inner voice, thoughts, emotions, etc.). It was fascinating because even when I was thinking about stuff (what to do later, what to do in case X happens, etc.) I was like "okay, so my inner voice thinks is."

In other words, I wasn't identifying myself with whatever my mind came up with. I was just watching it, knowing it's an object of my consciousness, not me.

Reading The Untethered Soul (I'll finish it today and then start reading The Surrender Experiment) has definitely influenced this session a lot because it helps me understand on a deeper level what I'm trying to "accomplish."

And I think is time for me to read Michael Singer! Should I start with The Surrender Experiment or The Untethered Soul?

The Untethered Soul was written several years before The Surrender Experiment so I think it's best to read it in order.
 

Barracuda

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If my thoughts were a person. It'd probably be a whining 4 year old. I found it easier to just let go of the thoughts by not paying attention to it. If i try to force myself not to think. More thoughts come. Like when your 4 year old niece is trying to get your attention, but you don't want to give her because you're busy. You just ignore her, eventually she'd leave you alone.
Eckhart Tolle once said it in a seminar i watched. It makes more sense to me now.
 

redshift

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And I think is time for me to read Michael Singer! Should I start with The Surrender Experiment or The Untethered Soul?

The Untethered Soul was written several years before The Surrender Experiment so I think it's best to read it in order.

I actually read surrender experiment first and loved it that way, then read the untethered soul as he gives a bit of the backstory in the book of how it came to be (which itself is pretty fascinating and makes you appreciate the untethered soul even more).

In general I would recommend it that way, but since you are already doing this 60 day exercise, untethered soul is probably more appropriate as it will be more practical.
 
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ZCP

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was reading and blew right through my scheduled meditation time .... :(
DID end up getting 30 minutes in when i woke up in the middle of the night. i seem to be using it to refocus in and around sleep times. it was nice and relaxing. calming the mind and letting it go. i will try to borrow the initial sequence as i start each project time today to see if i can bring that calm over.
 

Matua

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Day 17

When my mind starts to wander and overwhelms me than staying present, I felt as if I struggled or failed meditation. But, as I questioned myself "Who am I?"
My thoughts became silent.

Whenever a thought comes up saying, "I'm not the kind of person that-"
I replied to myself, "If so, then who am I?"
And I follow it up with, "What will my next thought be?"

This helps me stay grounded and become aware of my thoughts whenever they come up. Even though we've been doing this for two weeks, I'm still learning and figuring out ways to improve my meditation.
 

MJ DeMarco

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And I think is time for me to read Michael Singer! Should I start with The Surrender Experiment or The Untethered Soul?

Start with the Surrender Experiment ... as @redshift mentioned, it gives some background on how the Untethered Soul came to be -- once you hear some of the BS he had to endure while writing the Untethered Soul, it puts the work in a much better perspective.

I would highly recommend his course "Living from a place of surrender -

By "listened to" do you mean the audiobook or the course ?

Yes, I have them all including the lecture series via audiobook. I cycle through the book, and all the lectures. It is now a routine for me to listen to them in bed, sometimes before sleep, or if I wake up in the middle of the night.
 
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redshift

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It is now a routine for me to listen to them in bed, sometimes before sleep, or if I wake up in the middle of the night.

I've been doing that with the power of now, the author/narrator always puts me to sleep. Michael Singer is a bit too high energy :D
 

S.Y.

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I did a walking meditation today.

I had a lot more mental activity. Way more than usual.

And I wasn't able to recenter. 2021 will be definitely be focused on extending the mindfulness outside of the meditation.
 

Barracuda

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The end of the year is always so cold. It tends to affect the outcome of the meditation process. I tried to put a blanket on, it made me too comfortable. Today was a good one, and I'm starting to get into the habit of meditation. The repetition builds my discipline, which is something I'm lacking, and want to work on vigorously in the next year.

...It's less than 24 hours till the New year. I hope that 2021 will be the best year for each of us.
 
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MTF

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Day 18 completed.

Couldn't reach the state from yesterday. I woke up tired and I think that affects to a great extent if I can get deeper or struggle.
 

Olimac21

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Day 23 completed.

One of the best so far, I focused more on my breath and using a mantra to focus on positive visualization.

Today I tried an experiment: I did not use internet before breakfast, as a trial for something I want to implement next year which is no internet before breakfast and after dinner. Let me tell you guys it feels amazing, you mind seems very sharp and you become more aware in your workout, shower,etc.

@MTF Have you read Matthew`s Walker book Why We Sleep? I highly recommend it and if you have Masterclass he is also there ( the book is a bit dry to read but it is excellent and can be life changing depending on your current sleeping habits).
 

MTF

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@MTF Have you read Matthew`s Walker book Why We Sleep? I highly recommend it and if you have Masterclass he is also there ( the book is a bit dry to read but it is excellent and can be life changing depending on your current sleeping habits).

My troubles with sleep are caused by Seasonal Affective Disorder. Or in simpler words, winter messes me up. Sunrise is too late for me and it's very hard to wake up when it's still dark outside at 7:30 (and then already dark at 4 pm).
 
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Matua

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Day 18

It was a peaceful meditation today. I almost had complete silence during meditation. I focused a lot on how I breathe and performed slow breaths. My typical method of meditation is sitting there in silence with a focus on one or three breathing motions whenever any thought comes up.

I call it "slow breathing", but it's essentially this:

1. Mew (Rest your tongue against the roof of your mouth)
2. Slowly inhale using your nose as much as you can.
3. Hold your breath for a few seconds.
4. Slowly exhale as much as you can.
Note: For me, my mouth still remains closed as I exhaled. Use your stomach to exhale, NOT pushing out air through the nose.
5. Repeat this for 3-5 times, or any amount you need
6. After exhaling, hold your breath for as long as you (comfortably) can, but don't push it.
7. Inhale and exhale slowly, then repeat.

I've read somewhere that our breathing influences our emotions. If we breathe a certain way whenever we feel angry, then the opposite is true.

And of course, I didn't only use one breathing exercise for meditation. I do other techniques such as a mental body scan, third-eye, and sound awareness. It really is up to how you approach it and what works best for you. So do it!
 
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MTF

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Guys, just wanted to say what a pleasure it's been these last three weeks to discuss this with you together and explore this new world. I'm very grateful for the ability to find like-minded people to talk about and experience peculiar stuff like that.

:clap:::clap:::clap::
 

MetalGear

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  • I have been playing around with controlling and regulating my "inner energy" for a while
  • Will be posting some of my favorite meditations

A Centering/Grounding Meditation

  • Breathe in - count of 4
  • Hold - count of 3
  • Breathe out - count of 4
    • x Repeat while doing the visualization

  • Imagine the following:
    • You are driving home,
    • The weather is perfect - 72F, at 45% humidity
    • You are manually downshifting your car
    • Gear 5
    • Gear 4
    • Gear 3
    • Gear 2
    • You see your HOME
    • Gear 1
    • Coming to a complete stop
    • Neutral
    • Car off, parking break up/Gear 1
    • Recall that "I'M HOME" feeling
    • Let that feeling/energy rise from your feet to the center of your forehead
    • Now let the feeling/energy radiate
 
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MTF

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Day 19 completed.

Had two stressful mental disturbances so I practiced observing how my psyche reacted to it without letting it engulf me.
 

Olimac21

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My troubles with sleep are caused by Seasonal Affective Disorder. Or in simpler words, winter messes me up. Sunrise is too late for me and it's very hard to wake up when it's still dark outside at 7:30 (and then already dark at 4 pm).
I see, so how do you adapt to that? You try waking up later than usual for example?
 
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MTF

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I see, so how do you adapt to that? You try waking up later than usual for example?

I don't want to wake up later, that's the entire problem. Hours between 5-10 am are my favorite part of the day. If I manage to wake up only at 8, my day is ruined. And another problem is that I sleep sometimes up to 10 hours and I'm still extremely tired.

I do all the stuff that should in theory help with SAD but it's not really anywhere close to effective compared to simply moving to a better climate with early sunrise (like the tropics).

It's just how I'm wired. I've accepted it and will eventually spend little to no time in places that don't work for me.
 

Matua

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Day 19

Still managed to meditate when staying overnight with a family member for today.
My meditation was calm and mostly quiet, I focused on breathing similar to what @MetalGear described.

Guys, just wanted to say what a pleasure it's been these last three weeks to discuss this with you together and explore this new world. I'm very grateful for the ability to find like-minded people to talk about and experience peculiar stuff like that.

:clap:::clap:::clap::
I really want to thank you for starting this. I never would have done this to improve myself and learning how to be mindful if it weren't for your post and challenge.
 

Ma.Gico

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Hey guys! Happy new year and holydays for all of you!

A little about my progress:
- i failled doing it yesterday( i left it for "later" until i realised i had to do so much staff it was allready imposible to find an hour for it. I felt bad about it.

- i liked it better when i was doing it at 4 am before work. I fellt more centered, there was no noise and my mind just after some 15-20 min was so quiet.
Now by doing it at evening and with noise i have to focus on breath, i have to move my body, stretch it etc just to not losing focus and getting lost in my thoughts for so long.
After 40 min i wonder if its allready near the end. And i open my eyes to see the time :/

On monday i go back where i live and work and there i have everything more under control so im going to write daily about my progress again.
 

MTF

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Day 10! I've been doing my 1-hour after my morning workout, and it's been great. :D I've had more insight into some emotional baggage I've had and my behaviors. It's been very relaxing as well. I'm gonna keep it rolling with this momentum. It feels great to have an aspect of life that I feel like I'm "succeeding in" or "consistently keeping up with". It's been a pretty noticeable boost of confidence. :)
 
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MTF

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Day 20 completed.

One third is done!
 

Olimac21

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Day 25 done.

The best so far I think, even though my feet were freezing :D have you guys noticed how your mind tends to go around the same topics/themes? Some of them positive and some of them negative, depending on the person and circumstances. It is like a radio that is playing the same songs over and over again.
 

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