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

[S.Y.]

With that said, @SteveO your way of meditation is really unique and I should definitely try it and see how that goes!

Truly is. I made a "world" where I "go-to" when I need to relax. Never thought of using the same approach to meditate.

@SteveO, are you familiar with mental palaces? if not, you might like it.

--
Did today meditation while fasted (18h). I was calmer. I was expecting to be having more mental activity than usual. Not less. Very interesting.

I wear an Oura ring. I looked at the stats of my recent meditations. My baseline resting heart rate when I sleep is 51bpm (lower resting HR is better).
- my resting HR went down to about 52 on the meditation sessions that went well
- on the one that didn't, it was a bit higher - around 60

 

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[Olimac21]

Day 14 completed.

The best one so far, very calm and I did some mental image work with beach landscape + self affirmations. Feeling super fresh today.

 

[MTF]

Day 9 completed.

Finally a good session. I used @SteveO's suggestion and whenever my mind strayed off, I visualized walking down a nice tropical beach with a lagoon. That helped me take focus off the random thoughts and then refocus again on my breath.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

I wear an Oura ring. I looked at the stats of my recent meditations. My baseline resting heart rate when I sleep is 51bpm (lower resting HR is better).
- my resting HR went down to about 52 on the meditation sessions that went well
- on the one that didn't, it was a bit higher - around 60

I am jealous of your heart rate hah! Mine is 60 only when I sleep. Otherwise it's easily in the 70-80 range, and around 90 after I eat or when walking. And very strangely, I haven't been able to improve it through exercise and better fitness, and they can detect nothing wrong from a medical POV. When I get deeper into meditation, mine goes around my sleep rate as well though... so in the 60 range.

The only time when I got it into the 50s was when I briefly took SSRIs about 10 years ago. With those, it did go down to the 50s while sleeping, and 60s regular.

 

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[MetalGear]

Does anyone here use Insight Timer?

Great app for guided meditations

 

[Olimac21]

Does anyone here use Insight Timer?

Great app for guided meditations

I used it for a long time, it is super good and there is a lot of quality material there.

 

[Matua]

Day 9

Today was generally okay for me, not good but not bad either. It was mostly because I threw off my sleeping schedule by sleeping early and set an alarm (which I never do). Because of that, my mind wasn't happy about that lol. My meditation was the same as yesterday's, I focused on a bit of everything-- thoughts coming and going, accepting bits and pieces here and there.

I'll have to retry the visual meditation again tomorrow and find that "go-to world" for my mind to relax as @S.Y. said. We'll see.

 

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[SteveO]

There are unlimited methods to use for meditation. My methods are just samples. I have other methods as well.

Most of the types I use are visual. I'm looking for visions. Everyone is different though and we each have our own way of communicating with ourselves.

I'm purely focused on communication. When I let myself wander, things come to me. Call me odd if you wish but I make real life decisions from these communications.

An example of this is a few years ago, I was looking at an apartment complex to purchase. I had been purchasing quite a few and they were all rehabs. So I was incredibly busy but I liked this one.

I closed my eyes as I sat in front of the complex in my truck. Within seconds I saw this giant wall of glass on front of me that was retaining water. The glass busted and the water knocked my feet out from under me.

I drove away and did not give that any further consideration.

A few months later I saw that complex all dug up and they were replacing the water and sewer lines out to the street. I assumed they were replacing them internally as well. Not a project that I would have wanted at the price they were offering.

 

[S.Y.]

Day 9

Today was generally okay for me, not good but not bad either. It was mostly because I threw off my sleeping schedule by sleeping early and set an alarm (which I never do). Because of that, my mind wasn't happy about that lol. My meditation was the same as yesterday's, I focused on a bit of everything-- thoughts coming and going, accepting bits and pieces here and there.

I'll have to retry the visual meditation again tomorrow and find that "go-to world" for my mind to relax as @S.Y. said. We'll see.

Go for it.

I just want to mention that I have "built" that world over few years and throughout I have anchored specific feelings to it. And it is completely imaginary. In fact, to get in there, I have to visualize myself getting outside of the earth, getting into space, and going through a light portal. Some very unusual stuff. It helps a lot that I have a visual mind.

A good way to start practicing that is memory palaces.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIbz_gKw0XY

 

[SteveO]

Wow - are you one of those people that doesn't have an internal verbal monologue because you think in pictures?

I find people like that amazing to comprehend, because I'm so auditory based. I can picture a thing, but often struggle to hold an image for long.

Yes and no. I prefer visual but use many methods that use all the senses.

Another one is done with the eyes open. You view everything in your vision without focusing on anything. While doing this, you pay attention to the sensations on your skin, what you hear, anything that you smell, etc.

The idea is to gain awareness of your senses. All of them. The visual part is tricky. It is difficult to maintain the ability to see everything without focusing on anything.

This is not really a meditation but a practice in using all of the senses.

 

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[SteveO]

Go for it.

I just want to mention that I have "built" that world over few years and throughout I have anchored specific feelings to it. And it is completely imaginary. In fact, to get in there, I have to visualize myself getting outside of the earth, getting into space, and going through a light portal. Some very unusual stuff. It helps a lot that I have a visual mind.

A good way to start practicing that is memory palaces.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIbz_gKw0XY

That is exactly what I do for my landscape and the cabin I use to put myself into a trance. Thanks.

 

[Zubz]

Day 2

It was difficult today, but I found some insights about my mind I didn't really think about:

- My thoughts wanted to imagine the future and get me lost in thought to distract myself from the present.
- "When's that dang timer gonna go off?"
- Felt anxious and the fear of "Did I turn the alarm on?"

Whether it's being addicted to my mind, fear of things that may or may not happen in the future, or doing things before time runs out then I'd be happy, I let these thoughts go and returned back to the present-- using all of my senses to perceive the environment and my self.

I recommend to anyone to check out a video from Eckhart Tolle about How Do We Break The Habit Of Excessive Thinking?

Here's a quote from the video:


Here comes Day 3 of not doing anything!


Doing this really helps out a lot for me, even outside of meditation. Any thought that gets me to overthink, I override and force push that sucker by making that (mmmm) vibration sound. It's hypnotic to listen to your vocals drumming internally.

This was my first day doing it, it was great. I realized most things don’t matter, all I have is now and what happens tomorrow or yesterday is non existent. But I feel a sense of calm I haven’t felt before, like all F*cks I had are gone.

 

[Mutant]

Does anyone here use Insight Timer?

Great app for guided meditations

I use it just as a timer.
I like that I can pick sounds & interval sounds.
I also like that it tracks total time - I'm going to crack 1000 minutes today!
Looking forward to having this challenge help me rack up a chunk of my next goal of 6000 minutes. Found this, & found it very motivating (don't know how true it is, but even if I only ever get the 100 hours benefits - I'll take it!):

100 Hours

• Less stress and anxiety
• Less fear
• Fewer feelings of loneliness
• Increased optimism
• Increased self-esteem
• Increased focus
• Improved immune system and energy

1000 Hours

• Almost superhuman focus compared to coworkers
• Sense of being driven, aware, intuitive
• Will have experienced deep, psychedelic states
• Increased capacity to experience love
• Reduced need for sleep
• Increased physical and emotional sensitivity
• Much sharper in anything that requires intense concentration
• Significantly higher tolerance for pain

5000 Hours

• Very little attachment to any point of view
• Much of your ego will dissolve
• Won’t obsess over emotions, if something comes up you’ll be able to drop it pretty much instantly
• Deep feelings of peace will pop up unexpectedly and stay for unpredictable amounts of time
• Much more control over automatic reactions, so things like worries, fears, anger, hatred will not stay around long enough to impact you
• Boredom won’t occur
• Monkey mind will not disappear, but will be calm and can be seen with complete clarity

Found here: A Ph.D. in Happiness: What 10,000 Hours of Meditation Actually Does to Your Brain

 

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[MTF]

@Mutant, that's absolutely fascinating. I've heard about Matthieu Ricard and his incredible brain but never considered breaking down the "steps" into benefits coming after 100, 1,000 and 10,000 hours. After 60 days we'll be pretty close to 100 hours

 

[MTF]

Here's a pretty good video on how meditating every day helps:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Zyj2P6sig


As far as I know he's been doing it for nine years already.

 

[Barracuda]

Day 3 completed.
I had to wake early. So i had a fuzzy one. Naval said you shouldn't expect anything special to happen soon. To just let go completely and you'd know when it comes. So I'm zen at the moment

 

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[SteveO]

Day 3 completed.
I had to wake early. So i had a fuzzy one. Naval said you shouldn't expect anything special to happen soon. To just let go completely and you'd know when it comes. So I'm zen at the moment

I read this too fast and thought you said you had a "fuzzy navel".

 

[kadash]

In my opinion, one hour of meditating for someone who has never done is an overkill. You won't be able to 'sit still' for such a long time. I've been meditating for a bit now for like 10-15 mins a day and it actually helped me change a bit. I see a lot of good things come out of it.

My suggestion is to start with even 2-5 mins first and then move on to longer times. I help myself with an app called Headspace. Give it a go.

 

[SteveO]

In my opinion, one hour of meditating for someone who has never done is an overkill. You won't be able to 'sit still' for such a long time. I've been meditating for a bit now for like 10-15 mins a day and it actually helped me change a bit. I see a lot of good things come out of it.

My suggestion is to start with even 2-5 mins first and then move on to longer times. I help myself with an app called Headspace. Give it a go.

There are a few people smack in the middle of this. Discouragement not necessary. I realize you are trying to help but this is not the moment.

 

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[Zubz]

Truly is. I made a "world" where I "go-to" when I need to relax. Never thought of using the same approach to meditate.

@SteveO, are you familiar with mental palaces? if not, you might like it.

--
Did today meditation while fasted (18h). I was calmer. I was expecting to be having more mental activity than usual. Not less. Very interesting.

I wear an Oura ring. I looked at the stats of my recent meditations. My baseline resting heart rate when I sleep is 51bpm (lower resting HR is better).
- my resting HR went down to about 52 on the meditation sessions that went well
- on the one that didn't, it was a bit higher - around 60

@MJ DeMarco im curious if your a spiritual dude? I saw vegan on one of your bio’s. what are your thoughts on the spiritual aspects of life?

 

[Zubz]

Truly is. I made a "world" where I "go-to" when I need to relax. Never thought of using the same approach to meditate.

@SteveO, are you familiar with mental palaces? if not, you might like it.

--
Did today meditation while fasted (18h). I was calmer. I was expecting to be having more mental activity than usual. Not less. Very interesting.

I wear an Oura ring. I looked at the stats of my recent meditations. My baseline resting heart rate when I sleep is 51bpm (lower resting HR is better).
- my resting HR went down to about 52 on the meditation sessions that went well
- on the one that didn't, it was a bit higher - around 60

To anyone who loves hip hop. Listen to ztfo by big Sean at 432hz on YouTube and play it, thank me later

 

[MTF]

Day 10 completed.

I'm starting to notice progress in my ability to control my mind. I can let go of random thoughts much sooner than before and with much less force (as in, I literally let them go instead of trying to somehow expel them from my head).

 

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[Olimac21]

Day 15 completed.

Similar to yesterday, with some very relaxing moments. Time is passing by faster and was just observing what sometimes came up.

I think I will start meditating a bit more throughout the day too, perhaps before going to bed for 10-15 minutes.

 

[Barracuda]

I read this too fast and thought you said you had a "fuzzy navel".

Haha. The flipside of being a speed reader

 

[Barracuda]

Day 5 completed.
Today was really fast. Like when a pilot went through the Bermuda triangle and couldn't give an account of how fast he travelled. Almost like he "teleported". That's how today was for me. Has anyone experienced this?

 

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[MTF]

Fascinating article:

How 7,000 hours of meditation changed my life - Live and Dare

My open account of the 10 ways how meditation changed my life. More fearlessness, willpower, self-control, wellness. The benefits of meditation are many!

liveanddare.com

 

[Pard]

I’d like to say I’ve done day seven now but I have not.
So I think I’m out.
But I will continue trying meditation but only thirty minutes a day.
Perhaps not as beneficial but better than zero.

 

[Ma.Gico]

Hey all.
Im still doing it eventhough havent posted for couple of days. Im just on vacations and dont always have internet.

I keep enjoing it. And everyday there is something like an eureka where i think i have discovered that trick to dominate completely my mind. And finding out the next day it doesnt work anymore.

I usualy have more trouble slowing down that chatter inside then the pictures.
So yesterday after 30 min of really annoying session i started to breath in like usually and then breathing out with a minimal noise of mmmmm vibration. That way the vibration was cutting that noise.
That was the most focused half hour since day 1.
Today will be day 10 and hope that it will work again )

Have a nice day.

 

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[XxThelionxX]

There are unlimited methods to use for meditation. My methods are just samples. I have other methods as well.

Most of the types I use are visual. I'm looking for visions. Everyone is different though and we each have our own way of communicating with ourselves.

I'm purely focused on communication. When I let myself wander, things come to me. Call me odd if you wish but I make real life decisions from these communications.

An example of this is a few years ago, I was looking at an apartment complex to purchase. I had been purchasing quite a few and they were all rehabs. So I was incredibly busy but I liked this one.

I closed my eyes as I sat in front of the complex in my truck. Within seconds I saw this giant wall of glass on front of me that was retaining water. The glass busted and the water knocked my feet out from under me.

I drove away and did not give that any further consideration.

A few months later I saw that complex all dug up and they were replacing the water and sewer lines out to the street. I assumed they were replacing them internally as well. Not a project that I would have wanted at the price they were offering.

This is really cool. I was beginning to think I was crazy with the thinking, "money is energy." And all the stuff like that.

 

[MetalGear]

• Time and time again, when I get stressed out I forget to go focus on my breathing
• This thread is a good reminder, speaking as someone who has meditated since 2014
• I see people forgetting to breathe all of the time - lifting, at yoga, BJJ, or while working