Does anyone have a daily meditation practice? Would anyone like one but needs motivation?

[mangolassi]

Ooh, I feel all shy

I am agnostic and generally confused about spiritual things, but after recovering from a bout of pnd found a great book - The Mindful Way Through Depression. It has a programme of daily meditation, and I've tried in the past, but it's soooo hard to stick to with no support.

The meditation style in the book is 'western insight' - basically vipassana with the Buddhism taken out - but it would be great to have a thread for anyone trying to get started with daily practice, whatever kind of meditation appeals. Even better if there's anyone who actually has a daily practice already

you are very welcome LS - I hope the book helps. I have really found it wonderfully useful. Maybe if you like it you can join MangoL and I when we start the 8 week programme...

funnily enough I think I have suffered dysthymia since I was very young. I've never been diagnosed with it - I thought everyone felt like that and was quite surprised when in my later years i realised they didn't! I kind of ignored mine (apart from sporadic yoga, reflexology, overindulgence in alcohol etc etc) and then suffered a near "nervous breakdown" almost two years ago after which I was diagnosed with severe depression. I'd say it is back on the mild side again now but I am wary of it getting worse again. I remember when I did a bit of research and came accross descriptions of dysthymia just realising how familiar it all was. Felt uncanny in the extreme actually. I take antidepressants now but am keen to get myself to a place where I can support myself and maybe retrain my brain out of such destructive thought patterns. I suffer from the concentration problems too (apart from when I am doing something creative which engages me very much). MangoL's tips earlier have helped me at work

I think you might just find that book very helpful. I really hope so.

have a happy day all

hi all- rev/justabout it's lovely to see you back on here, you've been missed. and it's so good to see so many posts in the short time since i last checked in! i just ordered 'buddhism for mothers' and a meditation book by the vietnamese monk thich naht hahn which i am so looking forward to reading. also rev i just got 'holiness' by donald nicholl and have excitedly begun reading that - i am sure you have read it - it looks great. i am being inspired to read all sorts of things by my quaker friends at the moment. wait til DH sees me reading a book entitled 'holiness' this evening - he'll run an absolute mile!!

ps boco - is that the place at harewood end by any chance (near me here in deepest rural herefordshire)? i guess there must be more than one. i looked into it and found that the minimum stay was 10 days and was a bit at the exclusion of most mothers by such a length of time to be honest. but i know someone who went (a bloke!) and i would love to do it one day. i read a long blog about it too - a guy who is actually muslim in background and a journalist in the middle east i think. he found it really hard going and in fact bailed out on day 4 i think. might be worth looking for the blog, it was very well written - just google harewood end vipassana blog, i think it should come up...i know it might not be the same place but the blog may still be relevant.

Yes it is, must be that one.
My dad goes every year, that's how we heard about it.

All these things are tougher for mother's aren't they. I remember growing up, my dad would go upstairs to do his evening meditation while my mum was cooking and looking after 3 small children, and he'd come down all floaty and serene and she'd be swearing and hurling things at his peaceful face. Mention meditation now and she still snarls and goes off on a rant. I kind of hope that doesn't happen to us. Although dp being serene would be rather nice.

Yes, early evening is a challenge. [understatement]

I think that there were some loons there by the sound of it, my Dad told me about a man who was there to find the seventh type of breath he needed to complete the astral boat he was building. So far it was made with six types of breath, and he needed seven before it would float.

The best bit was, my Dad asked him where his astral boat was, looking nervously around, and the man said scornfully 'well I didn't bring it here! It's at home in my garage.'

Of course. Where else would you keep one.

i do so love this thread...i'm liking the recent surreal and highly entertaining twist...just a bit downcast that i can't now share my secret astral boat preoccupation without being made to feel like a LOON

well i am so glad justa - have just been brought up to date in a concise fashion by amber re recent events, i asked for a one-sentence explanation and she delivered the goods very effectively. i am SO pleased you stayed on MN, i would have really missed you had you gone (and i am sure you were bloody tempted to, given what i - still rather vaguely - gather to have gone on). i still like to lurk on the reluctant worshippers thread - am currently a small fraction of the way through the adultery one, a subject close to my heart due to past life events - may CAT you one of these days if that is still allowed, in fact!

Sorry about cluttering and wittering

But one last point, I do think that the pope would have an astral litter, rather than helicopter.

boco - how could you apologise - a subject as lofty as the pope's LITTER no less is hardly one to feel guilty for introducing onto this thread. plus this thread has been wonderful but has not often made me belly laugh - until tonight so your contributions have been most welcome - astrally project yourself back onto centre stage straight away!
justa that's great, i will cat you sometime

Oh good, thank you.

wow - what a bizarre digression - very entertaining - especially the bit about the astral boat in the (one assumes) terrestrial garage!

justabout - sorry to hear you have been getting flak - I haven't seen anything about it but then I tend to stay to those parts of MN where I feel safe and comfortable (like this thread!) - sounds like you are getting over it ok, I hope you can stay on this thread at least...

well, I've had a good week so far, being as mindful as I can. My kitchen has never looked cleaner - I seem not tp resent the tedious chores anymore (well. not so much at least) and try to see each loading and unloading of the dishwasher etc as an oppotrtunity to try to practise mindfulness. I don't really get a lot of time for "proper" meditation - not that I can do it anyway, so these "snatched" moments are great for me

I have just got off the phone with someone from my local chapter of the friend sof western buddhism who says I can come along to their meditation group tonight, even though it is not really for absolute beginners (that one is on a Monday night, which unfortunately, due to Dh playing footie - I can't make - now if I wanted a way to ensure he got resentful of me investigating this stuff I could insist he gave that up...ha ha ha ). he said one of them will take me through the basics. Then he mentioned a tea break which threw me into dismay - I am normally the kind who slinks in and out of classes, speaking to no-one, until I get to feel comfortable...god lord will I be expected to converse? with buddhists? crikey! what will I say?...

off to alternately worry about the tea break chat/try to accept all worried thoughts and let them float past...wish me luck...

have a happy day lovely folk

peanut! that's great! remember all that will be required during the tea break is to smile beatifically - they're buddhists, right?
seriously - it will be FINE. everyone will be really welcoming i am quite sure. i am really keen to find out how it goes - make sure you update us!
back to my 'holiness' book now - am reading a few snatched pages between leaving work and picking up the kids - DH was indeed when he checked it out last night . i have already had to consult wikipedia twice (jacob and the angels story. i am SO IGNORANT!! )

ps you've reminded me to empty the dishwasher now - will try to do it mindfully x

i don't think that is pathetic at all - I think it's great

can't wait to try it out tomorrow - hurrah - a reason to look forward to emptying the dishwasher - I thought this day would NEVER come...if anyone ever challenges the value of a spiritual life I know what I am saying from now on

buddhist meditation went really well - what lovely people

sleep tight all