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

Thanks for posting the link to the retreat. It sounds wonderful but does anyone know of any retreats where kids are welcome. ?
(I've never had a night away from DD and not sure if aetheist DH (her step father) would manage a weekend of full on childminding.)

Tonight I've got my DH's "works" dinner - I'm even more anxious after having Googled the other guests. One is an astronomer so conversation about astral transport will go down well. Thanks though for all the breathing advice - I've printed it out and will put it in my handbag.

I wanted to do a proper meditation today but DD's school is closed because of the snow so I'll have to plonk her in front of telly and nip off for some peace and quiet. (Here's hoping....)

FInally - a stupid question - if you're not depressed is it still a worthwhile exercise doing the Mindfulness and Depression book /course. (Am v susceptible to moments of feeling v low).
Thanks

Sadly I think you're right, Justa. Retreats and kids do not go together.

DD is rising 5. If I'm going to have a night away from her I guess it should be with DH since we had to take DD on our honeymoon last year! I guess I owe him.

pfs - yes, I think that book is good for people who don't suffer depression too - it actually mentions that in there somewhere. Indeed they specifically say it is NOT recommended for any one in a major depressive episode. I think it is a brilliant book for anyone who suffers from any sort of low moods (that'd be pretty much everyone then I guess?!) and is interested in understanding a bit more about how teh mind works - in a fairly gentle, non-academic, non-cryptic way - and learning techniques to a)recognise negative or unhelpful thought patterns and b)let them go. That is the basic premise - these thoughts WILL come and go but as long as you recognise them for ONLY thoughts that come and go (and NOT for reality) then maybe you can accept them as unhelpful and just rise above them. The major breakthrough for me was having someone tell me that ruminating on these troubling thoughts was actually quite damaging in itself. I am a perfectionist/over-analyser (traditionally) and so to be offered the freedom NOT to act that way, and indeed encouraged against it has been a major eye-opener. It seems so simple when I write it down, makes me feel a bit stupid not to have thought of it independently before...

mangoL - your office sounds nicethough - we had out meditation class in a gym studio last night - is amazing what low lights, a buddhad statue and a candle can do for a space!

ps pfs where abouts are you? i did come accross a "family" retreat somewhere recently - think was in North London - was just for a day and you could bring kids - you did soem activities with them and some separate...will see if can find link - I thought twould be fun - tho' no way DH would do it

oh, it was at north london buddhist centre but was on feb 1st.

maybe if you called them they might be able to tell you of other similar events...

I am going to be away from tomorrow for a week so I won't be checking in. I will be thinking of you all and sending plenty of loving-kindness your ways...see if you can catch the vibes - they will be coming on astral paper planes

PB thanks for all the info. I will check out the book.

HOW spooky is this - I have just been looking at the North London Buddhist Centre webpage .......maybe we're on the same astral plane!!!

Enjoy your time away.

slippers - I agree that the book would be great even if you didn't suffer from depression, but peanut and I are starting to sound like an advert now!

rev - pmsl at you saying that sounds lovely - rereading my last post, i know now the reason I didn't mention it before is becasue I've forgotten all the salient details

Well, I heard that there's a retreat going on at the local temple, and it would be okay to join for any length of time, and dp and dd are out for the day, so I went along to see if I could do some meditation this afternoon.

There were about 60 people there. 40 of them were schoolkids, it's like a school trip! Imagine being 12 and getting up at 4am to meditate and listen to monks talk. They'll be there for 5 days. And I forgot about the whole dressing in white thing, so I turned up in mostly green. And then the programme was more dhamma talk than sitting meditation. Everyone was lovely, but I didn't want to put them out (e.g. making someone translate for me instead of listening), but didn't want to flee either, so I stayed for a while. Then I came home and napped for about 3 hours.

It's been an odd day.

Oh me too!

rev that sounds like my meditation all the time (hope you don't mind me calling you rev by the way after all the kerfuffle).

We are having to sit with ds until he sleeps now (new development), but I am using this time to meditate a bit. I guess as a mother you snatch any time that you can.

For me this week has been alright, I am trying to do one thing at a time, which is a bit unique for me, instead of rushing to do everything and then feeling like a complete failure when it all goes horribly wrong.

I also had what I call a pure meditational moment, I was watching my ds dance in his gumboots the other night and I felt such a complete sense of, I don't know, being in the moment I guess that it made me feel truly happy, something which I can't say I have felt for a long time.

I'm having a hard time with meditation at the moment - dp and I are still experimenting with childcare now he's working too (I know almost everyone has to cope with 2 parents working, but how? seriously, we're both knackered). Plus work is still bad, I don't see it improving really if I'm honest, but it's not a great time to be jobhunting, is it?

Anyway. The point is, I think I need to take a leaf out of Louie's book, and try to enjoy all the moments of my weekend without stressing about the week to come.

Actually, enjoying some of my moments will have to be good enough (dd is in a spectacular public tantrums phase )

hello everyone,i've missed you all - like peanut i've been away for a week, in my case introducing the tykes to the joys of skiing for the first time. in the evenings i have managed to read large chunks of 'the tibetan book of living and dying' which i am really enjoying but it's pretty detailed on the buddhist theory front and a bit mind-blowing at times. really great on attitudes to death and dying though and on compassion...i was in bristol this morning and went to a quaker meeting (since i had missed my local one for three weeks) and it was fascinating to see how different it was from the smaller, cosier one i am used to. good, though! have tried to meditate most days, including in the 'salle de meditation' i found on the second floor of geneva airport on saturday for half an hour or so - i recommend it pre-flight to anyone - if they have a partner willing to hang out with the kids in the meantime that is
will check in again soon - great to read you all. xxx

hi all - katieK I was skiing with the kids too - well, the 6yo took to it ok (apart from being ill the day we took her up to the top and made her ski down, poor tyke) and I came through Geneva airport yesterday (we stayed on one night with my sister - she lives over there) - wish I had known about teh salle de meditation - what a great idea.

I had a wonderful week - totally chilled out. Got up early to meditate every morning which was lovely - looking out over the snowy alps - perfect contemplative conditions really. I took my pema chodron and the Buddhism - tools for every day life books with me and read chunks of both. I also started keeping a journal for the first time since a teenager - it was one of the things we were discussing at the last buddhism meeting I went to. I had some beautiful moments with my sister and my twe girls, just sitting in the appartment, not needing/planning to go anywhere, playing card games and drinking green tea and laughing. If only "normal" life could be more like that. MangoL I am totally with you - it IS difficult trying to maintain the space required when both parents are working - it is something I struggle with a lot. I'm hoping to try to keep some of the things I learned and enjoyed while away with me even when at home. My sister bought me a beautiful japanese cast iron tea pot and two little ceramic tea bowls and some delicious gemaicha green tea. I drank lots of that instead of my usual black tea and drank peppermint tea on teh slopes instead of my usual strong black coffee. I think I was more alert and calm. I am going to try to incorporate both those habits/rituals into my everyday life back home, in the hope they will help with the grounding.

My DH is not at all spiritual and a big drinker though - I am finding myself feeling much more separate of late, as I am not drinking a lot of alcohol at all anymore and am inhabiting what feels like a slightly different plane to him. Anyone else have this?

louieS - that pure meditation moment sounds wonderful - I guess as we get more in tune with things those moments might become more regular - or does it work like that I wonder...

hello peanut - i can't believe we nearly bumped into each other in geneva airport . for future info the salle de meditation is on the second floor!! no time to write much just now but am really pleased you had such a lovely and serene-sounding week. i managed many lovely moments of meditating while looking out of my bedroom window onto a pristine ring of mountains and somehow it seemed easier in that environment. just wanted to say i feel for you on the DH front bcs i have just the same issue with my DH too - he isn't interested in all of this - be it meditation, buddhism,quakers, matters of the spirit in general, and though he tries to remain open-minded he admits he feels 'it' (ie my interest in such things) sometimes causes him to feel distant from me. which is clearly hardly ideal. it does worry me sometimes. will write more later x

I don't think this will mean anything to anyone, but I just felt like writing it down.

As our ds still has to be sat with to go to sleep, I am now using this as my meditation time. Last night I had a sudden image of the beach in my home town - it has a big promenade (sp?) along it follwed by some big rocks, followed by the beach itself. On a clear day you can see the mountains to the left and the sea is so blue, it reminds me why blue is my favourite colour. Anyway last night I pictured myself sat on those rocks, on an early summer's morning just looking out to sea and breathing in the salty air. The sun was warming my face and I felt so calm and at peace with myself.

For various reasons I won't go back and live in my home town anymore, but I can hold on to that image when I need a calm moment.

Hope everyone is well...

Would this help for stress??

I'm an atheist (if religion is something to do with it)

TIA

Hi MM - yes it definitely helps me with stress.
Even though I'm a beginner and I meditate intermittently I've noticed I'm much calmer with DD and DH when I practice it. Much less blood on the carpet these days!

Have a go and see what happens. I see it as an opportunity to just be still and put aside the stresses of everyday life.

THe most useful book for me has been Buddhism for Mothers - you can find extracts of it online. (There are lots of references to it on this thread). You can put the buddhism to one side and just focus on the meditating sections of the book. It's actually a v amusing book - not what you expect.

There are also lots of "learn to meditate" websites which I've discovered during the quieter moments at work!!.

hi muppets - yes definitely! i took it up at a period of intense emotional angst and insomnia, palpitations, weight loss etc loads of textbook stress symptoms. and it really helped. so you don't need to buy into the spiritual dimension if that's not your bag. good luck!

louie - that sounds lovely. i often visualise a lakeside scene that meant a lot to me when we were living in NZ recently, lake hawea, a place of beauty and stillness and serenity - i return to it in my mind's eye again and again. i find water immensely soothing, as do you by the sound of it.

night girls! x

thanks ladies, will def give it ago.

wheres the best place to start??