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

Katie - good to hear about your kids' response, sounds very positive, including the questioning! That's just the kind of thought I have during a guided relaxation / visualisation! I finally got my copy of BfM last week, many days late. I had had an email from the bookshop saying it would be late but not much more and I emailed back asking for more details, to which they replied that it had been posted. I hope you get yours soon. Abebooks is just the site - there are lots of different booksellers on there, but I had a look at the policy on refunds and it seems pretty good. If you have a chance maybe email the sellers and ask what's going on. Sorry - have made more work for you.

I'm reading BfM in bits, feeling a bit nervous about DH seeing it - he's not all that tactful about such things! But it does seem helpful. The anger bit particularly - I do find myself raging and blaming a lot these days.

Phil

hi all

well, I'm back. feeling inspired and ready to take things on again (although also knackered as sleeping 4 to a room on tiny little doll sized beds doesn't help me sleep very well) Oh, Taraloka is just beautiful. BEAUTIFUL. The gardens are lovely, the surrounding land is gorgeous, the retreat centre is warm and welcoming and feels like home after about 10 minutes (if only I had such a tranquil home!) There is a wonderful shrine room and another cabin in the grounds for meditating. In short, it was bliss. Lots to take in. Lots of discussion. Lots of meditation. Advice and support. It was wonderful. I can't wait to go back in September (taking Katie with me!)

metta to you all X

growing - PhD funding - no! but you sounded sooo into it! Pants! Is it, possibly, just a big mistake? Are there any other funding options for you? Am visualising an astral boat appearing and dropping wads of cash on your lawn...

Meditation for kids book sounds lovely, dd is still young for it but I'll file it away for later. Tell your dd she asks very good questions, katie - cos surely the point is that by visualising certain feelings you make them more likely to happen in real life too? And if she's ever willing to try again (!), she can think about whether the feelings you talk about really happen, or if other feelings come up instead, and tell you about it after the meditation.

growing - forgot to commiserate on the funding - am with mango on getting an astral boat to ferry you some dosh. Is there a bursary you can tap into? Am sure you are/will be looking into all of this. For now, big hug () and good luck.

sorry, was me!

hi girls!

a year out sounds like a really good idea g/up - that's just in case the dosh-laden astral boat doesn't work out, i should hastily add - obviously that remains plan A

that reminds me - was at a talk about women's health the other day and the speaker amused us by telling us that the emergency contraception pill is marketed in the states under the trade name 'plan B' - who says the yanks have no sense of humour?!

thanks for the helpful comments mango! i had a better meditation session again last night with the kids - candle, cushions and obscure indian meditative chants in the background again - (already within 24 hours we have a rigid routine which, if strayed from even slightly, produces protest !) - only one slight hitch when DD accused DS of ataring at her and 'making me uncalm again, JUST when i was feeling calm'! but a meltdown was avoided!

i looked into the FPMT thanks kids, and they meet every 3rd thursday of the month only about half an hour from me - so that's something i may look into - thanks a lot!

philB - will get in touch with abebooks thanks for reminding me!

meditation going well, DH still says will go to a course after the summer holidays are over - as the kids pointed out to him at breakfast he is the odd one out now

have a great day xxx

Hi All

Katie - I've got a phone message for you!
Blackwells have just phoned me about "BFM -Lingering.." To cut a long garbled story short - they haven't got your phone number, but wanted to know if you'd received the book.( They know they've sold two but don't know if you were one of the sales) Could you phone Richard on 01865 333667. Love Your Secretary x

BTW love the stories of your kids meditating. How wonderful.

GrowingUp - ever so sorry about your funding, what a horrid blow to you. Couldn't you switch churches - the Vatican never seems to be short of a bob or two.

PhilB - re: your DH finding your copy of BFM - I know just what you mean. . My DH's is very forthcoming with sceptical comments so I have to meditate furtively when he's busy in the garden or such like to avoid being ridiculed! However, DH has become more tolerant over the past few months. You have to tell DH that these books make you a calmer / happier person so therefore he should tolerate this in the interests of domestic harmony. Failing this - buy a brown paper wrapper for the book and tell him it's the karma sutra.

Peanut - so pleased you had such a wonderful time at Taraloka. Hope you're still feeling nice and chilled out even though you're back in RL.

Ok friends - have a lovely day dodging rain showers

PFS xx

thanks secretary - that made me laugh!! it seems there has been an exciting, though FLEETING sighting of my copy of lingering questions - wonders will never cease! however, it has subsequently been lost in the bowels of the building, but customer services (say that they) are on the case. so, much appreciated fluffy!

lovely to hear from you. must get back to work. i had to go to a meeting last night, leaving DH in sole charge of the kids' meditation session, heh heh - he initially backed away muttering 'that's something you do with mummy, surely?' but then accepted his fate. he had to be reprimanded a couple of times for reading too fast and too loudly apparently

xxx

go for it! they'll thank you in the long run. mine flee from radio 3 already (they get a lot of it at their grandparents' house), the ruffians. still, they'll be 40 one day

fluffy - i got my 'lingering questions' copy! hurrah! it was waiting for me when i got home. it looks great. i LOVE the fact that she has a chronically angry child who regularly calls her 'stupid bumhead' (even my little firecracker has never, ever done that!) - can't wait to get stuck into it

x

ps, pfs i did enjoy your kama sutra/brown paper bag suggestion

I hear your comments about Radio 3 but I am personally forever scarred by overexposure to classical music in childhood and will hopefully never ever have to hear any opera music or Mozart again in my life!

Hi
Delighted to hear that the Lingering book finally arrived. Horrah. (Whoever said that nagging doesn't work)
You'll love the bit about meditating with the kids. (See negativity chapter).

Radio 3 for breakfast is a lovely idea - so much more soothing than death and destruction on Radio 4.

Haven't meditated all week so feeling rather like an imposter on this thread.

Have a lovely weekend everyone

PFS x

PFS - well, needless to say, i am devouring 'lingering questions' at every given opportunity, and enjoying it hugely.

initially i thought, hmm, well her style is great, of course, and it's a very easy read, but isn't it just more of the same? but in fact the more i read the more i think she is very gifted at putting across quite heavy concepts in an exceptionally clear and grounded way, and i am definitely learning from it. i love the diary extracts, and the little snippets from her buddhist teacher too.

i have banned radio 4 in the mornings! too depressing. in fact, i am such a fogey these days that in my quako-buddhist-and-nearly-friggin-40 way, my preference is for silence, thanks all the same. pity the other three take a different view!!

have a great weekend everyone x

HI
Hope you've all had peaceful weekends -We're off to Crete on Tuesday and I'm taking BFM as my holiday reading! I shall be reading "Lingering" next to the pool in a very mindful sunbathing kind of way.

Take care all.

Love PFS
x

good morning everyone

PFS - am glued to 'lingering', am reading the 'negativity' chapter which is ringing deafening bells for me when i look back to the Troubled Years when DD was a feisty pre-schooler (and i was on my knees)!

we had a good weekend thanks. DH absent for much of it (lunatic triathlon- and work-related)but the three of us had a very companionable time. we acquired three new dwarf hamsters on sunday morning, and took them along to the quaker meeting (at coffee time)on our way home, which was a lot of fun. i'm trying to introduce the kids to the quaker scene obliquely, as you can see

am going along to the FWBO on tuesday, as there is a mitra ceremony for two people there whom i know slightly, which i would like to see - i think this is a milestone in which they declare their intention to be 'official' buddhists. will report back!

have a fab holiday PFS

xxx

ooh yes Katie - do report back on that. I've always wondered how one becomes an "official" buddhist

I'm in the 40 and prefer silence brigade too...although I do like the hum of R4 on behind me sometimes (once early morning news and politices is over) however I am regularly surprised by playing some soft jazz on my ipod and how mellow it can make me feel. DH is usually in charge of music chez nous and when he is not around I suppose I like the silence to linger.

just back from a very damp camping weekend - my new tent stood up well to it all though, and I got to go to bed with the kids on Sat night about 9.30pm and listening to drumming rain on canvas (which I LOVE) so it was all worthwhile

hello peanut xxx am so glad you have had a good camping weekend - excellent. i love the cosiness of being rained on in a tent (before said tent starts to flood, leak, and eventually float away, of course )

just had meditation group chez moi - me and my two 70+ year old pals (normally there are more of us) - it was great. we had a really wide-ranging discussion afterwards covering topics as diverse as the resurrection, the talmud's take on where we come from (before we are born), the upanishads. as always i was struck (and comforted by)the overlap between buddhism and between quakerism (they are both quakers). we've agreed to start broadening out our meditation to incorporate other techniques come the autumn, now that we are quite a solid group and we all feel comfortable with one another - should be interesting.

hugs to all - have a great day x

Hiya, can I join you? Been practising mindfulness and doing a bit of dharma study for the last 5 years or so.

I start maternity leave this weekend, baby not due another month and I've negotiated with DH that I can have half an hour every morning on my own in the bedroom to sit, while he deals with family breakfast downstairs (I know, how lucky am I?)

I usually only meditate when I feel the need, and usually in the evenings because that's the only convenient time.

I'd be grateful for any tips! Have been lurking here before and bought "Momma Zen", which I really enjoyed.

gently, hi! great to have you join us. what a saintly DH you have - respect!!
i doubt that anyone who has been trying for mindfulness/familiarising themselves with the dharma for 5 years has much to learn from me, for one but it's lovely to have you on board.

i went to a very interesting 'end of term' evening at the worcester FWBO on tuesday - a puja (celebration? worship ceremony? i forget the exact translation now. worship i think.)incorporating the mitra ceremony for two of the blokes who go regularly, and who, in becoming 'mitras' or 'friends' of the order, thus show their commitment to the buddhist path. there was an initial metta bhavana meditation then the ceremony began - much chanting and ritual beating of drums! the mitra ceremony itself was very touching, as one of the ordained members made a little speech about the qualities of both the new mitras, in a very personal, warm and humorous style.

must go - have a lovely day all, i am convinced i am in the first stages of swine flu in my hypochondriacal way (several cases at work this week), will keep you posted...if i don't become too weak to type...whimper...

xxx

sounds excellent, growingout (like the new name!) - i used to locum in bradford at an inner-city practice, and it was a fascinating/challenging experience indeed, especially as it's the only place i've ever worked that genuinely did have 5-minute consultations - for some of the most complicated patients anywhere, surely, in terms of ethnic mix and language difficulties and cultural overlay and somatisation etc etc etc! let me know if you do go to a gurdwara - i've had thoughts along those lines re taking the kids to a mosque in birmingham sometime. would be interested to know how you get on. v sorry to hear you've all been unwell - commiserations.
off on holiday for a week but will check in after that - hugs to all and hope your respective summers are going well
xxx