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

I'll be having a go at the same time as you Rev, and everyone else doing their best. We are all connected.

Rainbows to you
How are you Rev?

Hey Rev, and everyone, what a lovely in-your-body-experience you had!

I don't know about you Rev but I do feel that all the clock watching for meditation is a set up for failure - like equating meditation to calories or something akin to accountancy .
I think it's easy to feel like a failure when there are such unbelievably difficult hurdles - especially as mothers we are just able to do what we can do. Right?

Remember breastfeeding - it's just a go with the flow thing - who knows how much milk the baby is getting really? But they're doing Ok without timing left side and right side, so that must be OK then.

Thinking that we have to have 10 / 15 and 'graduating' to 20 minutes of silence when we have babies/ toddlers/ school runs etc I'm feeling is very unrealistic isn't it? I mean I found it difficult to take a phone call / have a shower in those circumstances, especially with work, laundry, meals, shopping, relationship maintenance all added to the mix.

I'm thinking that setting up hurdles like we are celibate monks / nuns in a single sex monastery, and where we can be blissed out and chanting all day is a bit unrealistic for us busy mothers, no?
You know, even the nuns / monks have cooks and cleaners. Think how much meditation you could do if everything in your life was looked after!! It'd be pretty cool, but I took other vows.
Maybe later I will have the opportunity to practice my devotions for longer stretches of time, but I'm a long way off a cave in the Himalayas right now.

Trying to move out of our lives in to a higher plane, I'm thinking is almost a bit escapist or something. Does anyone else think this?

So I propose that we stop clock watching and having 'proper meditation sessions' (like boiling eggs ) just try and be present in our lives, with all the messy noise and rushing around, because that's where we are is it not?

We are all connected up and it's important I feel to behave in an appropriate way for our circumstances, and to be in our lives.

I am present for the in breath, I am present for the out breath. I receive, I give.

So what I want to say is, please lets put down the egg timers (the machine that goes ping) and all the failure / success attachments that go with that, and lets try and be in our bodies, and be in our lives, every breath, every step.

This is my humble intention for 2009 and beyond, for all of us.
Namaste.

zazen! great to read you. namaste to you too. i loved what you wrote. if i could be more mindful, more in the moment, this coming year and beyond, then i would be very happy. that is my new year's resolution too. thank you o wise one!

Having read this board -I ordered the Buddhism for Mothers book. I"ve started reading it and have found it really interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.
I'm trying to meditate -and have found it helpful on the days when I do.

zazen, thankyou, that is a really uplifting and releasing post.

I've just arrived, like the rev, to mark my place and my intention, and reading what you wrote has been a great added push forward!

Onward, etc.

Has been lovely catching up with the thread....I really needed it.

I have filled my box, and that process in itself has been quite enlightening, and having trawled through some memorabilia, have rediscovered aspects of myself that had fallen by the wayside.

We have suffered a family bereavement so I really need to find something deep in myself as my DS(10) struggles with grief enormously, the poor soul.

Zazen I also enjoyed your post, If nothing else, i usually try to remember mindful breathing when things are getting on top of me.

rev - as if anyone could be offended by you praying for us - how lovely and heart-warming! i am still here, yes, and just popping in to say that i am (eek) planning to start up a local meditation group - in my living room(!) - starting on monday. so if any of you are in rural herefordshire...(i know, i know - virtually no-one is!!) - will keep you posted on how it fares. i have been really enjoying getting back into a daily meditation since the holidays, though i often just manage 15 minutes sitting upright in the dark in bed of a morning before the others all wake up...not perfect conditions but very enjoyable nonetheless. i've gone back to the quakers too after a three-week break due to the chaos of christmas and related travel and visitors etc - that was long overdue too. better go but back soon - thanks for that post rev, it's great to hear how you're getting on. bye girls! x

how cool is your mum, rev?! mine would no more consider meditating than flying. she is of the 'must keep busy must keep busy must keep busy' variety
i expect to have three or four people too, it's been postponed to monday week now, but i'll report back!
x

hello

I love this thread...I come back to it every now an dthen and love finding you all here sharing your wisdom, spirituality, attempts, "failures" and hopes. I am currently suffering from depression and am looking at elements of buddhism/mindfulness/getting more in touch with myself as ways of helping me to cope with that and hopefully some day break out of the cycle and off the meds. I am reading the mindful way through depression as well as places that scare you (which I first heard about on this thread - so thank you) at the moment as well as using this "mindful organizer" (well, using is a bit strong a word, I dip in and out, and find myself too frightened to address many of the issues in any depth, which is why the "places that scare you" struck an immediate chord with me I guess)

I wonder if any of you have struggled with depression (perhaps you still do) and have found meditation useful.

I hope you don't mind me lurking around, I don't have much positive to contribute right now but I hope that 2009 will be the start of a more spiritual existence for me and one that helps me to feel more content within myself.

Modern life just feels so brutal at times. I feel bruised and exhausted and need a break from it all. I hope some more spirituality/mindfullness/meditation might help me find a way through.

DO any of you practise in an "organised" setting? I am thinking of trying to find out if there are meditation classes around where I am, though I feel very nervous.

Anyway, apologies for the stream of consciousness. I think you all sound wonderful and that meditation can only be a good thing...

Hello Ladies

I need your help please. I need to find some peace and tranqility in my life. I need to slow down. I would Love to learn how to meditate.

Basically - I am a busy mum of two (3.9 and 2.7 year old boys), currently on long term sick and had treatment for depression (PND and also due to medical issues). I have CBT and it has pretty much resolved a lot of my issues, but medically I am all over.

I had an oophorectomy in July (removal of both ovarys and tubes) and am umdergoing a double mastectomy and reconstruction at the end of February - due to a gene defect that runs in the female line of my family.

I am very lucky in that I have been diagnosed and am able to have this treatment, but the HRT has left me with high BP. I am going to have a lot of time on my hands in hospital and also recovering at home.

So is there anything I can download to my Ipod to help me relax or meditate and also how and where should I start.

My lovley DH bought be some Power Thought Cards, which I am using, but I need a path.

Please help - operation date is 27 February and as you can imagine I have very little spare time.

Thanks in advance

peanut brittle, madhouse - i want to give you both a big hug > (best i could do). welcome. it's lovely to have you with us. can i first of all suggest a wonderful approach to depression/difficulties in life, the human givens approach? this is with my gp hat on. two psychologists (tyrrell and griffith) have set out a new and effective approach to anxiety, depression and the huge difficulties of tackling modern life (which as is obvious to most of us, is taking stress to new heights as we get fewer and fewer of our basic human needs met). really worth while reading their book 'how to lift depression...[fast]'.
okay plug over. 'places that scare you' really helped me during a terribly hard emotional time so i am so glad it is helping others - a buddhist friend gave me my copy.
peanut - i went to a 6-week meditation course in NZ when i lived there 2 years ago - very relaxed, Non-Scary, and consisted simply of a couple of hours on a wednesday evening for a few weeks being taught a few different techniques in the setting of a friendly and supportive group. i'd unhesitatingly recommend trying that approach.
madhouse - good luck with all you are to go through. i am sure others will have great recommendations for you on the ipod front - any music meditation might be worth a try, i absolutely love snatam kaur which i first heard at a friend's house. having time on your hands could be seen as a rare opportunity to explore some new avenues? too often i hide from meditation by connecting with others (am addicted to people! could be worse, i know, but still...) when i know i need to spend time alone in contemplation.
will be thinking of you on 27th feb, it's my birthday which is why i will remember the date and i will send positive vibes your way.
bye for now girls

ps peanut - i came to meditation through depression, and it helped me inordinately. perhaps not clinically-speaking depression, more like overwhelming stress, anxiety and regular dips in mood - i don't believe labels to be that important really - but certainly, in short, a 'tough time'. meditation helped me through it all, and most especially and crucially, helped my broken sleep...which as we all know is one of the absolute foundations to sanity! i really hope it helps you too. oh- it's been great for my fear of flying, too! the ability to quickly sink into a mini relaxed semi-trance is invaluable during those dastardly moments of turbulence (eek!)

the madhouse - that sounds so hard. I wish you every bit of strength and support you need over the coming months. I have no suggestions for you (being a total novice myself) but am sure the ladies on here will help.

KatieK123 - thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement (and hug!). I've had a quick look at the Human Givens stuff and it does make a lot of sense.I am trying to plough through so much with my other tomes at the moment that I will leave that til later I think. Good to hear the meditation helped your "depression", once I move myself on a little from where I am now I will look for a practise group or class. Am about to head into work now after a week at home (me ill, then kids ill) and am not looking forward to it very much. I will try my baby step mindful techniques today to keep me centred when I feel anxious.

have a good week everyone.

Thanks for the thoughts. I am OK about the operation, a little anxious, but I would be a nutter if I wasnt. I am looking at it as a positive. I am lucky that I should get to see my boys grow up. My mum is the only female in the line over 54 to either be alive or not had cancer. I am currently focusing on preparing the children and the house for my recovery

I managed a nice relaxing bath last night and had candles and all that.

KatieK - I have ordered the book and will look forward to reading it. I am going to use my time in hospital to catch up with some reading.

I am hoping that I find meditition calming and relaxing. I use the CBT in everyday life all the time and would like to just take things a little further. The idea of clearing my mind is great.

Hi
sorry all for deserting thread for a bit, and thanks for your message from a few days ago, justa - i'll take good thoughts/ prayers wherever I can find 'em

where's louie? I want to hear about India

welcome to madhouse and peanut (whose name is making me hungry). I like both 'mindful way through depression' and 'the places that scare you'. I think people on the thread have lots of different ways of making meditation part of their lives; for me just finding 10 minutes to sit and focus on my breath each day (each day I can find 10 mins, anyway!) makes me much calmer for the rest of the day.

Hello! Am here, just got bck on Saturday and am now back at work.

Well for all my thinking that India was going to awaken a new spiritual side in me - first I got sick and then ds got sick and wouldn't eat hardly anything for almost two weeks - so it was very stressful and not that relaxing after all.

However on the last day we went to a temple and it was wonderful, I allowed myself to feel calm and quiet and it drained away alot of the anxiety I had been feeling.

It is good to be back to a routine though, and I am trying to implement my new year's resolutions of being kinder to myself, more meditation and feeling grateful for what I've got (one I picked up in India), and so far it is not going that bad.

Also further to peanutbrittle post about depressions and meditation - I believe I have been mildly depressed since my early twenties - in a way I can't escape it as both my parents and also sister have suffered from depression - but meditation and also looking into the Buddhist philosophy of life has helped immeasurably. It is still a struggle sometimes but at least I have got something to turn to now, whereas before I had nothing.

Hope everyone is well....

louie, welcome home. and back to us! so sorry india was a little illness-dominated but so glad you had some wonderful times too. i was taken to a hindu temple by friends there when i visited them in kerala (cochin), an experience i've never forgotten. i also spent time working in andhra pradesh in a remote village a few years ago (3 hours from hyderabad) and as you say, you definitely return feeling a tad humbled, and with renewed gratitude regarding your own life. i would love to go back, and plan to take the DCs in a few years' time.
i always love the return to routine too, though, even if the holiday's been fab

by the way girls, am getting a leetle anxious about my meditation group, it starts in a week's time. several people coming along have far greater experience in the 'art' than i! which can only be a good thing, i know. must make it clear i regard myself as a facilitator (ie provider of a living room floor and some cushions) rather than any sort of leader (eek!)