Meditation Setting - Where? When?

[garden variety]

Prayer and meditation is probably a very personal experience for each person. Certain things might be just common sense and others may be “optionalâ€

[Dallas]

Thank you, Paul.

Your information is helping me a lot to improve the quality of my daily Meditation for Step 11.

I've been trying out your suggestions -- and, even though I've just started to put them to use -- I sure had a great experience with it last night and this morning.

This is exciting stuff -- and it's nice to have your ideas that are helping me to expand my thoughts and improve the quality of my being.

Obviously -- this is what our book is referring to when it suggests a Daily Design for Living -- that is Beyond Sobriety!!!!

Dallas B.

[anniemac]

Thanks, Paul, for reminding me that "half measures avail us nothing" -- I do not have a regular meditation routine; I meditate sporadically. My initial reaction is to say "who has an extra hour a day (1/2 hr. morn. and 1/2 hr. night) for meditation??", but I know that it's not that I don't have the time; it's how I choose to spend it.

[Dallas]

1/2 hr?

In the morning I go for about 5 minutes. When I go for longer than that -- it makes me want to go back to bed.

In the middle of the day -- my target is 10 mins. but at least 5 mins.

That seems to refresh me and my head and it often feels like I just got an additional 4 hrs sleep.

At then end of the day -- I target the 5 minutes again. Depending on how my day went -- I may go longer than that. Sometimes, I'll meditate until I go to sleep -- but first, I try to remember to give myself instructions about what I want to dream about (kind of like picking my dream movie or my dream channel before the meditation -- then, do the meditation for the minumum 5 minutes before drifting off to sleep.

An ideal day for me -- is where I give it 5 mins. in the morning.
10 mins. in the middle of the day.
5 or ten minutes -- before I go to a meeting, and
5 to 10 minutes (max) at night.

It keeps me feeling like I get more rest and relaxation.

I started doing the middle of the day meditations several years ago (and did those for years before sobriety) -- because I often had hectic deadlines to meet -- and 10 mins after eating lunch didn't have me feeling guilty about taking too much work time.... besides.... food digests much better and metabolizes better -- with a rest period after eating.

$$$-wise I think it helped me earn lots more money -- and often, either in the meditation or immediately after the meditation -- I would suddenly become aware of a new or better solution to a problem that I had been facing.

When I've had exhausting days -- I'll split the 10 minute middle of the day meditation into 5 minutes meditation backed with a 5 minute nap. That one ALWAYS works great for me.

Dallas

[anniemac]

LOL - I'm back to saying "who has an extra hour a day?" Last night I got home from work, washed my lunch containers, read the mail, said hi to my husband, took my daughter to Staples for school supplies, ran a few other errands, dropped her off back home, went to a meeting, came home, said hi to my husband again, washed my face and brushed my teeth, and fell in to bed exhausted at 10 PM.

It's so easy for my all-or-nothing thinking to creep up on me. Paul talked about meditating 1/2 hour in the morning and 1/2 hour at night, so I automatically assume I'm doing it wrong and need to find an extra hour a day. Yes, that would be wonderful, but many days that's just not going to happen.

So, yes, something is better than nothing, and smaller increments can make a difference as well.

[garden variety]

Dallas. That is some excellent and practical stuff you posted. What you mentioned about smaller sessions split up over the day is a great alternative. You're ideas are practical and to the point. Thanks.

Five minutes of meditation can and will make a big difference in my day as compared to none at all. So you're absolutely right. I think the major point isn't so much about the amount of time and when, but the fact that it's done on a daily basis. I really believe a "natural" point will come for each person where "daily serenity" levels are at a peak that corresponds to whatever time intervals that's best suited for the person.

[Dallas]

Prayer & Meditation:

I don't like to pray. (At least I'm honest about it).

Most of the time that I pray -- is because:

a. I have a really big problem -- that's too big for me to handle.
b. I need some special guidance with something difficult.
c. Because I've been instructed that "I must do it."

When nothing big is going on -- it seems to be a natural stretch for me to pray. I don't want to do it. But, it doesn't matter what I want -- I must do it -- so I do it.

I realize that this is "not the proper attutude" -- that is referred to in Step 11, so -- I have to work at it -- and have had to work at it for a long time. It's been like exercise and working out. I'm a great starter but a poor finisher -- so it requires constant discipline.

With meditation: I can see and feel and experience the benefits almost immediately when I do it. (Getting it now!) So -- it's easier for me to do it.

What's funny to me -- is that I seem to be wired backwards to most folks that I talk to about it. They enjoy prayer and get more out of it -- and the proper attitude about prayer -- seems to come to them like ducks are attracted to water. And, meditation -- they don't like it or they don't get anything out of it.

Maybe it's an individual thing. Perhaps, God knows that I need to spend more time -- taking more actions -- than I do in praying. (Sometimes, I'd almost swear it's His voice in my head that says "Get up off your knees and off your ass -- and get to work! I've got a lot on your list that I want done today!" ) --

And, with the meditation -- I could almost swear that it's His voice in my head that says "Wait! I'm not finished yet! You haven't received all my guidance and direction. So, be still and wait!" -- and, I can easily say "Well, no problem God! I kind of enjoy the waiting! Can I take a nap when you're finished?"

Dallas

[Ranman99]

I'm trying to swing a work schedule that perfectly fits my prayer, meditation and afternoon nap schedule