Do you meditate / Practice Daily

[Mal]

And most people simply haven't meditated for 100 days straight yet (myself included, lol). I mean, if we made a poll for that alone, I'll bet maybe only 10% or less TBs here have done that before.

Let's find out.

 

To make it rather inclusive lets define meditation however you chose. Siting or standing, moving or stillness. I am also including energy work (because that's what I do ) There are plenty of methods out there and we chose the ones that resonate with us for reasons that are valid to us.

 

I also split it for daily practice and a regular practice schedule. Personally I wanted a daily practice, it took me 8 months to stop being lazy and missing days but once it was up and running it's pretty easy to maintain. However if you beleive you only need to practice once a week or whatever and do that regularly I want those answers in the poll too.

[Vajrahridaya]

More than 3 years straight for me.

[Mal]

Cool, I just edited it a bit. Originally assumed the poll would need an answer for all questions but it will work with just one response.

 

I want to extract daily vs schedule so only answer one

[Vajrahridaya]

Cool, I just edited it a bit. I want to extract daily vs schedule so only answer one

 

Ah...

 

I do agree that once you get it going, it's very easy to keep it going. Once you stop, it's like you feel an aching and you need to stretch that muscle. So, you'll get that meditation while sitting on the bus spontaneously you'll just slide into a jhana state. Also, the same with doing yoga daily for years, if you skip a day all of a sudden, you can't help but start stretching while waiting in the line at the bank and people will be looking at you funny while your touching your toes or swiveling your spine and making a long yawn of tension release.

Edited October 4, 2009 by Vajrahridaya

[JustARandomPanda]

I have been trying for approximately 3-4 months at meditation. It's taken me that long to FINALLY find a meditation technique that works for me. I tried and tossed out quite a few other methods that didn't get me very far.

 

Turns out it was none other than Dr. Morris's counting breaths that did the trick. A good ol' twist on the 'count sheep' to get good sleep trick. The first time I did it it worked like a charm. The monkey mind chatter just died. AND STAYED DEAD for almost 10 minutes. My jaw nearly hit the floor in utter shock at the difference.

 

The profound sense of awe, delight and RELIEF from monkey mind chatter clinched the deal for me right then and there. I had never realized just how much ENERGY is sucked up into thoughts until I got the chance to experience a calm, still mind. Now there's no going back. I'm going to keep meditating (and keep trying to extend the length of time each day I do it) for the rest of my life - both concentration and insight styles.

 

[Vajrahridaya]

 

The profound sense of awe, delight and RELIEF from monkey mind chatter clinched the deal for me right then and there. I had never realized just how much ENERGY is sucked up into thoughts until I got the chance to experience a calm, still mind. Now there's no going back. I'm going to keep meditating (and keep trying to extend the length of time each day I do it) for the rest of my life - both concentration and insight styles.

 

 

YAY!! I'm so happy!! "Another one bites the dust"... or another ego on it's way out...

 

[Mal]

Once you stop, it's like you feel an aching and you need to stretch that muscle.

 

Hehe yes, it's like brushing your teeth. Something is not right when it's missing.

 

I once fell asleep while watching cricket and my friends came over to drive me to the airport for a flight. I was going to practice before they came to get me. I told them I had to have a shower. Went and did 20 min. Caught the flight and then did more in the motel room once I arrived

[Sloppy Zhang]

I try to.

 

On busy days where I don't really have the time or inclination to meditate seriously (sometimes I just take a nap ), I do try to at least be aware of my thoughts as they run through my head, to be present, mindful, etc etc. Even if I'm not actively trying to quiet it down, I try to be aware of what's happening.

Edited October 4, 2009 by Sloppy Zhang

[Zhuo Ming-Dao]

I went for about five years with a twice weekly schedule, and then finally got up the will power a little less than a year ago to do zazen every morning at dawn. I have only missed one day so far, because it was the day after a retreat and I needed a mental break

 

My practice has deepened profoundly since I switched to a daily schedule.

[Vajrahridaya]

My practice has deepened profoundly since I switched to a daily schedule.

 

Oh it does!! I had one teacher say that one should practice at the same time everyday. That way... the mind is habitually ready to go deep within and also to reserve a space specially for the practice so that the energy is regular in that area for that purpose. Also... to even wear the same clothes and sit on the same wool cloth as wool is absorbent. I've had the same meditation cloth for many years. I can literally feel it buzzing when I touch it.

 

Oh.. also.. to never wash it.

Edited October 4, 2009 by Vajrahridaya

[ngtest]

I want to emphasize the importance of daily practice.

 

I used to meditate each day for a period and when for some reason I stopped for ten days, when I got back I didn't have the same depth of meditation as before. So for progress you must not lose a day.

[z00se]

I want to emphasize the importance of daily practice.

 

I think daily practice is very important but i think you need to live your life too. For me if i don't have a good sleep i feel much worse than if i don't meditate so i think you need to weigh up what is best. I can even have a better state of mind by missing a meditation session and going for a run or doing some cardio exercises. I usually wake up earlier in the morning and dont' want to wake up my wife since i'm only living in a tiny 1br apartment so i just lay in bed and do a bit of practice before i get up. Or if i'm on the bus or waiting in a line or even just walking down the street i can slip in a bit of practice.

 

Its not nearly as good as sitting and meditating for an hr or 2 and u don't get the same feeling but it can stop you slipping back in practice and something is always better than nothing. Even if that day nothing is working for you and you feel a bit dissapointed because you suck in your practice for some reason that day, just practicing for 5-10 mins before cracking the shits then leaving it is better than not practicing at all (I know you're not all buddas and have never stopped meditation cos u felt fustrated . It keeps you there.

 

I think in a perfect world i could commit myself to a perfect practice, or where meditation fitted into my lifestyle it would be good, but you're life isn't always the same, it's not always the same routine and so you don't always have the chance to practice how much you'd like.

 

However after saying all that, having a few short 'in between' practice days or even missing a couple of total days practice has actually helped me more than 1 time. Practicing lots daily might help you improve in leaps and bounds but only in the same direction, then suddenly if you don't try so much and miss a day you suddenly get some insight into some other possibility and something else to try

 

Also i wonder if anyone else has the problem where they know they will feel much better after meditation, and they know they should do it but they always put it off. Of course when u finally do it you feel better but u subconsiously try to find something else to do first. It's like not doing ur assignment early and leaving it till the last minute. Unless i'm practicing very heavily for some time i always get this occurance

[EagleShen]

The voting didn't work for me for some reason.

 

I've been doing a daily practice for about 9 years now. Totally essential, it's the launching pad for your everyday life being your daily practice. Took me quite a few years of going boom and bust with various forms of yoga and meditation before i finally cracked it. The key is loving it, even if you can only find a couple of minutes, keeping the habit is the gold. And discovering tai ji, it inspired me.

[Prince hisoka]

I started doing my hardcore meditation last summer. I had lots of free time, and was reading william bodri's stuff, which combined together led me to the daily meditation . Eventually school came . I started setting up a new routine, which worked the best, i think it'll stay with me for a while. The funny thing was, i decided to do mantra chanting, with vipassana, right before going to sleep. I will be sleeping, and perhaps dreaming yea, and then my mindfullness kicks in, and i'll be like 'what the hell ?! too much attachment, oh yea i am sleeping...'

by the way, does anyone recite the zhunti mantra in their daily practise? just curious

 

Your friend Prince hisoka

[gendao]

The voting didn't work for me for some reason.

Ya, I don't know if my vote counted, cuz I got some sort of error message...

 

Anyhow, pretty cool to see that at least 6 folks here have (easily) broken the 100 day mark of daily practice!

 

I'm starting to agree too how daily practice can really increase your meditative gong fu, too. In fact, today was probably the first time when I had a stretch (during meditation) where I really found it rather pleasurable and didn't want to move. I don't know if there's a true shortcut to enlightenment & immortality or not, but I do feel like this "old school" route does at least give you concrete progress. Which is what I'm after - not just transitory peak experiences/states - but sustained steps that I can keep building on.

 

So, how long are you guys practicing each day?

[Ya Mu]

36 years daily meditation; some days are better than others.

[Easy]

36 years daily meditation; some days are better than others.

 

I'm a little behind you...34 years...sometimes when the times were right, or maybe the times were wrong, three or four hours a day. This way, that way...it does not matter much. One finds the groove that is best for them. Gurus suck. Teachers suck. The point is to trust the instincts that support that righteous ground of one's own being. Always go below those other grounds because Gautama is dead and so is Lao Tsu and there is no reason to pay them obeisance. Dead men don't count and neither does their Dharma.

Edited October 5, 2009 by Easy

[gendao]

[SeriesOfTubes]

between 1.5 to 3 hours a day since 94 (closer to 3). Im sure I missed a few saturdays or a weekend here and there if I was busy elsewhere. I suppose the max would be 8 hours overnight when I doing lots of Kriya and for a while I did weekly 6 hour stretches in a group setting. I no longer force myself to be that exact with time and have taken a long break from pranayama type techniques. Sitting itself has become so ingrained as a habit I would feel like something is missing if I dont get a chance to. thankfully Im finally starting to get that way with physical exercise, where I miss it if I don't do it.

[forestofemptiness]

Well, I hope you don't use anything related the Edison's light bulb, Henry Ford's mass production, anything related to the wheel, fire, or agriculture, and all the technology based on the findings of dead men and women. No need to reinvent the wheel.

 

I'm a little behind you...34 years...sometimes when the times were right, or maybe the times were wrong, three or four hours a day. This way, that way...it does not matter much. One finds the groove that is best for them. Gurus suck. Teachers suck. The point is to trust the instincts that support that righteous ground of one's own being. Always go below those other grounds because Gautama is dead and so is Lao Tsu and there is no reason to pay them obeisance. Dead men don't count and neither does their Dharma.