Meditation and Mindfulness

[Deleted User]

kkennedy wrote: »

this is something i would love to try where in Glasgow is the yoga centre and how much is the course thanks

Hi KKennedy,

The Glasgow course is just off Woodlands Road in the West End. The website is here: http://www.mindfullybeing.co.uk/ They also do courses in Edinburgh and the borders. It was pretty expensive, £160 if I remember correctly, but in my opinion, well worth it, and that price includes a day retreat. If you're not sure, you can just along for a taster session, which is free, or a day retreat (there is one coming up in January) which is £45 and absolultely brilliant.

I agree with previous posters: doing mindfulness and is enough, not striving, not trying, just being present and aware, whatever comes up. It's not about quieting the mind, it's about being aware of thoughts and bringing the attention to the breath. In my experience, when you begin mindfulness, the mind is almost jealous, saying 'what about me' and may chatter and try to grab your attention more than ever before. Every time you notice this happening, bring the attention to the breath.

After the mindfulness course finished, I really wanted something I could commit to to ensure I would do mindfulness every day so I splashed out on a year-long course from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Insight-Meditation-Sharon-Salzberg/dp/1591790727/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326271798&sr=8-1
I've been doing it every day since Jan 1st and it's been tough. Sometimes I don't feel I'm making any progress, I still get very anxious (I think I mentioned in previous posts that I suffered from OCD for years, as well as generalised anxiety and both rear their ugly heads still). It has definitely made me more aware of the patterns of my mind however, and the ways in which I get wrapped up in them, how sensitive I am to all sorts of things and how these can torment me for ages after they have passed. I think just taking a back seat and realising the ways of the mind instead of being wrapped up in thoughts is a good starting point, but habits are very difficult to break.

Devils_Custard

Just to add to others who may be thinking about taking this up - please do try it!

I started it because I had gotten into a pattern of negative thoughts - it was like a nasty little tape-recording that I just could not turn off. Mindfulness doesn't stop these thoughts, but it does make you aware of the fact that they are just that - thoughts - and nothing more. You can acknowledge them and then just get on with you life.

The difference it has made to my way of thinking is immense. I now seem to recognise when my head has gone off on a 'what if...' scenario and I can stop it. The body doesn't realise that the thoughts are not real when you are stressed, so if you are thinking about a situation that upsets you or has upset you in the past, your body physically reacts to those thoughts. By being able to acknowledge that the thoughts are just what they are and not real, I find that I relax more and feel more free.

I know it sounds bonkers...but it really does work.

[Deleted User]

Devils_Custard wrote: »

Just to add to others who may be thinking about taking this up - please do try it!

I started it because I had gotten into a pattern of negative thoughts - it was like a nasty little tape-recording that I just could not turn off. Mindfulness doesn't stop these thoughts, but it does make you aware of the fact that they are just that - thoughts - and nothing more. You can acknowledge them and then just get on with you life.

The difference it has made to my way of thinking is immense. I now seem to recognise when my head has gone off on a 'what if...' scenario and I can stop it. The body doesn't realise that the thoughts are not real when you are stressed, so if you are thinking about a situation that upsets you or has upset you in the past, your body physically reacts to those thoughts. By being able to acknowledge that the thoughts are just what they are and not real, I find that I relax more and feel more free.

I know it sounds bonkers...but it really does work.

That's great! I'm so happy that mindfulness has brought you so many benefits. I'm not quite so good at stopping the process of 'what if' thoughts but mindfulness has definitely made me less anxious and more 'present'. I am hoping to be able to stop anxious thoughts in their tracks as time goes on. How long have you been practising for? Do you use guided meditations?

Devils_Custard

Deleted_User wrote: »

That's great! I'm so happy that mindfulness has brought you so many benefits. I'm not quite so good at stopping the process of 'what if' thoughts but mindfulness has definitely made me less anxious and more 'present'. I am hoping to be able to stop anxious thoughts in their tracks as time goes on. How long have you been practising for? Do you use guided meditations?

I'm a newbie at it goldilockz. I'd been aware of mindfulness and meditation before but not really tried it properly. I bought the book mentioned in an earlier post just before Christmas and am now in my 4th week of practice. I use the guided meditations (on a cd with the book) nearly every night - I have missed a couple of sessions - but try to stick to it. I've also copied a three minute guided meditation (also on the cd) onto my phone and use that when I can during the day - probably once or twice.

This week when I've been meditating I've just found it easier to concentrate on clearing my mind and have longer stretches when I'm aware I'm just 'present' rather than going through a shopping list or planning the next day in my head. It does seem to get easier the more you practice. What about you? How are you getting on?

[Deleted User]

The Mark Williams book is great, that's also how I started my practise. I took part in an 8 week course which was based on the principles in The Mindful Way Through Depression and attended a day long retreat, which I'm hoping to do every couple of months. In all honesty, now that the course has finished, I am finding it more difficult. I still practise daily but really enjoyed the discussion aspect of the course where everyone shared their struggles and we discussed how to deal mindfully with difficulties in every day life. I began this thread as a kind of replacement for that because I think that support of others is very important when meditating and keeps you motivated. Yesterday I experienced a bout of anxiety and worry that I haven't suffered since beginning the course and that concerned me. I am a long-term sufferer of anxiety and yesterday it reared its ugly head again for the first time in several weeks.

joyfull

Hi goldilockz,

I too suffer lengthy bouts of anxiety & have just recently emerged from a couple of months of almost constant anxiety which affected me physically (lost weight I simply do not have to lose). It was awful, but I recognised the mind's addiction to ruminating about fearful 'what ifs'. Of course, anxiety releases stress hormones in the body and it becomes a vicious circle. The constant anxiety has diminished, but I really want to learn a new habit of relaxing with 'what is' rather than believing every thought that floats through.

It's like a fear of fear. Fearing the mind itself.

Sorry to hear you have similar troubles. For every second we can redirect the attention to the breath it's a second that the anxiety isn't being energised. Just one moment at a time.

[Deleted User]

Hi Joyfull,

Your struggles sound very familiar. On one hand, I'm glad I'm not alone as anxiety can be extremely isolating, and on another hand, I am so very sorry you have also suffered such debilitating anxiety. Along with mindfulness, I have been trying to learn how to stay in the moment, to recognise when the mind jumps to the future or ruminates on the past, which is does very often. Staying present is such a skill, especially for those of us who spend a lot of time worrying. Sometimes, when I'm knee-deep in anxiety, I just look around me and realise that where I am, right now in the present, is peaceful or at the very least, I can deal with it. It's my mind that makes it seem impossible to deal with, as a result of all the things it adds to the current situation. I very much agree with your analogy of the fear of fear: I often avoid situations because I worry about how my mind will react and taunt me for hours afterwards. Mindfulness allows me (sometimes at least) to experience situations non-judgementally and be more accepting of everything that happens, rather than trying to mentally control everything by worry or avoidance. I really liked this sentence: For every second we can redirect the attention to the breath it's a second that the anxiety isn't being energised.
This is so true. I have a habit of kicking myself when my mind wanders during mindfulness (not literally!) so perhaps instead, I should just be thankful for even the few seconds in which my mind has been directed towards the breath and I receive some solace from my anxiety xx

Maryland_Cookie

Thanks Armchair and Goldilockz (and everyone else!) for sharing your experiences with me - I really appreciate it.

Armchair, your post wasn't rambling, it seemed to crystalise things for me - thank you.

Goldilockz, your dedication is inspiring......thank you once again for starting this thread. I'm off to listen to my CD! I'll check the link out to the courses later.

Have a grounded evening everyone x

[Deleted User]

Thank you Maryland Cookie! I did some mindfulness earlier this evening and even though I was interrupted half-way through, it seemed to calm me down. I am hoping to progress from sitting meditation and body scan to walking meditation soon, though I'm a bit concerned about bumping into things! I hope your meditation practise goes well this evening! x

poorly_scammo

Here's my thread on the subject:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3615041

The site mentioned might help some of you.