

Ask HN: How do you meditate? - johncole

I&#x27;ve seen and heard a lot on meditation helping your concentration and creativity, as well as happiness.  I&#x27;m interested in learning to increase my mental and emotional performance, but not too interested in the spiritual side of things.  Does anyone recommend a favorite tutorial for meditation that&#x27;s not going to send me directly to a spiritual guru?
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pulkitpulkit
There are two main types of meditation: concentration and observation. Some of
the commenters have referred to the former when they discuss focussing on
breath. Observation meditation (Vipassana) is about becoming very aware of
what is happening to you and around you.

I learnt the Vipassana technique by attending a free 10-day course run by S.N.
Goenka. The course began with the basics and moved on to more advanced
techniques. It had a full timetable of activities and asked participants
maintain silence. This structure was incredibly helpful in making progress in
learning the technique and seeing immediate benefits. For example on the first
day I was barely able to concentrate for 1-2 minutes before my thoughts
shifted, but by the end I could sit for 1 full hour without moving or losing
focus.

The course is run according to a Buddhist technique but is not religious in
nature (in fact they ask all participants to remove any religious
identifications prior to the course). There is a daily talk about the
spirituality behind Vipassana but there is no imposition of any religious
practice.

I had received recommendations from friends for it and now I highly recommend
it as a really solid way to learn the technique. It's definitely intense but
totally worth it.

There is more information at [http://www.dhamma.org/](http://www.dhamma.org/)
but I'm also happy to answer questions. Email in my profile

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rk0567
Check out these links (All focus on a meditation technique called : Vipassana
[0]) -

\+ [http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/mindfulness-
meditation](http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/mindfulness-meditation) (guided
meditation by sam harris)

\+
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc)
(Mindfulness session at Google by Jon Kabat-Zinn)

\+
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKtBxxR0JRM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKtBxxR0JRM)
\- from [http://siyli.org/](http://siyli.org/)

\+ [http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-
meditate](http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-meditate)

[0]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassan%C4%81](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassan%C4%81)

~~~
hunnypot
Kabat-Zinn is _brilliant_

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pmoriarty
I focus on the sensation of the air moving through my nostrils. That is all.

If my attention wanders from this sensation, when I notice the wandering, I
just bring my attention back to the sensation of air moving through my
nostrils. I try not to berate myself about the lack of attention. I try not to
see it as some kind of failure, and just bring my attention back.

I've noticed myself getting better at this with time, and it's really helped
me get through boring or frustrating little things like waiting in line. It
gives me something to do and helps me calm myself.

I think I am calmer overall because of this technique, and find myself using
it whenever I get frustrated or upset at anything and it really helps.

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k-mcgrady
It's simple. Sit down in silence and focus on your breathing. When getting
started I used to think 'iiiinnnnn' and 'ooouuuutttt' as I inhaled and
exhaled. It helps focus your mind. When you find yourself thinking of
something else don't get upset, just bring your focus back. It takes a while
before you notice it get easier (2-4 weeks of 10 minute sessions once per day)
but you will eventually notice you don't need to think anything anymore and
your mind just focuses.

I learnt this technique online and it's worked well for me. I also tried
guided meditations on apps from Headspace and Calm but found that the guides
just interrupted me and pulled me out of focus.

Just set a 5-10 min timer on your phone, close your eyes, and try what I've
explained above.

~~~
johncole
And so you're just focusing on breathing? Like you're directing your active
thoughts towards thinking those words, and thinking about breathing. Is that
correct?

~~~
seren
You just focus on the breathing sensation, the flow of air, without breathing
heavily, following the inspiration, the slight pause and then the next
expiration. Again and again.

Your mind will obviously create a lots of "shower thoughts", the goal is to
come back "gently" to the focus on the breathing. By gently, I mean you should
not feel angry for having your mind wandering, this is natural and expected.
The idea is not to block or shut down your mind on any idea arising, but
rather when it occurs trying to put them aside, and go back again to the
breathing.

It sounds simple and easy, but in practice it is hard to maintain your
attention for an extended period of time.

I think in Buddhist tradition it is a part of Samatha [0]

I believe there are some variations like focusing on a candle, or a stone, the
advantage of the breathing is that is available everywhere at anytime.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samatha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samatha)

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wefarrell
Going to a group meditation once a week has been a huge help for developing a
daily practice. If you're just starting out you should try many different
groups and see which style suits you. Look around at the people and ask
yourself if you can relate to them. There are many different styles of
meditation and different kinds will work better with different minds.

If meditation is too difficult at first, it might be a good idea to start out
with a more physical practice such as yoga, tai chi, other martial arts, or
even running. Gaining control of your body is a good gateway to controlling
your mind.

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gesman
QiGong, "standing like a tree" exercise.

This is absolutely one, simplest (albeit challenging) exercise that flush your
body/mind system and balance you like nothing else.

I add "enter emotional state" practice during this exercise on my own - which
adds to the challenge but flexes your emotional endurance "muscles".

All done in one shot together - efficient, challenging and very beneficial.

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ianox
Have you tried the guided meditation on
[http://www.calm.com](http://www.calm.com) ?

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seren
"Mindfulness" is basically a rebranding of meditation, stripped of the
religious aspect.

