Jabberwocky
Frumious Bandersnatch
- Joined
- Nov 3, 1999
- Messages
- 84,998
Thanks mate 
I really benefited from integrating a self-compassion practice into my routine. It's basically metta, but more reflective than metta per se. I don't know how to describe it. There are a lot of self-compassion meditation bits out there now. Some people really benefit from learning forgiveness practices. Tonglen is a personal favorite of mine too (although it can be a bit intense for some people). Something called "choiceness awareness" is pretty cool, but you really need a qualified teacher to learn how to practice that, otherwise it can get too disorganized and chaotic. I also really benefited from learning patience based practices. And sometimes gratitude practice is helpful, though I find self-compassion to be more so. Tonglen is great for when you're dealing with sickness or illness. There is another practice that goes by many names, one of which being "natural awareness", but it's more of a novelty for me than anything super therapeutic like self-compassion, vipassana or Tonglen.
I think if I could recommend anything I'd recommend finding people to sit with IRL. Having a community of like minded people who are interested in cultivating more mindful awareness in everyday life can be really super helpful.
But other than that, or perhaps working with a teacher IRL (the guided meditations only can take you so far; they also have distance learning programs, like what George Haas does via Metta Group and Shinzen Young does via his organization) or one on one, it's really just a matter of dedicating some time to it each day. If you just keep getting that "tush to the cush" your practice will develop just as it should. There isn't any substitute for working with qualified teachers, but just sitting if probably the most important.
The one single practice I've probably benefited most from is learning Shinzen Young's see/hear/feel exercise. That was super transformative. And then moving on from there to identifying feeling tones, etc. It can get super complex. But even just the sensory clarity and concentration see/hear/feel can produce is pretty outstanding. Hello jhana
It's a good example of the try, try, try again philosophy paying off in practice
I think what I like most about my interest in secular mindfulness is that it doesn't propose any one version of the good life for anyone (if it did it would be a total cult, lol). It's by far the most accessible set of practical spiritual/contemplative techniques I've encountered, and generally speaking is able to support disparate individuals developing along their own individual lines based on personal need and each persons different areas for growth. That was one of my issues with most recovery communities, is that they prescribe a certain vision of what a "good life" looks like, but these people don't. Instead there is just an invitation to figure it our for ourselves, on our own terms. Very empowering.
I really benefited from integrating a self-compassion practice into my routine. It's basically metta, but more reflective than metta per se. I don't know how to describe it. There are a lot of self-compassion meditation bits out there now. Some people really benefit from learning forgiveness practices. Tonglen is a personal favorite of mine too (although it can be a bit intense for some people). Something called "choiceness awareness" is pretty cool, but you really need a qualified teacher to learn how to practice that, otherwise it can get too disorganized and chaotic. I also really benefited from learning patience based practices. And sometimes gratitude practice is helpful, though I find self-compassion to be more so. Tonglen is great for when you're dealing with sickness or illness. There is another practice that goes by many names, one of which being "natural awareness", but it's more of a novelty for me than anything super therapeutic like self-compassion, vipassana or Tonglen.
I think if I could recommend anything I'd recommend finding people to sit with IRL. Having a community of like minded people who are interested in cultivating more mindful awareness in everyday life can be really super helpful.
But other than that, or perhaps working with a teacher IRL (the guided meditations only can take you so far; they also have distance learning programs, like what George Haas does via Metta Group and Shinzen Young does via his organization) or one on one, it's really just a matter of dedicating some time to it each day. If you just keep getting that "tush to the cush" your practice will develop just as it should. There isn't any substitute for working with qualified teachers, but just sitting if probably the most important.
The one single practice I've probably benefited most from is learning Shinzen Young's see/hear/feel exercise. That was super transformative. And then moving on from there to identifying feeling tones, etc. It can get super complex. But even just the sensory clarity and concentration see/hear/feel can produce is pretty outstanding. Hello jhana
It's a good example of the try, try, try again philosophy paying off in practice
I think what I like most about my interest in secular mindfulness is that it doesn't propose any one version of the good life for anyone (if it did it would be a total cult, lol). It's by far the most accessible set of practical spiritual/contemplative techniques I've encountered, and generally speaking is able to support disparate individuals developing along their own individual lines based on personal need and each persons different areas for growth. That was one of my issues with most recovery communities, is that they prescribe a certain vision of what a "good life" looks like, but these people don't. Instead there is just an invitation to figure it our for ourselves, on our own terms. Very empowering.
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