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Positive Post Your Best Mindfulness Resources and Experiences

DexterMeth said:
^What goes around comes around.
Stop hating on western culture
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I said it's difficult living there, which is true.

I also said that it's hard to love in that it proves difficult for me, which is far different from saying that I actively hate. I'm of course speaking of the unconditional love for all facets of existence.

Hate is antonymous to the theme we're trying to cultivate here.
 
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I really like what Lorin Roche has to say. There's a wealth of information on his website.

He recommends an intuitive, instinctive, life-affirming approach to meditation - sit down, close your eyes and go where your mind takes you. And what was most helpful for me were his warnings about adopting Eastern teachings and practices designed specifically for monks - if you haven't taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, these practices may harm you.

Someone above commented on Buddhist teachings: "Putting these concepts into active practice here in the Western World and in daily structured life has been particularly challenging for me" - perhaps that's because you're not a monk somewhere in Asia :)
 
^I wholeheartedly agree. While I admire and am thankful for the Buddhist monks that have helped me to understand and practice certain concepts, I am, in the end, still the anti-religion person that I have always been. That being said, Buddhist practices of focusing on compassion resonate deeply with me as does the Christian teaching, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Being open to the useful and positive concepts within religions without being religious myself is comfortable to me.

Thanks for the link, GhostHardware!<3
 
You're welcome, herbavore.

I'm not religious either, but like you I find value in religious teachings. However, I think forcing myself to be indiscriminately compassionate would ultimately turn me into Ned Flanders. :D
 
GhostHardware said:
You're welcome, herbavore.

I'm not religious either, but like you I find value in religious teachings. However, I think forcing myself to be indiscriminately compassionate would ultimately turn me into Ned Flanders. :D
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Haha!! Ned!=D I had forgotten about him since my days of watching Simpsons with my kids.

On another note, I've just been reading this morning from Pema chodron and thought I would share:

"It is never too late for any of us to look at our minds. We can always sit down and allow the space for anything to arise. Sometimes we have a shocking experience of ourselves. Sometimes we try to hide. Sometimes we have a surprising experience. Often we get carried away. Without judging, without getting carried away by likes and dislikes, we can always encourage ourselves to just be here again and again and again.

The painful thing is that when we buy into disapproval, we are practicing disapproval. When we buy into harshness, we are practicing harshness. The more we do it the stronger these qualities become. How sad it is that we become so expert at causing harm to ourselves and others.The trick then, is to practice gentleness and letting go. We can learn to meet whatever arises with curiosity...When we do that, we gradually discover that clarity is always there. In the middle of the worst scenario, in the midst of the heavy dialogue with ourselves, open space is always available."<3
 
Don't forget that TDS's very own "Today I am Thankful For..." is Mindfulness in action. On the absolute worst morning of my life I sat alone and shivering in my car as the sun came up. I didn't want the sun to come up. What I wanted was for the whole world to disappear. But light started filling the sky and then the streetlights on the street I was parked on started going off one by one. Suddenly, I was transfixed by the mystery of why they did not all go out at once, by the silence of the soft grey world, by the transition from night to day which was happening with or without me. Despite everything I saw beauty and I felt eternity. And that is what saved me.

There is always something to be thankful for. <3
 
DexterMeth said:
Great thread.

One of my greatest anxieties is that I will most likely die of a seizure out of nowhere. Medication helps, but is far from a sure fire way to stop it all together. I know I need to just accept that, like anyone, I could die at any moment. It's comforting to accept this, sure, but sometimes I wake up in the most random of places, and even jail. This is what I'm still trying to deal with.
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This is such a human conundrum, I had to quote this just to reaffirm the importance of accepting change, in this case the most challenging of all; death.

Unfortunately I don't have anything to contribute that would help you in your specific fear, as I share these very things in a similar way and you basically said you knew acceptance was the only cure, which I agree with. Unfortunately I'd figure the steps to take in accepting the inevitably of one's own death is going to be very different for anyone seeking it actively, so I can't contribute directly. :(

While I'm here I'd like to share a few quotes on controlling anger or frustration using mindfulness techniques when confronted with these situations:

I’ve been reading the spiritual book Taming The Tiger Within, and came across some very powerful verses about anger. I feel they provide some great insights that makes us think about how we usually deal with our anger (which is usually in destructive, non-helpful ways). Perhaps the following 10 verses can help you deal with your anger a little better:

“When you say something unkind, when you
do something in retaliation, your anger increases.
You make the other person suffer, and they try hard
to say or do something back to make you suffer,
and get relief from their suffering. That is
how conflict escalates.”

“Just like our organs, our anger is part of us.
When we are angry, we have to go back to ourselves
and take good care of our anger. We cannot say,
‘Go away, anger, I don’t want you.’ When you have
a stomachache, you don’t say, ‘I don’t want you
stomach, go away.’ No, you take care of it.
In the same way, we have to embrace and
take good care of our anger.”



“Just because anger or hate is present does not
mean that the capacity to love and accept
is not there; love is always with you.”



“When you are angry, and you suffer, please go
back and inspect very deeply the content, the nature
of your perceptions. If you are capable of removing
the wrong perception, peace and happiness will
be restored in you, and you will be able to
love the other person again.”



“When you get angry with someone, please don’t
pretend that you are not angry. Don’t pretend that
you don’t suffer. If the other person is dear to you,
then you have to confess that you are angry, and that
you suffer. Tell him or her in a calm, loving way.”



“In the beginning you may not understand the
nature of your anger, or why it has come to be.
But if you know how to embrace it with the
energy of mindfulness, it will begin
to become clear to you.”



“Anger is like a howling baby, suffering and crying.
Your anger is your baby. The baby needs his mother
to embrace him. You are the mother.
Embrace your baby.”



“Anger has roots in nonanger elements. It
has roots in the way we live our daily life. If we
take good care of everything in us, without
discrimination, we prevent our negative energies
from dominating. We reduce the strength
of our negative seeds so that they
won’t overwhelm us.”



“In a time of anger or despair, even if we feel
overwhelmed, our love is still there. Our capacity to
communicate, to forgive, to be compassionate is
still there. You have to believe this. We are more
than our anger, we are more than our suffering.
We must recognize that we do have within
us the capacity to love, to understand,
to be compassionate, always.”



“When we embrace anger and take good care of
our anger, we obtain relief. We can look deeply into
it and gain many insights. One of the first insights
may be that the seed of anger in us has grown too
big, and is the main cause of our misery. As we
begin to see this reality, we realize that the other
person, whom our anger is directed at, is only
a secondary cause. The other person is
not the real cause of our anger.”
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there are numerous breathing exercises(pranayama) i practice, lately though while taking walks, i like to inhale for 10 seconds through my nose, hold four seconds, and then exhale for 10 seconds again through my mouth.

at first it is difficult to do so, and can become frustrating and distracting, but soon i begin to loosen up parts of my body that i hadnt noticed before were tensed up and eventually the process becomes easy. it seems almost impossible to do this while under stress or distracted, most of our stresses and distractions are much better sorted out with a clear mind.

Retention of breath is a necessary part of Pranayam. Usually we do not hold air in our lungs when we breathe. But while doing Pranayam, this is one important part, it ensure maximum assimilation of oxygen in our blood through lungs. In fact this is the part that ensures stimulation of Prana. This is the reason that retention of breath is longer than other two part of Pranayam.

Generally duration of exhalation is double than the duration of inhalation. This is to ensure too aspects. Firstly, it lets us breathe out carbon dioxide and other toxins that purify our body. Secondly, it also eliminates the excess oxygen from our body that will eventually get oxidized and degenerate cells. By eliminating excess oxygen from body, Pranayam also takes part in anti oxidation process that delays cell degeneration.

With controlled breathing we can regulate our blood circulation in our body that will ensure healthy heart, reduce high blood pressure and proper functioning of the endocrine glands.

Apart from these basic benefits of Pranayam, it also ensures optimum blood flow to brain that relives stress, mental anxiety and calms our mind.

Regular practice of Pranayam surely calms our mind and boosts our confidence and stability. .

With Pranayam that ensures optimum circulation of oxygen relives fatigue, rejuvenates our body, recovers loss of tissues and helps in proper functioning of organs. .

Pranayam is known to burn extra calories. With continuous practice of Pranayam for significant period of time, you can achieve supple and steady figure with no fat. .

Pranayam boosts our capacity to concentrate. As a result it helps us to excel in every sphere of life. .

::source::
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rangrz said:
hmm, oddly, I found some of the things I learned with regards to marksmanship to be generally excellent for anxiety in stressful situations.

Basically the points most helpful where:
Breathing rate: Unless you are physically exerting yourself, force your breathing to be no more rapid than your usual resting breathing rate, count it if you have to, but do not allow to become rapid. Rapid breathing is a common stress reaction, and by forcing it to slow down, you help interrupt the usual series of events that lead to panic.
Breath Tidal volume: Make sure your breaths are no deeper or shallower then usual... shallow OR deep breathing often comes with increased breathing rate, again by stopping it, you help block the spiral.
Visual field: Keep your eyes looking at what is relevant in the situation. Do not become fixated on one object, and similarly, do not allow your eyes to dance around with no rhyme or reason. Fixation on an object occurs when that object is what is making you anxious, while its good to look at a potential threat, you need to keep aware of your over all surroundings . Having them dance around is typical when the source of your anxiety is unknown, you are hunting for it. If there is a real, physical and local threat, you might want to scan for it, if not its hyper-vigilance and is part of the cascade that leads to panic.
Be aware of your heart beat. Its beyond direct conscious control, but you can be aware of it, allowing you to actively note that if its elevated and your not exercising, that its likely psychogenic stress, which might allow you to try and relax and lower it. (it has another application for marksmanship, which is to fire between beats so it does not move your aiming)
Relax your muscles and note muscle tension. Relax them to the minimum you need to hold your body upright/hold anything your carrying. Tensed up muscles are another part of the stress/anxiety reaction, and reinforce it. Letting them relax is akin to letting that anxiety flow away. (and for what I learned, tense muscles lead to shaking which leads to being unable to aim)

Keep your self aware of these basic physical reactions and keep them under your control, not under the anxiety's control. I.E. YOU control your body, not the anxiety or stressor.
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this is a "yoga", you balanced your body and mind to complete an objective.

"the steady control of the senses, which along with cessation of mental
activity, leads to the supreme state."
"a process of interiorization or ascent of consciousness"
"the relationship between thought and breath, control of mind, and the benefits of yoga."
from the Upanishad

"Meditative states alone are not an end, for according to the Buddha, even the highest meditative state is not liberating. Instead of attaining a complete cessation of thought, some sort of mental activity must take place: a liberating cognition, based on the practice of mindful awareness."
wikipedia
 
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This forum has kept me mindful that some form of humanity actually exists, during my long struggle trying to gain sobriety, during the hardest, darkest times l could hop on here and realize that l wasn't alone, and gain hope from the shared human experiences here on TDS.
 
... imagine a series of two or three numbers, slowly moving in a circle around your head, while keeping focus and remembering the numbers the entire time.

:D
 
So glad you bumped the thread Herby. I've somehow missed it all this time. Some great stuff in the links you put up, will be very much making use of it!

PiP said:
there are numerous breathing exercises(pranayama) i practice, lately though while taking walks, i like to inhale for 10 seconds through my nose, hold four seconds, and then exhale for 10 seconds again through my mouth.

at first it is difficult to do so, and can become frustrating and distracting, but soon i begin to loosen up parts of my body that i hadnt noticed before were tensed up and eventually the process becomes easy. it seems almost impossible to do this while under stress or distracted, most of our stresses and distractions are much better sorted out with a clear mind.
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Really powerful technique. I use a four-fold breath technique based on a simple 4 count for inhalation, exhalation and the pauses between the two. It can be used to both relax and energise depending on how actively and powerfully you breathe to the count, can produce some startling changes in consciousness. You discover knots of tension in your body pretty quickly just as you say, surprising to find just how much stress we carry locked away in these knots and I'm sure they contribute to our mental state, have to work on unknotting the things. Yoga very good here too. My instructor couldn't believe how tense I was and how hard I found it to relax into the postures. Need to do more of that. So difficult to relax into it so that the postures become a kind of meditation in themselves as should be. Think that a real skill will be difficult to learn.
 
herby, my heart skipped a beat when I saw that you posted something from This Emotional Life. It's such a wonderful, insightful series. I'm going to have to watch it again soon. :)

Has anyone tried half-smiling? It's basically just having a slight smile as you go throughout your day. It took a lot of practice, but I've found that I do it more and more out of habit now and it helps to ground me and to focus more on mindfulness when I need it.

Here are a few links on half-smiling:
http://www.srds.co.uk/begin/half_smile.htm
http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/half-smile_and_serenity.html
http://chippit.tripod.com/inner_smile.html
 
Spork, thank you---I love this! I've never read about this as a practice but apparently I stumbled on it myself years ago. When I was a very self-conscious teenager I noticed that my face always looked really sad--like in an exaggerated way--in photos if I wasn't actually smiling. My mouth has a slight downturn naturally and my eyes are huge and just by their shape have a kind of worried look to them. So completely from vanity back then I tried to adopt having a little half smile all the time. (Just shows you again how life's best gifts often come in the back door while you are looking for them out the front!) I'm pretty sure that this small little intention (to have the half smile on my face) actually changed my life back then.

When I am going around town about my business I am very conscious of two things: smiling at people and meeting their eyes. It is amazing how hungry the world is for this! We create a better world just by these small acts and get the added bonus of feeling connected and carefree rather than isolated and burdened. <3 and....:)
 
There are a lot of really great mindfulness meditation audiobooks with practice sessions you can download on itunes. Jack Kornfield has several. Sharon Salzberg is another good one. Pema Chodron has a lot of good instructional audiobooks on mindfulness meditation: Noble Heart (which is an 8 hour mindfulness meditation retreat you can do at home) Boddhisatva Mind, True Happiness, This Moment is the Perfect Teacher (another 8 hour retreat) and Getting Unstuck, which deals especially with how to stop getting sucked into addictive mindsets. All these are great to download and listen to when you are feeling bad, and there are small practices for when you are walking around in your day on the street and not formally meditating, about how to be present in your life <3
 
Vaya said:
Their premise was that if one tries to avoid negative feelings, the feelings will grow and overwhelm you. But, despite being uncomfortable to do so, if one stops and really becomes mindful of what they are experiencing at that moment - rotating and examining the emotion from all angles, really getting down-and-dirty with it - one comes to better understand the origins of the emotion, how it can be viewed objectively, and how doing this (rather than practicing avoidance) will lead to a decrease in the angst experienced by the person feeling the emotion.
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I love this because it is exactly my experience with it. I could never get into vipassana meditation, however after reading "Mindfulness in Plain English" and trying to link the main points of mindfulness with myself, it has helped greatly.

It hasn't made a noticeable impact on my life, however it helps you in dealing with bad trips like no other... but then again, listening to death metal whilst driving around in an unfamiliar territory does that :p

The only resources I've used so far are Mindfulness in Plain English and the tiny $1 Meditation for Dummies that's meant to be used as a reference.

Herbavore, I have a similar experience in that half-smiling feels natural to me! It's even better when you see someone looking a bit down: just go up to them and exclaim what a wonderful world this is! They'll think you're crazy but fuck it, you snapped them out of their sadness for a moment if not any longer :D
 
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