Meditation

Im curious how many of you meditate. How often and for how long?
Also, are there any good meditation apps out there? Preferably free ones

I lived in a Zen Buddhist temple for awhile. During that time I like to think I learned a little bit about what meditation really is and how it can be practiced. The thing people often misunderstand is that you do not just sit quietly, it's takes a great deal of mental energy to remain focused. You are supposed to focus your attention on your breathing, over and over and over again. Every time you have a thought, which is constantly at first, you must recognize it and then return your focus to your breathing. It's excruciating.

We practiced this 10 hours a day, every day. Silent sitting meditation with the midday meal taken in the meditation room in silence. Often I found myself exhausted and unable to practice and I would let my mind wander. But that's not meditation, that's day dreaming.

And all that focusing on your breathing, that's just all the whitebelt work. What you REALLY want is to get to the point, after years of practice, to be able to focus on nothing and maintain that state. THAT is true meditation. When you can allow you mind to come to rest. No thoughts invade or distract, your mind is like a placid lake, still and motionless. Only then are you truly meditating. However that takes many years of dedicated practice. So much practice that very few people ever make it there. That is the black belt of meditation, and that's when the true journey begins.

I'd love to say that I can sit quietly and allow my mind to come to rest, but I cant. I never put in enough reps, I gave up.

That's not to say that sitting quietly and trying to calm your mind isn't good for you, it is! If you can find an app on your phone that helps, great! I'm sure that will help you. Just recognize that when you are doing that, all you're really doing is learning to shrimp.
When you see those guys in the orange robes just sitting there and you wonder what they are thinking about... it's nothing. Their mind is idle and at rest. They are not thinking they are hungry, or tired, or whatever. They have learned to allow their mind to become completely still. It is a huge accomplishment to get to that point, but it only comes from incredibly dedication.

It has been on my list of things to do for over a year now. I have made a few crappy attempts, but really need to dedicate some time. My mind is constantly busy and could really benefit from some rest.

yes craig! probably the best description you're gonna get on here J-Man.

that ongoing process of trying to stay in the space between thought, i dont beat myself up for how long i meditate i just try make a consistent daily effort. dunno about apps, but binural beats or zen mediation music really help me melt away the world. got em from yuutuube.

NAMASTE ;)

This sounds nice. I always meditate especially as I get closer to a tournament. It's kinda rough though. I don't care for doing it, but I have to to be mentally ready. I focus on the tournament, my strategies, my body, facing the opponent. Basically, I engage my adrenaline and breathe and focus on what is going to make my performance the best. There's definitely more to it than that, but I do it. It definitely helps get me prepared to fight whoever. You don't want to go into a fight with a weak mind, weak heart, or without a plan. Meditation helps with all of that for me.

I meditated errryday for about a month...and it was one of the best months of my life. When issues arose that were out of my control, I just mediated on the spot. Plus, it made me less self-centered. Need to get back to that livin'.

the longest daily streak i had was 16 days... but i try to meditate at least 3 times a week.
meditation is practice, practice for your mind. i honestly feel it's one of the best resources we have as humans to tap into our true potential... i wish i'd practice more often. i find that progress is very much like jiu jitsu... sometimes you wonder wtf is the point, sometimes you forget to get to practice, sometimes you have some of the most amazing epiphanies. and overall the whole experience is very rewarding.

i use headspace app .. and follow some guides on gaiam tv

Meditation and BJJ go hand in hand!

I've been meditating regularly for years but recently I've learned transcendental meditation (TM). I really recommend finding someone in your area and learning this style of mediation. It's by far the easiest and quickest meditation technique, it's 20 mins in the morning and 20 mins in the evening. Trust me you'll see the difference in your BJJ game and your entire life! The only problem with TM is it's really expensive but well worth the investment. You might be able to find some free stuff online but I recommend taking the course. http://www.tm.org/

Peace!

http://floatlab.com/

Look up Jack Kornfield guided meditations. Good stuff. Found him via Duncan Trussell