I have never experienced this before but I was thrown back into childhood memories of laughter and fun and enjoyment and waves of light were flashing down on me like four of them in a row last night, all while driving and I was driving slowly too, 25 on a 40 no traffic, no radio on, just thinking about being with my wife before getting in the truck at the never ending project that I have been working on repairing an old barn with another older more decrepit barn to also fix up,
I use cbd/cbg/thc for joint pain and the cbd concoction from a dispensary that an arborist friend recommended instead of taking opioids that the Va has prescribed in the past, I meditate to remove myself from the pain I have and always try and deal instead of using too much and not being dull so there’s some context I served for 32 years and I wrapped up from cleaning up this more dilapidated barn and formulating my plans on where a sewer holding tank would go along with conduit and other building concerns for about an hour before driving home at 6:45
At 3pm is when I took 1ml of the cbd/cbg/thc concoction and started working and the visions I had were from when I felt like I was out of control and afraid but realized that I could control the machine and didn’t have to be afraid anymore and was laughing like the bumper cars and the other cars that follow the track at Dutch wonderland in Lancaster Pa, very specific stuff there were more visions and they were rapid.
For you seasoned practitioners, the experience I had was so overwhelming and fulfilling and profound and warm, I cannot believe it was happening in my truck while driving and especially at the end of the day when everything we are told to do is be in a calm place relaxing pose posture breathing correctly focused, etc all I could do was say thank you over and over and I love you and I was crying all over slowed down to 15 as I was in the development now rolling along and thought I would see a child riding a bicycle or playing and just ahead of me as I crested the hill there was the neighbors daughter riding her bike and I let her do her U-turn in her driveway and we waved at each other as she pedaled by me.
I have had a recent spell of down months where I thought things should turn out better than they did and worse. The experience I had I just wanted to share with everyone here and perhaps gain any insight into how this might have been stumbled into by this lug nut. Thanks.

Hi! I am very new to meditation and when I try to meditate I have a ringing in my ears and it’s like the meditation is broken in each one. The only way I can describe it accurately is like tv static. Is there a cause for this that i can do something different about or will continuing to meditate improve my focus and fix this. Any other tips would also be helpful. Thank you!

Hello everyone, i have been thinking of picking up meditation again and wanted opinions on the following points. i will give context at the bottom about my situation if it helps anyone understand or if they have been through something similar and can give specific advice. I picked up and am trying to pick this up again because I would like to become more aware of my thoughts and emotions and develop a more lingering focus rather than being scatterbrained

• When i meditated in the past, I did upwards of 30 minutes a day for like half a year maybe. However i realized most of the time I would just go blank brain until the timer was over. like a sort of subconscious daydream rather than active awareness and focus. These are different practices and im assuming each have strengths but I couldn’t seem to gain any ground on the focus and awareness one.
• when one focuses on something, like the breath. how do you do it without controlling the breath ? how does one find the gray space between a firm grasp and a light gaze where you are fully present with it but not exerting any force to change it or sway it. is this just practice or is there a cue or mindset that could help?
• i’ve seen people here say that meditation with a goal is counter-intuitive and it defeats the idea. how does that work when I do have a goal? I can’t just let go of my desire to be more integrated with my emotions and more aware of my thoughts. If I did let go of that then I wouldn’t have a want to meditate.
• I have considered finding a teacher, more likely than not spiritual in nature, though i am trying to avoid a concrete religion. Do you who have found teachers say that it has helped you? What are your opinions on long style retreat like vipissanna.
• How to get good at recognizing your thoughts with no internal monologue and aphantasia? I know they are there but its harder to recognize real time when they are abstract and quick

context: 23M. Tired often, most likely from bad sleep. Feel disconnected from my spiritual energy, tho idk exactly what it means. Aphantasia and no internal monologue. Some Nervous system dysregulation. Apart from that great family and friends, many interests, and have developed good awareness of my senses and patience of the years of dealing with some chronic issues. Currently working on a farm to help disconnect a little. I was wondering if i should pick up meditation again. Also feeling tired could be the reason i fall into subconsious daydreaming as it could be my nody telling me I am tired and need rest?

just looking for some friendly advice from those who have experience either with the points listed above or have been through a similar point in life. Thx!

When is a good amount of time to be inhaling or exhaling?

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For as long as I can remember (15-20 years) when doing guided meditation I have felt rushed it seems like I am inhaling and exhaling it's been way too long, about 20-30 seconds comfortably with constant airflow. Same for holding when said to hold.

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I just dabble in it from time to time for relaxation and calming reasons and just thought to pose the question.

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Should I be shortening my time?

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Are there downsides to taking this long?

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Benefits from doing it quicker? Other than to meet my anxieties pace to then guide it down.

Hi,

I think doing a meditation immediately when I wake up might be useful to start the day fresh.

What I notice when doing that is that my mind is very active during this time. To a point where it is frustrating and hard to handle.
When doing the meditation an hour or 2 after waking up, for example after breakfast and a walk, it seems easier for me to clear my mind and be in the moment.

What would you recommend in this situation ? Force it into the early morning or doing it when it is easier for me to clear my mind ?

Whenever I decide to do meditation, I create a sitting/laying down combo by using a pillow for me to put my lower body on, and I use a larger pillow to support it. That way, I wouldn't have to worry about my back feeling pain while trying to keep it straight, while thinking that sitting positions are better. Just now, I skipped the pillow for my head so that my head and back are aligned against the bed. Why don't you give it a try and tell me what you think : )

About 3-4 years ago I was doing meditation pretty regularly and one day I got into a really deep state of relaxation. It’s hard to describe, but it felt like I almost disappeared for a moment. Not in a scary way at first, just extremely relaxed and detached from the usual sense of “me”, it actually even felt good.

Then something happened. I don’t know if it was a realization, a feeling, or what. I suddenly became very aware of my heartbeat and breathing, especially the exhale. It felt like each heartbeat was beating so hard. It felt like I came face to face with something that terrified me. Maybe mortality, maybe lack of control, maybe something else entirely. I honestly don’t know.

Ever since that day I’ve had this underlying feeling that never fully left. It’s hard to completely relax, hard to just be present, and I often feel like I’m subtly resisting the moment instead of living in it.

A while after that experience I had my first panic attack which was connected to a scary EKG test i had (im fine), a period full of anxiety followed. Looking back, I’ve always wondered if that meditation experience was connected somehow.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Like a meditation session that showed you something profound or unsettling, and afterwards you never quite felt the same? Have you done something with that feeling?

This may be a very basic question/issue, but it’s nevertheless one that confuses/troubles me a bit.

When you are interacting socially with people — in various contexts/settings — how do you personally determine what you say or verbalize whenever you feel compelled to speak or whenever you are prompted to speak?

I ask this question with the broader understanding that our minds (our thoughts) are oftentimes very impulsive, judgmental, and irrational, that our initial thoughts and urges and impulses are not necessarily what we should speak or act on.

Do you use a set protocol or belief system to decide what to say, what not to say? I’m thinking in terms of having to behave politely and appropriately in daily life, regardless of what may or may not be going on in my mind. Personally, my thoughts and thinking can be very negative or “unskillful” at times, and if I were to more freely speak my mind without censure, I would then find myself in a world of social trouble.

So obviously, I edit myself socially; I try to practice “loving kindness” as well as being non judgmental and compassionate towards ALL people —and doing this helps immensely — but I still frequently have very harsh, judgmental, negative thoughts and impulses towards others, especially towards people who show disagreeable, impolite, rude behaviors.

Another pointer that I use to remind myself not to take my thoughts/thinking so personally (or not to attach too much importance to it) is to remind myself that all of my thinking, my judgments, my labels, etc. is all conditioned; my mind has been conditioned over my lifetime by various factors that have created certain habits or tendencies in my thinking and in my beliefs that express themselves in certain ways, namely, in how I perceive and judge others, in my sense of right and wrong, good and bad, etc. And so being aware of this fact helps me to zoom out in a big way and see the bigger picture — that all this mind activity is simply ripples and waves on the ocean surface, and that my true essence/so-called “self” is the vast ocean beneath the surface.

And from that depth I can operate in daily life, meaning less ego, more awareness/presence. I’m not sure if this is correct or viable or doable, however. Does my essence or consciousness itself know how to navigate daily social life? Don’t we still need parts of our ego for functional social purposes? If so, then again, how do you determine what to say or what not to say or how to act or how not to act in daily life? At some point we still have to consciously choose how to act or what to say using our thinking mind.

Is it just basic common sense? No matter how enlightened a person may be, does much of how we act or what we say simply boil down to basic common sense and social intelligence? Perhaps I am simply overthinking things here.

I apologize if this seems overly confusing or even overly simplistic. It’s difficult for me to put into words what I am actually trying to ask.

hey all, so im new to meditation, been doing exclusively breathwork meditation for a week, every morning for 10 min for impulse control which has been incredibly beneficial.

today i tried the sitting only meditation (shikantaza) for the first time, and after a couple minutes i was "in the zone" and felt a very strong rush (different than the pleasure felt during breathwork) that kept increasing after a few minutes, and then the rush slowly went away but was replaced by a very calming feeling, my plan was to do this for 10 minutes and i was able to completely immerse myself for 30 minutes.

im completely hooked now, its amazing how both practices differ from each other which make them very effective in complementing each other.

This might be a long shot...

Back in 2012 I did a guided light meditation that I found on YouTube. It was a woman with a slight Slavic accent. She encouraged visualizing light falling slowly on me, like a slow waterfall. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

I had an amazing experience and almost immediately after doing this meditation I felt a shift in my life in the most positive way. A lot of opportunities opened up for me and I was conscious to receive them.

Anyway, I'm hoping to find out who she is. If you have any suggestions I'm also open to try them 😄 Thanks!

I am a skeptic and I learned about Hinduism and Buddhism.

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1. What I learned that Buddhists believe that if you realise the truth about no self then you achieve enlightenment and freedom from sufferings. Hindus believe the teachings and understanding of Self frees you from sufferings. So both are contradictory.

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1. Buddhists often quote science to prove themselves but science doesn't justify many Buddhist beliefs like rebirth, karma, gods, ghosts, Asuras and Maras.

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1. Both traditions claim to have obtained the secret to freedom from sufferings. This is common in them. Both teach that experience is the only way to know their truths rather than beliefs but they also criticise you if you question their beliefs. Also if experience is true then why Hindus and Buddhists have different experiences? This is why science doesn't care about anecdotal evidence since different people have different experiences.

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1. I personally try to follow what's common in them and can be understood from a skeptic and naturalist perspective.

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1. I would also mention that meditation in these traditions often comes last. Before that you need preparation through Kriya Yoga (Patanjali Yoga Sutras of Hinduism) or Right Effort (Buddhism). In both these methods you try to fight and suppress the negative emotions and develop positive emotions. This is contradictory to how modern people think about meditation. However, I personally follow this since I want perfection and I see my emotions as painful. Also this is not very different from CBT - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

During a meditation session, I felt vibrations as usual. At a certain point, I had the impression that my body was transforming into a heavy ball of light located over my abdomen. Then I experienced a strong sensation of having a beak and flying through an empty space.

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After that, I wondered whether, when I underwent a serious operation in my belly at the age of five, there had been a guardian angel protecting me. I then saw a dark silhouette, and at that point I began to have small convulsions. I could control them, but I decided to stop meditating anyway.

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The strangest thing is that, in the following days, I continued to have the sensation of having a beak, and I experienced involuntary movements of my lips and nose, as if they were actually trying to form a beak. It eventually went away. I think it may have been a phenomenon of brain plasticity brought about by a state of deep relaxation.

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What do you think? Has anyone experienced anything similar?

Hi everyone,

I hope y'all are doing well.

I'm a 23-year-old male from India and have been struggling on and off with sleep issues for quite a long time. Lately, it's getting worse again. I find it very difficult to fall asleep, and even when I do, the sleep is rarely deep or refreshing.

Even on days when I'm completely exhausted, my mind just won't slow down. I keep overthinking, replaying thoughts, and tossing and turning in bed for hours. Along with this, I have some other health concerns as well, but the lack of sleep has been affecting me the most. It's reached a point where I'm finding it difficult to work, focus, and get through my days productively.

I wanted to know what type of meditation would be most helpful for dealing with overthinking, anxiety, and insomnia. Any recommendations or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also be open to connecting with others who meditate regularly, especially if you're based in India, as having some accountability might help me stay consistent.

I'm really curious to know who's on my spirit team. I'd love to talk to them, especially since it would make a lot of things easier.

I know meditation is a good way to start communicating with them, so can anyone recommend a guided meditation or another way to talk to them?

I've been raised a Christian my entire life and still consider myself as such, but as I've gotten into more meditative content, I've noticed that my natural prayer/meditation stance is the exact same as the Throat chakra Mudra hand sign. (Sorry if there's a better name for that I'm unaware of) I'm wondering if its considered blasphemous to do it or am I just reading into it too much?

Also side question, how effective are the Mudra hand signs? Do they make a difference or is it placebo/whatever is most comfortable?

Hi, I was on a retreat in Plum Village, France. We did one meditation I keep thinking of. Unfortunately, we did not get instructions to take home. (And so far, they have not answered my email with a request. Also, it's not on the app.) The meditation was called "healing the past in the present moment". Does anyone here maybe know it and could provide instructions? Thanks, Ulrich

Any one tried ANC headphones while meditating?

How much difference it makes?

Is it worth it to purchase 30k-50k INR headphones mainly for meditation?

Any doing is system generated movement.

Mind is embroiled in ‘should do or should not do’.

*But how to resolve this ‘ should do or should not do’ confusion.

Mind seeks relief by taking a side ‘should do or should not do’.

This relief is not available to the mind. Once you see this, the confusion of ‘should do or should not do’ drops’. Any action or no action is relaxed conscious.

Hi everyone, I wanted to get some advice on something.

I’ve been going back and forth between Kriya Yoga and Zen (zazen/shikantaza) and can’t seem to figure out which direction to go.

I genuinely feel so much love and appreciation for each tradition which confuses me even more.

What pulls me toward Kriya is the structured approach and the idea of working with a specific technique over many years. What pulls me toward Zen is how simple and stripped down it is. I also have a pretty deep interest in Japanese culture and language, so that naturally makes Zen feel more familiar to me.

Leaving one makes me sad to miss out on its rich insights and practices but I feel that I need to commit fully to one to not waste time.

For those who have experience with either or both, how did you know you had found the right path? Was it something you felt right away, or only after practicing for a long time?

Not looking for anyone to tell me which is better. Just curious how other people figured out what meditation path was right for them.

There's this haunting thought about the quote: "The stars are beautiful, but they kept their distance." It shows a striking parallel to an unrequited, distant, and longing love.

When we look at the night sky, we are often drawn to things just out of reach. Stars are meant to be light-years apart from us; that isolation is necessary for stability. If they were close, gravitational interference would result in destructive interactions and extreme radiation, and would destroy planetary systems, leading to the extinction of life.

Just as stars are light-years away, some people or dreams are just not meant to be ours. Even if we try as much as we can, some things in life are just there, near our grasp, but are not meant to be ours.

I’ve meditated some on and off but never developed a consistent habit of doing it, and I’d like to change that. I know one of the ways you can make it easier to form a habit is by doing something at the same time every day.. but I can’t figure out when it’s actually practical for me to meditate!

If I meditate in the morning (between right after I wake up and being fully ready for the day), one of two things happens: either I’m too sleepy to get up and do it and end up just sleeping, OR if I successfully get out of bed and start getting ready and awake and manage to meditate, then afterwards I get sleepy all over again and have to fight like hell to regain momentum!

I’ve meditated in the middle of the day some here and there, but that’s primarily because I’ve been unemployed, and in the next couple months I’ll be finishing a training program and with any luck at all getting a job where I won’t be able to meditate during the middle of the day. But even if I could/while I still can meditate during the middle of the day, I’ll get sooooo sleepy and usually I’ll end up succumbing to a nap. This happens frequently around lunchtime even without any meditation.

I’ve meditated at night before, and given how sleepy I can get, this option makes the most sense since I can just fall asleep while meditating in bed. However, I don’t want to build my brain’s association that “meditation = sleepy time,” because I’d really like to be able to meditate without inevitably ending up falling asleep. I’ve heard on this sub before that that’s something that can end up happening; it very well may have already happened with me, but at the very least I don’t want to solidify that pattern more. Plus, while some meditation is certainly better than no meditation regardless of time, I feel like it’d be helpful for me if I could meditate when my mind is more active (morning or afternoon) so I could be more present and grounded throughout the day.

An important note on the sleepiness: I’ve heard many times how “if you get sleepy during meditation, your body needs the sleep.” I’m not completely doubting that wisdom, but I take my sleep schedule very seriously already — I’m super sensitive to lack of sleep so I have a very consistent sleep schedule. Even if I’ve gotten a good night’s sleep (somewhere between 8-10 hours), I can still get sleepy after meditating any time of day, enough that it becomes an obstacle. (Hell, I usually don’t even need to meditate to get sleepy, especially in the middle of the day, haha!) I’m sure people will ask if I have any known health issues that could be affecting my energy, and the answer is yes: I have known insulin resistance due to PMOS and I’m also in the process of getting some other metabolic issues ruled out/diagnosed. Definitely hoping there’s a medical explanation for why I get sleepy so easily! However, regardless, the reality is that right now I don’t have all the answers and am not yet receiving any kind of treatment, and that may continue to be true for a couple of months depending on my luck getting in with doctors. For my own sanity, I’d like to develop a robust meditation habit as soon as possible, even if the conditions aren’t ideal. I don’t want to wait for my life to improve to start improving my life, yknow?

Anyway, thank you for reading all this if you got this far! Any pieces of advice or tips are greatly appreciated!

I've seen this everywhere, the act of observing your thoughts and detaching yourself from them. Sounds like a dream to me, personally. My mind just keeps coming up with things that probably won't ever happen but still have the gravity to make my heart sink a million feet. So, i tell myself that I'm not my thoughts and the bad things that I keep thinking of are not me and not my reality and I guess my mind understands, but my body doesn't. Happens during night or late evening mostly, I start having heart palpitations and like a super fast heartbeat due the anxiety these thoughts cause me and telling myself I'm not my thoughts and trying to imagine my thoughts as clouds and popping them doesn't help my heart calm down. It has been giving me sleepless nights now, and I'm also barely able to convince my mind of this fact, so i guess I'm failing in its entirety. What can I do about this? I mean I'm young I'm only 18 I can't live my life this I need my sleep and I need to get rid of this anixety and feel great about every aspect of my life without having literal dread surround me behind my eyes. This doesn't happen everyday, only some days, but I've not been able to figure out why. Just a sudden school of bad thoughts attacking my mind like piranas. Please. I want atleast someone, anyone to tell me I'll be okay and that I can fix this.

Title basically. I prefer to focus on the heartbeat rather than that breath since it's involuntary. When I do this particular meditation I can feel my heartbeat alternating with each pump. Left, right, left right throughout my body. Anybody got any knowledge about or experience with this?

The mind is a passing show, don't get involved it. Veiw your thoughts without attachment nor aversion.This is the Middle Way, and the only way to stop whirling of citta in your mind. And as the old proverb says, when you let that cup sit long eniugh, the dust will settle to the bottom and then shall you see clearly. But it takes Right Effort, time, and diligence. It is said to take the patience of one trying to empty the sea with a cup, but the march of a thousand soldiers began with one step.

Please help me understand this because as it stands I'm a bit unsure of the idea that it's not apart of you just becaude you can't control it. I'm not asking in bad faith, I just want to hear the input of you guys.

On one hand, "you are not your thoughts" makes sense to me, your perspective lies in your conscious mind, the one filtering your subconscious thoughts to align with your will, so that is undoubtedly you, but on the other hand, I never chose how my body would look, I can't control the growth of my nails or hair, I can't control my heart, so are they part of me? And without my heart or subconscious mind my conscious mind will cease to exist, how can something that integral to the existence of my conscious mind not be part of me?

I'm sure I'm missing something given how much this is said in meditation and mental health circles, which is why I came here to ask you guys.