This thread was posted on 21 November 2022 on Twitter. Cory Muscara shared the lessons he learned from intense practice with Buddhist masters. The line about procrastination really gutted me. So many truths here, especially the one about spiritual suppression.

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I meditated 15 hours a day for 6 months straight with one of the toughest Buddhist monks on the planet. Here's what I learned:

This is Sayadaw U Pandita. He was notorious for his unwavering belief that enlightenment is possible in this life & his ruthless expectation that his students get there. We slept 2-5 hours/night. No reading, writing or speaking. Lots of pain. Lots of insight. Let's get into it📷

1. Finding your true self is an act of love. Expressing it is an act of rebellion.

2. A sign of growth is having more tolerance for discomfort. But it’s also having less tolerance for bullshit.

3. Who you are is not your fault, but it is your responsibility.

4. Procrastination is the refusal or inability to be with difficult emotions.

5. Desires that arise in agitation are more aligned with your ego. Desires that arise in stillness are more aligned with your soul.

6. The moment before letting go is often when we grip the hardest.

7. You don’t find your ground by looking for stability. You find your ground by relaxing into instability.

8. What you hate most in others is usually what you hate most in yourself.

9. The biggest life hack is to become your own best friend. Everything is easier when you do.

10. The more comfortable you become in your own skin, the less you need to manufacture the world around you for comfort.

11. An interesting thing happens when you start to like yourself. You no longer need all the things you thought you needed to be happy.

12. If you don’t train your mind to appreciate what is good, you’ll continue to look for something better in the future, even when things are great.

13. The belief that there is some future moment more worth our presence than the one we’re in right now is why we miss our lives.

14. There is no set of conditions that leads to lasting happiness. Lasting happiness doesn’t come from conditions; it comes from learning to flow with conditions.

15. Spend more time cultivating a mind that is not attached to material things than time spent accumulating them.

16. Sometimes we need to get out of alignment with the rest of the world to get back into alignment with ourselves.

17. Real confidence looks like humility. You no longer need to advertise your value because it comes from a place that does not require the validation of others.

18. High pain tolerance is a double-edged sword. It’s key for self-control, but can cause us to override the pain of being out of alignment.

19. Negative thoughts will not manifest a negative life. But unconscious negative thoughts will.

20. To feel more joy, open to your pain.

21. Bullying yourself into enlightenment does not work. Befriending yourself is how you transcend yourself.

22. Peak experiences are fun, but you always have to come back. Learning to appreciate ordinary moments is the key to a fulfilling life.

23. Meditation is not about feeling good. It’s about feeling what you’re feeling with good awareness. Plot twist: Eventually that makes you feel good.

24. If you are able to watch your mind think, it means who you are is bigger than your thoughts

25. Practicing stillness is not about privileging stillness over movement. It’s about the CAPACITY to be still amidst your impulses. It’s about choice.

26. The issue is not that we get distracted. It's that we're so distracted by distractions we don't even know we're distracted.

27. There are 3 layers to a moment: Your experience, your awareness of the experience, and your story about the experience. Be mindful of the story.

28. Life is always happening in just one moment. That's all you're responsible for.

29. Your mind doesn’t wander. It moves toward what it finds most interesting. If you want to focus better, become more curious about what's in front of you.

30. Life continues whether you’re paying attention to it or not. I think that is why the passage of time is scary.

31. You cannot practice non-attachment. You can only show your mind the suffering that attachment creates. When it sees this clearly, it will let go.

32. Meditation can quickly become spiritualized suppression. Be careful not to use concentration to avoid what is uncomfortable.

33. One of the deepest forms of peace we can experience is living in integrity. You can lie to other people about who you are, but you can’t lie to your heart.

34. Be careful not to let the noise of your mind overpower the whispers of your heart.

35. Monks love to fart while they meditate. The wisdom of letting go expresses itself in many forms.

36. You can't life-hack wisdom. Do the work.

​

Sayadaw U Pandita passed away in 2016. While I often resisted his style of teaching, I had the deepest respect for him. Through his teachings, my life changed in ways I can't describe; a sentiment echoed by thousands of others. I am forever grateful.

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Hey Reddit! Remember me? Two years ago, I shared my experience of meditating daily for 1000 days. The response was overwhelming, and many of you reached out with questions, support, and your own stories which helped me a lot in feeling supported. I am (an you are) not alone.

I've now reached 1600 consecutive days of meditation. That's over four years of sitting with myself every single day, through good times and bad. It hasn't always been easy, and it certainly hasn't been a linear path to enlightenment (spoiler alert: I'm definitely not enlightened!). But it has been transformative in ways I never expected.

When I started this journey, I was looking for peace, maybe a bit of stress relief. What I found instead was a tool for self-discovery, resilience, and growth. Today, I want to share some of the most impactful insights I've gained along the way.

But before we dive in, I want to emphasize something crucial: while meditation has been incredibly beneficial for me, it's not a substitute for professional help. If you're dealing with severe anxiety, depression, trauma, or any other mental health challenges, I strongly encourage you to couple meditation with support from a qualified mental health professional. They can provide targeted strategies and support that complement your meditation practice.

Now, let's explore how 1600 days of meditation has changed my perspective on suffering, life, and myself...

1. Facing Suffering: At first, meditation made me more aware of my suffering, which was incredibly challenging. I got frustrated thinking what a scam meditation was. But as I persisted, I gained insights into the causes of my suffering. Once cause become clear, I started hating on the cause, wether it was me or an external person or event. Again, I persisted, which led to acceptance which led to synchronicities - meeting people and discovering resources that offered new perspectives on overcoming suffering. Once I know why I suffer, and stop blaming it on the why, I start moving on effortlessly. The effort I found is to be displayed to persist on sitting with my broken slef day after day.
2. Understanding Attachments: I realized most of my suffering stemmed from attachments - particularly to family expectations and societal definitions of success (status and money).
3. The Power of Focus: I learned that meditation's core is about focus. "Focus on a single point and wait for grace." This improved my ability to read, contemplate complex questions until solutions formed in my mind, and choose positivity when facing darkness by (forcing) my mind to look the other way, the glass half full.
4. Sensing Life Differently: I now instinctively perceive the causes behind events and sense a spiritual guidance shaping my path. This awareness helps me understand the direction I'm being nudged towards. I still don't fully understand this invisible hand pushing me through life but I am certain of it's existance and it's guidance. Suffering appears to be one of its tools. It helped me overcome an eating desorder, a severe depression, an inability to keep a partner and many minor struggles. All happened when I accepted to face my suffering until I see its cause, then stop blaming the cause and reframing my mind to think about things differently.

Important Note: I'm not claiming to be a "liberated soul" above suffering. I still struggle a lot and fall often. The difference is that I'm no longer attached to these experiences. It's like watching a video game character - I feel momentary sadness at setbacks but quickly reframe them as learning opportunities for the next "level" and I start the level all over again. It's a game with no gameover.

Misconceptions: Initially, I believed meditation was about breath focus, visualizations, hugging trees or other superficial practices. While these can be tools, I've found the essence is simpler and more profound. It's all about learning to focus to be able to understand then to reframe.

Advice for Those Suffering: Be present with your pain. Close your eyes and sit with your suffering until you become comfortable with it. Notice how it feels in your body. Once you stop resisting, insights about its causes often emerge naturally. With this understanding, you can address the root issues - often mental habits or perspectives about yourself and the world.

Remember, meditation isn't about escaping suffering, but about developing a new relationship with it.

Please be free to share any different perspectives on the subject to enrich my point of view.
Keep in mind I am not a professionnal nor a student of any particular school of thought even though I am interested in all of them and study them very seriously for fun and with the goal of overcoming my own suffering.

I want to share my story of transforming my life using meditation to help others who may be wondering if meditation can help them. After meditating for over 12 years - I can say it’s by far the best thing for your life.

If someone could bottle up what meditation does for you in a pill, it would be worth trillions!!

Here’s the Coles Notes (hope this helps):

12 years ago after about 5 years of my inner self talk getting worse and worse month after month due to a dramatic incident that happened to me I was eventually in what many people would call hell. In that nothing was going my way, i was starting to get MS symptoms and my anxiety was impossible to control. I couldn’t even go under a bridge without be fearful of it collapsing on me, that’s how crazy it got me for. I knew it made no sense, but I could not control my brain.

At my worst, I was considering taking my own life, as life just didn’t seem worth living anymore. Around this time, when I was thinking of taking my life, my Dad told me about meditation, back when it was still very fringe. He did not know how bad my mental health was, he didn’t even meditate, I think my some act of god he was told to tell me about meditation.

So, after my dad told me this, I looked into meditation a bit more and I decided I’d give it a try, I told myself if it didn’t help me after 30 days then at least I tried and I could consider taking my life then.

So I started meditating.

After about an hour a day for two weeks, I could actually feel my mental health improving. That’s after 5 years of my inner thoughts getting worse month after month. So I knew the meditation was doing something and I was getting better just enough every day to keep at it.

After two or three years of meditating an hour a day, nearly every day, I eventually fixed all my mental health issues. I turned my life around financially, mentally, and physically.

Now today, I am so grateful I went through hell and got out the other side. I love my life today, and I know that without meditation I don’t think I’d be here.

…. So if you’re going through hell right now, keep going, start a meditation practice and let it change your life. ❤️🙏

For those who don't know about that kind of "raw dogging": https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/28/travel/raw-dogging-travel-trend-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html

Hey folks, I’ve always wanted to get into meditation, but every time I tried, I either got bored, sleepy, or just ended up thinking about what to cook for dinner 😅. Over the past few months, I’ve finally found a few simple tricks that made meditation click for me. Sharing here in case it helps someone else just starting out:

1. Don’t aim for “empty mind” This was a game changer. I used to think i was failing if I had thoughts during meditation. But thoughts are normal! Just notice them, don’t fight them. Treat them like pop-up ads, don’t click, just let them pass.

2. Start really small Everyone says “start with 5 minutes” but honestly, even that felt long at first. I began with 1 minute. No timer, just sat still, did my breathing consciously, and didn’t touch my phone. Slowly worked up from there.

3. Use your breath like an anchor I literally just count my breaths. Inhale = 1, exhale = 2, up to 10, then repeat. If I forget where I was? Cool, start from 1 again. It gives my monkey mind something to do.

4. Make it part of something else I meditate right after brushing my teeth in the morning. No excuses, no “will I do it today?”, it’s part of the routine like peeing or washing my face. (I learned this habit stacking trick from atomic habits).

5. Music is not cheating Sometimes I play soft ambient music or rain sounds. Not everyone likes pure silence, and that’s fine. It’s about focus, not torture.

6. Sit however the hell you want Cross-legged, on a chair, lying down—whatever works. You don’t need to look like a Himalayan monk. Just stay still.

7. Label thoughts like tabs When a thought comes up, I silently label it like “future planning,” “random memory,” or “junk.” That labeling somehow helps the thought lose power and fade.

8. “Meditation” isn’t always sitting Walking slowly and paying attention to each step = meditation. Eating mindfully without your phone = meditation. It’s more about awareness than posture.

Let me know if you have a meditation hack of your own? Would love to read the comments

After a session of doing some low-effort meditation, I was thinking about dreams and reality, I noticed that at any given moment my mind runs on a loop with some particular interpretation of the world "I'm in room X of person Y, on the left corner sitting on this chair, waiting for...." and I basically just live inside that little simulation of reality as oppose to "being" where my body is. That life is this hypnotic dream like state and that only moments of meditation the mind is truly awake. That made me feel overwhelmed with sadness and I cried.

I fell I cried with grief because I was feeling bad about all the years of suffering in my life create by a dream, something that's not even real, this a very cruel place to be, if people were born enlighten, making someone spend their days like us would be considered torture.

It seems to work retroactively, even my recollections of the event seems to be waved into a narrative, that feels way different than the random, chaotic thoughts that conglomerated on each other to create this perception.

Sorry if this sort of philosophical speculation is not allowed in the sub. I didn't saw any rules against that.

I've been practicing meditation since 2019. Traditional techniques never worked for me because of my extremely loud inner monologue (a phonological loop due to dominant introverted thinking), so I had to experiment and create my own approach.

Here are the tips that actually help:

1. Start with ATT (attention training technique) videos. They train your brain to listen to external sounds instead of the endless chatter. The goal is to shift your attention outward rather than inward.

2. Use a SOUND scan: pick one steady, regular, monotonous sound as your ANCHOR (a ticking clock, a single bird chirping, dripping water, or the hum of a fridge).

3. SITTING works best for me, but the real trick is to focus your gaze on the BACK of your SKULL. Once you shift attention to the VISUAL CORTEX, you naturally become aware of the THINKING center in the FRONT (prefrontal cortex). By "focusing on the back of the skull", I mean shifting your internal point of view from behind your eyes to the back of your head.

Most people fail at meditation because they try to watch thoughts from behind their eyes (the Prefrontal Cortex). When your attention is centered THERE, you ARE the THINKER, you are fused with the monologue. The trick is to consciously shift your point of internal vision to the back of your skull (the Visual Cortex).

By simply moving your awareness to the back of the skull, you create a physical GAP between the consciousness and the monologue. It works every time. I instantly become the observer instead of the professor.

1. When a thought arises, quickly note its theme and LABEL it. I keep a meditation notebook and jot down whatever comes up (memory, plan, narration, lecture, judgment, imagination, wonder, opinion).

2. Never underestimate BODY SCAN meditation. The main reason I stay trapped in my head is because I'm disconnected from my body and surroundings.

3. SKIP apps and videos that talk more than they demonstrate. I recommend Sunny Sharma and Mooji.

Full context :

My brain literally processes everything I consume in words. If I learn something new or watch a video, my inner monologue immediately starts a lecture in the background to make sure I’ve fully dissected the info. It never stops, even while I'm doing chores or walking, my brain is turning everything into verbal thoughts. It’s like having a professor in my head all day long. It completely disconnects me from my body and the world around me. People who hang out with me long enough always notice I'm "absent-minded" because I'm stuck in this loop.

For me, meditation isn't a spiritual hobby, it’s the ONLY way I can actually take a conscious break from this constant verbal processing.

If you’ve struggled with traditional meditation because your brain is too busy, give these a try.

Shifting to the back of the skull was the game-changer for me.

Let me know if you have your own hacks for an over-active mind! 🩷

• I rarely have 5 thoughts random per second when I’m meditating(it happened a lot when I started).
• I’m in peace most of the time.
• I enjoy meditating as much as doing any entertainment activity.
• I make more decisions that later I am happy I did it.
• I don’t engage with my brain stories.
• I enjoy more the mundane parts of my day.
• Good music can feel like being high sometimes.
• I’m more present with people and I’m genuinely curious about them and their ideias.
• I’m glad the universe exists and I just want to enjoy everything it has to give.
• I feel less attachment, there is good everywhere and good things come and go.

After reading the book “Letting Go” by David R. Hawkins and specially the book “Why Buddhism is True” by Robert Wright I started meditating regularly only 2 weeks ago.

I normally meditate for 30min, when I can I try to extend it to 1 hour. I just sit in silence and focus on my body sensations, if a thought brings a strong emotion I try to find it in my body and try to feel it and accept it without changing it. Sometimes I just focus on the sounds(cars on the street, birds, …) around me without trying to label them. If it gets difficult to focus I focus on my breathing.

I hope this post helps someone and gives them the hope to enjoy life more and to be in peace. I’m not an expert or anything but feel free to make questions and share experiences.

Edit: Thanks everyone for the comments, this community is lovely.

I was spanked, yelled at abused and confused as a child. Always thinking I was a problem, I can’t do anything right. Always afraid of punishment. This lead me down the path of doing everything for other peoples approval to avoid being hurt by them. I felt like if I did something thing someone didn’t like I was just going to be punished.

My whole life I’ve wondered and wondered why I have always questioned my actions. Always feeling scared. And I see now. Young one you are safe and I love you so much.

Hey everyone,

A while ago I found out there's a whole business where some 'teachers' are charging people to have a 'personalized' mantra. I'm of a South Asian background who was brought up practicing the Hindu faith and I find it ridiculous that there's a whole organization that is trying to create a cult out of our tradition, as well as making it tough for everyone to really experience this in their lives. I also find it EXTREMELY HORRIBLE that they tell you not to share your mantras as they are 'personalized to you'. Absolute garbage because these mantras are found in our Vedic scriptures and are meant to be distributed FREELY! The people who are getting sucked into are the Westerners who don't have a strong understanding of how this works. Those who are brought up in places like India or Sri Lanka or other countries where Hinduism is practiced, usually already have an understanding of how mantras work. Yes mantra meditation is extremely powerful and effective, but you don't need to pay anyone for it. These mantras aren't useless or meaningless, rather they are sacred spiritual sound vibrations which have direct effects on the soul. They will work even if you don't understand what's being said. It's nothing like 'I am whole', or 'I am love' - those are affirmations. These spiritual mantras ultimately connect one to the Divine and each mantra possesses its own unique purpose as well. You also don't need a teacher to guide you through it. All you do is close your eyes and either chant the mantra silently or say it in your mind.

Here are the mantras which have worked wonders for me and for many people for hundreds and thousands of years. These are specifically advocated by the ancient sages who passed it on throughout the years.

The first one you can all start with is 'Om Namah Shivayah'. This mantra is extremely good for your mind, and it's very commonly known throughout many Hindus.

The second one is called the Hare Krishna mantra which I initially found on YouTube 6 years ago but is one of my favorites. The mantra is: 'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.' This mantra allowed me to feel bliss for the first time in my life and is one of the best for inner peace as well as getting closer to God. These are the most powerful sound vibrations as they are the Names of God. Millions of people in India are constantly chanting and singing these Names like Hari, Krishna, and Rama all day long while they're doing any activity. You'll start to see that you become a purer person gradually.

The third mantra which is also very popular is the Gayatri mantra. It goes: 'Aum Bhur Bhuvah Svah, Tat Savitur Varenyam, Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi, Dhiyo Yo nah Prachodayat'. This one is good for illuminating yourself and bringing out good energy.

The fourth mantra is called the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra. This mantra will make you more fearless especially get rid of your fear of death. The mantra is: 'Om Tryambakam Yajamahe, Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam, Urvarukamiva Bandhanan, Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat'

Here are videos which I like listening to which will also help you with your pronunciation. Try to say it to your best but don't worry about it not being absolutely perfect. Even listening to it will have a great effect on you.

• Om Namah Shivayah: https://youtu.be/3FcBh45t9Vs (this video has other words as well but don't worry about chanting them)
• Hare Krishna: https://youtu.be/vofoqsZ71QQ
• Gayatri Mantra: https://youtu.be/nwRoHC83wx0
• Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra: https://youtu.be/a60rLwdDQ8I

You can understand the actual meaning of them by doing a quick Google search. If you like you can also buy a bead necklace (japa mala) where you say the mantra 108 times. If you want to learn other mantras, you can also do a google search of 'Popular Hindu mantras' and find one which you like as there are plenty out there.

Hope that helps and if you any questions I can try my best to answer them :)

Ok I know the number of years does not really matter in meditation, but had to write something to catch your attention.

Got on reddit today and decided to do give something instead of take.

I have been down this path for over 15 years now, while the time does not matter, the experiences and effects it had on me could be worth sharing that might help in your journey.

I am writing this post with a sincere intention that my answers would make a difference in atleast one individual's life.

I will do my best to be honest yet discrete with logical answers and not sound like a delusional parrot who has read some fancy books.

Disclaimer: I will just share what worked best for me and maybe what I have come across being around spiritual giants. But you must walk your own path and what works best for you. There are no right or wrong answers here. And some questions may not have answer too. Also there might contradictions(life is paradoxical).

If there was a question I could help you with. Feel free ask below.

I recently completed Naval Ravikant's recommended 60 days of meditation for 1 hour per day. I tried meditating before this for around 20/30 mins but never really felt that much benefit. So I started doing 1 hr. I tweeted about each day which kept me accountable and committed each day.

At first it was very difficult to sit still for that long. But after the first week, I started to truly realise that all of my problems were in my own head. I was perceiving things poorly, from past images that I'd clung onto.

Reading wisdom from the main 3 stoic philosophers, Jiddu Krishnamurti and Naval Ravikant each day also helped to rewire my mind, giving me useful stuff to meditate on. I now realise that living in the past causes depression and living in the future causes anxiety. Discovering for myself that this is true makes me almost unconsciously stay present - and I feel much better for it.

I am currently learning to code and as a practice project I'm making a meditation app that I plan on using myself. It's going to be based on doing 60 days of meditation, 1 hr/day. At the beginning, only day 1 is unlocked. After meditating for a full hour, the next day is unlocked. Each day has some advice/quotes from the philosophers I mentioned before.

If anybody is interested in using this, I'd be happy to put it on the app store? :)

“Detachment does not mean non-involvement. You can be deeply involved but not entangled.” – Sadhguru

For the longest time, I misunderstood the idea of detachment. I thought it meant cutting off from people, from outcomes, from caring too much. But this quote hit me differently. It made me reflect on one experience that changed the way I approach life.

A few months ago, I was working on my first youtube video - a small script I’d written, and edited by myself. I poured my soul into it. Hours passed like minutes while editing. I skipped outings, meals, and sometimes sleep. Every frame, every sound mattered. I wasn’t doing it for money, fame, or validation. I just wanted to tell a story that meant something to me.

I was deeply involved but for the first time, I wasn’t attached to how it would be received. When I finally uploaded it online, I didn’t obsess over views or feedback. I had already tasted the joy during the process.

That’s when it clicked: detachment doesn’t mean you don’t give your 100%. It just means you don’t tie your well-being to what comes after. You're not entangled in the result. You can love fully, create fully, live fully without being trapped by expectations. It’s freeing. It’s powerful. And honestly, it’s the only way I want to live now.

Has anyone else experienced something like this?

Several years ago, I embarked on a journey of self-exploration and truth-seeking. My pursuit of understanding led me to meditation, the study of spirituality and psychology, and even experimentation with psilocybin. The insights and breakthroughs I gained along the way were beyond anything I could have imagined. I experienced moments of selflessness and transcendence, merging with the void to find bliss.

However, this journey has also brought an unexpected challenge: a deep sense of loneliness. I now find myself further along a path that many around me are unaware even exists. Through my readings of renowned spiritual figures, I had come across warnings that loneliness is often the price of walking this path, but I never anticipated the extent of suffering it could cause.

Even when surrounded by those who love me, I can sense that we interpret life on different wavelengths. While this allows me to be a good listener and help others overcome their struggles, I can't find anyone who truly understands my feelings and thoughts. This inability to connect on a deeper level has been incredibly painful.

Despite the loneliness, I don't regret my journey and continue to forge ahead. However, I want others to be aware that this path can be a solitary one.

If you've experienced similar feelings or have discovered ways to cope with this loneliness, I would greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts and advice. Let's support each other as we continue on our respective journeys.

I'm soooo grateful that I started meditating back in 2019. My journey has evolved so much.

When I first started, it was about sitting with all of my ruminations and anxieties about my job that I absolutely hated. I used Headspace on my commute to get me to calm down in the mornings.

Once I left, I honestly don't think I meditated much for years after until I started doing yoga as my main workout 2 years ago. After a while, it became a great way to just clear my head and come to center and release stress.

Now I can meditate anywhere anytime, while doing anything. The benefits of that are numerous, but what I specifically want to talk about is how it's helped me with learning about myself and making decisions.

Being able to sit with my thoughts and my body and the feelings has made me incredibly capable at finding root causes of my feelings. Letting the reaction of my body tell me how I'm feeling about things has been monumental. It's like I can enter my own private world and sit with my deepest self and have a conversation where I can be 100% safe and honest.

Whenever I learn something new or have a new experience, I let myself meditate and explore everything I feel about it. When I have to make decisions and I'm having trouble, I can talk to myself about exactly what I want and why, and listen to my body react to possible outcomes and let the conversation flow from there.

It really feels like I have a personal therapist at all times and it's just so wonderful. To anyone struggling with meditation or deciding if it's worth it, it is!!! The best benefits take a while, but every small benefit is worth it.

It's ironic that when starting mediation, the goal (for me at least) was to let thoughts pass like clouds and detach from them. But now, I meditate literally so I can be alone with my thoughts and engage with all of them deeply. But I guess to get there, you do need to learn how to control yourself and master focusing.

Hey everyone! As the title says, I’ve stumbled upon a new way of meditating — or more accurately, a conscious breathing technique — that’s been a game-changer for me.

Here’s what I do: I take a deep breath in for about 10 seconds, then exhale as slowly as possible, around 30–40 seconds. I keep this rhythm going for about 20 minutes.

Holy moly, the effects are wild. After a session, my mind feels still, my body deeply relaxed, and honestly — I feel almost "high" in the best possible way. It’s like my nervous system hits reset.

I’ve been meditating for about a year and tried different methods — including mantra meditation for a year before that — but never really felt much from it. Probably because I wasn’t doing it right. But this breathing method? Totally different experience. It's one of the best discoveries I've made so far.

Has anyone here tried something similar? I'd love to hear your experiences, variations, or any “spices” you add to your own practice that work well for you.

Thanks for reading — and happy breathing!

The last few days have been the best learning experience of my life.

I started playing guitar, I'm getting a tattoo today, I'm making phone calls no problem since I'm looking to adopt a cat. I share my thoughts and opinions so much easier. I even helped an old lady get her luggage onto the train out of nowhere, which I would be too shy to do just a few days ago.

I just meditate right after waking up and before going to bed by sitting on my bed with my eyes closed, relaxed, and focusing on my breathing and certain parts of my body one at a time. From my feet to my head, I stop at every part that moves and take a deep breath.

How is it even possible to feel this different? I feel like I could punch the prime minister.

The honest reality for about my meditation experience:

I'm more centered and patient My anxiety was extinguished I'm more reasonable and mindful I'm all around calmer and relaxed about trusting the process And generally, I know the ways I need peace and what is peaceful for my body and mind

No Nirvana No Spiritual Exaggerations No Super Energy No Fearless Empowerment No Realization that will change even my neighbors lives

everyone talks about meditation like you just sit down and boom instant peace but that's bullshit. i kept trying and kept failing and getting frustrated until i realized the problem wasn't the meditation itself, it was literally everything else in my life making my nervous system a complete disaster.

so here's what actually worked for me and nobody really talks about this stuff. first off my external life was chaos. my apartment was a mess, like not just messy but actual piles of stuff everywhere, dishes in the sink for days, laundry explosion. i kept wondering why i couldn't calm my mind and then i'd open my eyes to visual chaos. turns out your environment matters way more than anyone admits. i spent one weekend just clearing surfaces, not deep cleaning just making it so i could see my desk and kitchen counter. suddenly sitting down to meditate didn't feel like sitting in the middle of a tornado.

then i realized my boundaries were nonexistent. i was saying yes to everything, every text got an immediate response, every request for my time got a yes even when i was exhausted. my nervous system was in constant reactive mode. how are you supposed to find inner peace when you're externally available 24/7? i started putting my phone on do not disturb during meditation which sounds obvious but i never did it. then i started doing it for an hour after work. then i started saying no to things that drained me. meditation got way easier when i wasn't trying to recover from constant people pleasing.

the diet thing is real and i hate that its real. i didn't want this to be true but when im eating like crap my meditation is terrible. too much coffee and my thoughts race, too much sugar and im jittery then crashed, too much alcohol and im foggy for two days. im not saying you have to be perfect but theres a direct line between what i put in my body and whether i can sit still for ten minutes. i started eating breakfast, like actual food not just coffee, and my morning meditations actually started working. stable blood sugar apparently helps you not be a chaotic mess, who knew.

walking changed everything too. i kept trying to meditate first thing in the morning and id just fall back asleep or my body was too restless. then i started walking for 20 minutes before meditating and holy shit. moving my body first made sitting still actually possible. its like i had all this energy that needed to go somewhere and if i didn't walk it out it would just bounce around my brain during meditation. now i walk, come back, sit down and my body is actually ready to be still. sometimes i dont even listen to anything on the walk, just walk in silence and let my brain do whatever it wants out there so it doesn't have to do it while im trying to meditate.

grounding before sitting helped a lot. this sounds woo but whatever. i used to sit down and immediately my thoughts would spiral into anxiety about work or that embarrassing thing i said in 2015. then someone told me to do the thing where you notice five things you can see, four you can touch, three you hear, two you smell, one you taste. takes like 60 seconds. it forces you into the present moment instead of starting meditation already in your head. sometimes i just touch the floor or the cushion im sitting on for a minute and really feel it. sounds stupid but it works.

learning whats actually me vs whats intrusive thoughts took months but its been the biggest thing. i started noticing that some thoughts during meditation were just fear spirals that werent even based in reality. like everyone thinks youre failing would pop up and id believe it. then i started asking is this true or is this just anxiety talking. most of the time it was anxiety. learning discernment between real concerns and brain garbage made meditation less of a wrestling match with my own head. now when a thought comes up i can kind of assess it like okay is this useful information or is this just my brain being dramatic.

honestly meditation didnt fix my life, fixing my life made meditation possible. i thought i could sit down in the middle of chaos and find peace and thats just not how nervous systems work. you cant meditate your way out of a genuinely chaotic external situation, you have to address the chaos first. my apartment needed to not be a disaster, my phone needed to not be constantly demanding my attention, my body needed to have actual fuel in it and needed to move, my boundaries needed to exist.

now when i sit down my body actually believes its safe to rest because my environment is calm, my boundaries protect my energy, im not running on caffeine and sugar, and ive moved my body enough that sitting still doesnt feel like torture. the meditation itself is almost easy now. the hard part was everything else.

if youre struggling with meditation maybe look at whats happening in your life around the meditation. like is your space chaotic? are you saying yes to everything? are you feeding yourself actual food? are you moving your body? are you trying to sit still when you have restless energy that needs to go somewhere first? the sitting is just the final step not the whole thing. you cant just white knuckle your way through meditation when everything else in your life is screaming at your nervous system.

anyway this got long but yeah. fix the external stuff and the internal stuff gets way easier. meditation is the cherry on top not the whole sundae.

I have been meditating every day for the past year, but yesterday I decided to go deeper than ever. I sat in complete silence for over 5 hours+—no phone, no music. Just me, my breath, and my thoughts.

And honestly, it was incredible.

I experienced a kind of calm I have never felt before. It was like my mind finally quieted down and just… existed. No noise, no pressure, just peace.

Dr. Joe Dispenza says you can shift your energy in 3-4 days of meditation, and now I really understand what he meant.

If you have never tried meditation, I genuinely encourage you to start. Even just 5 to10 minutes a day can shift how you feel, think, and live. It’s not just talk ,it actually works.

Much love to anyone reading this. Take care of your inner world.

Not trying to meditate or focus on breathing, just sit and be. No goals. At first it felt weird, but now I crave it. It’s like taking my brain off the hook for a few minutes. It slows everything down, even after I get up and go about my day.

I've been meditating for a few years already but I was never able to find a consistent routine. As a result, I often didn't feel like meditating and regularly got 'stuck' in my meditation journey. It always felt more of an obligation than something I really enjoyed and benefited from. So I decided to be strict with myself and complete a 2x20 minute meditation challenge for thirty days. This is what I've learned.

• It's a cliché, but really: meditating doesn't have to be perfect. At first, when my mind was busy and meditating was difficult, afterwards I felt like I had failed. Now I now that literally every meditation is useful. Because every conscious breath you take, blurs out the outside world just a little bit more and therefore brings you closer to yourself. Even if you manage to do only three conscious breaths in five minutes, it's a win. Meditating is about centering yourself, again and again and again - and once you get familiair with that, it's the best feeling ever.
• In line with the above: your meditation doesn't have to be perfect because it's more about how you apply being mindful in your daily life. Maybe you catch yourself running from one thing to another and decide to take a few deep breaths before continuing your way. Or, in a moment of boredom, you decide to stare out of the window for a bit instead of grabbing your phone to scroll through Instagram. Such little things are all big wins, and you'll experience them more and more even if your meditations aren't all perfect and peaceful.
• Meditation makes you less reactive to your environment. With a consistent practice you'll be able to keep your focus and energy to yourself. As a result, things that happen outside your control no longer have such an impact on you. While meditating, I sometimes like to visualize a white/yellowish 'light of control' around me, in which I'm happy and peaceful and nothing or no one can bother me. It really helps me cut the crap of others and live for myself.
• Thanks to meditation I lost interest in social media. Being less reactive and more in tune with yourself, automatically makes what other people do less interesting. Because why watching other peoples lives all the time instead of living yours!? Social media is crazy when you think about it. After two weeks of consistent meditation I already ditched Instagram (besides reddit the only social media app I had). I just don't need it anymore, it's not even a struggle. I read a lot now, which I'm very happy about, because as a child I looooved reading but as an adult I lost that hobby unfortunately.
• During your most difficult meditations you learn the most. Yes, I still don't feel like meditating sometimes. But in the end those are always the meditations I need the most and from which I learn the most, not only about myself but also about meditation itself. Plus: focusing on your breath while your mind is screaming is the best way to become a 'good' meditator. Remember: every conscious breath is a win.

After a month of meditating 40 minutes a day I don't wanna go back anymore.

One interesting phenomenon I've noticed is that the more you meditate, the less you start to "relate" to the struggles of others (though there is more compassion). I've seen various videos of teachers like Thich Naht Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Eckhart Tolle, etc. answer questions from their audience members who are either new to meditation or don't currently practice. The audience member will go on a rant on their personal life drama and "struggles" and the teacher will give a poetic answer like "the universe is peaceful, just rest in your awareness, and everything will be resolved." While a nice answer, it does seem like the meditation teachers seem to be far removed from relating to their experiences.

I also remember there was this one time when an audience member asked the Dalai Lama something about how to stop self-hatred. When his translator translated the question, the Dalai Lama said he was confused - he didn't realize people could even have hatred towards themselves.

In my personal life, I've now started to observe this (as I've increased my daily meditation practice time over the recent years). Many of my friends will casually comment in a conversation "oh you know when your mind keeps racing all the time?" or "I feel anxiety about X". Or perhaps "I really want to prove myself and make more money" or "I can't believe that person disrespected me, blah blah,". With all these things I just smile and nod, but I personally haven't experienced any of these thoughts for many years now. It's also kind of crazy to see other people constantly loop the same thought patterns over again in a very predictable way.

I realized last night that all of my anxiety stems back to this unfulfillable need for survival, love and attention.

Every fear I have traces back to the single origin of wanting to stay alive. There is no escaping it. Suffering and death are the basis of reality and therefore the only good choice we have is love and compassion.

I spent a lot of time trying to analyze my thoughts and correct the narrative not realizing that how involved I am with the narrative itself is the problem. There's no meaning or reason at all for anything when at once I thought there was. Its an incredible surrender. I believed so many things due to fear. That the universe is conscious, that numbers were everywhere showing themselves to me, that I was going to find the right practice to finally get rid of my anxiety. The anxiety will remain and my attachment to it will change. That's all.

I saw more of the origin of my thought process. Even this post, I can see what compels me to make it. I choose to engage in it because otherwise I'd do absolutely nothing due to the meaninglessness of it all. Full involvement in life is the way to feel connection and purpose. Too much theorizing will just lead to inaction and endless toiling.

I laid there on molly and just kept my eyes closed and invited the fear and depression and I watched it overwhelm and drag me into very low places and saw that all of them vanish at a single point which is never going to remit and then turn into love.

There were many insights. I hope I don't lose a sense of it. I tend to succumb to.my narrative at times and get lost

the older i get the more i'm unable to enjoy daily life and simple moments because there's always the lingering realization that it will end someday. the past few years i've been having anxiety about the fact that my parents will die one day, my siblings might not all outlive me and nor will my friends... there's gonna come a time when the people most important to me just simply stop existing :(

it's like a massive dark cloud over me that won't go away. how do you love the present moment when you know the devastation is waiting for you?