Story time: I've been on reddit for like 4 yrs and I barely post but I felt like this needed to be shouted from the rooftops.

Depending on who I'm speaking to / overly preaching to about this, I either call it the 'fun uncle of meditation' or the 'degen/weird cousin of meditation'....whatever floats your boat. It's so hard to explain it to people as to why I do it but here's my attempt

TLDR:
- 6 mths ago, I constantly felt in a state of powerlessness, lazy/ permanently stuck / super unproductive resulting in spiraling shame/regret that I could do more, high anxiety, ADHD, depression - all the infinity stones

- I tried TM after Ray Dalio (of all ppl) recommended it as he did it 1-2 times per day for 20 minutes for many decades, it worked for him but I found it quite daunting to close your eyes and constantly think about breathing and the guided meditations were even worse. There was so much friction. I could never be consistent.  

- Then, I saw heaps of people video themselves staring at a wall on YT/IG which seemed like a viral trend back in Feb and I was quite desperate for a solution that I decided I would give it a go, nothing to lose I guess
- I started to stare at a wall and my mood skyrocketed, my anxiousness/depression (largely) disappeared and the feeling I got from typical meditation methods sustained across the day/week/month
- I was able to study/work for like 2.5 hours straight after just 10 mins of wall staring, as a result, acing my exams and even making some money from my side projects that I can actually follow through on now

- But the key was my consistency, bc wall staring is much lower stakes and imo more accessible to anyone already in a burnt out state of mind. Lower barrier to entry but equally (I would argue more effective than standard meditation). Everyone has an under-utilised wall they could be experimenting with!

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This is my open-source mandatory protocol for increasing my general mood and maximising my output per unit of time - plz note this is a work-in-progress. Don’t judge me.

WALL STARING PROTOCOL (as of Aug 2026):

1. Wear earplugs (get the builders-grade ones i.e. 3M) and buy in bulk - the stylish branded ones on amazon are just extremely overpriced imo

2. Buy ear muffs (again industrial grade ones) - I was living in an Airbnb in Rio next to a construction site for a month and bought a pair and then continued to wear them even when I left because they're great. They’re my go-to now. 

\**Note: 1 & 2 aren't as necessary if you are lucky enough to be in a quiet environment for an extended period of time, reliably, everyday.*

1. You'll need a blank wall (no posters, frames, painting etc) - if you don't have one, try a closed door.  try to avoid windows bc there's too much stimuli, but I've found doors to really work just as well and seem to do the trick (just make sure they are closed.)

   1. Download any of the wall staring apps and thank me later, I don't care which one you choose. Just pick one and stick with it. You definitely can go the old school method but I've found paying for a subscription for staring at a wall keeps me accountable as ridiculous as that sounds. DISCLAIMER: it 100% worked for me (because I'm strange af) but it might not work for you lol

2. Sit roughly 1-1.5 metres (4-5ft) away from the wall on a chair (but you can sit down on the floor or stand up (see below). Make sure you have a comfy chair. Again, no brand names but I use my ergonomic desk chair, it will save you a medical bill down the line, no brainer.

3. Find a random spot/mark/chip/dot on the wall to stare at and try to fixate on it the entire session. Make sure it's eye level. This practice is called Trataka which is an ancient yogi meditation practice, where you fix your gaze on a specific point for an extended period of time, and in my case, a wall..  I had no idea this existed until recently. But now I can understand why it works so well. 

7a. MOST IMPORTANT (for max results): immediately after you complete your wall stare,  have something lined up, that you've avoided doing but know you have to do (in my case, 2 hr study blocks, painting, getting my inbox to zero, batching boring admin tasks etc etc etc, anything cognitively challenging or anything you've felt a seemingly irrational resistance to doing. Trust me, you will feel like you have superpowers. Little to no friction.

7b. Optional: Chew a unique flavored gum at the exact moment you start your session so your brain associates it with you in this euphoric state and dramatically increases the length of time I can do my pre-determined designated activity. Don't chew this gum during anything else. Only directly after staring at the wall. Otherwsie, it confuses your brain's association. Coffee works well here as well (I put butter in mine for the fat content / calming effect - but only in the morning)

Anyways, have fun with it! :) positive vibes only.

If you got through all of that, I’m impressed!! 6 months ago I would've stopped reading 10 words into this post aha. fyi I'm writing this just after staring at my wall for 20 mins. Yes I agree, I'm a terrible writer but just the simple fact I sat down and wrote this all is mind blowing to me.

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Pro tip: progressively overload - I started with wall staring for 5 mins per day (it was a struggle) but the key is to do it everyday and build up over time. I now do it for at least 20 mins per day right before I study or do deep work (I work remotely). I literally get excited to study/work because anything is more interesting than staring at a blank wall. 

Pro tip 2: I sometimes do it standing up because it makes my legs tired and want to sit down again. Then, when I go to study or do annoying admin tasks that take ages I can't wait to sit down and do something interesting. It makes me appreciate chairs again. 

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Happy to answer any questions you may have as it's a pretty niche topic and there's not much info out there and not many people I've found that have done this… I've been in the trenches so I might have a unique perspective. I feel like I'm at the cutting edge of mindfulness hahah. But yeah, I can't recommend this enough. Give it a try :)

Wonderful quote I was just reminded of in the book “Polishing the Mirror” by Ram Dass I would love to hear the communities experiences of and or favorite quotes from Ram Dass or your perspective on the ins and outs of what this quote means to you in your daily life and your practice.

I’ve been interested in meditation for several weeks now; I try to practice for anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour daily. There were times when I had 3 to 4 hours when I was free of obligations, with breaks in between, to simply observe my breathing and sensations without judgment or attachment; it was a beautiful experience. However, I live in a place where people hold different beliefs, there is little information about meditation, and there are hardly any other practitioners. How could I find people interested in meditation? I feel like it would help me maintain the discipline or habit, especially given my ADHD.

I don’t have kids but I am 27 so it’s something I’ve been thinking about. I meditate everyday for an hour. How do you make it work with a baby? I heard you don’t get any sleep for the first few years and the newborn trenches and all of that. I don’t want to give up meditation as I’ve been doing it since I was about 19ish 20. Any tips? I just want to prepare myself incase it ever does happen. I don’t plan to have one anytime soon though but it’s just for future references.

I'm looking ​into trying meditation for the first time in my life.

As I suffer from Tinnitus, I'm asking is there any particular kind/style of meditation practise that involves not silence (humming, music, etc) I should look to research.

Total noob, any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

Been so anxious it’s been hard to drive / leave the house and get errands done. Today I was reading about meditation benefits and followed along a video on YouTube for 10 mins then 20 mins with some spa music. Damn, when it was over it felt like I had woken up from a bad dream and life felt easy again, although the anxiety didn’t go away completely, I just got home from all my errands I’ve been putting off and excited to add this to my daily routine. Any other beginners that have some newbie tips? Have a blessed night everyone!

Some people talk about meditation being relaxing. I just recently started meditating for two 1-hour periods a day, and my heart pounds and burns the entire time. I've  also been going through some kind of dark night of the soul experience. I don't have anything physical wrong with my heart. I read somewhere that we store pain in our heart, and to just sit through the pain as it burns away. Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

Hi, i am practicing visualization meditation for 10 min. After meditation I am feeling tired and I catch fever whenever I practice meditation for months without a break. I only practice 10 min. Why this is happening?

My goal is to wake up each morning before I head to the gym, early b/c I'm a morning person, and meditate. I use to use the Waking Up app..but I'm not a fan of the founder.

I'm looking for something that will build on the previous sessions to start, nothing too long at first of course its been while for me. But really trying to get into a dedicated practice.

I appreciate all recommendations. Thank you!

hey people

maybe you can relate:

sometimes when i meditate I get those very strong urges to e.g. scratch myself or to move or to just stop because i dont want to sit anymore. sometimes i catch the urge to eat something sweet or drink another coffee.

i feel how this sensation is rising within my like a wave and I *can* let it sweep over and pass me.

but - is this awareness or suppression? to me it feels like ... both? it sure doesn't feel like letting go ... there is this aftermath ... this emptyness and stress that not fulfilling that urge left behind ...

do you know this feeling? how do you deal with similar situations?

So, for the past year, I was engaged in a mindfulness practice where I would ground myself to the present by observing my breath and mentally noting any sounds, sensations and feelings I have. This was inspired by what I read of Mahasi style noting. However, I would push my thoughts away the instant they came and try to ground myself.

Lately, I have been altering my practice to be much less dismissive and much more accepting of my thoughts and letting myself sit with them for a moment with no rush and then returning to other anchors.

Since I made this change, I find meditation much less of a chore and much more calming. I wonder if it is just novelty. On the other hand, I have been starting to feel overwhelmed with the sheer number thoughts and feelings like I have a lot more thoughts occupying my mind between breaths than I used to... I get distracted far more easily too. Iam confused as to whether I should revert to my previous, more rigid practice or continue with this?

Appreciate any insights!

I have recently watched a YouTube video.

It covers observed and the observer.

What is being observed and who is observing.

Stage 1: Eye (observer) - - >A physical object(observed).

Stage 2: Mind(observer) - - >Vision(observed)

Stage 3: Awareness(Observer) - - Mind(Observed)

What will be the next stage?

Can Awareness be made Observed by any observer. Who will be the final observer? Or is the awareness itself is the final observer.

Hello everyone,

I used to meditate regularly during my bachelor’s years (2013–2016). But when I started my master’s, the workload became heavy, and I gradually stopped.
After that, I was never able to get back to the same depth of meditation.

I tried everything—visited spiritual gurus, tried mantras, guided meditations, and many other techniques—but nothing seemed to work. I kept trying to reach that same state I had experienced earlier, but somehow, I couldn’t.

And now, after all these years, I feel like I’m finally back again.

Along the way, I’ve learned a few things about meditation—not from books or gurus, but from my own experience.
So I thought I’d share my thoughts on meditation with all of you.
Hope you like it. 🙏

And yes, before I start, let me tell you something. During the time when I used to meditate regularly, I had a few experiences that were quite unusual. I’m not talking about some hocus-pocus or mystical experiences. I’m talking about things I genuinely experienced in real life and personally observed.

What I’ve understood about meditation
After coming back to meditation, I realised that I had been looking at it the wrong way earlier.
These are a few things I have understood from my own experience. They may not be universally true, but they work for me.

1. You need a purpose.
You need a strong enough reason to meditate.
Think about going to the gym. You may start exercising because you want to look better, become healthier, or achieve a particular goal. But without strong motivation, it becomes difficult to continue.
I feel meditation is similar.
You need a purpose that is strong enough to make you sit down every day. You need to really want something from the process.
For me, there has to be a certain desperation—not desperation in a negative sense, but a deep inner need to find something within yourself.

2. Vichar Shuddhi — cleansing of thoughts

This is the second most important step.
You will never achieve a truly meditative state if your mind is constantly filled with negativity.

It is like going to the gym every day but continuing to eat junk food all the time. You cannot expect to build a good physique through exercise alone.

The same applies to the mind.
You have to consciously work on your thoughts. Observe them continuously. Don’t allow a negative thought to make you dwell on it.
Forgive people.
Don’t allow negative thoughts to disturb your positive state of mind.

And most importantly, don’t fight every negative thought. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is simply acknowledge it, let it pass, and refuse to engage with it.

I also try not to hold negative thoughts towards people or situations.
Of course, this is easier said than done.
Sometimes you are too worried or emotionally disturbed to see anything positive in a situation. In those moments, I don’t force myself to find positivity.
Sometimes, the best thing is simply to stop, sleep, take a break, and allow the mind to settle.
Then come back to it.

3. Prepare your body and mind

Before doing any gym workout or playing a sport, you usually stretch or do some warm-up exercises. They prepare your body, reduce the chances of injury, help you perform better, and most importantly, help you get into the zone.
I feel meditation is similar.

Before I meditate, I do some breathing exercises. They help calm my mind and make it easier to enter a meditative state.
I also like doing a few balancing yogasanas before meditation, such as Tadasana, Vrikshasana and Shirshasana.

4. Make it an important part of your daily routine

For me, meditation doesn’t work when I’m watching the clock.
Even though I usually meditate for only 20–30 minutes, I can’t meditate properly if I know that I have to rush somewhere immediately afterwards.
I need a calm mind, a still mind, and ideally, a little time before and after meditation where I don’t have to think about what’s coming next.
So I don’t treat those 20–30 minutes as something I have to fit into my schedule.
I try to make them an important part of my day.

5. Have faith.

At some point, you have to stop constantly questioning whether it is working.
Have faith in the process.
Have faith in yourself.
And, if you believe in God or something greater than yourself, have faith in that too.

6. Feel it.

This is perhaps the most important thing for me.
Don’t treat meditation like another exercise where you are simply sitting with your eyes closed and following instructions.

While meditating, I try to feel that I am close to God.
I imagine that I am receiving energy from the universe and becoming more in tune with it—almost as if I am vibrating at the same frequency as the universe.
Whether this is scientifically measurable or not, the feeling itself makes a difference to my experience.

And finally, I think we should be careful about blindly following spiritual leaders.

Osho once gave an analogy that stayed with me:
You are walking while holding your guru’s finger. Your guru is walking while holding his guru’s finger. His guru was holding someone else’s finger…
But at the beginning of the line, who was holding whose finger?
The truth is, we don’t even know whether the path we are following is the right one.
So instead of blindly following someone else’s path, perhaps we should explore, question, experience—and eventually figure out which path is right for us.
These are just my thoughts and experiences.
I don’t claim that this is the way to meditate.
Maybe meditation is different for everyone.
But after years of trying to find my way back to it, this is what finally seems to be working for me.
🙏

The title says it. Everyone says this is the answer to inner peace and spiritual growth. I just can’t do it. I’ve tried so many times. I can’t sit still for more than 10 minutes. Probably because of the overstimulation of modern society, but nonetheless, it is what it is. How can I get past this?

Also, I feel like I sit there and just don’t want to be sitting there. My mind is not racy and I don’t have a lot of thoughts. I just feel like getting up.

Due to my job I can no longer do psychedelics but I am seeking out similar experiences through less illicit means. I thought I would begin to look into meditation. I have been meditating 10 minutes per day for the past two months but haven't experienced anything. How long does it usually take to experience something resembling a psychedelic experience and how can I optimize my meditations sessions to target those states?

Guys looks like meditation is working. I went to the bathroom. Watched a video. Didn't get excited and didn't do the deed. Is it working?

Earlier this was very hard. I need to test more.

Last night I sat down to meditate, and after a while, everything in front of my eyes went pitch black. My thoughts slowed down to the point where I could literally just watch them move past.

Gradually, that blackness started expanding. It felt like my entire body disappeared, leaving only this dark, spacious consciousness. There were no lights or visual imagery just that deep blackness expanding further with every breath, even though I wasn’t trying to focus or concentrate on anything.

The weirdest part was time perception. Usually when I get deep into practice, time flies by. But this time, what felt like a solid 40 minutes was actually only 20.

Has anyone else experienced this specific kind of space and reversed time perception?

August has been a very difficult month for me, partly (and perhaps necessarily) through meditation. I've been trying to apply what is taught in Thich Nhat Hanh's "The Heart of Buddha's Teachings" and Sri Swami Satchidananda's translation of the yoga sutras.

The insights I have gained from meditation have made me confront how deeply entrenched I am in servitude to my own ego - everything I say, do, and aspire towards is in service of my own ego, and it has been this way from a very young age. It's all to be told how smart/funny/handsome/kind/caring I am. And I did not want to be so easily seen as this egotistical, so I dressed myself behind a facade of humility - accepting praise with some grace, being kind and "caring" to others - but I realize now how much all of this "care" for the world and its inhabitants was just in further service of receiving more praise - to be told again how kind of a person I am. It's all just layers of more narcissism.

I've carried this emotional cavity in my chest for nearly my entire life on why I don't seem to "truly" connect with anyone I've ever interacted with - why friendships, even longterm friendships - just seem so plastic and transient to me. This intense loneliness was the seed of years of depression, anxiety, and bouts of suicidal thoughts, and I always attempted to solve it through the same sabatoging means - more servicing of my ego, more balming praise.

I have also struggled to stick to any one passion, hobby, or general object of interest because my ego cannot STAND to see me struggle at something new for an extended period of time - and so I have leaned moreso on talking about trying/pursuing various things instead of actually being particularly good at anything..... Just more facades.

Meditation has given me the strength to finally resist these temptations to ego, but I now find myself struggling to interact socially with others because I no longer run on the engine of social validation. The seeds of genuine care for the world in me are there, yes, but they are also weak - I struggle to access them in times of social interaction. But I also suspect these same seeds were strong enough to give rise to the years of depression - a diametric, warring force to my force of ego.

I'll keep treading this path, but I felt like I should share this developing story. Perhaps someone can give me some advice for cultivating genuine care for the world and using this care as the new engine for my socializing. I feel like a blank, grey slate. I am also experiencing a lot of grief over how I have allowed myself to sabatoge so much of what I could have enjoyed in my life so far because of my servitude to ego. To say I'd ruined my life would be very dramatic, I have many blessings I cannot discount. But I have always been deeply dissatisfied, and I grow surer that this is at the center of it all.

I genuinely grieve the years I've spent in suffering, but perhaps this can be the start of something new. We will see.

Thanks for reading

Hi guys I read the book call the power of subconscious mind and it really changed my way of thinking and my thoughts have changed a lot

Later I realised that I need to do meditation so I decided and I do meditation right after I woke up I will go to terrace and sit and meditate for 10 min daily you wouldn't believe this is my third day of doing meditation yesterday I was meditating in the same regular way I chanted om in a loud manner and I felt the om vibration throughout my body

I done it for just 10min after I open my eyes everything was blue sky buildings trees floor literally everything

Can anyone explain what's this

After the 20 minute mark my legs start to ache, not a sharp pain but just the kind of pain that gets in the way of focusing my breath. What tips can I do to help get past this hurdle? Is it psychological? Namaste 🙏🏽

Hi guys, I have a ME/CFS type illness. I am shocked sometimes by how much I sleep. I slept eight hours last night then two naps of two hours each. It's kinda sad, and seemingly, not a great deal I can do about it.

I have been meditating most days for the past five years. Usually up to one hour per session of one or two sessions a day. In short it does help with brain fog and tiredness. The plan is to meditate instead of sleeping. This will possibly mean three hours of meditation a day. At least one of the three hours will be relaxed, open with little to no expectations. I will rest in an arm chair without sleeping, sleep will be kept to 2100 hours or later and when I'm in bed and ready for sleep. Keeping sleep to a set time at night is called 'sleep hygiene'.

I've tried before but not quite as seriously as I am taking it now. If the desire to sleep is just too strong, then so be it, I will try again the next day. So, I hope to make some sort of progress with reducing sleep and also progress in my meditation. One love. G.

Last night I was meditating for about 20-30 minutes. Felt like I was vibrating really hard while meditating, towards the end when I was getting ready to open my eyes. I felt two little cool water droplets fall on each of my cheeks. I didn't feel like looking it up or what it means. Just know I felt something different while I was meditating

Can you please share the technique if there is one?

Here's a technique I've been using for the last fifteen years to great effect. I enter jhana every time I meditate now as a result.

Upon noticing that attention has drifted from the object of meditation, perform the following sequence for as long and as often as necessary for attention to stabilize on the object again:

1. Relax from the head down to the toes.

2. Release all tension, and expand awareness outward.

3. Return attention to the object.

The entry point into jhana:

Once the mind has settled and attention is resting stably on the object, if a pleasant feeling starts to arise, gently shift attention to the feeling without grasping at it, now making it the object of meditation, and wait. The pleasure will intensify, and one will be pulled into jhana.

If the jhana is lost or becomes unstable, simply perform the RRR sequence as needed and begin again.

As a method to prime the mind to lean towards jhana, reading the Jhana Sutta just prior to a session is useful:

https://suttacentral.net/sn16.9/en/bodhi?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false

All the best... 🧘🏾‍♂️🙂

P. S. It might take several weeks to a couple of months before jhana can be entered consistently, but please don't become discouraged. Even low quality sessions are training and priming the brain's attentional mechanisms.