Caffeine before meditation

walking meditation is pretty awesome, however you need a good place to do this so as to avoid being hit by a bus.

Cyan Sarden wrote: The first 15-20 minutes of meditation usually aren't a problem, either...

Then start by keeping the whole thing to 15-20 minutes. Meditation doesn't have to be something you do for an hour or a day or three weeks at a time. We're not Bodhidharma, staring at cave walls for nine years. Meditation can be just as effective for one minute, five minutes, or ten minutes. Especially if you lead a busy or hectic life. I also commonly preach "meditation in the mundane," picking a task you have to do anyhow and using it as a meditative focus. I used to get my meditation time in washing dishes at the Pizza Hut when it was the only time my lifestyle would allow.

ren wrote: walking meditation is pretty awesome, however you need a good place to do this so as to avoid being hit by a bus.

Well...if you are meditating properly...you should be able to see the bus

ren wrote: walking meditation is pretty awesome, however you need a good place to do this so as to avoid being hit by a bus.

Try a tread mill at a 1 MPH. Close your eyes, hold on to the side rails, focus on your breath and feel the rhythmic motion. Very nice.

steamboat28 wrote:

Cyan Sarden wrote: The first 15-20 minutes of meditation usually aren't a problem, either...

Then start by keeping the whole thing to 15-20 minutes. Meditation doesn't have to be something you do for an hour or a day or three weeks at a time. We're not Bodhidharma, staring at cave walls for nine years. Meditation can be just as effective for one minute, five minutes, or ten minutes. Especially if you lead a busy or hectic life. I also commonly preach "meditation in the mundane," picking a task you have to do anyhow and using it as a meditative focus. I used to get my meditation time in washing dishes at the Pizza Hut when it was the only time my lifestyle would allow.

I normally do sessions of somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on how much time I have and how I feel. I never set a time limit for myself in the beginning - this is what I felt good with for a long time until I started falling asleep very recently. 5 minutes doesn't do much for me as I just can't focus / calm my mind fast enough yet - I'd love to be able to, though.

I'll definitely look into task-based meditation. I haven't tried much because I feel that I'm only a beginner when it comes to Vipassana and my aim was to find a rhythm with that first before I venture out and try other forms.

Cyan

ren wrote: walking meditation is pretty awesome, however you need a good place to do this so as to avoid being hit by a bus.

Ren, you are wonderful! Ever considered a career change? Stand-up comedy is pauperized by your absence

Cyan, I would emphasize the previous comments about not letting it get to you.

Don't judge the value of the meditation! That you tried is 90%... Most people don't get that far!

If you do fall asleep, let it happen... Whatever happens is the lesson of meditation...

Do try other forms. Do keep at it!

If you are sitting, lift your gaze, brighten the light in the room. Sometimes the angle of the head makes a difference...

Your dedication is an inspiration

Even though caffeine stimulates the brain, it is bad while meditating, because your brain cells and your body wants to move around really fast, rather than sit around and calm down to connect with nature. Meditation is supposed to calming, not energizing. It's a soothing technique for everyone, but is beneficial to soldiers, Jedi, and protectors of anything.

It's been about 3 weeks since I posted this, so I think it's time for a quick follow-up:

My sleep situation has improved slightly, as our little girl now sleeps through most nights. The dozing-off has more or less stopped (with very few exceptions). I still drink a cup of Genmaicha before my morning meditation. It doesn't do much anymore as my body has probably developed a tolerance, but it's now part of the ritual to get "in the mood". The latter is something I had always ignored. I would just sit down and, well, start "meditating". I've now started to do a little ritual - I get up at 5:30 (have to work very early on most weekdays), I go downstairs, make a cup of Genmaicha, come upstairs again, put on my meditation robe and then devote the first 1-2 minutes to settling my mind. I find this to be satisfactory. Whether it does anything for the meditation itself or not, I don't really care

I usually have another cup of green tea after lunch (has nothing to do with meditation, I just need to stay awake as I normally work 12 hours a day (we have our vacation time to make up for that as teachers, so this shouldn't be considered a complaint). For the evening session, I don't use caffeine as I'm normally through the roof anyway when I get home

So my personal conclusion is: it doesn't hurt (me). I guess it depends on how sensitive to caffeine you are.

I still haven't looked into other kinds of meditation but that's on my to-do list for the Christmas break.

Cyan

I occasionally wake up early before the sun rises. I make a cup of coffee, sit in a chair, with no lights on in the room, facing a south window. I sip my warm coffee, close my eyes and focus on the warm liquid as I swallow.

As the warmth dissipates I open my eyes to watch the sky lighten up with the dawn. I let my thoughts flow freely and reflect on what ever comes to mind. I then take another sip and repeate until my coffee is gone or cold.

This is a very mellowing experience for me. Watching the day brighten gradually is quite centering and peacefull for me.