Meditation

I just wonder when in the day and how long people in TotJO meditate. Also if any of you listen to music that you would like to share.

Night times just before bed. I often listen to this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDX8QrcDI_o

with Simply Rain in the background from

https://rain.simplynoise.com/

I attend three 2-hour sessions at a local temple each week. Those sessions are from 6-8 in the evening. On days when I don't go, I meditate for 5-10 minutes in the shower in the morning (I have a seat in there) after I'm finished. Water is off, don't worry I'm not wasting it. lol.

No music. My goal with meditation is to develop intense focus, not relaxation or stress relief.

5 minutes before bed with a lighted candle to focus on. I also have a meditation timer that sounds a gong every minute, then 3 gongs at the end. I'm not the kind to meditate while sitting quietly, I'm a high-energy person, so 5 minutes is the best I can do on a regular basis

When I have the time (which, granted, isn't often) I will walk for about an hour at night with music - the dark and solitude is calming and the music focuses my mind.

Connor L. wrote: No music. My goal with meditation is to develop intense focus, not relaxation or stress relief.

I must admit this surprised me....Knowing your love for music and all Connor Ever try using music for Intense Focus? It's pretty useful At least for me...

Depends what your going for.

When I started meditation I had this kewl hour long guided meditation which I'd recorded onto cassette from the AM radio :huh:
I'd do that as often as possible, at least twice a week. At that time making sure I did not fall asleep!!! It was about calming the mind, listening to myself listen and developing trust within my body to go deep into awareness and then back up again safely. That was 30 years ago though, and after that I took a break because it sort of became continuous for me (the meditative state), but when I got into Jediism 4 years or so ago it re-energized my focus into study and practice of it.

These days its usually about 630 in the morning, I get up at 515, eat do some stuff then sit up to meditate. I try to shift in and out of dreams while maintaining meditative awareness. Usually between 60 and 90 minutes but a good chunk of that is [strike]sleeping[/strike] dreaming
:lol:
Does that count, that counts right?

Music is kewl, but for me music a landscape of energy, so its a good choice to expand or exercise flexibility in focus IMO.

If workload permits (and I actually get my breaks) I meditate 10-15 in the early hours of the work day and another 15-20 during the lunchhour. Usually I do not meditate on weekends.
I started out listening to rain but now find it distracting, thus I do not listen to it anymore.

For now I do alternate between two kinds of meditation: Empty meditation where I just sit back and stop contemplating, instead watching as thoughts come and go by themselves and an energy based meditation where I focus on drawing in energy from around me.

Trisskar wrote:

Connor L. wrote: No music. My goal with meditation is to develop intense focus, not relaxation or stress relief.

I must admit this surprised me....Knowing your love for music and all Connor Ever try using music for Intense Focus? It's pretty useful At least for me...

I am a musician by trade. Therefore my professional life is steeped in using music for intense focus. I think it would be overkill.

look at www.blissfulmusic.com some good stuff for meditation,

It varies, between 1-90 minutes

On average around 15-20 minutes a day. But even just a few mindful breaths on those frantically busy days can work wonders.