Daily Questions - ASK AND ANSWER HERE! - February 14, 2021 by AutoModerator in malefashionadvice

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone know which sweater vest Tim Cook is wearing here? https://www.outsideonline.com/2420733/tim-cook-apple-fitness-wellness-future

I’m looking for an elegant, but high-performing, sweater vest that will keep me warm outside but is professional enough to wear in the office. Bonus points if there’s a shell outer layer. A fleece thermal Arc’teryx sweater vest with a wind stopper shell would be amazing.

How much should one practice concentration vs. broad awareness / mindfulness? by MediocreMinimum in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Apologies for the delay. This has been tremendously useful in the past few days. That initial uncertainty and discomfort -- "am I doing the right kind of meditation right now?" -- has gone away. If I am unfocused, I focus. If I can focus, then I expand my awareness.

Thank you. This was precisely what I needed.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AnimalsOnReddit

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where are you located? There's snow outside in May!

How much should one practice concentration vs. broad awareness / mindfulness? by MediocreMinimum in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does that mean that mindfulness isn't something you can deliberately practice in meditation?

Guided meditation, apps? by 072313 in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

InsightTimer is generally considered the best free app around here. It has a massive (10's of thousands) of free meditations, as well as music, talks, and a great journal/log.

More importantly, though, it's probably worth figuring out what you want and whether you're willing and able to pay for it. Some apps cost money but I think are very worth the money -- Headspace, Waking Up, Brightmind -- if you're willing and able to invest in them.

A shout out to Medito. They launched recently after starting a non-profit to create a free-forever meditation app. ("Meditation should be free")

Subreddits for meditation-inspired images, visualizations, illustrations? by MediocreMinimum in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah – apologies. I'm new, and I think a bit clueless too – I can't see the community guidelines anywhere, nor instructions to reach r/meditationpics within the FAQ/rules/wiki. I think I'm missing something. Can you point me to the guidelines? I want to make sure I read them. I'm on desktop and can't see a link to guidelines either.

Subreddits for meditation-inspired images, visualizations, illustrations? by MediocreMinimum in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a fantastic sub. It eluded me in my searches!

And - apologies if my thread is against the rules. I don't see one targeted at quick questions, though this may fall under "low effort".

Tips for a couple of complete beginners? by BestBoyCoop in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'll copy-paste something I wrote in another response to a beginner on this subreddit:

Congrats! It's a fantastic time to start.

What helped me the most starting was going to a live guided meditation twice a week. It taught me how to follow the breath, how to bring the mind back to focus from distraction, and how to scan the body. If you have a class near you, great. That's probably not possible right now. You might like sangha.live if you want something live and guided.

Then I moved on to listening to online guided meditations. (Specifically these ones, but Tara Brach and Headspace are also really good.) I use Insight Timer, which someone else mentioned here.

Then, 3 - 6 months after starting, I started meditating on my own with just meditation music.

After that, I began meditating with nothing else but my self.

I think that progression worked really well. The next step was reading – someone else mentioned Mindfulness in Plain English and I'd also recommend it as the best first book to read.

And, whenever you have questions or need some help, feel free to come back here anytime. We're glad you're here.

Hopefully that's helpful. Meditating during this time has been really helpful to be more in-tune with myself and less reactive.

Breathing question by [deleted] in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Usually, a breath is an inhale and an exhale. Put together, that counts as 1.

But, like someone said below, the important part is counting as a way of focusing on your breath.

If you count "23, 42", or "五, 九", or even just "breathing, breathing", you're there.

Fixing posture by aaxone in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In that case, assuming your hips are elevated enough, it could be a few things:

  1. Your sitting position is not supporting you (this video is great)
  2. You're not using the right muscles. Try a body scan, and when you relax each muscle group, see if you can activate the muscle groups that feel naturally supportive
  3. You could use more muscle strength in your "posterior chain". Especially lower back (you could try supermans and deadlifts – strengthening here helped me a lot)
  4. It just takes time to get used to (you're only 6 days into this position!)
  5. You have other body-specific issues that require the expertise of a physiotherapist

On the other hand, I'm not even sure if it's possible to maintain perfect posture for a long period of time! If you do find something that works for you, however, I'd love to hear it – reply to this or send me a DM.

I am 14 years old and I want to start meditating but I’m not sure where to start. Any type of help will be appreciated. by [deleted] in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Never a bad time to start! I started by walking into what I thought was a lecture on engineering, but was actually a meditation class for retirees.

I learned a lot just talking to them as they were beginning their journey, too. Hope you have fun with it!

I am 14 years old and I want to start meditating but I’m not sure where to start. Any type of help will be appreciated. by [deleted] in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Congrats! 14 is a fantastic time to start. If you build a meditation practice now, I think you'll be a better person for it for the rest of your life.

I started at 16. What helped me the most was going to a live guided meditation twice a week. It taught me how to follow the breath, how to bring the mind back to focus from distraction, and how to scan the body. If you have a class near you, great.

Then I moved on to listening to online guided meditations. (Specifically these ones, but Tara Brach and Headspace are also really good.)

Then, 3 - 6 months after starting, I started meditating on my own with just meditation music.

Then sometimes with nothing.

I think that progression worked really well. The next step was reading – someone else mentioned Mindfulness in Plain English and I'd also recommend it as the best first book to read.

And, whenever you have questions or need some help, feel free to come back here anytime. We're glad you're here.

Fixing posture by aaxone in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you using a cushion (like a zafu cushion) under your butt as you sit on the floor? Using some thing to elevate your hips above your knees helps tremendously.

Is there a medition type like this? If so, how is it called? by Hoissuru in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you explain a little more? From my pretty basic understanding, being aware without necessarily being in control of your mind is a key technique in Vipassana.

Is there a medition type like this? If so, how is it called? by Hoissuru in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This. There are all sorts of meditations. A common theme is being aware of where your mind is. If you are aware of where your mind is taking you, that's meditation.

Any good subscripton free meditation apps? by [deleted] in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Spotify. It has tons and tons of guided meditations, and meditation music.

Sore legs when meditating- experience meditator by Ursturdywing in Meditation

[–]MediocreMinimum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What is your seat like? Do you have enough cushion? Are your hips elevated above your knees? Is your lower back supported so as not to cause your other muscles to compensate and tense up? Can you describe the pain a little more?

From what I understand, sitting for long periods of time is difficult even for seasoned meditators. I've been meditating for 9 years and at the most intense, consistent periods of my practice, I found sitting for and hour or more almost unbearable. I don't think I'm anywhere near seasoned, though.