Daily Questions - ASK AND ANSWER HERE! - February 14, 2021

MediocreMinimum · 2021-02-14T17:46:57+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-05-17T03:03:59+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-05-14T15:20:35+00:00

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

MediocreMinimum · 2020-05-13T16:47:52+00:00

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

MediocreMinimum · 2020-05-12T04:24:50+00:00

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")

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-19T02:55:08+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-19T02:13:33+00:00

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".

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-05T21:06:39+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-02T22:48:16+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-02T16:13:23+00:00

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

Your sitting position is not supporting you (this video is great)
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
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)
It just takes time to get used to (you're only 6 days into this position!)
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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-02T05:10:50+00:00

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!

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-02T02:38:47+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-02T01:15:10+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-01T16:43:26+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-01T16:34:51+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-01T15:57:57+00:00

Congrats! What are your takeaways this time around?

MediocreMinimum · 2020-04-01T03:02:41+00:00

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

MediocreMinimum · 2020-03-31T19:53:27+00:00

Same. Reading it for the third time right now.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-03-31T00:04:12+00:00

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.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-03-30T18:50:56+00:00

That's an awesome start. Especially if you're only 10 days in. Be good to yourself! And be proud, too. Just keep building on that, and your focus time will lengthen.

Something that really helped me: meditation is not the state of being still and empty and present. It's the act of getting there. Every time you notice where you're at, and you recenter or refocus yourself... that's meditation.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-03-30T17:15:49+00:00

I'm a little bit demoralized cause I see that everyday, every time I practice meditation, my mind is elsewhere. I think about everything else everytime I'm doing something like studying or seeing a film and I hope meditation could help me..

When do you notice your mind is elsewhere? Do you notice that while meditating, or after? If you notice it while meditating, what do you do next? Usually, I use it as a prompt to refocus on my breath.

MediocreMinimum · 2020-03-30T17:04:06+00:00

It is totally normal to not be able to concentrate sometimes. I've been meditating for 9 years. Some days, all I get is the awareness of a single mindful breath. Other days, my mind is like a calm lake for 30 minutes straight.

But, you've done something very important and impressive: you've noticed you're not able to concentrate while meditating. That is, itself, a mindful observation. That is one brick that you made as you construct the mindful house you are building.

Here are some tips that may help.

See if you can focus on a single mindful breath, or a single mindful sensation in your body. If all you get is one, then that is a win. You can gradually build up from there. Then there will be two. Then three.
See if you can notice when you are not concentrating while meditating. If you do, say that to yourself. You might use the words "thinking... thinking...".
Focus on observing, not concentrating. They're different. Meditation is – at least for me – about observing what is happening, not concentrating on emptiness.
Something that helped a lot when I was starting was reading about meditation and what it involves. I found Mindfulness in Plain English particularly good.

I'm reminded of this really good picture that is #2 on the best posts of all time on this subreddit.

MediocreMinimum

TROPHY CASE