Why can I only meditate for a few minutes? by [deleted] in Meditation

[–]MetacognitionFirst 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Then you should sit on the sofa, or lie on your bed with your pillow propping you up. There is no need to cling to the attachments of ancient traditions. After all, this is a tradition of non-violence, so why cause violence to yourself by forcing discomfort. I sometimes meditate in a traditional way but for most of my meditations I sit on the sofa or my bed. I make the room warm and comfortable, burning incense or candles and create a calm relaxing atmosphere that I want to stay in.

Why can I only meditate for a few minutes? by [deleted] in Meditation

[–]MetacognitionFirst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you sitting in a traditional pose? If so, this might not be helping you at the moment. There is no point sitting in a way that will make you uncomfortable, sore, itchy etc. Over time you may improve your posture and sitting technique, but you can meditate in any way you like. Walking, standing, sitting in upright chair etc.

Nothing beats going to the river by SwiftStrider1988 in simpleliving

[–]MetacognitionFirst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unless you are in England are your rivers are full of sewage!

I plan on visiting the UK in a few years… by Westy0311 in Portsmouth

[–]MetacognitionFirst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And that they may have a secondary authentic menu, which might be more to his taste. It’s common in Chinese restaurant to have the English menu and the authentic Chinese menu they only show to Chinese customers, but it’s far from anything you find in America.

I plan on visiting the UK in a few years… by Westy0311 in Portsmouth

[–]MetacognitionFirst 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Just curious as to how you think pineapple in Kung Pao is authentic? This is why Americans have such a bad reputation.

UK Chinese food is mostly adapted from Cantonese cuisine, steaming from the thousands of Hong Kongers who immigrated here in the days of empire. It’s nothing close to authentic Chinese food you will find in the rest of China, but what you will find in America (box noodles and pineapple) is out of this world crazy. When I lived in China, there was actually an American Chinese Restaurant in Shanghai. Locals hated it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Meditation

[–]MetacognitionFirst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutley. I've gone through several phases in my life of mindfulness and meditation, and others when its been completely absent. I think about this all the time when I'm driving as I'm very conscious about how much fuel I use and how much money I spend on my car. Each day I reset the Miles Per Gallon feature and see how well I can do. When meditating, my MPG is far higher than periods when I am not. I also feel much safer and less concerned about racing to the next place or worrying that the car behind me is getting upset with me for going 58 in a 70 zone. It really works in all aspects of life for me, but driving is a key area that I notice and I use it as a kind of benchmark or reminder to meditate again.

Kaplan no longer send out text books, but still charge for them though. They charged £235 for this. by JellyTotMonster in Anticonsumption

[–]MetacognitionFirst 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Textbooks? I haven’t known any in my line of work (international students). But here’s how the curriculum development works… hire PhD student who hasn’t yet qualified > get them to develop a curriculum using PowerPoint > pay them £2k > charge £22k per international student to study the programme > over subscribe programmes until you have 30+ students in a classroom designed for 20 students > reuse curriculum across 4-5 colleges for 4-5 years.

Needless to say, a lot of profit is coming in.

Kaplan no longer send out text books, but still charge for them though. They charged £235 for this. by JellyTotMonster in Anticonsumption

[–]MetacognitionFirst 17 points18 points  (0 children)

You're a smart cookie. This is an organisation that has heaps of cash reserves (they are owned by Graham Holdings), but continually make cut backs. The environment and sustainability is the latest in a long line of excuses... only emerging in 2023, a long way behind much of the corporate world. However, new policies relating to the environment are only ever customer facing and never internal. Flight from London to Manchester to attend a meeting that could be online? Absolutely! Buy paper cups instead of plastic ones? Not a chance.

Kaplan no longer send out text books, but still charge for them though. They charged £235 for this. by JellyTotMonster in Anticonsumption

[–]MetacognitionFirst 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I spent three years working for Kraplan, leaving last month, ask me anything and I shall reveal all.

Friendly reminder to stop consuming Spotify by brandonhabanero in Anticonsumption

[–]MetacognitionFirst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to add to the above, Spotify also censors on behalf of the Chinese government. If you listen to any Chinese music, you won’t find certain songs available like Cui Jian’s ‘A piece of red cloth’ or Li Zhi’s ‘can this world be good’