does meditation help with productivity, or where's the benefit?

davidle

davidle

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Aug 30, 2010
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do you meditate? if so, what do you get out it? why do you meditate?

it seems like a lot of smart people who i respect on twitter tend to meditate. i can't tell if they're just too open-minded and experiencing the placebo effect, or if they're genuinely getting something out of meditating. according to wikipedia, the scientific research delving into meditation is muddled at best; so much so that wikipedia can't actually verify a single benefit. if there are no benefits, what's the fucking point? i'm talking to you you meditating sons of bitches!

i'd also be interested in hearing your meditating routines and how you view your form of meditation. since people seem to meditate in different ways, that info would maybe help clarify why you're experiencing meditation the way you are.
 


meditation helped my brother a lot. i think it should pretty much be mandatory.
 
i don't meditate on a regular basis, but it is nice every once in a while to silence the chatter, to mentally shut the fuck up & just observe.
 
It you can focus on nothing for X minutes then you can focus on anything

I am trying to learn these skills as well but it's def hard
 
barman said:
It you can focus on nothing for X minutes then you can focus on anything
Click to expand...

This is deep, but this is what it feels like. I'm in no way a meditation pro tho

Also

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One of the preliminary fruits of meditation (as defined in Buddhist terms) is Ekaggatā or one-pointedness. Your mind becomes completely fixated onto one mental object, rather than scattered willy nilly (sights, sounds, thoughts, voice in your head, bodily sensations, emotions, memory of past, expectation of future, desire) as it is in the waking state for most people.

This then can be used to put total and sustained focus and attention on any activity.

If you ever taken LSD before, you might have experienced one-pointedness before, for those who aren't familiar with it, they usually describe it as "tunnel vision".
 
barman said:
It you can focus on nothing for X minutes then you can focus on anything

I am trying to learn these skills as well but it's def hard
Click to expand...
Now that's something new for me.. I always meditate the other way around. by calming down but still thinking how to solve things calmly... obviouly I don't know the proper way :D

Let me try this up later on...

productionhead said:
Your mind becomes completely fixated onto one mental object, rather than scattered willy nilly (sights, sounds, thoughts, voice in your head, bodily sensations, emotions, memory of past, expectation of future) as it is in the waking state for most people.
Click to expand...
Concentrate on 1 object alone.. Now that's easier!

Thanks!
 
Builds Focus, Discipline, Concentration, Self Awareness, Relaxation, and the ability to better control your thoughts.

If any of that appeals to you then I'd recommend starting with just 5 or 10 minutes per day of very simple meditation. Doesn't have to be anything "spiritual"... for me it isn't.

ie... try to just calmly watch your breathing for 10 minutes without thinking about anything else. If another thought comes in your mind or if your mind wanders, let the thought go like you are releasing it down a stream, or like it is a cloud passing in the sky. Then gently refocus your attention on your breathing.

Whatever you feel, allow it... Accept the present moment without trying to change anything. The only thing you have to do is gently return your focus to your breathing anytime that it wanders.

It's extremely easy. And yet extremely difficult. It's a life time practice that brings massive benefits that are pretty obvious once you experience it for yourself.

Remember: Allow, allow allow, don't fight yourself... If you want to dissipate a thought or a feeling (like anxiety or restlessness) you have to accept it before you can let it go...

GO GO GO
 
gunn.enterprise said:
Let me try this up later on...


Concentrate on 1 object alone.. Now that's easier!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Different methods of meditation have different benefits.

It's kind of like doing different exercises at the Gym for different strength gains or conditioning.

Here's a few ides

1) Focus on 1 thing intensely for a few minutes without worrying about "relaxing"
2) Focus on 1 thing gently for a few minutes while trying to release any tension or anxiety and reach a state of peaceful and focused relaxation.
3) Don't try to focus on any 1 thing, just try to relax yourself and your body and sit calmly
4) Contemplate a specific problem, thought or issue, hyper focus your attention on it and amplify your thoughts or feelings surrounding it
5) Contemplate a specific problem, but in a more free and random manner in which you let your mind roam over the subject without trying to direct it at all...
6) Use a touch and go method in which you encourage your mind to wander, and then encourage your mind to refocus, repeat...
7) Free form meditation in which you just give your mind freedom to roam wherever it wants to go without trying to control anything whatsoever

As you can see meditation is simply consciously engaging with our thoughts.

Usually we go about our day and our mind is just kind of on auto-pilot.

Meditation is a time in which we can more purposefully engage, exercise, or explore our mind.

The cool thing is that when you engage in these experiments and exercises, you start to inhabit a part of your mind that can watch and analyze your thought stream... and in this way you end up accessing a deeper level of self awareness because you can start to "see yourself" a little bit more objectively too.

it's cool!

Many many possibilities and things to explore!
 
^ The funny thing is... it's something that even after meditation for a few years now every day. I still have to rediscover this fact over and over again. And much of the time it comes at that point where I just kind of "give up" trying to control the meditative process. and then as soon as I give up, the breakthrough happens.

Coool shizzy fo sheezy
 
It's funny that we make such a big deal out of meditation. In reality it's one of the simplest things you can do*. Sit quietly and observe your breath for 10 minutes a day.

Every time you notice your attention wandering (which will happen every 2.5 seconds to begin with), gently bring it back to your breath.

Do this every day for 1 month, then you can decide for yourself. The worst case is that you'll have spent 5 hours during the month doing something that you don't think it beneficial. I bet you spend longer than that watching TV/wasting time on forums/sitting on traffic ( I know I do ).

Honestly, given the insanely low barrier to entry, it's crazy how much people (including me) procrastinate over doing it.

*Simple != Easy
 
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Wiredniko recommended me a book thats been sitting in my amazon cart, and the author also has a video out which is basically a guided meditation.

I can't remember his name and I'd dig through my old PM's but I'm on my iPhone and about to head out.

Try searching guided meditation torrent on google. The guys name starts with an S and it's very long. I'll come back later tonight and share his name if no one else finds it. I'm going to start meditating tonight and going to try to be consistent maybe something like 30minutes a day for the next 30days. Maybe I'll come back and post my results if anyone's interested.
 
mpbiz said:
I'm going to start meditating tonight and going to try to be consistent maybe something like 30minutes a day for the next 30days. Maybe I'll come back and post my results if anyone's interested.
Click to expand...

If you can handle the 30 minutes then great! But don't feel bad about scaling it back to 5 minutes or 10 minutes per day. Starting small is a great way to go. And I know a wise gentle old buddhist man who meditates every day and advises only 10 minutes twice per day first thing in the am and last thing in the pm.

We have a tendency to think go big or go home, or that more is better.

Personally I've found that meditating for long periods can actually sap my energy, willpower and motivation if i'm not careful.

No shame in not squatting 300 your first time at the gym :)
 
SnapJacks said:
If you can handle the 30 minutes then great! But don't feel bad about scaling it back to 5 minutes or 10 minutes per day. Starting small is a great way to go. And I know a wise gentle old buddhist man who meditates every day and advises only 10 minutes twice per day first thing in the am and last thing in the pm.

We have a tendency to think go big or go home, or that more is better.

Personally I've found that meditating for long periods can actually sap my energy, willpower and motivation if i'm not careful.

No shame in not squatting 300 your first time at the gym :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice.

One of the things I've always been a little confused about is which type of meditation to choose. For example, I remember reading that billionaire ray dalio practices transcendental meditation.

Do different types of meditation produce different results?
 
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