How to meditate - Stories relating to the practice of meditation.

I had been into vipashyana camp 2 years ago. There I learnt it and started practicing at home but I failed being consistent. Now I want to try again but need a good start as it was in camp. Step by step such that I can recover efficiently. So any resources or guide ?

A religious man is he who, realizing his conditioning, is breaking through that conditioning.

I consider myself as a beginner in meditation. I've been observing these days in daily meditation sessions that I can't stay longer than 30mins even if wanted to. It starts as subtle thought in my mind to open my eyes and get up, body follows it within microseconds.

It's such a strong urge that I can't convince my mind otherwise even to sit for 10 more mins. Today I tried to ignore the urge and stayed for 1 or 2 mins more but my mind wasn't taking it easy.

So I wonder what's making the urge so strong? Because I have no discomfort in the body so there shouldn't be that strong of a trigger in mind to stop. Is it because I'm used to that amount of time and never did more? I guess so. It's fascinating to see how a small unnoticeable thought determines our actions even if our real wish could be otherwise.

Please share if you had experienced this and tips you can offer?

PS: I don't follow any particular kind/guided meditation. I just try to detach myself from thoughts and let go of everything :)

I'd consider myself as a beginner in meditation. I've been observing these days in daily meditation sessions that I can't stay longer than 30mins even if wanted to. It starts as a subtle thought in my mind to open my eyes and get up, and body follows it within microseconds.

It's such a strong urge that I can't convince my mind otherwise even to sit for 10 more mins. Today I tried to ignore the urge and stayed for 1 or 2 mins but my mind wasn't taking it easy.

So I wonder why this urge is really strong? Because I have no discomfort in the body so there shouldn't be that strong of a trigger in my mind to stop. Is it because I'm used to that amount of time and never did more? I guess so. It's still is fascinating to see how a small unnoticeable thought determines our actions even if our real wish could be otherwise.

Any thoughts/experiences on this?

PS: I don't follow guided/any particular kind. I just watch my thoughts and try to let go of everything.

I have been into meditation and spirituality since a few years, and over the course of time, I have been getting certain mental images(for example- scorpian or worms or something I am phobic about) that are disturbing only before an untoward incident. In the starting, I would get really low vibes that would make me depressed and sad before some bad incident. But lately, as my vibes have been increased and I have grown more positive, I get strong disturbing images that intuitively tell me for sure, there is something wrong and next day, something small or big negative incident takes place. I am not sure if my mind is attracting bad vibes thats causing something bad or if it’s my intuition which I cant do anything about? I feel I am more susceptible to negative energy coz of being an empath. How do I cleanse this negative aura if I mentally feel it? Why is it that I cant predict something good and how can I control the clairvoyance?

Im very interested on meditation but i really dont know how it works. ¿what should i have to focus my mind on? ¿Should i recite the Om? any advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

For the past 2 months or so as I continued my meditations, as I kept discovering new things, sobbed at realizing my true self over and over again, accelerating the process without a desire for any outcome other than to just be, I realized how beautiful this whole thing is.

My search for the unconditional love that was taken away from me since childhood has been coming to an end, but if not, then that's okay too.

When I first felt tired I thought that my brain was just tired of the constant meditation, that I am tired of the hurtful things I'm experiencing, that home is the ego, but I was wrong. I'm happy I was wrong.

"I am tired. I want to go home." I said to myself. Over and over again. Day after day. Especially when I sob after realizing the beauty of just being me.

I then realized something at the deepest level, that home isn't the ego. It isn't how my past self used to be; in agony of a false future, in sorrow of what could've and didn't. That's not home. I didn't know where home was.

It hasn't been a sudden realization but more of a gradual one, like a soft blanket covering me with a voice telling me "you made it".

"I am tired. I want to go home." I said to myself again, but somehow I knew I was already home. Then I realized what J. Krishnamurti meant when he said "Meditation is not the means to an end. It is both the means and the end".

I am meditation. I've been home for all this time. I've been home whenever I shed pieces of my old, fractured ego through uncontrollable waves of crying like a child that is finally being held. Finally being held by the only person that matters to him. Himself.

You and I are all the true essence of buddha, jesus, mohammad, ram dass, alan watts, j. krishnamurti, whoever. These are all identities of the same thing within, it's all so pretty. I already am the unconditional love I seek. The light I see. The warmth I feel.

"I am tired. I want to go home." I said to myself,

"I am tired. I am already home." I whispered back.

My search for the unconditional love that I thought was taken away from me since childhood has been coming to an end,

and as I wept,

I said to myself,

"how pretty"

I've been doing vipassana meditation. Do I have to keep repeating rising falling or can I just observe? I'm observing in both situations either way.

I am at the moment reading Seeing That Frees by Rob Burbea. I am really enjoy it the book and recommend it heavily.

I am planning to by The Mind Illuminated. It is so popular! I have never seen a book being recommended to me so much, maaany people in this subreddit have told me to read it and I see it in so many posts of people telling to buy the book to others aswell:

Very simple question but, why? What makes it sooo good? The author? The way it's written? Its completeness?

Also, when one reads the book, what other book that is more advanced would you recommend? To go really to the intricacies and nuances of meditation. Especially Samatha and Vipassana.

TLDR; How to find self-compassion and build positively from a state of self-hatred and grudge stemming from long-lasting, persistent issues?

I avoid conflict a lot because I'm scared to stand up for myself or "don't know how". This makes a lot of people naturally feel comfortable to talk to me or treat me in a way that i consider belittling, friends and family too, of course. I feel they don't respect me or even consider me dumb. Sometimes i believe that. Many times i can get insulted or treated improperly and in hindsight regret i didn't speak out, and i can get very angry at myself, frustrated and depressed for letting it happen and disregarding myself yet again.

I can get stuck in a loop thinking about the situation and getting consumed by these feelings and the frustration of a missed opportunity to stand up for myself for once. The worst feeling is that the i will let it happen again next time. The other person doesn't know my feelings and by next time it happens will have forgotten my resolve to act differently.

How can i help myself in this situation? I mean right now, when this just happened and I'm in this negative thoughts and feelings loop. I know i should strive to improve my ability to speak for myself for the future but right now this loop makes me hate and hold grudges against people that are dear to me, and feel bad about myself.

Thank you.

I just realized I’ve been playing pretend—I don’t have a clue what any of this is. Not just some of it, but all of it. I mean anything and everything.

And honestly, I think everyone else is pretending too—pretending they know what’s going on, pretending they know what to do. Pretending all of this is normal.

I was taught the rules of the world—by my family, my friends, my schooling, my communities, the media, and the government.

But now, setting aside all those rules and beliefs and looking at the world through an unfiltered lens, I see that nothing is “normal.” Everything is so weird. The strangest, eeriest feeling is realizing that, logically, nothing should exist at all—and yet, here I am, and there everything is... like WHAT?! Nobody can convince me this is normal.

Science doesn’t prove anything. Religion is pure dogma, and even my so-called “spiritual journey” feels laughable. Anyone who claims to know how others should live their lives is lying. We’re all co-conspirators in this illusion we call modern society. It’s all made up.

Even writing these words feels like a joke. I have no idea how they’ll affect me or anyone who reads them. Yet here I am, caught in the illusion that writing and sharing this might help me—or maybe someone else.

enjoy in my mediation channel mediatation channel

A very poignant video clip addressing the severe adverse effects many people are experiencing from indiscriminately promoted ego death/self-deconstructive meditations such as in Sam Harris's Waking Up app, youtube, etc. Seems there needs to be much more discussion and education about this.

https://youtu.be/qBeziV-aF3E?si=3Yq--l1ylzgAd0Sx

So, what are the possibilities when I feel bad and weird?

Hello!

I got introduced to inner engeenering by my brother after a bit of stressful times.

I started doing the steps without knowing of how will it look like, got to step 3, did the meditation , felt really bad started crying and so on. Then I proceeded to do isha kriya daily and as I understand the first meditation opened me for benefits from isha kriya.

However, because of how powerful it is, I get nausea and can’t sleep at night, I got scared of death and I’m thinking about it. I feel better when it comes to expressing myself but the bad things happen from the other end.

Basically my goal was to be more energetic and responsible and I feel like because it is like whole karma cleanser (if you can call it like that) my body and mind can’t handle that much of enlightenment- I feel like I go crazy and I feel heavy depressed nauseas etc

So, are there any ways to somehow block it? To prevent those feelings at night I started praying to Jesus and I made cross symbol and it helped me sleep. I also

I just want to have friend be more responsible and energetic I really don’t need to clean my whole karma. What are the solutions ? I’m scared to continue the course I don’t think I will finish it and get initiated, I’m thinking of getting in touch with exorcist. I’m also scared of isha kriya and i don’t work out or do any yoga because i intuitively feel like I will not be able to handle that much.

Just a reminder for myself.

You're a better person when you meditate .

You enjoy life to to the fullest.

Don't let life remind you that you felt better when you meditated consistenly.

Keep doing It, peace and silence speak for themselves, huge but quiet progress its being made...

LOVE.

Ok so I've done an open eye meditation aside from negative/anxiety thoughts supressed my vision became distorted and I can only describe as it's like I'm on a mushroom Trip what does this mean?

These past two years i genuinely felt like i’m about to lose my mind , obsessive thoughts about how people perceive me and what i say and do to the point where i started to self harm just to stop my own thoughts,feeling embarrassed after every social interaction to the point where i would hurt myself just to numb the idea of others perceiving me badly.

Worrying so much about the future to the point where even while I’m studying or reading or going out , i don’t feel like i exist in the present moment but rather in an overthinking bubble where my thoughts repeat themselves over and over and over again that i genuinely stopped listening to sounds around me and have panic attacks in the middle of the grocery store while asking someone about the bread section.

I just want my thoughts to stop , i need to be normal , just not expect anything or want anything or desire anything, i want to be content with the present moment and i want my brain to only focus on the now..

If any body interested in teaching related Paramhansa Yogananda and their organisation YSS (Yogoda satsang Society) or SRF ( Self realisation fellowship) pls join a Sub which I have created r/YSSSRF

Namaste beautiful souls🙏,

Meditation has been one of the most transformative practices of my life, a gateway to uncovering the truth of who I am and my connection to the universe.

Back in 2016, after my first heartbreak, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery. What started with exploring personality types and labels soon became a whirlwind of confusion. I was searching for answers, but instead, I found myself lost in depression, anxiety, existential crisis, and (eventually discovered in 2020) ADHD.

These dark years seemed endless, but on October 27, 2022, during what felt like an ordinary day, I had a profound spiritual awakening. In a single moment of clarity, everything fell into place. I saw and felt the unconditional love of the universe. It was as if I had been blind my entire life, and suddenly, I could see that we are all one—part of a divine, cosmic dance.

Meditation became my lifeline. Over the past two years, I’ve dived deep into the practice, spending countless hours in stillness and reflection. Through this, I’ve peeled back layers of conditioning, healed old wounds, and found alignment with my higher self.

Now, my life feels like a continuous unfolding of beauty and divine purpose. Every meditation session is a homecoming—a reminder of the infinite love that connects us all.

I’ve also realized that my path isn’t just about my own spiritual growth but about helping others awaken to their highest potential. My mission is to support healers, spiritual seekers, and conscious creators in expanding their impact, so we can collectively raise humanity’s vibration.

Meditation holds the power to change lives. Imagine a world where more souls tune into their inner stillness, rediscover their essence, and step into their light. That’s the vision I want to help create—a world where love, peace, and harmony flourish.

I love you. I thank you. Wishing you an incredible day filled with peace, joy, and stillness.

Hey everyone. I am relatively very new to meditation (Nearly 3 weeks). My question is, is it advisable and appropriate to meditate with Om Namah Shivay chants specifically at night? I am asking this as I medidate at night.

Assalaam u Alaykum, I am meditating since a month. Thing is that I do simple 4-7-8 meditation (4 sec breath, 7 sec hold and 8 sec exhale) but as I am going more into it, I feel like it's too much time but when I see clock, it's 5 mins. More than that, I get thoughts like my posture is not correct, people are watching me (as I do this in mosque after my prayers).

How to increase focus??

I've seen quite a few posts in the past of people tracking their meditation/habits in an app. It had a black background and the tracker colors were very vibrant and bright. Having trouble finding a post now to reference, and when I look in the app store I can't find one that looks like it.

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yesterday I was feeling a little drained so I decided I wanted to do something to help me relax and recuperate so I looked up guided meditations just a short little 10 minute one and I found one for self love and I did it and I felt great my visualizations were great and everything and overall a great experience would definitely recommend!

Share your thoughts, learnings, insights. How do you practise surrender and acceptance in your life. How have they helped you?

Has anyone else expirienced this? What is this...oscillation between polar or dualistic categories of 'being'??

I am looking for a meditation aid device (like Muse, etc) that will wake you up gently if you fall asleep during meditation. My Google searches just turn up meditation devices that help you sleep which is the opposite of my problem. Does this device exists? Thank you 🙏🏻 (*please refrain from debating or presenting ideas outside of the direct question asked, it is not why I asked this question)

Is it working against yourself to follow say kriya yoga, mindfulness (concentration, awareness), and metta techniques or is it just like an athlete practicing different sports?

How did it work for you? What's the usual advice on this?

My friends’ parents are ardent believer in Maa Durga and Maa Kali and they worship them at home with all the rituals. They visit regularly to Banaras and meditate in burial grounds at the ghats. Help me understand what kind of meditation practice is this?