Mindfulness Experience

[fabiG]

Hey guys!

Currently, I am doing the 8-weeks-course in Germany. As it is here (I'm not sure how it's in the UK), each course includes a day of mindfulness, where you meditate 5 hours on one given day, with breaks, but silence.

Yesterday, I was participating in that day. At the beginning of the day, I wasn't feeling good. My thoughts were so vivid and I really got entangled in them. The morning session of mindfulness was therefore quite good for me. I really was mindful observing my breath and my body, and my thoughts seemed to be more distant to me. But after lunch break, in the afternoon session, everything got worse. I wasn't really mindful and I couldn't really follow the meditation practices...

Now, I noticed that in general terms my mindfulness practice really has become more developed thanks to the course and my general health has improved as well...but I really have no idea what happened yesterday...

Does anyone has some thoughts to it? It is something that you have experienced as well when meditating so much?

Greetings from Germany!

[Peter]

Hi Fabian,
Thanks for sharing.

It is what it is. Sometimes it's like this, sometimes it's like that. It's all good. Everything changes constantly, we too are never the same.

On another note. In the Netherlands, in a lot of mindfulness courses they also practice for that long. I personally think it is really stupid to practice this long with 'beginners'. A lot of people get fed up with it really fast.

Peter

[fabiG]

The majority of the class attendants were quite positive in the feedback round after the course; I did like it as well, especially the silence, you realize how much inner commentary goes on. And also it's basically the end to the course, so that everybody has had a good idea what mindfulness is about.

For me myself the first session made really fun, listening to myself, but in the second session I couldn't get distance to them which made me feel really bad. however, I could enjoy the rest of the day quite well, which was really nice!

[Peter]

Nice to hear that you've enjoyed it.

But I've heard from quite a few people that they hated mindfulness because they had to practice way too long (for hours on end) in the course, and they too gave positive feedback at the end of the course, because they didn't want the others to think that there's something 'wrong' with them.

I really don't think that it is smart, as a general approach, to introduce people in a western culture to mindfulness by letting them meditate for hours on end.

Peter

[JonW]

Five hours sounds like a lot to me, at least during the 8-week course.
What was the longest sit without a break?
I'd be very interested in hearing Matt's views on this.
All best,
Jon

[Matt Y]

Hi Fabian,

It's quite common to find post-lunch sessions somewhat difficult. The combination of a full stomach and a long day make it hard to focus. The body just wants to rest. I'd suggest that gentle yoga or a nap would be better options at that time.

Also, it sounds like you had an expectation that you'd be able to maintain a kind of mindful observation of breath and thoughts. This is not something that is possible to sustain for long periods, particularly when you are relatively new to the practice. Remember to go gently on yourself. Getting caught up in your thoughts and losing focus is usually not that much of a problem. Most of us have survived our entire lives doing that!

[fabiG]

We did a couple of different practices, each one lasting abut 15 min., then had a break, then another one. So four practices in the morning session (2 per hour), 4 in the afternoon. And for me personally it was to long, for which I decided not to meditate formally today, just went for a mindful walk in the woods.

And yes, normally I avoid post-lunch sessions, because I only would get tired and begin to sleep. In this case, a nap could have perhaps been better. But anyway, it definitely was an interesting experience.

[JonW]

Sounds like a lot.
JW