Managed my first guided practice

[deltahotel66]

Hi guys,
Just wanted to share that yesterday I managed to sit down and actually complete my first intentional guided practice, which may not seem that big a deal to some but for me was momentous. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I am going through some dark days and I feel it's important to acknowledge (to myself) that this practice was progress. I am deriving a lot of encouragement from these boards and even though I don't feel I have much to offer to others because my experience is virtually non existent, reading what others are experiencing is giving me something to aim for and hope of things to come perhaps.

Cheers
Delta

[hearandnow_]

Well done Delta, this is great news. Some days I think it's an achievement to stay with a guided practice for 10 seconds so it's great to hear you completed a practice.

Best,
Naomi

[Gareth]

Baby steps Delta.

Mindfulness demands nothing from you. Any anxious or weird thoughts that you are having as a result of taking these tentative steps are just fine. Allow them to be. It sounds crazy I know, but mindfulness is a journey, learning all the time.

I wish you well Delta and remember: the journey is the destination.

Gareth

[FeeHutch]

That's great to read Delta

[Steve]

Delta

Great to hear. A journey is made up of many steps, and taking the first step can be the biggest challenge.

Steve

[deltahotel66]

Thanks to everyone that replied, it's appreciated. I'm finding so many questions going around in my mind in relation to practicing,how often should I try to practice, for how long etc etc. Because of the effects of my illnesses I spend the vast majority of my time alone at home and occupying that time is a constant struggle. Trying to be more mindful in my day to day life is very appealing to me, especially since I have been reading that it can be very beneficial for my type of problems. Of course my burning desire is to *feel better* as quickly as possible but in the book The Mindful Way Through Depression, it explains that this is *goal oriented* and can be counter productive. This is where I get a bit lost and probably, well, certainly, still haven't got my head around how mindfulness works.
Would I be right in thinking that instead of looking for a certain *outcome* or *feeling*, I would be better just concentrating on the breath without any expectation of anything ?
To just try to notice whatever is going on in my mind without getting *involved* with a particular thought or feeling ?

Any advice anyone could offer me would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Delta

[JonW]

Hi there.
I posted a reply yesterday but it doesn't seem to have appeared on the forum.
It's great to hear that you've completed your first guided meditation. It felt momentous to me too the first time. It truly is the start of a wonderful journey.
About "goals". In his books, all of which are highly recommended, Jon Kabat-Zinn writes very eloquently about how counter-productive it can be to approach meditation with any concrete idea about what benefits it's going to bring. In itself striving for a particular goal is "doing" rather than "being".
When I meditate I set out to meditate simply for the experience of meditating. Any benefits that result are like a by-product of the meditation. "Concentrating on the breath without any expectation of anything" sounds right to me.
I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I have good days and not so good days with meditation. Or, to put it another way, some days are easier. Again though, I try not to judge in terms of performance. I try not to think along the likes of "That was 5/10 whereas yesterday was 8/10." When the meditation is more challenging and it's more difficult to settle, it's important not to blame oneself. It's OK. That's how you are feeling at that moment. So long as you're being mindful, that's fine.
I found that reading up on the subject helped me to understand mindfulness in more depth and helped deepen my meditative practice. There's no better place to start than with the Jon Kabat-Zinn books, especially Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go...Also recommended are "Mindfulness: Finding Peace In A Frantic World" by Mark Williams/Danny Penman and The Mindfulness Manifesto by Jonty Heaversedge/Ed Halliwell. It also helped me to use a variety of guided meditation audios. There are many of these available for free (and legally!) online. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need links for those audios or indeed to ask any other questions you might have. All best, Jon

[rara]

Awesome! And as you grow, you can pay it forward to the next lot of people who need help kicking off

[rara]

And yes, concentrate on breath for a while...watch how your mood changes momentarily as you take focus onto one thing...it all starts in the mind...your physical body will follow. Only ever focus on the present....that will shape your future, with no effort at all!

[deltahotel66]

Jon and rara, thanks for the replies ! Jon, I'd very much appreciate it if you could put up some links for me, that would be great. I have noted the books you have mentioned and I will keep my eye out for them, thanks again.

I really appreciate the help guys, thank you !

cheers
Delta