Observing thoughts

[Moksha76]

I am a total convert to mindfulness and meditation and want to use them to help me deal with anxiety and depression. But, though they are already helping me, I have two problems:

1) Due to my agitated, anxious state, I find it difficult to sit still in a meditative pose for more than a minute or so. It's not that I am too busy or that I lack commitment, I just find it impossible. Perhaps in time, as the meditation calms me down, I will be able to. Is it possible to practise mindful meditation while walking alone in the countryside? I know you can be mindful, but does it count as meditation? Is it as effective as sitting with legs crossed and eyes closed?

2) Though I understand the principle of "watching the thinker" or "being the witness of your thoughts" , I find it hard to watch individual thoughts as they arise. I also sense that much of the damaging thinking is going on subconsciously, in other words just below my conscious awareness. I seem able to recognise thoughts after they have gone, but not while they are occurring. So I deliberately blur all my thoughts together into one incoherent noise, then give my head a shake and re-focus on the Now.

[KathleenH]

Hi Moksha

Well done on starting your practice and I'm happy to hear they are already helping.

Regarding walking meditation, if it works for you then go ahead, you are bringing yourself into the moment and focusing. Don't be too rigid with your practice otherwise you will get frustrated and be more likely to give it up. If you can't sit for 20 minutes then try small moments of 5, if you can't sit at that particular time then try a walking meditation. Be holistic and work with your meditation rather than forcing it.

It sounds like you are aware of the thoughts which is good, you are also not engaging with them which is also good. You dont have to identify each individual one, just be aware of them and watch them flow through however you want to do it. A shake of the head sounds like a good idea, I might try that when my head is too full and busy.

We are all different and will all see thoughts and emotions differently, not everyone will be able to see the individual thoughts. Sometimes I do, but sometimes my head is too foggy and its just too much of a mess. I accept it is like that and I move on.

Good luck with your continuing practice

K

[Gareth]

Great advice from Kathleen.

I started small too. When I first started my practice, it used to be just 5 minutes a day, and that felt like an eternity. I just added a minute whenever I felt ready, and I finished up when I got to 30 minutes per day. That feels about the right level for me.

It's good to vary up your practice and experiment with different techniques. Their are many different ways to practise mindfulness, and it's your practice after all.

Good luck!

[Steve]

I still find the first few minutes of a meditation the hardest, the mind and/or body is full of activity and doesn't want to slow down and do nothing. If I can get through this things gradually quieten down and then it becomes easier and easier to just sit. If this doesn't work, another option I find useful is to listen to a guided meditation as this can help distract you from all the mental activity or the restless limbs and so help you through this initial phase. Ones I have used recently are by Peter Russell. He has an online course called "How To Meditate Without Even Trying" which is not only a great title but I've also found it an effective approach. In each case, I have soon found my body has soon become completely motionless and lost all urges to move and the mind follows suit and its great to achieve this by the 'without even trying'. This approach is inherent in most meditation practices but I've found Peter Russell's description and application of the approach easy to adopt . You have to pay for the course but you can opt for as little as $1 so not a big deal!

Steve