FPIAFW - Week 1: Waking Up to the Autopilot

[ADropOffTime]

I'm already doing regular 40 minutes of breathing meditation a day. Is it fine if I simply stop doing the 8 minute meditation and simply continue with my practice?

I have not exactly caught up well with mindfulness in everyday life. Do I have to work on that before going to the next week?

[JonW]

Hi there, ADropOffTime.
If you're doing 40 mins a day, you can be excused the shorter meditation. Sounds like you've hit the ground running here.
As for the everyday exercises, maybe start working them in now. They're a very good way of reminding us that what we do on the chair/mat/bench is important but it's also important to be mindful outside of formal meditation.
Do update us on how you're doing.
All best,
Jon, Hove

[Peanut]

Hi guys,

Firstly I just want to say thank you for this amazing forum and website I have found it a source of sanity and grounding these past few weeks. I am very new to mindfulness and after being directed by members on here I have just started the "Finding Peace" 8 week course today. I am a default monkey mind loony, I am not even necessarily worrying but I am always wandering.

I just have a few questions:

1. Does anyone else visualize when they are meditating? I had read about Hannah viewing her thoughts as changing weather, and thus half way through a frustrating (I know no judgement) meditation I began to imagine my breath as a volcano and it was slowly rising as I watched it. And I tried to join hands with any thoughts or memories that sprung up and we all sat and watched the volcano. It did allow me to feel calmer but as I am in an internal visual world is it really being in the present? In other words is this okay to do?

2. As a very planned, organized, want to make sense of everything person I feel the urge to record every day so that I could look back and see any/if any changes. But I suddenly thought wait isn't this evaluating and judging? Will I be down heartened if no 'progress' occurs? Is this a bad idea?

I know it's unhealthy and goes against the whole ethos of mindfulness but I feel like my long term happiness is dependent on these next 8 weeks and if I am unable to accomplish this I will be doomed forever.

Thanks anyone who reads this and I would just really appreciate any thoughts, advice or similar experiences

[JonW]

Hi Peanut,
Good to hear you're following the course.
My advice would be to follow it as closely to the letter as possible, especially the guided meditations. Visualise if invited to do so. Keeping a diary is not a bad idea per se but, if you suspect it's going to lead you to make judgments ("Today's meditation wasn't as good as yesterday's"), then I'd give it a miss.
It's important to take each week as it comes and not get ahead of yourself.
"I feel like my long term happiness is dependent on these next 8 weeks and if I am unable to accomplish this I will be doomed forever" is just another thought. It's not a fact.
Let us know how you get along in the forthcoming weeks. You'll get plenty of support here on the forum so feel free to ask any questions that arise.
All best,
Jon, Hove

[Peanut]

Hi Jon,

Thanks very much for your reply!
As you are a seasoned veteran of mindfulness you are probably good to ask - what do you 'see' when you meditate?

Even when Mark says focus on the breath I find in my mind a visual of my stomach rising up and down - I guess this is a way for me to anchor my attention. If I leave it blank it will suddenly be filled with whatever my mind wants to throw at me.

Also when I am doing the fast body scan and he says feel the physical sensations I am having a running commentary e.g. my neck feels heavy etc. I picked this up from a body scan with JKZ who asked for the listener to describe their sensations. And when I bring those parts of my body into awareness or shine a light on them I am seeing them in my mind, sometimes with a torch upon them haha.

Do you still have a running internal commentary or did it leave after a while?

What do you think of all of this - your guidance is very helpful thanks!

[JonW]

Hi Peanut, I used some visualisation techniques when I started out meditating but I haven't used them in a long while.
I wouldn't worry too much at this stage about what comes into your mind when you meditate. Just gently notice whatever comes up and return to your anchor (whether that's the breath or the focus on a specific part of the body in a body scan).
It's about noticing, just being aware of your experience in this moment. The mind will always want to overcomplicate it. That's what minds do.
Cheers,
Jon

[FeeHutch]

I stopped keeping a record when I realised I spent much of the time I was sat figuring out what to write. I have a notebook so I can jot down notes if anything does come up but mostly I find it so disruptive I don't bother.

[Susie]

Good morning, I am brand new here and am beginning week one of Mark Williams book. I have tried before but didn't get past week one.

I also have some issues going on in my life and have recently started counselling, my counsellor is trained in mindfulness and supports my starting the 8 week course and she has suggested that I add the kindness meditation as well, so this is what I'm doing. I don't know if that's cheating or not but it seems to be calming my mind so I'm sticking with it.

So for this week I am going to do the mindfulness of breath twice a day, morning and evening. I woke early this morning and did mindfulness of breath and followed it with the kindness one (meditation 7)

I just wondered if anyone else had combined meditations like this?

I am going to sign up for an 8 week course starting in January

Any comments gratefully received

Thanks
Susie

[JonW]

Hi Susie,
Welcome to the forum. As you've probably spotted we have some technical issues with the forum right now. Hopefully they will soon be sorted.
In my view, there's no harm in adding a loving-kindness into the 8-week mix if that feels right.
The important thing at this stage is to be practicing (sticking to a daily practice if possible, at least six days a week) and to gently notice when you become goal-oriented ("I want this meditation to calm me"…"I want this meditation to be better than yesterday's"….)
It's great to hear that you've signed up with a teacher. In the meantime, you're in safe hands with the Williams/Penman book. Also, you'll get plenty of support here on the forum so please feel free to ask any questions that arise.
All good things,
Jon, Hove

[Susie]

Thanks for the reply Jon, it's good to be here. I will make sure I don't make my meditation times goal oriented, right now I regard them as "me time" which is something I don't have a lot of.

I'll be looking round the forum later as I have to go back out now, but thanks again for taking the trouble to write to me

Susie