Restless mind/preparation for meditation

[alexcr87]

Hi everyone,

The past couple of days/weeks I have had a lot of things on my mind. I kept meditating, because the more you have in mind the more you should meditate and I try to follow that closely, but it still is a bit harder those days.

Does anyone have a ritual, or I don't know, any suggestion to calm the mind a bit prior to meditation? Or ways to tackle this restlessness? For instance, take deep breaths, etc.

Thanks and have a great day everyone and happy new year !

Alex

[Peter]

Does anyone have a ritual, or I don't know, any suggestion to calm the mind a bit prior to meditation? Or ways to tackle this restlessness? For instance, take deep breaths, etc.

Hi Alex, The most powerful for me is Power Yoga, and hiking in nature. But, of course, one doesn't need a quiet mind to meditate. One could even argue that the brain needs to adapt a lot more when it is not so quiet. A lot of people feel like they are failing when they need to keep bringing their attention back to the meditation object, but this noticing, and bringing back is actually a great thing. That is what brings about the neuroplasticity in the brain.

And happy new year!

[alexcr87]

Yeah well those days, I catch myself writing whole books instead of meditating. By that I am using myself an expression one of my yoga teachers once said : when you meditate, sometimes you "catch" yourself thinking after a sentence, sometimes it is after a paragraph, etc. But what I'm noticing those days is that I can write "whole books" before even noticing I'm thinking Actually, I meditate around 15 minutes for now, and to give you an example this morning I think it took over 10 minutes to realize I was completely lost in my train of thought. I try not to be upset about it, but I don't know (I suppose, actually) that this is "affecting" my meditation. But then again, is that really so, I have no idea.

I also try to meditate pretty much first thing in the morning, as some authors have suggested. But yeah, around the holidays I indeed skipped some yoga classes and in the winter here (I live in Quebec, Canada) I do less outdoor activity, less sports so that probably doesn't help. But actually I suspect there will surely be other times in my life where I won't be able to go outside, etc. and control other factors as much and was examining solutions more directly related to the meditation practice itself actually.

But still, I do agree that yoga is really a powerful activity to calm the mind. I would also recommend it to everyone. I started 6 months ago and had never experienced some of the mind states I was in after some of the yoga classes I attended. Wonderful experiences.

Thanks for the reply and happy new year as well !

[Peter]

Thanks Alex. Have you considered trying longer formal meditations? 15 minutes is rather short. In my experience it is quite possible that the mind becomes more quiet after a longer period. Maybe you always stop too soon to experience that. Meditating for a longer time also provides the opportunity to explore things like boredom etc. Another tip could be to use an interval bell to help you to become present sooner.

[alexcr87]

Yes actually I'm gradually increasing the duration since I've started meditating again last fall. I think you're right, maybe 15 minutes is a bit short for now. But I'll stick to increasing gradually, I just don't want to rush things. I'll keep that into mind though.

The interval bell seems like a good idea, I'll give it a try. Thanks! Those are valuable suggestions.

[Gareth]

Like Peter said: you don't need a calm mind to meditate. In fact, a busy mind means that you have lots to work with. Getting a calm mind is a goal, and to be truly effective, your mindfulness practice should be goalless. Just be with whatever you find on that particular day. Be that calm or be that otherwise.

[alexcr87]

Yes the problem, I think, is that when you reach a certain threshold of "restlessness", you forget to "be with" whatever you find on that day, as you say. Then it's a problem, right? When you get so much absorbed into your thinking that you forget to "be with" yourself?

[Gareth]

When you get so much absorbed into your thinking that you forget to "be with" yourself?

It happens to us all. Life keeps happening, and mindfulness is a lifelong (and often difficult) journey.

[alexcr87]

Right. Maybe I'm a bit too much preoccupied by the "quality" of my meditation. I'll keep increasing my sitting time, as suggested by Peter, and simply keep going while trying not to worry too much

[Peter]

That's great Alex! I think that's a breakthrough realisation!