This probably is a sign of a flaw in me, but: I find meditation to be really boring.
I have an extremely hard time sitting still with nothing to do, read, or watch.
In fact, I had a similar reaction to yoga; it felt too slow to me, and I found myself just wanting to sleep.
I do understand that there are benefits to slowing your breathing, calming your body, and just sort of giving all of your systems a bit of rest.
If I am feeling worn out and stressed, though, usually my solution is just to try to get a good night’s sleep. I know I would find sleep boring if I were conscious, but luckily, I am unconscious while sleeping.
Mercifully, there are studies showing that prayer has a lot of overlapping benefits with meditation, so as long as I maintain an active prayer life, it seems like I will reap the benefits of meditation without having to be so bored. 😉
Nope, for similar reasons to yours (unsurprisingly). Also, I cannot do any sort of regulated breathing exercise. It makes me start to hyperventilate when I focus on my breathing. Mindfulness is apparently not for me. 🙂
I like yoga for the health benefits but I’m not into meditation in the least. Is kinda hard for me to take seriously although there’s many that tout it. Intentional prayer is the last thing I do before sleep which helps me to unwind.
I’m with you on this, I’ve tried so many times to meditate and fail dismally. In group situations I usually sneak a look at others and try and work out if they are really ‘at one’ or they’re pretending like me. I thinks it’s a bit of an Emperor’s new clothes situation!
I feel the same about meditation. I’m a fidgety sort of person, and trying to meditate just makes it worse. Long walks by myself are a much better form of meditation.
I’ve tried it several times and I find it incredibly boring. I’m thinking of things I could/should be doing. Prayer is where it’s at. I could talk to God all day and enjoy every moment.
I’ve always thought of meditation & prayer as basically the same time….that prayer is a tool for meditation. To me, you choose to think of something when you meditate….whether it’s prayer, scripture, ect or rolling grass in a meadow or ocean waves. You can’t totally not think of anything.
Not for me. I think meditation is just another way to relax or help be more mindful. I love actively thinking and taking about what we are grateful for in our family (like your grateful lists). I also pray, as I am a Christian.
Totally find meditation relaxing. I’m thinking of pleasant things while I meditate, it’s impossible to have nothing on your mind. Sometimes I have music and sometimes not. Its an art form of being still and allowing your body to relax, with your mind freely roaming wherever it needs to go.
I’m another one who cannot meditate (or do tai chi for that matter). I get twitchy, which I am pretty certain is the opposite of what is supposed to happen. If I am agitated, I read. Or I take a nap.
I think meditation is snake oil at best. Maybe I’m too cynical about it but I just don’t think breathing a certain way will change anything.
Late to the game here, but I just caught this new blog link on one of your recent posts over on The Frugal Girl, Kristen, and wanted to add a few thoughts to what has become a very importance practice in my life.
In reading through your post and the comments, I think there may be a misunderstanding about what meditation is, and what it can accomplish. Meditation is simply a physical practice of stilling the incessant chatter of our brains in order to experience a sense of clarity and relief that is difficult to experience amidst our otherwise very noisy brains. It’s working to effect silence up there, even if just for a few moments. The physical benefits of doing so are well documented, so I won’t waste space here, other than to say it is pretty remarkable in my own life. I’m calmer all around, primarily, and much slower to react emotional to the stresses of life. All good from my perspective.
And a note I started with about 10 seconds (yes, seconds!) of success and then built from there. Dang our brains are noisy! If you are so inslined, sit with yourself for about a minute and just listen . . . we humans are a noisy bunch!