# Meditation's Effect on You?



## Wey (Dec 2, 2010)

How many of you have practiced meditation for any amount of time? What have the benefits been from practicing? Do you find it worth while to meditate? 

Thanks in advance.


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## seasoned (Dec 2, 2010)

In self defense, it isn't thinking about everything that allows you to survive, but the ability to open your mind to all possibilities, by opening your mind to, "nothingness". This is my experience with *Meditation's Effect on, me.*


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## fireman00 (Dec 2, 2010)

I find a good daily 10 minute self hypnosis works GREAT on stress reduction.  When I can't sleep due to the BS at work I use a technique I learned when I was 16 - deep, slow breaths.  Slowly relax your scalp, jaws, neck, shoulders, arms... feel the relaxation flow - like the flow of a river - down through your fingers, waist, thighs, knees, calves, ankles and feet. Feel like you're floating on a giant cloud, feel the relaxation flow through you like a river from your head down to your feet. Several times during the process I'll count backwards from 10 ... with each deep breath feeling more and more relaxed then move onto the next body part. 

I reach the same kind of relaxation when doing yoga,  running or flowing from one form to another.  Live in the moment and concentrate on the moves - nothing else. 

being able to temporarily remove yourself from the stress of life is fantastic!


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## oaktree (Dec 2, 2010)

Wey said:


> How many of you have practiced meditation for any amount of time? What have the benefits been from practicing? Do you find it worth while to meditate?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


 
I practice sitting form 3x30 minutes however no set rule just let it take as long as it takes sometimes shorter sometimes longer.Morning-6am afternoon 12noon 6pm evening.
I also practice 10-20 minutes in the shower letting the water hit your head and hearing the water is ver relaxing.
Standing before I practice martial arts it is 15-30minutes of zhan zhuang.
After I practice one circle walk I will do Santi shi for 5 minutes each leg.
After second circle walk Ma bu for 10 minutes.

Also in daily activites I attempt to be as mindful as I can.
On top of all this are my daily activites,prayer and Qigong time.

I find it worth it yes considering what my goals and aims are.

These are some things I like to listen to when I am walking outside or somewhere.
http://www.thoughtaudio.com/titlelist/TA0010-Tao/index.html

http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Religion-and-Spirituality/Buddhism/The-Dhammapada/35200

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0BIVizaAiY&feature=channel


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 2, 2010)

I use to do a Taoist Seated Meditation (kinda sorta a brain daoyin) but it scared my wife so I switched to zazen and that was ok. What I was doing was just like what in in the book by John Daido Loori; Finding the Still Point: A Beginner's Guide to Zen Meditation. I have not been able to sit since I hurt the knee and I never got further than 30 minutes a day and never any music. 

As to the feeling, hard to explain actually, just felt in the moment, relaxed, calm and aware.

I miss it, want to get back to it and yes it is very worth it.


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## Wey (Dec 3, 2010)

Thank you all for the responses! Would anyone else care to share their thoughts?


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## Bill Mattocks (Dec 3, 2010)

Makes me snore and drool on myself.


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## SensibleManiac (Dec 3, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Makes me snore and drool on myself.



Are those the benefits?
lol

Seriously I find that sometimes my dreams become more vivid the following night after deep meditation.


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## Bill Mattocks (Dec 4, 2010)

SensibleManiac said:


> Are those the benefits?
> lol
> 
> Seriously I find that sometimes my dreams become more vivid the following night after deep meditation.



Deep meditation is sleep for me.  There isn't any difference.


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## Makalakumu (Dec 4, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Deep meditation is sleep for me.  There isn't any difference.



Really?  I find that there are other states of consciousness that can be explored during meditation that cannot be reached while sleeping.  Do you do anything beforehand to prepare to sleep?  Lucid dreaming techniques?  Anything?

I practice regular meditation techniques to prepare for my day.  I find that these techniques move me from being in the passenger seat of my life and into the driver's seat.


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## seasoned (Dec 4, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Deep meditation is sleep for me. There isn't any difference.


Meditation and martial arts do go hand in hand, if the sensei is open to it, and introduces it to the students early on. As far as martial meditation and sleep, I do know of some martial artist that appear to be sleeping while doing kata and sparring. Just a little fun, Bill.


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## chrispillertkd (Dec 4, 2010)

Wey said:


> How many of you have practiced meditation for any amount of time? What have the benefits been from practicing? Do you find it worth while to meditate?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


 
It depends on what type of meditation you mean. 

In Taekwon-Do (as developed by Gen. Choi, anyway) meditation isn't of the zen variety. But it is specifically used to develop a student's peace of mind and is mentioned briefly in his treatment of Moral Culture (_Jungshin Sooyang_). According to Gen. Choi, meditation allows one to develop peace of mind by "emptying our minds of all petty thoughts and returning to the natural state of man. Unlike in Buddhism or Zen, meditation in Taekwon-Do does not mean a total divorce from the world, like a dead body, but rather an active moment to reflect on our past mistakes in silence and in the privacy of our thoughts, and through penitence, to continue our self-improvement toward becoming better men or women." This kind of active reflection in silence is called _Jung joong dong_. I usually reflect on how my behavior has conformed or failed to conform with the tenets of Taekwon-Do when doing this kind of meditation.

I have found this approach to be very helpful and engage in it after formal training sessions at my instructors' school with the rest of the students as it is part of the bowing-out ceremony. The emphasis on on active reflection and penitence dovetails well with the examination of conscience that as a Catholic I try to do on a regular basis. 

I remember training with Grand Master Choi, Jung Hwa in a seminar and he mentioned doing the kind of meditation prescribed by Gen. Choi every night before going to sleep. In that context he mentioned "committing suicide everyday." By this he meant that after the time spent in meditative reflection he tried to "kill" the old man and commit again to living a better life. I have to admit his brief talk on the subject was really inspiring and affirmed for me what I had been doing and strengthened my resolve to continue practicing it. 

Pax,

Chris


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## Bill Mattocks (Dec 4, 2010)

maunakumu said:


> Really?  I find that there are other states of consciousness that can be explored during meditation that cannot be reached while sleeping.  Do you do anything beforehand to prepare to sleep?  Lucid dreaming techniques?  Anything?
> 
> I practice regular meditation techniques to prepare for my day.  I find that these techniques move me from being in the passenger seat of my life and into the driver's seat.



My 'states of consciousness' consist of awake and asleep, pretty much.  I used to drink Jack Daniels once in awhile, but that was before I got diabetes.  So now it's pretty much just awake and asleep.


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## Touch Of Death (Dec 4, 2010)

I meditate for a second or two everytime we open for class.
Sean


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## Wey (Dec 4, 2010)

Touch Of Death said:


> I meditate for a second or two everytime we open for class.
> Sean



And how does this effect you?


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## Touch Of Death (Dec 8, 2010)

Wey said:


> And how does this effect you?


It gets the job done. Its purpose is to put aside the trials of your life and concentrate on the lesson at hand.
sean


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## Wey (Dec 30, 2010)

Touch Of Death said:


> It gets the job done. Its purpose is to put aside the trials of your life and concentrate on the lesson at hand.
> sean



Very nice.


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## BlueVino (Dec 31, 2010)

Wey said:


> What have the benefits been from practicing?



There are a couple of benefits I've gotten from sitting in a Tibetan Buddhist tradition connected with my kung fu. I don't normally like to talk about this, because I'm always afraid it'll taint someone's expectations, but here goes.

After practicing our ritual for six months or so, maybe less, I started to notice that I was having feelings of compassion that were out of character for me. It's a little hard to express because everyone experiences life in their own way, but for me, that experience rarely involved compassion for others. Now it does.

I asked sifu about it, and where I don't think he expected such a transformation, it didn't seem to surprise him.


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## Stealthy (May 4, 2011)

Some people should DEFINATELY meditate. I once flatted with an ex-Russian Spetsnaz guy. One day I was sitting on the balconey meditating and he came up to me and asked "are you meditating?" I said yes and he said "I think meditating is really great" and proceeded to show me how he meditates "I must not kill this person, I must not kill this person, I must not kill this person.....".

Needless to say I think it is best that he keep meditating.

__________

While I see the value of meditating to calm the emotions, personally I think if you are going to be meditating anyway then instead of just meditating on something neutral like breathing it is worth it to meditate on something positive like care for others or the elimination of delusions. Which is no-doubt what was meant by "committing suicide everyday" what you are killing is your misconceived sense of self. Mind you rumour has it there are advanced meditations along a similar vein which prepare the meditator for the cycle of death and rebirth.

I would say there is a real problem with using the word "suicide" as a descriptor though since it involves actively deleting something rather than actively verifying it was never there in the first place.

With Respect,
Stealthy.


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## Chat Noir (May 22, 2011)

I wish I could learn this as I'm always stressed out with anxiety from my job. I just don't know _*how*_ to relax - and according to my teachers, I also often forget to breathe.  Can you imagine? Some people miss a step, don't move in the correct way or move too far this way or that - but me, I forget to breathe......I was born in the Chinese year of the Ram - and true to the description, I do have a lot of health related issues to stress and anxiety because I just can't control it.


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## Stealthy (May 23, 2011)

Chat Noir said:


> I wish I could learn this as I'm always stressed out with anxiety from my job. I just don't know _*how*_ to relax - and according to my teachers, I also often forget to breathe. Can you imagine? Some people miss a step, don't move in the correct way or move too far this way or that - but me, I forget to breathe......I was born in the Chinese year of the Ram - and true to the description, I do have a lot of health related issues to stress and anxiety because I just can't control it.


 
I can imagine. If you suffer from sleep apnea then a Doctor should be your first port of call. If by "Teachers" you mean your Wing Chun teachers then perhaps what they are trying to bring your attention to is something other than the over excited headspace you indulge in.

"Forgetting to breathe" in that sense does not mean forgetting to actually breathe but rather forgetting to "Focus" on your breathing.

If you want to know "how" to relax, there are two ways. One is to focus your mind on topics which are at least neutral(like breathing) and as such "relieve" your mind and therefore the body from tension. The other is to "Alter" the way you view stressful topics(like work) such that they are no longer regarded as stressful.

I would have a think about who might best know how to train the mind and then go and ask them to teach you and pop in to the Doc's on the way if you have to.

With Respect,
Stealthy.


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## Chat Noir (May 23, 2011)

Well, I don't have problems sleeping during the night other than waking up two or three times. I breathe just fine.  During my WC or JKD classes (or the gym) when I do exercises, I hold my breath, and have to be reminded not to and to keep breathing as I'm doing the drill. I HATE my job and frankly all federal jobs really stink.  It's the only place where you don't get paid for your educational level and can enjoy no advancement and high pressure - hence, the stress. I can't leave the job because there's nothing out there to go to and I need the steady income - what little there is - for my high medical bills (oral surgery). 

I've been on anxiety pills in the past, but there are more downsides to that than good, so I discontinued due to the side affects. Now I'm just trying to get past the anxiety naturally.  Wish I had the ability to meditate as it would seem the best route.


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## Stealthy (May 23, 2011)

Chat Noir said:


> Wish I had the ability to meditate as it would seem the best route.


 
Meditating is really just focusing on something which makes you happy.

Since focusing on things like a new pair of jeans or the warm glow from your "medicine" only provide temporary happiness you just need to set your sights a little higher...and buy a sports car...j/k:ultracool

Next time you go to the pub, buy someone else a drink then the next day when you are no longer "happy" from your medicine remember your gift and the happiness should return in full.

Who knows, depending on who you gave the drink to there may be "other" rewards as well

The greedy person would buy something for someone else rather than waste it by keeping it for themselves.....get your head around that one.

Why not look for a Qi Gong teacher in your area, then you can meditate on Qi? Or talk to your WC and JKD teachers about it.


With Respect,
Stealthy.


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## Haris Lamboo Faisal (Jun 1, 2011)

Meditation , is to live in the moment , A moment where the past and the future are irrelevant , it is the journey you have to focus on and not the ending.

Meditating isn't hard focus on something mundane , like your footsteps when you walk ... as soon as you lift your right foot up to take the next step be aware of this change , you could even think of this change and use that as the tool for relaxation rather than focusing on your breathing , monitor everything about your being and maintain it according to the desired relaxed state. 

Every emotion you feel or thought that you have , describe it using your mind's voice ...if you feel anger , say to yourself the words anger repeatedly in your head and that will help you recognise that it is an emotion and in turn you can look past the anger staying aware will help you make a better decision than acting rashly. Don't let your mind race to conclusions let it be relaxed and complete , that is also meditation , Focus and control , is also meditation.


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## skeksi (Feb 18, 2013)

I meditate fairly regularly as part of a spiritual/religious practice and for my general mental health. It helps me settle--it brings my energy from up in my throat and head down to my center. I feel less reactive as a result, and it slows my thoughts. I also feel less reactive in my work with other people--it makes it easier to separate myself from their "stuff."


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## SuitableScroll (Jun 27, 2013)

Each day I meditate at least 20 min and I find the health benefits alone to be quite remarkable. I used to be stressed a lot and couldn't concentrate on things easily and had a problem controlling anger but all of that has gone away with meditation and in fact my cognitive function has increased A LOT. I can concentrate better as well as have better logical thinking skills and a much better memory. And now I have no problem controlling my anger whatsoever. With all the benefits and different types of meditations out there, there really isn't a limit to what you can achieve with meditation. On the physical side my endurance both muscularly and cardio-respiratory have increased a great amount. Meditation is definitely more than worth the time you put into it.


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## Carol (Jun 27, 2013)

I prefer a quiet hike up a mountain 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Xue Sheng (Jun 27, 2013)

Carol said:


> I prefer a quiet hike up a mountain
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD



Walking meditation


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## Happy-Papi (Jun 28, 2013)

Wey said:


> How many of you have practiced meditation for any amount of time? What have the benefits been from practicing? Do you find it worth while to meditate?
> 
> Thanks in advance.



This may sound weird but here goes...
When I was in my mid teens, after school hours I did a part-time job as a close quarters security or easier to say as a bodyguard. I didn't wore a uniform and just wore raggedy jeans and acted like any normal teenager during work, like a kid waiting for his dad to finish work to get a free ride home  The job was high risk especially that our subject was a bit hardheaded and likes going to public places and has a habit of sneaking out on us, lol. The job was more like a waiting game and meditation got me through the boredom and the rush. Often times I waited on a corner or in a car for hours just staring at the door/window/wall or sometimes pretend that I'm some punk kid just sitting on the pavement across the road waiting for time to pass by and it was really boring but when movement was on, adrenalin was rushing. My senior gave me advice to meditate so that I can "happily" stare at a door for hours but still kept me on my toes. Meditation also came in handy during my MA training on stalking/hunting/shooting. I could stay on one place for a long time without moving but not die of boredom. I could even stay in a box and just watch time fly by but that was before but I'm too old for that now, lol.

I don't know if this has any connection with meditation but it felt that when we silence our minds, our "spider senses" seems to get enhanced that we can sense more. We can focus more on listening to the gossip nearby, the vibration on the floor and on the wall gave us an idea if there is someone closing in and gut feeling was working at it's best. 

Another thing is that during fights, things seems to look a little bit slower than usual??? This doesn't happen all the time but sometimes it does. One example is that one time my older cousin and his buddies threw several bricks to my face but I don't know why the bricks flew at a slower speed??? They were only about 2 to 5 meters away and I was lucky not to get hit (my Nintendo dodging skills saved me from Donkey Kong, HAHAHA!!!). Don't ask me what happened after that ... I asked about this to my MA seniors and they told me that meditation can enhance our senses and this is not rare to MAist and fighters. Honestly I don't know if there is a connection with this to meditation and I don't know how to explain it but I have also passed some voodoo-tech that I collected through the years to my son and he said that sometimes things do look a lot slower especially on real fights. 

Or maybe it's just the mind because through the ages humans have performed near to impossible feats during times of trouble. Example: small lady carrying a heavy cabinet while escaping the fire, guys who lifted a car to save the person under the car, people who jumped from a building to escape from burning and lived, etc. I guess that they haven't meditated before that???

I still meditate sometimes but not as much. I only meditate now for a deeper study of "funky stuffs"  Sometimes I meditate for stuffs that I want to happen or want to have in my life especially when I am desperate ($). I still can't rationally believe if it's true but there were stuffs that happen like coincidence. I would like to do this more often because of nice really vivid dreams and something like OBEs but when I really try too hard, I get a big headache. 

I know that not everybody shares my BS but I'm sure that some of our members here in MT had the same experiences with meditation.


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## Cyriacus (Jun 28, 2013)

Full on meditation bores me. However, some white noise is relaxing, and i think better when im relaxed. Its a tradeoff.


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## GiannisMalkavian (Sep 17, 2013)

Happy-Papi said:


> This may sound weird but here goes...
> but when I really try too hard, I get a big headache.
> 
> I know that not everybody shares my BS but I'm sure that some of our members here in MT had the same experiences with meditation.



Go on trying hard often. Headache will pass. Try to practice meditating on the 3rd eye (concentrate your eyes in front of the space between your forehead and your nose and point at 3-4 inches in front of the 3rd eye place ~Hindu way~) or try concentrating 2-3 inches in front of your nose's tip (Shaolin way). Try repeating Oms or counting from 1 to 7 and again and again while inhaling - exhaling. It will help you concentrate while keeping calm. Don't get in tension.

Meditation is something that can be fixed!


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## Happy-Papi (Sep 18, 2013)

GiannisMalkavian said:


> Go on trying hard often. Headache will pass. Try to practice meditating on the 3rd eye (concentrate your eyes in front of the space between your forehead and your nose and point at 3-4 inches in front of the 3rd eye place ~Hindu way~) or try concentrating 2-3 inches in front of your nose's tip (Shaolin way). Try repeating Oms or counting from 1 to 7 and again and again while inhaling - exhaling. It will help you concentrate while keeping calm. Don't get in tension.
> 
> Meditation is something that can be fixed!



Wow, thank you! I didn't know about the Shaolin way but will try it... My forehead and crown often has the tingling sensation and have probably learned to open and shut them down because sometimes the sensation is quite annoying. My biggest question is many gurus teach how to open them but doesn't really say much about their uses when they are open. With minimal knowledge on their uses, I'm often left clueless on what to do next. Seeing colors and having the feeling on my forehead is not my main objective and I want to go to the next level...

I have tried using it with concentration, projection, manifestation and martial arts but I couldn't make them mix well to get things done. Example like in projection, I can get better results if I just shut it off and just relax in bed. If it's open then projection/lucid is near impossible. Whenever I'm successful, I find myself in the lower astral which I'm very much comfortable. With manifestation, same thing. I have to shut it down or it wont work. I noticed that meditating for martial arts or for a dangerous job has benefits when it's open because I can absorb more and all is like clockwork. 

I have been trying to find someone who knows stuffs because I would really like to ask for advice on how to use it properly for my advantage. I've even tried using it for remote viewing but I'm not a good viewer... Probably you noticed by now that I'm not with the popular religion. Any advice will be awesome. 

Many thanks GiannisMalkavian!


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## DennisBreene (Dec 6, 2013)

Carol said:


> I prefer a quiet hike up a mountain
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD



I have recently found that I return to kata for stress reduction.  I work through a few old favorites and my mind clears. I have theories as to why this is suddenly beneficial, but regardless of the reasons, I am pleased with the outcome and find myself heading to the studio early so that I can spend a quiet half hour doing forms before everyone arrives. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


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## donald1 (Dec 6, 2013)

I like doing it because it helps get relaxed and focused perfect for if your going to work on kata (i do it often so I got some experience)


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## wingchun100 (Feb 24, 2014)

I WANT to believe it could be therapeutic, but I'm the type of person who thinks, "Well, okay...so I meditate...think about nothing, forget my problems for a short while...but aren't my problems there when I stop?" Who knows? Maybe it would help me enter into a zone where I could think of a solution when I come out.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 24, 2014)

It does not solve your problems but it can help


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