Does anyone else here think meditation is hooey?

[HERVEPA]

:hide: (I know this is not a popular position)

[DarkTirade]

1. No, ducking behind a wall is not a popular position for meditating.

Wait... what was the question? :P

There are a million different ways to meditate. Some are just placebos and are only as effective as your imagination let's 'em be, some are ways of relaxing, some are ways of focusing, ect. I'm a big fan of what I refer to as 'moving meditations', where I distract my mind by doing something that I don't have to think about doing. It's not sitting there and humming, and I'm not crossing my legs in funny ways. I'm just letting my mind detach for a little while so I can get my bearings.

[RainDog]

2. hooey how?

it's a way to relax.

[HERVEPA]

3. It's often proffered as something much more than that, as in

http://www.sbinstitute.com/research_Shamatha.html

[Arugula Latte]

4. I don't think it's hooey because it works for a lot of people, but

I ain't one of them!

Thinking about breathing (like in yoga, or whatever) in order to relax just irritates me and stresses me out more. For me, one of the worst parts of natural childbirth was people telling me how to breath! Well, that and the ungodly pain. :)

[RainDog]

5. are u my evil twin oregonian?

For too much of my life if someone wanted me to do something because it was "good for me" or whatever, my immediate reaction was... oooooh, that's sooo irritating. :)

but I figured out how to really enjoy yoga. I do it for the pleasure of stretching like a cat. I do it cause it feels good to feel my back crack...

I DON'T do it because of any beliefs in my chakras, tho I'm not saying that's not real.

As far as lamaze and childbirth - the best thing I did was pack a tennis ball so that when I was in labor, my ex could roll that ball down my spine. I kept telling him to push harder because it hurt soooo badly. after my kid was born, I had bruises all up and down my spine!

and as far as the "irritating" thing - when I've got my chakra mojos woikin' I DO take a deep breath and walk away, or take a deep breath and ask... am I doing a knee-jerk irritable thing? If I don't do that, surprisingly :eyes: I'm a happier and more content person.

[Arugula Latte]

6. hah! I guess I'm not the only one.

That's good that you are enjoying yoga. I can see why people like the stretching and all that, but I always feel like if I'm going to take time to do something like that, I'd as soon feel like I'm burning calories and building more muscle. (Yoga probably does that, as well, but not as intensely as a good ol' regular workout, is my guess.)

Yeah, childbirth ... I recall that the warm water aimed right on my spine was the one thing that helped. My first baby (my son) was stuck almost sunny side up so I had horrible back pain for hours ... Good gawd. x(

:hi:

[conscious evolution]

7. Not for me.

I find it helps relax my body and calm my mind.

Your mileage may vary.

[elshiva]

8. Depends on how you define meditation.

Take 15 minutes and be quiet was how a friend described it. Nothing wrong with that.

There are some hucksters who make a lot of money out of it, so it's too comercialized. However, for some people, again, it's just being quiet.

[DS1]

9. I'm incapable of meditation

I can't last more than 30 second without the cacophony of thoughts overwhelming me.

[RainDog]

11. that's what the hatha yoga is for

to relax your muscles and let go of some of that distractedness. I've taken yoga classes, even, and the meditation doesn't start until at least 20 minutes of stretching and concentrating holding positions.

...it's a progression.

the whole reason for something like "om" is to create white noise for your brain. concentrate on that sound going in and out of your mouth rather than other stuff... and eventually, concentrate on some image that you can focus on without trying to see its individual parts.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. Only if hooey is a necessity.

[Richard Steele]

12. No. nm

[SPKrazy]

13. How could it be "hooey"?

people meditate

people find inner peace

people sometimes even feel better in the long run

it exists

so hooey how?

[Fox Mulder]

14. I don't.

I wouldn't be able to do it though. I always have too many thoughts racing through my head.

[hellbound-liberal]

15. Yes, in the same sense that "reading" is a bunch of hooey

To many people it is a waste of time, as they are never changed by the experience. I have been been meditating for over twenty years and I have been exposed to many different techniques. To me the simplest is the best and I learned this from Shunryu Suzuki in his book, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind". This book focuses on the fundamentals of the practice, posture and breathing and cautions the reader to engage in this without the thought of "gaining" anything from it. I believe that this is the proper approach. When you sit in meditation in hopes of gaining something, then you are no longer fully engaged. Here's a link to the book. Check it out when you get a chance!

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shambhala-Library/dp/1590302672/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208816236&sr=8-1

[Fox Mulder]

17. I'm going to look into that.

Thanks for the link. :hi:

[hellbound-liberal]

18. You're welcome! There's a lot of wisdom in that little book

It is still highly recommended as one of the best books on Buddhism and meditation. It's my new Bible. :hi:

[DeepBlueC]

16. It's not for everyone

[skygazer]

19. I think assuming that something that doesn't work for you is hooey is hooey

I've never been able to discipline myself well enough to meditate with any real effect but that doesn't mean it's hooey. I've never been able to swim either, but I don't think that's hooey.

:shrug:

[ThomCat]

20. It helps me deal with pain,

and sometimes it helps me get past insomnia so I can sleep. :shrug:

[Fran Kubelik]

21. naw

[I Have A Dream]

22. No. nt

[mike_c]

23. "meditation" is a pretty broad term....

I'm sitting at my desk, meditating about stuff. Well, at the moment I'm typing, but you get my drift. If you mean "transcendental meditation" of the variety in which you pay some chunk 'o bucks to receive your own top secret space whistle and decoder personal mantra to mutter while you meditate, I've been told taking a nap is kinda similar, except without the value added part, which is hard to describe or quantify.

[The River]

24. Don't Try Meditation Until

you are proficient in "mindfullness"
practices.