Buddhist 'mindfulness' meditation to help stay in reality.

[Lisa Smith]

Now, I apologize in advance if I say something ignorant, as I am not a Buddhist nor do I know that much about this topic. But I have researched some of the types of meditation they do in relation to their religion, and I found that most of their meditation is about awareness in the present moment. For example, there is something called 'walking meditation' where you walk around and only concentrate on the steps you are taking, the feel of your legs going up and down, being aware of your joints moving and muscles contracting and relaxing.

 

But that is just for beginners. Apparently a major part of Buddhism is practicing mindfulness ALL THE TIME. Not only every single thing you do physically, but every single thought you have. Be aware at the same time while having the thought of what kind it was (analyzing something, an emotion, a memory, questioning ect). And physically, to be aware of every muscle movement, every uncomfortable feeling, every position change, and to say words in your mind in correspondence to what you are concentrating on, like 'walking', 'standing', 'sitting', 'sneezing', 'breathing', 'drinking'. Like if you are washing your hands think about the feeling of the water, your hands rubbing together, your feet on the ground, breathing...just every single thing you can be aware of (obviously you would get better at this in time and recognize more sensations the more mindful you get). Get this, experts at this type of mindfulness are even aware while they sleep! They even practice so intensely they can be fully aware of every single sensation they feel right before they sneeze and put a word on it! To these people, doing this is second nature and doesn't require that much concentration anymore.

 

I think practicing this is extremely healthy (if you can manage to do it) and probably very helpful for people like us who are 'out of it' most of the time. Obviously you wouldn't have to go to such extremity, but it is helpful to learn to stay in the moment. If you are concentrating on everything you do, it is not possible to daydream! Sorry I don't give much detail on how to do it, but if it interests you, you can always do research on it for yourself. I guess the point of me making this post was to tell people about this in case they feel it would help them. What do you guys think of it?

[Larry]

This is very powerful if you can manage it....or if you're coherent enough to even try it.
I have tried it in the past with limited results. It tended to imspire dd's in me, though that just might be my ADD.
I still have a Buddha statue though.

For me, with the attention span relative to a goldfish, I've found that " guided meditations" downloaded off the internet have been an alternative worth mentioning to folks who can't sit still or have problems concentrating....or even folks who aren't sure how to get started.

I can't sit still without my mind going off in a million different directions, so I just listen to them throughout the day. I listen to them on my iPod while I'm having my morning coffee and cigarette, while I'm doing things, and while at work.
I try to follow along the best that I can, but don't beat myself up if I can't.
It probably isn't as effective as other approaches, but in me, it has had enough positive effect to warrant it's continuation.
If anyone's interested, you can google Mary and Richard Maddux at Meditation Oasis.
Mary has a very pleasant voice and focuses on awareness of the mind and body.

[taffle]

I know what you mean. I tried doing vipassana meditation for every waking minute of the day but failed really fast. For the first 15-30 minutes,  it was easy. I noted every passing thought and action that I made. I noticed things that I didn't notice before! But trying to be aware of everything is very tiresome and actually slows me down in my daily tasks. When I ate lunch, I tried to practice mindfulness, noting every lifting of the spoon, opening of the mouth, putting food in, etc, but it took me a good 20 maybe 30 minutes to finish my entire lunch! And I know I can eat faster than this. Practicing mindfulness slows me down tremendously and sometimes I can't afford to slow down, especially when taking tests or responding to situations that require quick reflexes. I still believe in the benefits of meditation, the importance of being in the present moment, but I don't think I can do this for all the time, and definitely not in my sleep.

[Shadow Cat Sam]

I'm quite skilled in meditation, mindfulness variety and otherwise. Or I should say that I have been. I go through periods where I simply can't access the ability. Needless to say this is both frustrating and frightening. 

I'v been an obsessive day dreamer since a very young age. I will get a handle on it for days, weeks, even many months. But at some point it all comes crashing down and I'm back to DDing. Sometimes I will get out from under rather quickly or "manage" it. Sometimes it steals everything for long periods of time.

But I absolutely think that meditation is something that all DDers should at least look into.

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