[VarenHokalos]

Recently I've found it hard to get in my meditation. I don't like doing less than 30 minutes because it usually takes me 5-10 to get settled into my sitting. I suffer from horrible wandering mind when I start lol. What I'm looking for is ideas on getting a quickie in to restore myself for the day and get focused again. I found I can't meditate just before bed or first thing in the morning, I tend to doze off, ooops.

[Vmysobfi]

Hi jeremy,

I practice Zazen, the Soto Zen meditation. I started doing it at the dojo in group with the sangha. I have been meditating nearly for a year and it has not been easy also when I have found sitting meditation really usefull for the practice of Dhamma. It is the backbone of it, at least for me. That is why I have fitted well in Soto Zen tradition.

After a while I started to do Zazen at home. I struggled a little to find the proper moment for that. I am a lay practitioner and a householder practitioner. To found at home the proper time and moment was not so easy as I thought. I have found the best moment very early in the morning and at afternoon but sometimes I just can't so I do meditation when there is a pacefull moment. Any moment is good and it is not so good to have a severe schedule for it. Give the chance for meditation to happen. Then sit. Slowly the need of meditation will grow and you will fix your life so to give meditation its proper importance and time for it to happen.

To settle down is part of the process of meditation and to stand up after sitting meditation has to be done in the same way you have settle down. To think about to sit to meditate is part of meditation. To bring meditative mood into daily activities is part of meditation. While eating, while taking a bath, while walking to the bus station, while arriving home... is part of doing zazen. Sitting meditation is just a little, but very important, moment for awareness, meditation, mindfulness.

Sitting meditation has to become a kind of need; of the same kind of the needed time to sleep, eat, walk, going to bed, washing dishes, doing laundry or coordinating people at workplace.

I have a little office at my workplace and at the entrance I put a sign that tells: "Breath deeply before coming in". This is a way I keep meditative skills along the day. People just come in a hurried mood. Then I tell them to breath deeply before coming in. It has worked really well for all us at the workplace.

[Kissntell]

Great post Kaarine.
I've found the more one sits the sooner the mind begins to settle.
30 minutes Zazen is better than none, 20 minutes Zazen is better than none, 10 minutes Zazen is better than none, any Zazen is better than none.
Sit when you can, if you can't don't beat yourself up.
Gassho
Gary

[Niiinioa]

Topic re-directed to the Beginners forum.

Admin.

[ReggieRed]

I've found the more one sits the sooner the mind begins to settle.
30 minutes Zazen is better than none, 20 minutes Zazen is better than none, 10 minutes Zazen is better than none, any Zazen is better than none.
Sit when you can, if you can't don't beat yourself up.
Gassho
Gary

:hug:

[Lhiistyssdds]

I used to canvass door to door raising money for a few non-profits, and that was a really emotionally taxing job. One of the things I did to keep my state of mind where it needed to be was touch back with a couple of really time-crunch-friendly mindfulness exercises. Gave some of the benefits of meditating only I could do it anytime I had thirty seconds.

The last meditation on How to Meditate While Walking Down a Busy Street was helpful. I even shortened it and did it between almost every door.

Breathe in: Note that I'm breathing in.
Breathe out: Note that I'm breathing out.
Breathe in: This is the moment I am in. Be in it.
Breathe out: This moment is rare and precious, because it came unasked and is only here once.

Shortens to, "In. Out. This moment. Precious moment."

[Anfester]

Breathe in: Note that I'm breathing in.
Breathe out: Note that I'm breathing out.
Breathe in: This is the moment I am in. Be in it.
Breathe out: This moment is rare and precious, because it came unasked and is only here once.

Shortens to, "In. Out. This moment. Precious moment."

Hi Cobalt,

Seems Thich Nhat Hanh's brething teachings. I just could not go with them, but seems it works for many people.

[BGThomasis]

It did the trick for me because I needed something I could do every five minutes between doors to keep me from going crazy. =P

[casinochniks]

It did the trick for me because I needed something I could do every five minutes between doors to keep me from going crazy. =P

Yes sure...