Join us for our online mindfulness group // Tues 31st March, 7-8pm AEDT // Guest facilitator: Smiling Mind

[SmilingMind]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience @Snowie. I'm glad you found a few moments of peace in there. It's not always easy to be with our inner experience but with practice mindfulness helps us be with what is there. Well done!

[Snowie]

@Former-MemberI found the length of time challenging but I find meditation challenging. My mind does not want me to stop and pause.

[DrZoidberg]

Beforehand I felt a bit agitated and I was ruminating on something that had upset me, and physically I was a bit tense. Afterward I feel more neutral , and physically a bit more settled and comfortable. Im not sure that I had any particular expectations of how I would feel afterward. I have done mindfulness and meditation before so I know there's no specific outcome. I think I was checking it out more for a group activity

[Former-Member]

@Shaz51 Definite theme of environmental distractions here! I wonder if we could use the external noises in our meditations? Breaking the noise down in components, reviewing them as their own individual sounds to focus on etc.. I have heard people do this with music as a grounding technique 🙂 

[Former-Member]

@DrZoidberg  I am glad to hear you moved to a more neutral space, that's really great after only 5 or so minutes. Did you find the rumination continued throughout the period of mindfulness? Or somewhat persisted?

[SmilingMind]

Thanks for sharing @Shaz51! Being distracted during meditation is all part of the process 🙂 When we notice we've become distracted that's a moment of mindfulness right there! At that point we can choose to refocus on the meditation by gently bringing our awareness back. Doing this, over and over during meditation, helps build our mindfulness muscle. Well done! 

[Former-Member]

Really enjoying the reflections @DrZoidberg @Snowie @Shaz51 @Windflowers and others that have provided their insight. I also struggled with ruminative thoughts as @DrZoidberg and @Snowie mentioned. I began to embrace them toward the end, and focused on my breath and physical self a lot more. I feel a bit more at ease now for sure 🧘

@SmilingMind Let's move on to discussion point 2! Keen to hear everyone's feedback on this...

During the time you spent focusing on your breath, what were some changes you noticed in your body?

[DrZoidberg]

The rumination didn't completely go away, but it was more in bits and pieces instead of continuous/all encompassing.

I was able to focus on the breathing , and I think counting is helpful. Although if I focus too closely on my breathing i start to get a bit out of breath. It's like I can't let go of it again?

[SmilingMind]

Such a great point @Former-Member ! When I first stared meditating I found sounds very distracting and frustrating! And then at some point I was taught that you can actually use sounds as something to focus on, to anchor our attention, doing your best not to judge sounds as 'good' or 'bad' - this is tricky as our mind loves to judge! So we just notice the mind doing its thing and try to listen to sounds just as sounds, coming and going, not good, not bad. This, of course, takes pratice! 

[SmilingMind]

Thanks @Former-Member! So many great reflections everyone! 

While many people turn to meditation to feel calmer and more relaxed (which is definitely one of the benefits of meditation!) meditation builds our capacity to notice and be with what is going on in our bodies whatever that may be. We get better at tolerating discomfort which paradoxically often reduces the intensity of the discomfort. When we slow down and turn our attention inwards we get better at observing and taking note of what our bodies are telling us, something we don’t tend to be very good at noticing as we are usually so caught up in our heads with our thoughts.

So while you may notice that you feel calmer and more relaxed now, you may also notice the you feel sleepy, or that you’re more aware of certain muscles that feel particularly tense and tight. While these sensations may not be so welcome during meditation, it can be helpful to think of them as valuable information, as your body communicating to you.

Feeling sleepy during meditation is really common. It’s actually a sign that you are relaxing which is a good thing! With practice, we build the ability to become deeply relaxed while at the same time remaining fully awake, present and alert. This is a completely foreign state for many people – most people are either awake and go, go, go or relaxed and falling asleep. It takes time and practice to be able to access that place between these two states where we’re deeply relaxed yet completely alert. So be patient and kind with yourself as you practice!