loveon2legs

Hello friends!!

Just wondering if any of you have tried meditation as part of your recovery?

I'm attending a class Monday evening...

Any thoughts on it??


Happy sober Friday!!!

wow1323

me! I had too. I couldn't sleep and I started worrying about everything. It really helps to shut down your irrational thoughts.

LuckyDrunk

I've had trouble making it a priority, but when I do it I always feel better.
If I succeed in meditating (which usually occurs when I try), the worst I get out of it is a feeling like I hit a reset button, which helps quite a bit.
If I'm unable to slow down my mind then I still feel a little better because I at least tried.

Another

My outlook on things since I started meditating has been uplifting to say the least. Insight meditation (Vipassana), where all that's paid attention to is the in and out breath. The book "Mindfulness in plain english" tells all about it crystal clear : )

Chris

skg

Prayer AND meditation are instrumental in my sobriety today. I've found that the quietness and confidence of serenity are far more rewarding that the addictions ever were, and serenity isn't illegal!
If you need a sense of the 'why and how' of it, try reading, "The Power of Now," by Ekhart Tolle. Meditation for the sake of meditation isn't as effective as meditation with a Purpose, also. It has taught me how to relax and stay in the moment--to see life around me in totality (when I practice it).

CarolD

Prayer and meditation are part of my daily routine.

Boleo

For me, meditation was a life saver. I used to stop my monkey mind with vodka. Now I use ZaZen to stop my mind and take a mini-vacation from care, boredom and worry.

Antiderivative

I don't meditate formally. I try to incorporate meditation into my daily activities, especially when I am walking. I walk a lot.

oak

I love meditation. Most of the recovery meetings I go to involve a lot of meditation. And I also go to group meditation that is not recovery-oriented.

Since meditation is about becoming more aware of what goes on in our minds and also sitting with whatever is arising, it seems like such a perfect resource for people in recovery (for all people really). I'm biased!

Often, people are concerned because they cannot quiet their minds. Sometimes, I do feel a sense of stillness and quiet when I meditate. Other times, I am very caught up in my thoughts and my mind runs the entire time. Either way, I feel more relaxed afterwards. You cannot meditate wrong in my opinion. It's all good.

Have fun at your class!!! I'm so curious to know how it goes. (There are lots of different ways to meditate, so if you don't like the way that is taught at your class, you can explore other ways.)

loveon2legs

thanks so much for your input everyone!!! and Oak, I will post and let you know how I make out! I'm looking forward to it!!

WakeUp

I'm going to lead a guided meditation at my AA meeting tomorrow. Wish me luck!
BTW, yes, I meditate since it's all about taming the mind. I get caught up in things and don't do it consistently, but I try too do it more.

loveon2legs

Good luck tomorrow!! that's awesome!!!

jazzz

I just bought an audiobook called True Meditation by Adyashanti, and I've meditated listening to a guided meditation a few times. It's been really good Also, I just meditate in my own way like focusing on the breathing.

It's absolutely a good way to get more in touch with yourself and perhaps feel more serene and at peace

Hope your meditation class goes well

Jazzz

Cottonwoodchris

OK, I have never meditated (AFAIK) but I feel it may help me with this sudden struggle at 31 days sober. (yes, I know we are not allowed medical advise here) So, for a beginner, what would any of you recommend? I did a quick Google and came up with over a billion hits (the mind boggles!)

LexieCat

I like Noah Levine's meditations (and dharma talks) at Dharma Punx and Against the Stream. There are several talks and meditations geared toward recovery.

WakeUp

My meditation class was a hit! I've heavily promoted it mostly word of mouth, and told them if they know of someone who wants to come, to invite them. I have a meditation timer app with Tibetan singing bowls on my iPhone, they said, "We love the bells, bring back the bells." lol

loveon2legs

That's awesome Wake Up!!!

MeAndOnlyMe

I found meditation to be extremely useful for me as a general life practice. I also found the resources at this site to be helpful:

http://www.dharma.org/

More or less local to me in my corner of the US but the web resources should be available to anyone. A first connection through a 15-20 min guided meditation via ipod or something can be a game changer, IMO.