Notch8

I'm finding this to be huge for me right now. Perhaps since the fog and haze is slowly lifting, I can be more in touch with my spiritual side. I'm trying to practice this once a day, sometimes less, sometimes more.

What is your routine? Do incorporate yoga and/or exercise? Feel free to share.

Notch8

Am I the only one who thinks about this stuff?!

nez

No, but it is just now 8 in the morning where I am and even if I think about it when I am asleep, I don't type when I am asleep, the keyboard noise would keep my wife awake. :~) Just kidding.

I have no routine to anything but I do practice mindfulness with the goal of maximizing the time spent being mindful each day. I don't pray in a formal manner, they are more like informal chats throughout the day. Meditation is when I quieten my mind to receive input as a result of the informal chats.

Ken33xx

I have a running machine in the garage which I use almost every evening. Maybe 25 minutes.

I say my prayers before bed.

Don't mediate or do yoga but my wife does almost every day.

SnazzyDresser

Every day I do 20 minutes of vipassana mediation which is sometimes called insight meditation. I think it's not exactly considered to be mindful meditation, but being mindful is definitely part of the bigger picture of this Theravada Buddhism, specifically the Thai Forest Tradition and the teachings of Ajahn Chah and his followers.

I just sit perfectly still for 20 minutes at a minute with a good posture, paying attention to the breath while thinking "I'm breathing in and I know I'm breathing in, I'm breathing out and I know I'm breathing out." And when the mind inevitably wanders, you bring it back to the breath. Over and over and over.

Such a simple thing but it's worked wonders for me. I highly recommend Dan Harris's book 10% Happier, it's what got me started into all this. And believe me, as a redneck outlaw country music Texas type, let's just say there's nothing new-age phony or trendy nonsense about this. It's the real deal, and it works.

When I first started I got up to 30 minutes twice a day, even going for 60 minutes at a time now and then. Over time I couldn't really maintain that level of commitment, started seeming like more of have-to thing than a get-to thing. For now, 20 minutes first thing every morning seems to suit me perfectly. I even start the coffee up right before so it's ready for me as a reward when I'm done.

Kaneda8888

In my first six months, I had a kitchen sink approach to staying sober. This included a host of medical specialists, AA, meditation, practicing Buddhism and exercise. After that initial period, I stopped with all the medical specialists as they were very useful in the first few months to keep me in one piece but weren't necessary beyond that.

My core plan includes daily meditation and practicing my faith. Each week, I exercise 5-6 times and attend AA meetings. With the exception of the AA meetings, I have not deviated from this plan. The AA deviation is usually due to work or travel but I get antsy if I am absent for too long.

After a month or so, it has become habit and now after a few years, a deeply ingrained habit. Saying I havent deviated from the plan is a bit misleading. I think I would become a frazzled mess if I was to miss any elements of my habit !

Kaneda8888

Hey SD

With the many strands of Buddhism, may I ask what drew you to Thai Forest Tradition ? I had a look at their website and confess I find their approach very compelling.

Derringer

"a redneck outlaw country music Texas type"

That's gold 😂

Got me interested too.

I'll have to check this out.

Good thread 👍👌

abraxas69

Mindfulness has been a game changer for me. I'm very much a beginner but it has helped me enormously in many areas of my life. I am also studying Buddhism (rather casually at this stage) on the back of this, which I am finding absolutely fascinating .