Nice list! I’ve used most of these as well, but I have a pretty weak sense of smell, so I often forget to pay any attention to the smell ones in the first place. Could add those to my own list. :)
This is derivative of meditative insight practice. You may be interested in looking into Vipassana practice. With some time spent building concentration skills this kind of sensation noticing practice is far more powerful (think, LSD-like power) and can be extended to get you a lot more than just joy
Hard to say, both because I haven’t been sticking very hard to any specific style of meditation, and also because the amount of meditation I’ve done has varied a lot, depending on various life circumstances. There was a time when I’d meditate for several hours a day; these days I do less formal practice (I try to go for at least twenty minutes a day), but I tend to also incorporate meditation into my daily activities and routines and maintain a level of mindfulness throughout the day. I tend to easily slip into a meditative state in the morning, after waking up but before getting up from bed, and might spend an hour or two that way.
I’ve always really liked this idea. I already do the toothbrushing thing. Hygiene’s a good category to pull from. A few others I use:
Feeling of cold air
Warmth of sunlight
Warmth of water, be it bathing, dishwashing, etc.
Smell of clean laundry
Smell of coffee/warm beverages
Feel of wearing freshly cleaned clothing
Feel of a fresh shave
I often have long hair, and notice that my hair actually starts to feel heavier the longer it goes unwashed, so, the lightness of freshly washed hair
This, and:
seeing sudden patterns in random objects around me (like archipelagos of melting snow)
choosing just a single book at my parents’ place
eating cherries from the tree
having ice-cream after a field survey in August
watching my kid play with other children (he is often ill, so we always count this as a win)
packing away winter coats...
Nice list! I’ve used most of these as well, but I have a pretty weak sense of smell, so I often forget to pay any attention to the smell ones in the first place. Could add those to my own list. :)
I tend to find joy upon *spotting puppy dogs out and about
befriending said puppy dogs albeit briefly
digging into fries and mayonnaise after weeks of healthy food
seeing an elderly couple walk hand in hand (yes, I can be sentimental) completing every singe good workout consuming good tea. Always.
This is derivative of meditative insight practice. You may be interested in looking into Vipassana practice. With some time spent building concentration skills this kind of sensation noticing practice is far more powerful (think, LSD-like power) and can be extended to get you a lot more than just joy
Yeah, I’ve done Vipassana which I’m pretty sure has made the practice a lot easier.
Nice. Just curious, how much did you do, and why’d you stop (if you did)?
Hard to say, both because I haven’t been sticking very hard to any specific style of meditation, and also because the amount of meditation I’ve done has varied a lot, depending on various life circumstances. There was a time when I’d meditate for several hours a day; these days I do less formal practice (I try to go for at least twenty minutes a day), but I tend to also incorporate meditation into my daily activities and routines and maintain a level of mindfulness throughout the day. I tend to easily slip into a meditative state in the morning, after waking up but before getting up from bed, and might spend an hour or two that way.
I haven’t actually done very much pure vipassana; instead I’ve found tranquility meditation, “just-sitting” zazen, and most recently metta more rewarding.