AFAIK boredom means, very roughly, that you’re not meditating (at least not the style of meditation I practice, mindful meditation), and instead are sitting there trying not to be bored.
If you notice you’re bored, notice that you noticed it, and return your attention to your focus.
Breathing is one option, although it doesn’t strictly need to be the focus. The goal is to focus your -entire- mind upon your focal point, leaving no mental space for anything like boredom.
Honestly I’m not sure how applicable mindfulness meditation is to different mental types. Some people seem genuinely incapable of focusing their entire mind on one thing; I’m on the extreme end in the other direction, and am incapable of conscious focus on -more- than one thing at a time, to the point where I can be in extraordinary pain and -simply not notice-, because something else is more interesting. To some extent mindfulness meditation probably just reinforces a habit in me which, while generally desirable, is over-exercised in my case.
If by meditation you mean concentrating on the breath and observing whatever sensations arise, when boredom strikes you could try concentrating your attention on the sensations of boredom until it goes away, then returning to breath. Same trick works great with physical pain or itching.
Yes. I could hardly do even five minutes when I started, eventually managed to stretch that to hours on a good day. (Those good days are rare, but still.)
My experience is that a strong dose of green tea about 10-30 minutes beforehand often helps focus, and was I think instrumental in getting those longer periods for the first time. Though it’s been a while since I might misremember.
Some people meditate after exercising. Just lie down and imagine their body relaxing, from toes headwards. (Facial muscles are rather confusing, though.) Concentrate also on even breathing—on the count of four, begin exhaling for four ‘beats’, then hold your breath for four more, then take a prolonged breath, etc. (You can be more comfortable with three at first.) Idon’t know about reducing the need for sleep, but it does bring calm and is easier to do for longer than seven minutes (AFA I remember).
My experience: posture matters—for example sitting on a pillow is not good enough, I learned I need to sit on the ground with the pillow under my tailbone, my lower back is straighter that way. Recommend going to a Zen center, they teach posture really well. Also esp. how the Mokusho Zen guys do it, facing a white wall and looking 45 degree down, it works better for me than closed eyes or open and looking around.
I’m tempted to answer: “Only if you do it wrong”.
If you go weight-lifting it’s hard. If weight-lifting isn’t hard you don’t put on enough weights.
You do get better with practice but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier.
You will likely both experience easy and harder mediations as you go forward.
My hardest mediation was one last year. It was the first meditation at a 5 day seminar, when I already had years of meditation experience. Nausea raised up in me and there were moment where I was calculated the escape route in case I have to throw up.
That’s about twice as long as I can last, though I only started about a month ago. I find that my problem isn’t boredom so much as worrying about the day’s to do list while trying not to think, though. I’m not sure if I’d be bored if I had nothing more pressing to do at the time; is your boredom actually boredom or just the desire to do something else? Actually, is there a difference?
It feels like psychic pain from boredom. Some people claim that meditation reduces your need for sleep by an amount greater than what you put into meditation so perhaps you could think of meditation as a way of saving time.
Some people claim that meditation reduces your need for sleep by an amount greater than what you put into meditation
Curious to know where you got this. The lore I’ve heard from two meditation instructors is that the reduction of need for sleep is about half of the time meditating — which leads me to wonder whether someone got their factors backwards.
from readings on the internet; yes it does. Suggestions are approximately; “treat it like a muscle, by training it—it will get stronger” (longer meditations will take less effort to stay in)
I have no real life experience in it; and feel as though I do not currently have a need to meditate, but that’s what the writings seem to say about it.
I have been trying to meditate and can go about 7 minutes before boredom overwhelms me. Does it get easier?
AFAIK boredom means, very roughly, that you’re not meditating (at least not the style of meditation I practice, mindful meditation), and instead are sitting there trying not to be bored.
If you notice you’re bored, notice that you noticed it, and return your attention to your focus.
Focus to what? Breathing?
Breathing is one option, although it doesn’t strictly need to be the focus. The goal is to focus your -entire- mind upon your focal point, leaving no mental space for anything like boredom.
Honestly I’m not sure how applicable mindfulness meditation is to different mental types. Some people seem genuinely incapable of focusing their entire mind on one thing; I’m on the extreme end in the other direction, and am incapable of conscious focus on -more- than one thing at a time, to the point where I can be in extraordinary pain and -simply not notice-, because something else is more interesting. To some extent mindfulness meditation probably just reinforces a habit in me which, while generally desirable, is over-exercised in my case.
Breathing is good for beginners.
I would recommend against focusing on an object outside of your body at the beginning for people in the LW cluster.
What are you trying to do when you “meditate”?
If by meditation you mean concentrating on the breath and observing whatever sensations arise, when boredom strikes you could try concentrating your attention on the sensations of boredom until it goes away, then returning to breath. Same trick works great with physical pain or itching.
Yes. I could hardly do even five minutes when I started, eventually managed to stretch that to hours on a good day. (Those good days are rare, but still.)
My experience is that a strong dose of green tea about 10-30 minutes beforehand often helps focus, and was I think instrumental in getting those longer periods for the first time. Though it’s been a while since I might misremember.
Curious whether, say, 100mg caffeine and 100 mg theanine would have a similar effect.
I think that totally depends on your receptivity to these substances. Esp. caffeine totally varies from person to person.
Some people meditate after exercising. Just lie down and imagine their body relaxing, from toes headwards. (Facial muscles are rather confusing, though.) Concentrate also on even breathing—on the count of four, begin exhaling for four ‘beats’, then hold your breath for four more, then take a prolonged breath, etc. (You can be more comfortable with three at first.) Idon’t know about reducing the need for sleep, but it does bring calm and is easier to do for longer than seven minutes (AFA I remember).
My experience: posture matters—for example sitting on a pillow is not good enough, I learned I need to sit on the ground with the pillow under my tailbone, my lower back is straighter that way. Recommend going to a Zen center, they teach posture really well. Also esp. how the Mokusho Zen guys do it, facing a white wall and looking 45 degree down, it works better for me than closed eyes or open and looking around.
I’m tempted to answer: “Only if you do it wrong”. If you go weight-lifting it’s hard. If weight-lifting isn’t hard you don’t put on enough weights. You do get better with practice but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier.
You will likely both experience easy and harder mediations as you go forward.
My hardest mediation was one last year. It was the first meditation at a 5 day seminar, when I already had years of meditation experience. Nausea raised up in me and there were moment where I was calculated the escape route in case I have to throw up.
That’s about twice as long as I can last, though I only started about a month ago. I find that my problem isn’t boredom so much as worrying about the day’s to do list while trying not to think, though. I’m not sure if I’d be bored if I had nothing more pressing to do at the time; is your boredom actually boredom or just the desire to do something else? Actually, is there a difference?
It feels like psychic pain from boredom. Some people claim that meditation reduces your need for sleep by an amount greater than what you put into meditation so perhaps you could think of meditation as a way of saving time.
Curious to know where you got this. The lore I’ve heard from two meditation instructors is that the reduction of need for sleep is about half of the time meditating — which leads me to wonder whether someone got their factors backwards.
Just from people on the web describing their own experiences.
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/mindfulness-meditation
This helps me, I saved the 9 min guided audio to my phone and use it after the gym.
from readings on the internet; yes it does. Suggestions are approximately; “treat it like a muscle, by training it—it will get stronger” (longer meditations will take less effort to stay in)
I have no real life experience in it; and feel as though I do not currently have a need to meditate, but that’s what the writings seem to say about it.
Guided meditation or image-streaming make meditation a lot easier, and I think the benefits are the same.