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ForumsDiscussion Forum → Does anyone that posts on Massassi also meditate?
12
Does anyone that posts on Massassi also meditate?
2013-11-19, 7:55 AM #1
Do you listen to a recording while meditating, or do you freelance?

Also; how often do you meditate in an average day?
2013-11-19, 7:01 PM #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djZlQEShIP8
幻術
2013-11-19, 8:28 PM #3
Oh wow, that is cool. Do you make it through the whole album?
2013-11-20, 12:38 AM #4
At least thrice. I really like this kind of music.
幻術
2013-11-20, 1:40 AM #5
Make sure to check out "Dusk Above Arkona" @ 18:11 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfv9HM-Rrfo
幻術
2013-11-20, 4:33 AM #6
What I do is get a warm shower going, then I sit cross-legged at the bottom and cry. No but seriously, I do that minus the crying. What I'll do is sit with my back straight, regulate my breathing, and focus on the water running.

Its damned refreshing after a stressful day. I don't meditate every day though, maybe 4-5 times a week on average, usually following a work out.

I mostly treat it as a means of relaxation, not as some spiritual chi mumbo jumbo. Not a very spiritual kind of guy, m'self.
Was cheated out of lions by happydud
Was cheated out of marriage by sugarless
2013-11-20, 6:29 AM #7
Heh, I do that shower thing too sometimes. Never thought of it as meditation, but it really is, actually.
ORJ / My Level: ORJ Temple Tournament I
2013-11-20, 7:30 AM #8
Yeah I don't do it because of any new age mumbo jumbo, I do it because it helps me collect my thoughts and helps activate my senses (I can experience mild dissociation) and it helps me reconnect the me to my senses.

i haven't tried listening to music when I meditate but now would be a good time to try. But I feel it may distract me from the process. Does anyone listen to a guide? I usually listen to Sam Harris but I'm looking to branch out. Just not to any quasi religious hogwash
2013-11-20, 7:46 AM #9
A friend of mine uses a guide. Sometimes he does it when I'm crashing on his couch. It annoys me. Also, his guide is definitely quasi religious hogwash.
ORJ / My Level: ORJ Temple Tournament I
2013-11-20, 9:39 AM #10
I used to actively meditate for pain nearly every morning, and that got me to the point where I could just take a second or two when I was in a lot of pain to calm down and focus on the task. Not keeping up the daily meditation eventually made me lose that ability, and I've pretty much been too lazy to develop it again.
ᵗʰᵉᵇˢᵍ๒ᵍᵐᵃᶥᶫ∙ᶜᵒᵐ
ᴸᶥᵛᵉ ᴼᵑ ᴬᵈᵃᵐ
2013-11-20, 4:24 PM #11
I do it, because it's a great anti-depressant.
Detty. Professional Expert.
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2013-11-20, 4:36 PM #12
Crystals. Crystals and spices on the floor, and lit candles. Unsupervised open flames while you nap quietly, surrounded by flammable powders and chunks of glass that explode when thermally shocked.
2013-11-20, 4:52 PM #13
I like to light a bunch of candles and masturbate while I listen to a mixtape of Enya and Sting.
>>untie shoes
2013-11-21, 3:29 AM #14
Originally posted by Jon`C:
Crystals. Crystals and spices on the floor, and lit candles.


Originally posted by Antony:
I like to light a bunch of candles and masturbate while I listen to a mixtape of Enya and Sting.


No wonder the two of you are so tight.
幻術
2013-11-21, 3:37 AM #15
To answer the question posed in the thread, I don't meditate. I'd rather light a good joint and think. I find it stimulates thought... Not the kind of fast-thinking you need when you're trying to solve a problem quickly, mind you, you need to be sober for that sort of thing, but the kind of thinking that involves the direction my life is going, family, friends, job, etc. Sometimes helps me get awesome ideas for stories. I don't need it, but I find it pleasantly stimulating. A lot of people smoke to "fade out" or to "get away from things"; I smoke for precisely the opposite reasons. I enjoy the insight I (think) it gives me.

I used to mediate when I did martial arts some 10 years ago or so, more or less. We'd sit down on our knees before class, close our eyes and try to clear our thoughts of everything before we started, then do the same thing after we've finished, was alright.
幻術
2013-11-21, 5:45 AM #16
I don't listen to music while meditating because I find it distracting. The entire point is to focus on the things around you, before focusing on things about yourself & ultimately focusing on nothing at all (which means that after a point you're not really supposed to give any thought to the music). I listen to ambient electronic music when I'm alone & it relaxes me & it helps me to cancel out the noise around me that interrupts my focus. However, the state of mind that this music puts me in isn't what I'd consider meditation--though it's certainly beneficial to me & it may even be a sort of trance (I used to listen to it while driving & I'd often end up missing several exits & would have to backtrack once I came to--if one can still operate an automobile while in a trance, is it really meditation?). We didn't meditate in the martial arts classes that I've taken over the years but we did something similar in yoga & I'd generally just fall asleep (unfortunately, my yoga classes were typically immediately before karate, which was wonderful for stretching, but I would've preferred the reverse). Like Reid, I began with guided meditation audio recordings.

I'm a HUGE fan of Carbon Based Lifeforms & nearly everything on the Ultimae label. Below is an example of the type of music that I listen to almost exclusively when I'm alone.

? :)
2013-11-21, 6:47 AM #17
Originally posted by Koobie:
To answer the question posed in the thread, I don't meditate. I'd rather light a good joint and think. I find it stimulates thought... Not the kind of fast-thinking you need when you're trying to solve a problem quickly, mind you, you need to be sober for that sort of thing, but the kind of thinking that involves the direction my life is going, family, friends, job, etc. Sometimes helps me get awesome ideas for stories. I don't need it, but I find it pleasantly stimulating. A lot of people smoke to "fade out" or to "get away from things"; I smoke for precisely the opposite reasons. I enjoy the insight I (think) it gives me.

I used to mediate when I did martial arts some 10 years ago or so, more or less. We'd sit down on our knees before class, close our eyes and try to clear our thoughts of everything before we started, then do the same thing after we've finished, was alright.


Meditation *is* thinking, or more generally it's focus. It's not about clearing your mind, it's about learning to focus on a single thing. Initially that thing might be your breath, or the way your body is feeling at that particular moment. But you'll often find there are thoughts drifting around that are distracting you, so normally what you'd try to do is focus on that distraction and work out why it's demanding your attention so much.

Essentially, any activity that requires you to focus on the here and now, is a form of meditation. It can be sitting and thinking, it can be dancing, climbing, football, whatever. Once you learn how to focus your attention, everything becomes your meditation.
Detty. Professional Expert.
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2013-11-21, 9:37 AM #18
Yeah, cannabis completely interferes with my ability to meditate, and I find is quite antithetical to the state. I also find that I have done the focus based meditation, but I believe there are two schools, and I hail from the one Mentat describes where you learn to set a calm and empty baseline, although my "micro-meditation" sessions could be described the way you just explained focusing meditation, Detty.
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2013-11-21, 10:04 AM #19
Yeah, there are many situations where thinking can be detrimental, and others where it's essential. For me, the ultimate goal is to recognise which situation is which and be able to act accordingly.
Detty. Professional Expert.
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2013-11-21, 10:24 AM #20
Originally posted by Detty:
Essentially, any activity that requires you to focus on the here and now, is a form of meditation. It can be sitting and thinking, it can be dancing, climbing, football, whatever. Once you learn how to focus your attention, everything becomes your meditation.

Excuse me but what?
2013-11-21, 11:03 AM #21
Once you know how to do it, meditation isn't just sitting in a quiet room
Detty. Professional Expert.
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2013-11-21, 11:31 AM #22
He's absolutely right. I used to be able to do it anywhere, and only for a few seconds. It's a state of mind, not just an exercise.
ᵗʰᵉᵇˢᵍ๒ᵍᵐᵃᶥᶫ∙ᶜᵒᵐ
ᴸᶥᵛᵉ ᴼᵑ ᴬᵈᵃᵐ
2013-11-21, 11:40 AM #23
Really, the last time I tried to meditate I ended up killing a homless man. It was a nightmare to cover up.
>>untie shoes
2013-11-21, 12:54 PM #24
I'd post on Massassi and also meditate, but who has the time to do both?
If you think the waiters are rude, you should see the manager.
2013-11-21, 1:27 PM #25
Originally posted by Michael MacFarlane:
I'd post on Massassi and also meditate, but who has the time to do both?


Talk to the hand.

幻術
2013-11-21, 1:35 PM #26
Massaste
2013-11-21, 2:05 PM #27
Originally posted by Jon`C:
Massaste


I laffed
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ᴸᶥᵛᵉ ᴼᵑ ᴬᵈᵃᵐ
2013-11-21, 2:24 PM #28
I don't know if I would call it meditation per se, but after I've been in the woods for 4 or 5 days, I get a feeling of intense mental calm that I would presume is similar to what some people achieve through meditation. I guess being in the woods just helps me to live mindfully and in the moment.
2013-11-22, 6:19 AM #29
Originally posted by DSettahr:
I don't know if I would call it meditation per se, but after I've been in the woods for 4 or 5 days, I get a feeling of intense mental calm that I would presume is similar to what some people achieve through meditation. I guess being in the woods just helps me to live mindfully and in the moment.

I've never backpacked for more than 3 days (I hope to eventually get around to doing the Sheltowee Trace Trail) & on most of those occasions I was with others (e.g. my father) who were adept at destroying any peace of mind that the experience would've given me otherwise. However, I used to hike alone 25-30 miles per week at a local private park in Kentucky & there's certainly something to be said for solitude. Sometimes I would just sit on a particular stone that was on a small "island" in the center of a creek & I would close my eyes, be completely still, listen/think & those were some of the most peaceful moments of my life (besides the time a squirrel joined my on the stone & brushed up against my skin, thus scaring the **** out of me). Besides the state of mind that comes with such experiences, it's also much easier to be quiet & you'll see things that you may be less likely to with others (like the time that I turned a corner in a trail & came face to face (literally within jumping distance) with 3-4 adolescent/adult deer--they looked up at me, we all froze & it seemed like an eternity before they leapt away).
? :)
2013-11-22, 6:24 AM #30
It's all fun and games until you startle a boar or a bison during rutting season
2013-11-23, 11:11 PM #31
Both of those are actually pretty thin in KY/TN. He's in more danger of finding a black bear.
If you think the waiters are rude, you should see the manager.
2013-11-24, 4:40 AM #32
Sorry, don't know how to play this video :(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkwy0scRXBU

Black bears are terrifying
2013-11-24, 7:00 AM #33
Originally posted by Michael MacFarlane:
Both of those are actually pretty thin in KY/TN. He's in more danger of finding a black bear.

It's true that black bears have been spreading throughout KY once again but they're still a bit to the South of where I used to do my lone hiking. However, as much as I'd like to camp/hike alone a bit further to the South (e.g. Daniel Boone National Forest), the bear attack that happened there a few years back has given me the jitters (whether logical or not, given the small population).
? :)
2013-11-24, 7:01 AM #34
Originally posted by Mentat:
Sometimes I would just sit on a particular stone that was on a small "island" in the center of a creek & I would close my eyes, be completely still, listen/think & those were some of the most peaceful moments of my life (besides the time a squirrel joined my on the stone & brushed up against my skin, thus scaring the **** out of me).


I'm sorry but did you just squirrels on islands?!
2013-11-24, 8:21 AM #35
Originally posted by Vin:
I'm sorry but did you just squirrels on islands?!


:omg: he DID!
Welcome to the douchebag club. We'd give you some cookies, but some douche ate all of them. -Rob
2013-11-24, 8:53 AM #36
Originally posted by Vin:
I'm sorry but did you just squirrels on islands?!


!
If you think the waiters are rude, you should see the manager.
2013-11-25, 7:14 PM #37
Originally posted by Mentat:
I've never backpacked for more than 3 days (I hope to eventually get around to doing the Sheltowee Trace Trail) & on most of those occasions I was with others (e.g. my father) who were adept at destroying any peace of mind that the experience would've given me otherwise. However, I used to hike alone 25-30 miles per week at a local private park in Kentucky & there's certainly something to be said for solitude. Sometimes I would just sit on a particular stone that was on a small "island" in the center of a creek & I would close my eyes, be completely still, listen/think & those were some of the most peaceful moments of my life (besides the time a squirrel joined my on the stone & brushed up against my skin, thus scaring the **** out of me). Besides the state of mind that comes with such experiences, it's also much easier to be quiet & you'll see things that you may be less likely to with others (like the time that I turned a corner in a trail & came face to face (literally within jumping distance) with 3-4 adolescent/adult deer--they looked up at me, we all froze & it seemed like an eternity before they leapt away).


If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend doing a 5 or 6 day solo trip. If you plan ahead and prepare, and keep a good head on your shoulders while in the woods, you can pretty well minimize most of the risks of hiking alone.

Just be sure to bring a good book or two- it's important to have something to occasionally keep your mind occupied when you're alone in the woods.

Originally posted by Vin:
I'm sorry but did you just squirrels on islands?!


Squirrels can swim. I've seen it several times. So yeah, it's not uncommon to find them on islands.
2013-11-26, 4:27 AM #38
Originally posted by DSettahr:
If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend doing a 5 or 6 day solo trip. If you plan ahead and prepare, and keep a good head on your shoulders while in the woods, you can pretty well minimize most of the risks of hiking alone. Just be sure to bring a good book or two- it's important to have something to occasionally keep your mind occupied when you're alone in the woods.

I do very much want to do the Sheltowee Trace Trail by my lonesome. It's 315 miles & being dropped off & picked up would be as easy as pie since I have family scattered throughout the area (KY, SC, TN, etc.). A friend of mine (who also authored this book recently on another trail) did it alone a few years back (maybe with his dog) & he apparently had quite the time. I'm also very familiar with sections of it already & certainly with many of the parks that it passes through (Cumberland Falls (I saw bear tracks here along said trail the last time I was there), Natural Bridge, etc.), so I think that it would be the perfect solo trip for me to start with. I actually love to read camping/hiking guides & things of that nature so I'll certainly try to plan thing out the best I can & I've been collecting & using high-quality & light-weight gear (e.g. GoLite) for several years now).

I've actually looked through some of the photos that you've shared somewhere (can't recall) & have been quite impressed with the amount of ground you've covered. If you have any advice/tips that you'd like to share, feel free to PM me.
? :)
2013-11-26, 5:29 AM #39
Originally posted by Mentat:
I do very much want to do the Sheltowee Trace Trail by my lonesome. It's 315 miles & being dropped off & picked up would be as easy as pie since I have family scattered throughout the area (KY, SC, TN, etc.). A friend of mine (who also authored this book recently on another trail) did it alone a few years back (maybe with his dog) & he apparently had quite the time. I'm also very familiar with sections of it already & certainly with many of the parks that it passes through (Cumberland Falls (I saw bear tracks here along said trail the last time I was there), Natural Bridge, etc.), so I think that it would be the perfect solo trip for me to start with. I actually love to read camping/hiking guides & things of that nature so I'll certainly try to plan thing out the best I can & I've been collecting & using high-quality & light-weight gear (e.g. GoLite) for several years now).

I've actually looked through some of the photos that you've shared somewhere (can't recall) & have been quite impressed with the amount of ground you've covered. If you have any advice/tips that you'd like to share, feel free to PM me.


Yeah, I've done some longer trips... a few 30 mile trips, a 40 mile trip, a 60 mile trip, an 85 mile trip, and a 120 mile trip. All were solo except for the 40 mile trip. I'd definitely like to up the ante with some trips into the hundreds of miles range, but it's hard to find time! I'd also like to through hike the Appalachian Trail at some point, but even if you go alone, you're never really solo on AT because there are so many people that through hike it every year.

I'd not heard of the Sheltowee Trace Trail before but it sounds neat. One of the problems with some of the lesser-known long distance hiking trails, though, is that many of them aren't yet finished, and involve a lot of road walking. No idea if this is true with this particular trail or not, but it's a good thing to look into before you commit yourself! :)
2013-11-26, 6:00 AM #40
Originally posted by DSettahr:
Yeah, I've done some longer trips... a few 30 mile trips, a 40 mile trip, a 60 mile trip, an 85 mile trip, and a 120 mile trip. All were solo except for the 40 mile trip. I'd definitely like to up the ante with some trips into the hundreds of miles range, but it's hard to find time! I'd also like to through hike the Appalachian Trail at some point, but even if you go alone, you're never really solo on AT because there are so many people that through hike it every year.

I'd not heard of the Sheltowee Trace Trail before but it sounds neat. One of the problems with some of the lesser-known long distance hiking trails, though, is that many of them aren't yet finished, and involve a lot of road walking. No idea if this is true with this particular trail or not, but it's a good thing to look into before you commit yourself! :)

The AT intrigues me as well. I've skimmed through several guides for it & read several online journals of people who have done it & it certainly takes some serious planning (some people even use the post offices along the trail to mail themselves perishables & other items that that they may run out of along the way). I've read that there are hippies & the like actually living along the way. If things go as planned in my life (they rarely do), it's something that I hope I'll be able to do with my daughter (maybe before she heads to university or something) & wife several years down the road. If not, I'd certainly love to at least section-hike it. As far as I've read, the Sheltowee Trace Trail is very well done & is kept up with through federal, state & volunteer workers, but I'll certainly make sure to have anything up-to-the-minute before tackling it. I've gotten off track on much smaller trails in Autumn due to leaf cover & it's no fun (I don't even want to imagine getting lost on something of that scale). One of the things that has turned me off about camping in recent years is the abundance of areas where campfires are banned. I understand why this is so (especially during droughts--I hiked through an area that suffered a wildfire a few years back & it was overrun with snakes) & I admit that I often ignore this particular rule (though still following the guidelines for campfires), but I find that camping just isn't nearly as enjoyable without a campfire.
? :)
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