a single sit; one long meditation or a couple of meditations

[TomMember]

hi guys, is it better to do a single type of meditation for each sitting or can you, say, start with loving kindness then move on to finding the witness or begin with mindfulness of breathing and switch to jhana if the conditions are already pushing you that way.

[Alex KMember]

Hi Tom

The more experience you have the more appropriate it is to trust your instincts. But it is helpful to not sswitch around too much and not switch because what ytou are doing right now is just not working. When it gets difficult it may be helpful to stay with you practice.

That being said, adding some metta in the beginning can be very helpful. Give it a try and see for yourself. It is a good idea to do switches to amother technique intentionally, for example when you are on the breath and want to do s.t. else, decide to stay with the breath for, say, ten more breaths and then do the other thing. Be mindful of what happens during the switch and then set your new intention.

Alex

[TomMember]

Cheers

[PierreMember]

Hi Tom, that’s a good question that many practitioners face. For my own, I have often adapted the practice to what is happening during the sit and found it beneficial. I may have started with the intention of doing one practice and look out for the kind of obstacles that was present at the last sit, only to find that on that day some entirely different kind of obstacle was showing up. I then apply the method for that kind of obstacle. Or the mind may be attracted to a different practice altogether, like doing jhanas. So I let it “fall” into one. This way of practicing also helps to realize that there is nobody in charge (anatta, or not-self), things are always changing (impermanence, or anicca), and insisting that something remain the same or submits to our expectation is to invite suffering, or dukkha.
Pierre

[Author]

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