• If you’re getting caught up in the 6 steps, you can always do them on your way to wherever you sit (before meditation) and start with the 4 step transition when you start your timer.

  • Remember, the stages are not linear. You don’t really “master” a stage. If forgetting and mind-wandering doesn’t happen for an extended period of time, you should move to stage 4. If forgetting and come back you need to keep practicing stage 3 practices. If you go multiple weeks without forgetting and mind-wandering you can say that you’re in stage 4.

  • I did some Stage 5 / Stage 6 body scanning today during meditation. I felt like my breath was following my body up a down my extremities. Like a sloshing around of energy inside my body. Then, it started to get stronger and more extreme until my breath WAS my body, like being enveloped inside a cloud of energy. I keep thinking “this can’t be…[Read more]

  • Chris replied to the topic Fasting and meditation in the forum Meditation 6 years, 9 months ago

    I did a 6 day water fast while starting a meditation practice. I don’t recommend it if you are just starting. The majority of your gross distractions will be how you want to eat. (At least in my experience). I would probably do it again when I get to stage 6 or 7.

  • FWIW, I find that practicing one skill at a time for a few days helps a lot. You don’t really have to keep a lot of instruction in your mind. You should really just practice one thing at a time. Once that skill becomes automatic, then you can build on it with more instruction / skills. It should get easier over time. Not harder.