Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

Meditation: from devotion to empty ritual

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

Sat Nam!

 

I often experience that meditations I want to practise for 40 or more days

start "boring" me after about three weeks and every day more and more

thoughts and diversion appears in my mind. Do you have similar experiences?

I wonder because I thought the more I meditate a single meditation regulary

the deeper it goes but the opposite happens. During the first two or three

weeks I'm meditating devotional but then it's getting harder to keep up and

it becomes something like an "empty ritual". Should I change the meditation

when this happens or should I go on until the 40th day? What can I do to keep

my enthusiasm for 40 or more days?

 

Peace

Pal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Pal:

 

Wearing out meditations is akin to wearing out clothes. After a few days,

even the nicest designer clothing begins to become stale.

 

Change your meditation. Stop. Go for a walk. Listen to nature. Go to the

beach. Go to the mountains. Go shopping. Meditate where you feel renewed.

 

The meditation must suit the meditator, not vice-versa.

 

Hey, when do you work or eat, by the way?

 

LOL

 

Blessings

Love,

 

Zenbob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Pal,

 

It might seem like it but my answers do not contradict what Zenbob wrote. I

think both are true.

 

Many what we call meditations are really exercises to prepare us for

meditation.

After a couple of weeks or some time they start to work. Our subconscious

programming comes up for us to see, to experience and to allow it to be

released. To quit every time this happens is to lose the effect of the

"meditation" before it does its job. Not all "meditations" are fun,

peaceful or blissful. The trick is to get into what is happening and

experience the energy in your body. To actually be one with the energy so

it can transmute on a cellular level. Then you will get the benefit of the

meditation. When any exercise or "meditation" is done like a ritual, the

impact is diminished. We ritualize often because we do not want to

experience in our bodies and emotions what is actually going on.

 

You can refer to my lesson of KYTraining on "Change, Creation and Choice."

I list various ways to deepen meditations and stay present to the energy.

 

www.kundaliniyoga.org/classes/html

 

You may not be able to be enthusiastic, but you can be very present to what

is going on. Alas, enlightenment requires going through what is getting in

the way. Sometimes I find that I don't really like the "meditation" but I

like the results. I can feel unsettled, restless or whatever during the

meditation and an hour later I feel refreshed and energized.

 

Thanks for a sincere and useful question.

 

Sat Nam,

 

RAttana

 

> I often experience that meditations I want to practise for 40 or more days

> start "boring" me after about three weeks and every day more and more

> thoughts and diversion appears in my mind. Do you have similar

experiences?

> I wonder because I thought the more I meditate a single meditation

regulary

> the deeper it goes but the opposite happens. During the first two or three

> weeks I'm meditating devotional but then it's getting harder to keep up

and

> it becomes something like an "empty ritual". Should I change the

meditation

> when this happens or should I go on until the 40th day? What can I do to

keep

> my enthusiasm for 40 or more days?

>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Pal,

I experience the same thing at about 30 days also. I start getting a little

impatient because I usually am ready to start my next meditation. I spend

considerable time deciding which meditation I am going to do. I continue

because I am after the effects and 40 days is the recommendation. I have

already worked hard not to miss a day.

I am newer at this but I have experienced the rewards of my last two 40 day

meditations.

 

I think if I felt this way in the first week I would agree with Zenbob. I

agree with what he said and I feel that my intuition leads me to

meditations (or to the help that I need) and are suited for me.

 

I think a lot of what I do in my Sadhana is not always fun and is hard work,

but the rewards is what keeps me going. I feel that is true about many

things in life.

 

Thanks for input I thought it was only me and my lack of commitment or

focus.

 

Sat Nam

Brian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agnosiah wrote:

 

> Agnosiah

>

> Sat Nam!

>

> I often experience that meditations I want to practise for 40 or more days

> start "boring" me after about three weeks and every day more and more

> thoughts and diversion appears in my mind. Do you have similar experiences?

> I wonder because I thought the more I meditate a single meditation regulary

> the deeper it goes but the opposite happens. During the first two or three

> weeks I'm meditating devotional but then it's getting harder to keep up and

> it becomes something like an "empty ritual". Should I change the meditation

> when this happens or should I go on until the 40th day? What can I do to keep

> my enthusiasm for 40 or more days?

>

> Peace

> Pal

 

Hi,

IMHO, the ego is a very cunning entity. Everybody must look inside of

themselves and decide questions like this: Have I been doing my best and it is

true that this meditation is truly not suited to me; or, has my ego learned that

it takes 2 or 3 weeks before the armor of my concentration begins ti rust and

weaken because it has not been made perfect yet? So, all your ego has to do is

wait until it senses the weakening of your armor ( concentration ), and then

attack. This plan will work every time if this is what is happening.

This is a dilemma many of us face over and over again. Learning to trust your

intuition can be very frightening to us ego oriented types.

Sat Nam,

Gary

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to answer this question from my own experience. I have been a

student of Kundalini Yoga for 16 years on and off.

 

I have had the experience of a meditation getting "boring". In my case,

when it gets boring it means it is working and I should definitely

continue.

 

Also, I found that when I follow the instructions of Yogi Bhajan, that

works for me too. I don't mean I agree with everything he says, I don't.

Nor, obviously, would I follow him if he told me to do something harmful.

But if he says do it for 40 days, then I do it for 40 days.

 

 

also, I think a lot of benefit is gained in teaching the mind who is

master. For example if I am doing a particularly difficult posture - say

my arms are up, and after a while my mind says, "No more. I can't stand

it. I must let my arms down."

OK, I can let my arms down, that won't mean I am a bad person or a weak

person, just means I let my arms down.

But, if I cam keep them up for the duration of the exercise, or even if I

keep them up past the point where "I MUST drop them", then I feel I have

gained a victory.

 

Same thing when I jog. I often reach a point, where it's like - "OK,

that's it. I CANNOT run any more."

and..if I keep running past that point I usually experience a feeling of

liberation, and a burst of energy.

 

So my advice, is Keep Up. You can be bored and continue to meditate. You

may experience a break-through. Please let us know how it turns out.

 

Best,

Kartar Kaur

 

 

 

 

>

> > I often experience that meditations I want to practise for 40 or more days

> > start "boring" me after about three weeks and every day more and more

> > thoughts and diversion appears in my mind. Do you have similar

> experiences?

> > I wonder because I thought the more I meditate a single meditation

> regulary

> > the deeper it goes but the opposite happens. During the first two or three

> > weeks I'm meditating devotional but then it's getting harder to keep up

> and

> > it becomes something like an "empty ritual". Should I change the

> meditation

> > when this happens or should I go on until the 40th day? What can I do to

> keep

> > my enthusiasm for 40 or more days?

> >

>

> > "OUR DESTINY IS TO BE HAPPY"

> - Yogi Bhajan

>

> Check out our website:

> kundalini yoga

>

> Sponsored by Yoga Technology Press

> Popular publishers of books on Kundalini Yoga and Meditation.

>

>

> To from this list, go to

> ONElist Member Center, or send mail to

> Kundaliniyoga-

> No requests to the list please!

>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kartar Kaur,

 

Thank you for your view and advice. Serendipitously, it spoke to my

internal response this morning to the question we are discussing:

"Hey, foget, doing the same "meditation" for 40 days, I can't keep my

arm up for 11 minutes!!" (I'm definitely a novice to Kundalini and

meditation). So, you answered my unwritten question: just stay with it

past the point of "I can't go on," which was my instinct. And arms up

for 11 minutes will probably cease to be a problem in much less than 40

days. Small victories...

 

To all who responded: even though I didn't pose the original question,

all of your views and discussions on meditating have been so helpful. I

guess that's the point of this most excellent list!

 

Sat Nam,

Siobhan

 

 

 

Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one place.

Shopping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...