[Christopher1990]

How long before you start noticing results? I feel at ease and lighter after the session, but throughout the day can lose my cool quite easily.

I have been reading Turning the Mind into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham where she teaches meditation by posture and keeping the focus on the breath through peaceful abiding. I have been doing this for about two weeks and am determined to meditate everyday.

It's the little things that can bug me such as something missing, or a car cutting me off, somebody being repetitive.

I want to train myself to be at a place where I can just accept these things as it is, and not get so agitated.

So how long was it before you started noticing positive results?

thank.

[Tsukiko]

The results vary. There's no set time for how long it takes to become mindful. Just keep going and enjoy the experience.

[Skeezyks]

Hello Christopher1990: It has been said that enlightenment is a journey rather than a destination. Personally, I don't believe there is any way anyone can tell you how long it will take before you begin to notice positive results from your meditation practice. But kudos to you for your determination! There are simply too many factors in play. However, the Skeezyks will suggest 2 things you might consider.

Meditation is, from my perspective, a goal unto itself... not a means to an end. Having said that, though, one of the benefits of meditation is simply that it helps one develop the ability to be present with whatever is happening in one's life at any given moment. This then enables one to strive toward developing more lovingkindness & compassion for all sentient beings.

One of the "fruits" of this practice is that you become more aware of how you react to people & to events in your life. This doesn't mean if someone says something that "gets your goat" you won't feel hurt, or perhaps angry. But it means that, as a result of your self-awareness, you'll have more capacity to stop, breathe, & consider how you want to respond rather than just "shooting from the hip" so to speak. But note, this is a long slow evolutionary process... a journey... not a destination. Even those who have been practicing for years & years still don't get it right every time. I wish you well...

[Gus1234U]

to me, meditation is an exercise in strengthening the brain's ability to focus and tolerate stressors, as well as developing a window into awareness.

as such, like any exercise, you see results as soon as you begin to exceed your current capacity. tho you might feel a little 'sore' or tired, this is a good thing, as it indicates you are making progress~! even noticing that you are irritable is a way forward.

i encourage you, and all meditators, to persist, making it a part of daily life.



.... follow the llama ....

[Leyla]

hi there
i agree with everyonelse you can't set a time limit... but i know consistency is the KEY ...so many times i have started it up, only to fall off the wagon, and than start back up again.

i think to really see the effects it has to be a lifestyle change and a long-term thing.

some say mindfulness meditation can take up to 6 months, but again everyone's brain is wired differently.

good luck and keep at it...

[barbella]

I have to agree it is something that requires patience and persistence. Sometimes *you* won't be the one who notices the changes. It might be someone else who says 'oh, you are calmer than you used to be' or something like that.
I wish you all the best in your journey.

[Thunder Bow]

Meditation is just a coping tool, to be used while healing. Best to address the core issues with at Therapist.

[Gus1234U]

i find that post by ThunderBow to be inappropriate: dismissive, not framed as an opinion, non-supportive, off topic, and against stated PC policy.

[Angelique67]

Hi Gus. Everything on pc is an opinion, that said I don't see anything wrong with Thunder Bow's opinion. We humans experience coping mechanisms everyday.

[Gus1234U]

i can't imagine why i find your post to be so off-putting, Angelique.

[Angelique67]

Originally Posted by Gus1234U

i can't imagine why i find your post to be so off-putting, Angelique.

I'm sorry, Gus. Didn't mean to be. (((((HugsFromAFriend)))))

[Fuzzybear]

[BaanMoon]

I occasionally do chanting (aryuvedic, buddhist, all works) and find it extremely centering and helpful in my life... get the big mind feeling and get to see things deeply...

[Thunder Bow]

[avlady]

i try to deep breathe

[Longingforhome]

They've done studies that show the more/longer you do it, the stronger the neural pathways for equanimity, compassion etc.

In terms of instant calm or whatever, I find results vary depending on what I use. Current fave is iRest, which is designed for PTSD.

I definitely notice better sleep if I do it at night, regardless of method.

Sometimes my mind/nervous system is too messed up for meditation and I need to do something physical like yoga instead - also a form of meditation.

I know the times I practice routinely, I feel way more solid and less reactive. Much more able to deal with life. But it's a commitment, that's for sure. And hard for the more impulsive of us to discipline ourselves into.

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