Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Meditation - I'd love to hear some stories

Dear Ones,
The more I learn about Meditation the more I think it's potentially useful to Gifties. OE's, high stress career paths, high stress marriage and child raising paths, justice concerns, perfectionism... What topic that is part of our lives isn't address to some degree by Meditation.

I'd love to hear other people's stories about Meditation, good bad or in between.

Here's mine:

I highly recommend Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes. Meditation is part of the practices, but there is more to it than that: some things which can really help perfectionism, like non-judging awareness, non-striving... the focus is on learning to be comfortable with yourself.

Yoga is good too! It's body meditation.

I've been meditating for about 20 years (a few years before that quasi-meditating) and I can tell you it has changed who I am in a good way. I was one of those gifted kids that experienced everything, all the time, all at once. It was overwhelming! When I started to meditate life changed. SLOWLY. Meditation isn't a quick fix.

Here's what worked for me. Yoga & Tai Chi for about 4 years (Tai Chi is described as standing meditation. If you get an actual Eastern instructor). Running was great too. All ways to meditate while moving. No way I could have sat still in the begining. Except for occational meditation tape. Those were nice.

Then some actual sitting meditation for a few years. 5 minutes to start. Up to an hour. Hindu & Buddhist temples have meditations and you don't have to be the faith. You just go and sit in silence.

Then everyday life became an exercise in meditation. Fabulous times:)

Then marriage. Meditation out the window! Start over at the beginning! Back on track. Then child. Meditation out the window! Start over at the beginning! Now, I'm back at my sitting meditation phase. I figure in a few years I'll be up to everyday life as an exercise in meditation again.

It's a process and I love it!

ROFL - this is about how's it gone with me. I love yoga, jogging, sitting meditation. I'm some what off the wagon at the moment other than a 2-3 runs during a good week. But I know I'll find it again. I totally agree it can be a powerful tool for people who think "too much". I finding myself giving my kids meditation prompts when they are stressed.

I am trying to find children's programs/tips for meditation. DS6 inherited our "monkey minds," where he can't get to sleep at night because his mind is constantly abuzz. He has always been this way, but lately, he's been asking for anything to help. (In fact, we were reading about a South American fruit that was used for sleepnessless, and I found him googling to see where we could buy some!)

The only thing that helps him is snuggling into bed with us, but as he gets bigger, he transfers that sleeplessness to us!! LOL

If anyone has any ideas for where we can start with something on our own with him, please let me know! Thanks!!

Good to know there are others out there that fall off the wagon too!

gratefulmom - "monkey mind" that's it! I wish I had someone to help explain it to me as a child. Instead I heard that phrase for the first time in my late 30's. I mean it's so simple that a child could get it easily, but wait until your older and it's a struggle.

FYI for those of you that aren't familiar the term "monkey mind" - The monkey mind is refering to your mind always swinging to the past or to the future and not ever just being in the present. Meditation is just being in the moment without that monkey mind.

For sleep - Kidcalm may work. You can get it at Whole Foods. Warning - makes my kid pooh

The hubby drew the line at my request to take hypnosis classes due to my immaturity. �They teach hypnosis classes to help people quit smoking and heal from childhood trauma. �I just want to hypnotize someone to sleep in a restaurant to see them fall splat into their bowl of soup. �((blushing a guilty deep rose)).
I'm interested in Reiki, biofeedback, the Chinese meridians, even how homeopathy works with the most minute substantial measurements to effect positive changes. �
I don't know a thing about the astral plane but just bought a program to learn it from because you need it to advance in Reiki. �I've used hatha and ashtanga yoga. �I'm considering kundalini yoga to get my fire back after bearing two children.
Of course the topic here is meditation for returning to the shallow end for damage-control from the OE's side-effects. �
I'll show my kids what I've found effective which is mindless drawing, reading, tv, or video-games to hide under like a blanket so you don't embarrass yourself coupled with insane physical adventures, long-distance hiking or biking to keep you sane.

I think you could give DS6 'Living from the Heart'2009 edition and tell him that he needs to practice the techniques during the day when he's already feeling good before he would expect to use them effectively at night when he's already worried about falling asleep. Some kids like the tapes, but my son hated them, except for one marketed towards grown ups that was just subliminal sounds. My guess is that a YSP kid would want more control. There are some little vignettes in the book that refer to adult matters, so you might want to check it yourself first. But the instructions are clear enough.

Thanks to everyone who posted their stories. I never knew that about you! How cool!

Love and More Love,
Grinity