Anybody in banking and finance who meditates here?
Ray Dalio of Bridgewater swears by it. Been meditating for a couple months now. I'm getting good results. The science confirms it too.
What is your job now and how has meditation helped your career and life? How would your life be without it?
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I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.
What the fuck is this? Since when has WSO allowed these garbage bots?
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Thanks, Patrick
Been trying for about 4-5 months. Hearing about its impact it has had on Ray Dalio's life made me want to try it. I am so far unsuccessful at it. Hopefully someone else has had more practice and success as well.
Helps with focus and keeping perspective on things. I think a lot of people would benefit from trying it (particularly the people who are naturally least interested and feel that they couldn't sit still for ten minutes). For Tim Ferriss fans, I'd recommend giving this a listen if you are interested in meditation. Features Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Harris, Rainn Wildson (Dwight from The Office), and Chase Jarvis (a photographer who I am not too familiar with): https://tim.blog/2016/11/16/the-tim-ferriss-radio-hour-meditation-minds…
Some of my friends that are religious say they meditate as well, and they have said it has a very calming effect on them.
I started it about a month ago and swear by it as well.
It has helped me be able to focus better at work, when reading, when paying attention to other people talking, etc. Just overall my focus and ability to enjoy the little things in life has really improved. I have also been sleeping better as well.
Think of it as exercising your mind. Just like we exercise our bodies to perform better and be healthy, we can do the same thing with our minds. By training it to be able to control its thoughts and emotions I have had much more control over just about everything in my life.
I tried once for a week and lost interest in it pretty quickly, but would like to try again. Any resources you can suggest to help guide ones meditation?
Mindfulness in Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana
It's a long-game man, science says a cumulative of at least 11 hours is needed to have some changes. Dalai Lama says at least 50 hours to have some life-changing effect. I'm at about 88 hours now, goal is 100 hrs by year-end.
Don't pressure it, "monkey mind" as we call it (self referential thoughts, distraction, hunger, lust, etc) is normal even for experienced meditators. As soon as you catch yourself being distracted, just acknowledge it, don't sweat, and go back to your object of meditation (breath, mantra, etc).
It fascinates me what the science shows, Lama Oser, French buddhist right-hand of the Dalai Lama, has tens of thousands of hours of meditation under his belt. They measured his brain activity, and guess what: He has practically zero anxiety, always calm and focused, and can detect "microfacial expressions" in humans far better than psychologists or FBI agents. In this aspect he has outperformed every single person who took the test! His results were literally off the charts scientists had to double check their equipment for errors - there was none.
It's also replicable since other meditators - Buddhist or otherwise - who have similar experience developed the same abilities.
No.
You can't put a measurement on hours of meditation and effect. Also, neurologically speaking, any amount of time spent in meditation changes the brain.
Those effects sound pretty interesting. I might try to add it to my routine, like start with 15mins at the end of workouts.
Edit: is there a best time to do it? I'm not much of a morning person, so that would not be ideal for me.
As for me, it has significantly increased my attention span, motivation to execute one path until completion, the ability to "zoom in" and "zoom out" in everyday life, and the ability to "snap out" of stressful, negative, ruminative thoughts.
I do.
I think you guys are making it out to be something it isn't or at least doesn't have to be. I spend 0.5 - 5 minutes on me knees in meditation each morning (really more like 1-2x a week since I started FT), There is one prayer I say in the morning that takes like 3 seconds. If I have/decide to spend more time there are 1 or 2 others I say, before doing the "clear your mind" type of meditation people usually think about. I used to pair this with a few minutes of Bible but can't say I have done that more than a time or two in the last year.
When I have more time available I try to do a 10 - 15 minute "clear your mind" type of thing where I sit on the ground with my back against the wall and breath deeply - no "ohm" type shit or incense or anything. Just relaxing, and focusing on either nothing, or 'the highest good' or whatever thoughts come to mind and just thinking them and letting the thought finish, rather than trying to hold on to each one and navigate a conversation with myself.
Even sitting on my balcony while I drink my morning coffee while the sun rises and not checking my phone / reading the news etc can be a great way to center myself before my day starts.
Point is, this is something everyone knows how to do. It doesn't require a shaman or a spirit guide, or some faggy finance-bro/Silicon Valley 21st Century spirituality nonsense to accomplish. Half of the point is to figure it out yourself, learning how to clear your mind / relax. And it works, that's why it has lasted thousands of years and is literally a part of every single religion ever.
Almost spit out the breakfast I'm eating. This cracked me up. It need not be religious, I'm atheist. Actually started meditating because of the science. It just so happens that the Buddhist philosophy tends to emphasize and elaborate on meditation more. They're onto something. Except shaving your head bald. My grandfather went bald so I'm making the most out of this shit.
But basically what science says is that there's neuroplasticity - whatever part of the brain you exercise, gets stronger. Like a muscle. So I suspect that a lot of meditators developed some "faggy finance-bro" spirituality because they practice certain forms of meditation (or religious belief).
You're right, you can meditate on pretty much anything, "ohm" shit is just a mantra to tune out distractions. You can meditate while taking your coffee, staring at your dog, heck, I meditate while taking a shit. Works wonders when you got constipation and you're straining. Not kidding.
If you were looking for an example of faggy-finance-bro / 21srt Century Silicon Valley nonsense, Here it is.
(Also that is not what neuroplasticity is. But you are an aetheist so you know all about the brain and shit my nigga)
Yes but not the superficial "Sit down and go hmmmm, hmmmm" stuff.
Meditation is a great tool for everything. I have been meditating on and off for few years. either breathing meitation, or reciting sutras. and it is great!
I do both breathing meditation and meditation where I try to focus on nothing at all and let my mind be quiet. Both are great. Helps with general mindfulness, which has a ripple effect on almost everything you do.
Every day for almost three years. It is incredibly empowering, and allowed me to regain control over my life professionally and personally. Got to the point of being burned out and totally overwhelmed by my insanely dominant md. Developed some health problems, and overall it was a very unhealthy cycle. Got into meditation through a friend and it totally put me in control over my life, even lightened my relationship with the md.
That being said, to find real success in meditation as a busy professional you have to make the serious daily commitment. I meditate immediately after getting out of bed, while having coffee, walking to work, and recall my personal mantra or "power word" when I go into a brutal meeting.
I work with a combo of Emily Fletcher of Ziva Meditation (former Broadway actress turned incredible performance-boosting coach at Harvard and Google), Cory Muscara (former aspiring hedge fund guy turned UPenn's "achieving happiness" guru), and Amandine Roche (UN humanitarian based out of Afghanistan with a history of witnessing brutal murders, getting kidnapped by the Taliban, and surviving a near death experience... she's insanely incredible for teaching stress-survival meditation).
Given my time constraints, I'm enrolled in Emily's ZivaMind online meditating and attend her workshops in person whenever I can. I keep Cory and Amandine within an easy reach via Simple Habit and their personal sites, and in the summer months visit Cory's mindfullness center on Long Island. I'm constantly trying new meditations and meditation teachers. It is all a process of trial and error. But it is a worthy proven commitment for me. Would most likely have left banking without it.
Non-meditators, all these amazing people are "guides" to meditation, not dominant brain-washing shamans. Meditation is all about the power of YOU. They discuss and open you to a lot of very simple truths in your every day life, teaching you self-appreciation which makes you happier and better at everything.
Would definitely recommend the Headspace app for anyone interested in starting to meditate. They have a free ten day trial and then its $89/year but they have many different subjects/topics/lengths of meditations. Been using it for a year and a half and love it.
You pay someone to meditate?
they have guided meditations, for example, there's a 30 day pack on relationships that focuses on visualizing positive moments you have in relationships, they have packs on stress, focus, creativity,etc. Narrator has a very calming voiced and everything is packaged well enough, with daily reminders able to be set, so I think it's worth the money. Try the free 10 day trial and if you don't like it, then don't pay for it
I've thought about looking into some of the meditation methods from both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, and have found both the centering prayer and the Eastern Orthodox method of Hesychasm to be interesting. Neither seems to be particularly dogmatic really, and more of the kind of selfless thinking that others are mentioning in this thread.
There is one method popular in Russia in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches called "Poustinia."
The word translated literally means 'desert'. "The experience is basically you walking into silence and solitude for 24hrs and fasting. Sometimes one must walk into the desert alone to find the truth in oneself and in the world.
A Poustinia is typically in a log cabin with with no electricity and a wood burning fire. Only bread and water are allowed for the 24hrs. One may bring a paper and a writing utensil, but no outside materials, books, or electronics may be brought into the room except a Bible.
Its pretty cool. I have done it a few times while staying with a community in Canada.
I used to live in Russia for a while, but I was very young so I don't really remember it. My parents are from Eastern Europe though, so "Poustinia" translates into other Slavic languages. I remember my dad telling me about this recently, he knew some people there that did it. Coming from a Catholic background though, I didn't know they did it too, I thought it would be mostly an Orthodox tradition.
Hate it. It's not for everyone. I tried having a 5-minute morning meditation practice for a year (it was one of my wee-woo "new year's resolutions" when I was in college and getting high), and after I year I said, "Never again."
I have other methods that are akin to meditation and mindfulness but more regimented and cognitive, and they work for me.
Like what?
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