I'm not sure where you got that from. In every style of meditation I've learned and every teacher I've worked with, they don't say thoughts are bad, they're just thoughts. There isn't an emphasis on clearing the mind, which isn't really possible except for temporary periods of time. In my experience this happens when your mind is resting on some other expereince of sensation, usually in the body. It's a pleasant experience, but not really the goal of meditation, at least not in the way I relate to it. That said, I love a lot of your content and the message you're putting out there.
I must say i kinda made the opposite experience. I practiced focus meditations (where you focus on one mantra like "Ohm") for years but when it comes to problem solving, in my experience movement is the key. Cause solving problems requires creativity and when i go outside and walk through the forest, that's when i get the best ideas and new perspectives on solving a current problem. I've learned it in my physics studies. Whenever i got stuck in a task i did go outside and i almost always came back with a new solution approach. Helped me a lot.
Thanks for your input Phillip! I think this was a valuable one that I replied to in the recent livestream (you can see the highlights including your comment here ua-cam.com/video/32q8ntRxj9c/v-deo.html). Cheers! :)
The gamechanging insight (imo) with meditation is that you are supposed to practice to be ok with what is. Not trying to change what is directly, like some relaxation or breathing technique. Done right, you will remove the suffering from the practice and then you will likely be calmer, less stressed etc as a result, indirectly. So if you feel/think this is not for you, chances are you are stuck in the uncomfortable experiense, expecting and struggling to change it. It took me a long time to get this.
Stillness is everywhere, especially on airplanes. On my recent flights, I've tried to do multiple sets of stillness, a beautiful challenge to stay still with all the small and large vibrations.
excellent sina! I think I mentioned in class once, one of my favorite things to do on airplanes is handstands in the bathroom- lol. Really nice to clear some of the swelling/inflammation in the legs. And plenty of time for some good stillness and apnea practice too :).
After hearing this perspective on stillness I began seeing stillness everywhere especially in nature settings. I used be proud of the non-stop hustle mindset, but when I entered an environment of stillness I felt silly how everything was content being still except me, and came to think perhaps I'm also meant to be still at times as well.
Hey Bren! I'm super excited to have found your channel. I actually teach meditation and after watching your intro to movement series (and your critique of Ido Portal) I feel I bring the same relentless passion(/obsession) and creativity to learning and teaching meditation (and other meditative practices) as you do to movement. So yes I have heard of this type of practice before but never really heard it taught formally. We could maybe call it a focused contemplation meditation. The thing is that meditation has traditionally been used to contemplate certain things in much the same way. For example in Buddhism it's used to contemplate and examine the reality of The Three Characteristics. The first being the nature of suffering, that it's pervasive, unavoidable, and that actually our avoidance of it (and natural contraction around it ) only amplifies and perpetuates it. The second characteristic is the impermanence; that things don't last, that all experience is transient, and that of course we all die. Impermanence is also the realization that we project our concepts and expectations onto things, experiences, and people, and nothing is as solid or consistent or static as it seems (we sort of connect the dots in our head and project these images and narratives). This limits us from having truer or fuller experiences. The third characteristic is often called no-self, but it's really mostly just stating that the self doesn't exist as we perceive it. It's not a fixed or separate thing, and again not as solid and consistent as we imagine it. Buddhist meditation is often used in much the same way you're doing here, but to contemplate these things and to actually see the truth of these through clarifying our perception. There's also self-inquiry where you use a similar method to ask "who am I?" or "what am I?" or things of that sort. I didn't expect to write all this but just love to share and maybe giving some ideas how the same method you're using can be used to contemplate much more abstract things. Zen koans are another example of doing this. Oh yeah and to the guy that found meditation brought up too much anxiety... if that's the case there are definitely some methods to help calm the nervous system (I also have ADHD and it's a specialty of mind and have some practice for calming on my channel). But also if someone is having trouble relaxing into meditation, then we need to ask why. What is happening in their mind/body that's making this anxiety arise? There could be a host of different things, but this inquiry could lead to a lot of insights, some of which may be uncomfortable (possibly that the anxiety is always there, they're just good at ignoring it). We can instead take the approach of asking: what will help with person calm their nervous system? And if they were already doing movement practices, then this could be a big reason why. I've found many people who are regularly active do it more out of necessity than passion... essentially they have a restless nervous system and they realize being active makes them feel better and that create a positive feedback loop. Often these types of people get so into their activity at least partly because of it's necessity in maintaining their mental/nervous system health, but never do the deeper work of exploring what may need to be done to actually address the underlying issue (sometimes nothing can be done, but usually at least a decent amount can be done to help with their base level of anxiety, and meditation can be a powerful tool here but definitely not the most effective one for everyone). Anyhow I can really see a lot of parallels between your approach to movement and my approach to the meditation/psychotherapy/mental health stuff. I'm excited to join and start your online program, it's exactly what I've been looking for, and I'm sure you'll hear a lot more from me in the future ;)
Your words were touching me, because that is, after years of stillness is exactly what I felt. Specially the warmths and insightfulness. 🙏🏼 thanks for that warm video again
I am very glad, that I found you here on youtube. Movement changed my life & stillness actually is a big part of my practice, too (or I try to „learn“ it 😅) Thanks for all your free content! See you in the next video!
Great video mt the more I get into movement training the more I see the benefit of the the ying yang relationship between it and a good stillness practice 👍
100%. So many of the biggest impediments to progression in movement training can only be solved with stillness practices. and honestly- what's the point of trying to be a better mover if you're going to be a shitty person? Much better to work on both :)
I think there is a profound misunderstanding about what meditation is and isn't. It can be all kinds of things. Thoughts are not the enemy. Edit: Love the notebook notes at 5:37, btw.
@@eveziroglu I do not just meditation but exercise and composition as well as musical playing. For exercise I do an adaptation of Mark Lauren's YAYOG workout that incorporates mobility training such as negativa and esquiva-type lunges and ring work. The trick with thoughts is to let them play out without attaching to them or trying to repress them, which just reinforces mindless clinging and aversion reactions. Then the cognitive processes sort themselves out all by themselves but don't pull you away from the moment. Part concentration, part mindfulness, and the exercise work strengthens both along with willpower which is essential for the development of moral fibre. For music I practise and play organ, piano, synths and trombone, I sing, and I do digital composition in a DAW (a music production environment). I also play chess and study chess positions. So I balance taking breaks from my mind with developing it in different ways.
@@bobbobson4030 Wonderful. I tend to prefer the sticking with a single question theoretically, but I find that if I try to force a different topic when something particular is bothering me/staying stuck in my head on a certain day, I have a harder time staying on the original topic- so I usually change topics but often go back to some of the same ones over time.
I like how you compared the "stillness/mindfulness isn't for/doesn't work for me" to movement. I've heard it from quite a few people, and always had a similar feeling to what you describe... How can it not be?
Ha! What a wonderful way to summarize that point- excellent :). To be fair, I have heard some stories, both from Ido and from a good friend/training partner of mine who experienced it himself, that some people can have very negative experiences with more extreme forms of stillness practice- think 24 hr silent isolation in the dark type things- but those are so far on the extreme that I didn't feel it was even worth mentioning in the video- and even then the negative experiences are fairly rare. In the shorter forms, without any serious social isolation and especially when dosage is progressively modified, I think risk is almost non-existent, and with the variation I showed, the upside is enormous. Cheers!
Would humbly like to adjust your phrasing about meditations makes you a better person. It is the person we are trying to neutralise in meditation. The mask or persona is what causes the suffering that leads us into meditation. Or in this case, attempting to solve a problem and asking for intuitive help through the meditation. The ‘person’ IS the problem. I would suggest that meditation makes you free from being a person and allows you to just be. Or meditation dissolves the attraction in the attachment as a person. A persons being a thought or concept that attention is given to and then clung to as a way of living or way of life. A concept that in reality cannot exist in this way as everything is impermanent. Meditation allows concepts to come and go. Like using a hammer to bang in a nail then dropping it as its no longer needed. Why carry the hammer or person around. Better be the eternally flowing principle of being or awareness that meditation accesses in the stillness. Thank you for allowing the space for this to be shared on your channel. Very much enjoying your content. ❤️💛💚
Amazing drill my friend! I hope more people will get to know your chanel your message is amazing!❤
"You should meditate everyday for 5 minutes....
...And if you are too busy, you need an hour"
Love it. Thank you.
I heard that one YEARS back and never forgot it :)
Man, this is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing man, will be trying this out myself!
Obrigado.
I'm not sure where you got that from. In every style of meditation I've learned and every teacher I've worked with, they don't say thoughts are bad, they're just thoughts. There isn't an emphasis on clearing the mind, which isn't really possible except for temporary periods of time. In my experience this happens when your mind is resting on some other expereince of sensation, usually in the body. It's a pleasant experience, but not really the goal of meditation, at least not in the way I relate to it. That said, I love a lot of your content and the message you're putting out there.
I must say i kinda made the opposite experience. I practiced focus meditations (where you focus on one mantra like "Ohm") for years but when it comes to problem solving, in my experience movement is the key. Cause solving problems requires creativity and when i go outside and walk through the forest, that's when i get the best ideas and new perspectives on solving a current problem. I've learned it in my physics studies. Whenever i got stuck in a task i did go outside and i almost always came back with a new solution approach. Helped me a lot.
Thanks for your input Phillip! I think this was a valuable one that I replied to in the recent livestream (you can see the highlights including your comment here ua-cam.com/video/32q8ntRxj9c/v-deo.html). Cheers! :)
Congrats on the 12k subs!
I have just recently found your channel and I'm overjoyed by your content. your passion for what you do is compelling.
The gamechanging insight (imo) with meditation is that you are supposed to practice to be ok with what is. Not trying to change what is directly, like some relaxation or breathing technique. Done right, you will remove the suffering from the practice and then you will likely be calmer, less stressed etc as a result, indirectly.
So if you feel/think this is not for you, chances are you are stuck in the uncomfortable experiense, expecting and struggling to change it.
It took me a long time to get this.
love it 🥰
ayo bro ur videos getting way better the editing quality n everything mashallah
Thank you my friend! trying to improve with the content just as with my movement practice. cheers and happy holidays!
just wait to see the next one!
Haha, the title sounds quite interesting. Can't wait to watch this video.
Stillness is everywhere, especially on airplanes. On my recent flights, I've tried to do multiple sets of stillness, a beautiful challenge to stay still with all the small and large vibrations.
excellent sina! I think I mentioned in class once, one of my favorite things to do on airplanes is handstands in the bathroom- lol. Really nice to clear some of the swelling/inflammation in the legs. And plenty of time for some good stillness and apnea practice too :).
After hearing this perspective on stillness I began seeing stillness everywhere especially in nature settings. I used be proud of the non-stop hustle mindset, but when I entered an environment of stillness I felt silly how everything was content being still except me, and came to think perhaps I'm also meant to be still at times as well.
Nice Ray- that's a wonderful insight.
You seem awesome.
Hey Bren! I'm super excited to have found your channel. I actually teach meditation and after watching your intro to movement series (and your critique of Ido Portal) I feel I bring the same relentless passion(/obsession) and creativity to learning and teaching meditation (and other meditative practices) as you do to movement.
So yes I have heard of this type of practice before but never really heard it taught formally. We could maybe call it a focused contemplation meditation. The thing is that meditation has traditionally been used to contemplate certain things in much the same way.
For example in Buddhism it's used to contemplate and examine the reality of The Three Characteristics. The first being the nature of suffering, that it's pervasive, unavoidable, and that actually our avoidance of it (and natural contraction around it ) only amplifies and perpetuates it.
The second characteristic is the impermanence; that things don't last, that all experience is transient, and that of course we all die. Impermanence is also the realization that we project our concepts and expectations onto things, experiences, and people, and nothing is as solid or consistent or static as it seems (we sort of connect the dots in our head and project these images and narratives). This limits us from having truer or fuller experiences.
The third characteristic is often called no-self, but it's really mostly just stating that the self doesn't exist as we perceive it. It's not a fixed or separate thing, and again not as solid and consistent as we imagine it.
Buddhist meditation is often used in much the same way you're doing here, but to contemplate these things and to actually see the truth of these through clarifying our perception.
There's also self-inquiry where you use a similar method to ask "who am I?" or "what am I?" or things of that sort.
I didn't expect to write all this but just love to share and maybe giving some ideas how the same method you're using can be used to contemplate much more abstract things. Zen koans are another example of doing this.
Oh yeah and to the guy that found meditation brought up too much anxiety... if that's the case there are definitely some methods to help calm the nervous system (I also have ADHD and it's a specialty of mind and have some practice for calming on my channel). But also if someone is having trouble relaxing into meditation, then we need to ask why. What is happening in their mind/body that's making this anxiety arise?
There could be a host of different things, but this inquiry could lead to a lot of insights, some of which may be uncomfortable (possibly that the anxiety is always there, they're just good at ignoring it). We can instead take the approach of asking: what will help with person calm their nervous system? And if they were already doing movement practices, then this could be a big reason why.
I've found many people who are regularly active do it more out of necessity than passion... essentially they have a restless nervous system and they realize being active makes them feel better and that create a positive feedback loop.
Often these types of people get so into their activity at least partly because of it's necessity in maintaining their mental/nervous system health, but never do the deeper work of exploring what may need to be done to actually address the underlying issue (sometimes nothing can be done, but usually at least a decent amount can be done to help with their base level of anxiety, and meditation can be a powerful tool here but definitely not the most effective one for everyone).
Anyhow I can really see a lot of parallels between your approach to movement and my approach to the meditation/psychotherapy/mental health stuff. I'm excited to join and start your online program, it's exactly what I've been looking for, and I'm sure you'll hear a lot more from me in the future ;)
Excellent! Seems like you’re doing some cool stuff as well, Send me a message on IG or my website- let’s connect! :)
Your words were touching me, because that is, after years of stillness is exactly what I felt. Specially the warmths and insightfulness. 🙏🏼 thanks for that warm video again
Looking forward to trying this, thank you.
how is it working for you?
@@eveziroglu still haven’t tried but will report back when I do
Amazing channel with really great content!
Beautiful. Thank you 🙏
I love this idea and I have my pen and notebook ready. Thank you.
Wonderful Annie- Enjoy! I hope it serves you as it has for me :).
I am very glad, that I found you here on youtube. Movement changed my life & stillness actually is a big part of my practice, too (or I try to „learn“ it 😅) Thanks for all your free content!
See you in the next video!
Thank you my friend! Happy to hear it, you're very welcome! We have another one that should be coming soon actually :)
Amazingly said.. I admire how much wisdom you put in 5 minute video.
Continue motivating others to do what matters, it fits you perfectly. Thank you
Thank you for the kind words Matej. Happy Holidays!
I would call this contemplation.
Really great information Bren ! I will follow this technique now everyday in morning. Thanks for teaching !
Thanks Eshaan! :)
@@BrenTeachesMovement 🤩🤩
Great video mt the more I get into movement training the more I see the benefit of the the ying yang relationship between it and a good stillness practice 👍
100%. So many of the biggest impediments to progression in movement training can only be solved with stillness practices. and honestly- what's the point of trying to be a better mover if you're going to be a shitty person? Much better to work on both :)
I think there is a profound misunderstanding about what meditation is and isn't. It can be all kinds of things. Thoughts are not the enemy.
Edit: Love the notebook notes at 5:37, btw.
what types of meditation do you find helpful?
@@eveziroglu I do not just meditation but exercise and composition as well as musical playing. For exercise I do an adaptation of Mark Lauren's YAYOG workout that incorporates mobility training such as negativa and esquiva-type lunges and ring work. The trick with thoughts is to let them play out without attaching to them or trying to repress them, which just reinforces mindless clinging and aversion reactions. Then the cognitive processes sort themselves out all by themselves but don't pull you away from the moment. Part concentration, part mindfulness, and the exercise work strengthens both along with willpower which is essential for the development of moral fibre. For music I practise and play organ, piano, synths and trombone, I sing, and I do digital composition in a DAW (a music production environment). I also play chess and study chess positions. So I balance taking breaks from my mind with developing it in different ways.
Should we stick with a single question every day until we have a satisfactory answer? Or do we choose the question that most interests us that day?
I have been doing this for 2 months now and it has been incredibly powerful. Thank you Bren!
@@bobbobson4030 Wonderful. I tend to prefer the sticking with a single question theoretically, but I find that if I try to force a different topic when something particular is bothering me/staying stuck in my head on a certain day, I have a harder time staying on the original topic- so I usually change topics but often go back to some of the same ones over time.
I like how you compared the "stillness/mindfulness isn't for/doesn't work for me" to movement. I've heard it from quite a few people, and always had a similar feeling to what you describe... How can it not be?
Ha! What a wonderful way to summarize that point- excellent :).
To be fair, I have heard some stories, both from Ido and from a good friend/training partner of mine who experienced it himself, that some people can have very negative experiences with more extreme forms of stillness practice- think 24 hr silent isolation in the dark type things- but those are so far on the extreme that I didn't feel it was even worth mentioning in the video- and even then the negative experiences are fairly rare.
In the shorter forms, without any serious social isolation and especially when dosage is progressively modified, I think risk is almost non-existent, and with the variation I showed, the upside is enormous. Cheers!
Nice
Would humbly like to adjust your phrasing about meditations makes you a better person. It is the person we are trying to neutralise in meditation. The mask or persona is what causes the suffering that leads us into meditation. Or in this case, attempting to solve a problem and asking for intuitive help through the meditation. The ‘person’ IS the problem. I would suggest that meditation makes you free from being a person and allows you to just be. Or meditation dissolves the attraction in the attachment as a person. A persons being a thought or concept that attention is given to and then clung to as a way of living or way of life. A concept that in reality cannot exist in this way as everything is impermanent. Meditation allows concepts to come and go. Like using a hammer to bang in a nail then dropping it as its no longer needed. Why carry the hammer or person around. Better be the eternally flowing principle of being or awareness that meditation accesses in the stillness. Thank you for allowing the space for this to be shared on your channel. Very much enjoying your content. ❤️💛💚