Master Joeng Hye, from Kwan Um school of Zen in Poland, told my friend, who admitted to having schizophrenia, that zen might not be the best idea for her. Zen meditation focuses a lot of mental energy in the mind, which can make schizophrenia symptoms worse. He then recommended that she try Bon (Tibetan school of Buddhism mixed with pre-Buddhist shamanic practices, thy also have one sangha in the same city). He said that their practices of dancing, yoga etc. could help to get all that mental energy and move it throughout the body, disperse that which gives strength to intrusive thoughts, voices. Good teacher is rare, but some actually do what you describe, and recommend a different school of meditation if they recognize the conditions to make such recommendation.
A LOT of teachers won't touch people with schizophrenia or psychosis with a ten foot pole. It's really a very special case And what he did is cover his ass essentially. Meditation and meditative practices can help those people greatly, it's just that it places an enormous responsibility on their psychotherapist and requires very high qualifications
Tbh Ive heard that certain types of meditation can actually be dangerous for people with stuff like shizophrenia. I suppose a worse version of what Dr K described, where traumatized people might have a panic attack when trying to open themselves to their emotoins and observe feelings? But yeh, good example for extreme cases.
Summary: For people with active minds (anxiety and panic) Yogic Pranayama tradition: Nadi Shuddhi - alternate nostril breathing Kapal Bhati - rapid forceful exhalation - physiologically destressed us. Zen: Observe your thoughts - can help with anxiety but acc. to Dr K, something like Kapal Bhati will be more effective. For sluggish people: Tummo tradition - increase the temprature of your toes by 8ºC - energizes you Dissolving the ego: Shoonya - void/null/zero - becoming ego-less Yoga Nidra - hypnotic state -> implant positive thoughts/identity.
Using a meditation practice that doesn't suit your innate traits is like being a wizard trying to lift a greatsword and wonder why you can't even hit a Lv2 goblin
I started meditating last December when I purchased your Guide to Mental Health. So far I have some progression in all of the modules but the one that really caught my eye was meditation. I watched all the meditation module videos and most of the videos in the meditation index and I totally fell in love with it. For a long time, I meditated every day for 20 minutes at least, with my record being 1 hour. But since a while back my ADHD seems to be getting worse and I cant sit still for more than 5 minutes anymore and I usually walk in circles instead. I wasn't sure if I could even continue meditating and that made me really discouraged... But when I checked out the new Trauma module in your guide to mental health and it had a walking meditation method. Ive done it every day since I discovered it and now this video is gonna help me even further. Thank you Dr. K (+ crew) ^-^
Vietnamese Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh had a technique for focused breathing meditation while walking. I start walking, and try to synchronize my breathing with walking. It might be 4 steps each inhale, and exhale. It might be 5 for inhale, 6 for exhale. Or some other. But once I get the rhythm, I start counting my breaths. I can anchor my attention on breathing, like I usually do, but this way, I can also keep the feeling of my feet touching the ground, and muscles in my legs moving as an object of your attention. It's very relaxing for me, as I also have ADHD, and sometimes I feel much better moving. I don't know Dr K's walking method, but I know that feeling of relief, that there IS a way to deal with my problem. Walking meditation is perfect gift for people with ADHD :)
@@JanKowalski-wb8ih - That's pretty dope. I found that tai chi can also have similar benefits. Focusing on breath and balance. But also I've been practicing martial arts since 1990, so even though I do freestyle, I will use it to incorporate visualization, and many other techniques, performing some things from harder styles or systems, but doing them at tai chi speeds. I haven't done that in a long while though. I really should. Also a walking meditation... I should try that. What you're suggesting with the counts is just box breathing combined with focusing on the movement and walking. You could also do this with swimming, probably. And maybe even drown-proofing.
Tai Chi is incredible beneficial. Any days that are my “rest” days on workout I will do some tai chi. I find it incredibly helpful to calm down and recover.
@@tearstoneactual9773 Exactly! And if done often, you might start to associate walking with counting breaths and steps. So you could, for example, habitually go back to the present moment while walking to get some groceries.
Ive never met or talked to anyone else who meditates so I felt pretty isolated in my meditation journey. Reading the comments here so far have made me feel connected to other people in the meditation community like I never felt before. Besides that I also really appreciate you guys sharing experiences, advice and such things. Thanks yall!!!
Ironic how I've been struggling with focus lately, as most millenials and younger generations, but it was a breeze sitting through this video without getting distracted because the information is so valuable and exciting. Another certified banger Dr. K 🗿
👍 Yeah, this one was really great. The dog-trainer I hired to get my big dog (used to be a puppy) under control suggested a few meditations, which helped. The biggest tip was something like, "Try acting nervous around a bear - they'll eat your face! This dog is almost like a fox or coyote." 🙂
Lack of focus and hyperfocus are literally the same thing, it's the same executive function deficiency. Focusing on what interests us isn't different from playing video games or browsing social media etc, interest produces dopamine. It's just as possible to get interested in consuming random unstructured self help videos as it is consuming any random unstructured content. This channel provides random videos to addict people to watching them, and paywalls actually structured approaches for those who find themselves watching everything random and trying everything randomly and getting into everything for months and years and finding that not much has changed in the end. It's great for profits, not so great for the people
This is so fascinating - I've tried meditation (as most people know it - sitting still and observing thoughts) so many times with failed results, because my mind is extremely prone to anxious spiraling, and sitting with those thoughts and observing them just makes things worse. This rapid exhalation technique immediately made me feel more chill, and I feel like I just got a cheat code to calming myself down. Thank you for sharing this!
It’s not bad if the thoughts get worse. That’s sort of the point. You’re teaching yourself that intense thoughts and feelings are not a problem. Gradually you weaken the impulse to turn away from difficult experiences, and every area of your life starts improving to the point where you are almost befuddled by how you used to view the world as such a serious, threatening place. Not that calming yourself down is a bad thing. It’s just not the goal
The other guy who commented is right. You haven’t meditated for long enough. You sound like you only try meditating for a few days then you feel anxious so you stop. You need to push through. Sit there and watch your thoughts go by like you said but try to not latch onto them and when you find yourself latching onto them just focus on your breathing again. Eventually this will get easier and you’ll feel overall less anxious in general. You are looking for a quick fix but you need to push through the sitting still mediation too. You are not the only one who gets anxious spiraling thoughts trust me.
The way you're describing it doesn't make sense, that's not what people mean by "observing". What you're describing sounds like what other people call "identifying" with their thoughts. Observing is more like watching wind rustling through the trees - you don't get upset that a particular branch is bent incorrectly and don't inspect all branches to check how correctly they rustle. That won't be the same internal mental process and the same relation to the trees This is why most traditions say that a teacher is required - because they can catch these things beyond you using correct words and advice solutions
I can say that meditation legitimately feels like a inteligent buff, before any major match or exam I used to meditate and my focus would be way better and mind would work way smoother, also in India where dr.k's ethnicity lies, schools takes meditation daily before starting classes
Tbh from watching DR Ks stuff, I feel like there should be a class in school that prepares you psychologically for life, including meditation, mindfullness, good decision making processes etc. Some of that stuff is so basic, yet so helpful, even for neurotypical people.
I practice zazen because any other type of meditation bothers me to the point where I can't do it. Simply sitting facing a wall in zazen makes me lose track of time, and before I know it, 30 minutes have passed. The biggest breakthrough for me was learning from a Zen Buddhist monk that Zen meditation is done with open eyes, looking at a wall at a very close distance of about 20 cm. Keeping your eyes open and focusing on the wall helps prevent your mind from spiraling uncontrollably into fantasies. Previously, I meditated with my eyes closed, sitting on my bed, and my mind would run wild without any restraint, making it impossible to just observe. It has helped me a lot, but I admit that calming the mind brings the hidden "dirt" to the surface. You start dealing with things you previously escaped from through behaviors like playing video games, watching pornography, eating poorly, etc. What Dr. K said resonates with me. Thoughts like "I'm not enough," "Everything will go wrong," "Life has no meaning," and so on often arise during zazen. But with practice, you realize these thoughts aren't you; they're just thoughts. Over time, they appear less frequently, and you begin to discover in the silence who you really are. You start to distinguish between the "dirty" thoughts-those from your parents, culture, and society-and your own genuine thoughts. However, I also believe that it's not enough to just meditate without addressing what comes to the surface. The dirt rises, and you have to remove it. As the monk at the zendo I attend says, "Meditation alone won't cure everything; you still need therapy, psychologists, and doctors." In the end, many people want to turn to meditation as a silver bullet and avoid facing their deeper dilemmas.
Always pleasant to see wise practicioners of ancient traditions advocating for modern solutions. Zazen's simplicity changed my perception of what meditation can be when I first learned about it.
There isn't any one single way to practice in Zen. What you're describing is called "wall-gazing," and it is the most ancient form of Zen meditation, going back to the first Zen patriarch. You can find his writings (or rather, their translations) on Terebess. Bodhidharma's exposition is called "Outline of Practice" for anyone looking for more.
That's pretty cool. I had a similar difficulty and got really into a sort of mantra meditation that worked great for me. Focusing on the sound instead of a wall.
DR K really be like the Avatar of Meditation... Not a Master in Every tequnique, but can use all , in times of humanities crisis, And saves us all from ourselves 🤣🤣🤣
I don't know what it is about Dr k, but I my journey of living with anxiety, trauma, depression and addiction in the past couple months he uploaded videos that fit perfect to my current short term goals and thought reprogramming. Really changing for me were his teachings of disciplin (mana bar comparison) and the analysis paralysis. Right now I try to find a better way to switch between para sympathetic and sympathetic states and want to look into breathing methods, and here he drops the next video. Thank you for your help great sir
Thank you Dr. K!!! An expert finally says it "there's more techniques than just watch x", which is basically the only type of meditation that is taught in the mainstream. During covid, I was hooked on the premise of Buddhism, but the "sit there and watch" meditation just resulted in a lot of internal conflict and perfectionism, definitely made my mental health worse. As someone with an anxious mind, if you can't relax in the first place, then how the hell am I supposed to watch something in a relaxed state of mind.
A meditating friend encouraged me that “no two sits are the same and you shouldn’t compare them. The intention to try every day is what matters.” Can’t wait to see what advice Dr K offers here!
I just realized something. I think my meditation is just walking. and just listening to the world around me. after a while I can think about stuff that I usually never think about
I don't think there's any right or wrong way to meditate. So long as you are practicing being mindfull - like you are when walking and listening to the world around you - then you will get a benefit.
Walking by myself can be very meditative for me as well. Perhaps if we are in the west we are bound to learn to passively meditate as we go about our day.
Same here regarding walking. I prefer a treadmill because it allows me to just focus on the walking and whatever I am thinking about instead of keeping my eyes on the changing environment if I walk outside in the neighborhood or in nature trails. But that’s just me, and I’m odd. 🙃
I do different types of meditation Dr. K explained: Pranayama meditation when I feel anxious and want to calm my nervous system; mindful meditation when I feel calm and want to immerse myself in the present moment. I also do a 20 - 45 minute yoga nidra when I wake up and before I go to bed to activate my parasympathetic nervous system to induce relaxation. Sometimes I experience Piti, tingling sensations, all over my body which is blissful. I feel the benefits of all of them and they have become an essential practice for my well being.
I practice mostly zazen and other forms of "calming" meditation for 12 years. Many times I was googling for ideas and techniques to try new things. I always feel repulsed by esoteric babble and lack of meaningful descriptions of practical techniques. Internet is full of new-age crap, because many people think that meditation is something arcane, mystical and magic, and simply look for stimulation based on "I'm doing something magical!". Meanwhile, it's exactly what Dr. K says. It's science. This video is one of the most informative materials about meditation I stumbled upon for the last decade.
I've practiced meditation for about 17 years, I haven't had teachers but I feel that it has helped me greatly by making the consciousness the master and the body the follower. I have adopted what most people would call an extreme lifestyle and I thank meditation directly for being able to stick with it. This video made me realize I'm VERY lucky that I fell on the tradition that works for me (Zen). That being said, I've also benefited from the ego dissolution brought by LSD, thanks to it I was able to change very persistent bad habits that I had like alcohol consumption.
Thank You! Because of seeing You on a podcast I began to meditate, practice I wanted to do from the age of thirteen (I’m 38 now😅). It’s a mystery what did happen, but something clicked and now I meditate for 3 months every evening. I can’t express how grateful I am! 🍄❤️🍄 P.S. Pardon my English, it’s not my native language.😅
Some specific meditations from Dr. K have been very helpful to me in my mental health journey the past few years. I love that Dr. K really just wants people to get better, "you don't have to learn meditation from us, just don't give up on it" 😃
Thank you so much Dr K. I have autism/Adhd and struggled many years with undetermined anxiety/mood disorder, likely exacerbated by deep trauma relating to my upbringing. I was very privileged in one way, yet felt so low in self worth in another and lived my life to confirm this bias around the belief I was worthless and did not deserve love. Your meditative practices have been life changing for me and my improved perception has helped me to tackle these beliefs I have held for so long and started to heal. A million times thank you
This is another great video from Dr K. I went through 7 Techniques over the course of a year. It took a lot of experimenting and learning to find one that works for me.
I have been doing a lot of shoonya and third eye to figure out my brain and let go of insecurities. Hearing about the fire energy technique sounds awesome. Now that my brain is getting fixed I’d like to move myself forward
After watching Dr K’s videos for a year I finally decided to buy the guide on meditation after this video. I don’t have a free financial situation right now, so even 30$ is a lot for me, but Dr K thank you so much for charging way less for the guide than what you put into it: your energy, your knowledge and your will to makes (ex-)gamers healthy ❤️
As someone with adhd, I was taught/ taught myself to have higher impulse control, but recently i started thinking/realised, that i might control impulses too much, that im resisting too much. I feel like that this might be in part what could cause social anxiety, that i end up worrying too much about what to do, instead of letting myself move natural talk natural, over observing myself.
Meditation for very active minds??? That's my problem, I just did two rounds on the rapid exhalation technique and I feel calmer than a Buddhist monk now. Thanks Dr. K you're the best
This is excellent and necessary! Additionally I find at any given time on our "life journey" one may work better than others, or we may be more receptive to one
I just came back from a Zen retreat. Mindfulness doesn't come naturally for me, but that is exactly why I try to do it. The phenomena of “McMindfulness”, detached from the context of spiritual practice in which mindfulness originally emerged is a Chesterton’s fence situation. There is something about the ritual, bells, smells, chanting, landscape and just generally lovely people that makes Buddhism work. I found that for me, rather than jumping straight to zen, using some other breathing techniques first can help mush my brain enough to be more receptive (especially at night for a bit of mild DMT release). The teachers gave me permission to try that so long as it isn't too loud that it disturbs the others, maybe just one breath hold at the beginning of a zazen block. I only signed u for 2 days, and was just starting to get somewhere when it was time to go. But I had a great chat on the drive back to civilization, and when reintegrating I found myself more energised and taking joy out of what I was doing.
I'm here right after watching your video on adaptation, and I find it interesting how in this video, you talk about practicing the right thing "for you" and in the other video you're like "MAKE IT work for you" One of the reasons your content is so good is because you try to teach solutions that fit our lives today, you give us hope that even if we "can't" go be a monk, we still can enter a simular state of mind just by using the resources and materials we DO have and balance them out, mentally and physically. I guess that's why when it comes to meditation, it's better to find a technique that fits you because to "make it work" you have to sacrifice way more than other problems. In any case, thank you so much! people like me take a lot of insights from your content and it really changes how I approach things.
Something that has helped me is binaural beats. You gotta use headphones and use real high quality binaural beats. It literally tunes your brain and puts you in a meditative state and helps the effort a lot. Its like a brain massage
I think it's good to think about it like this: dissolving the enemy within. No matter who it is, your mental practice of having an opposing force in your mind is something that can be turned around.
I always hear statistics and studies about how meditation is like a mental hack for the making the most of our bodies and all of the benefits that it gives, but honestly having been raised Buddhist until I left practice at 13, and having tried meditation both for religion and personal benefit I've never felt any or the benefits that it supposedly gives. It could be because I wasn't meditating right, or neurodiversity but either way I've tried multiple different styles of meditation between zen, yoga, tantra, and a mix between the 3, along with hypnotic suggestion and none really felt any different in end result. But I can understand how meditation helps in the practical aspect for the Buddhist tradition because the idea is to contemplate both the weight and impact of the actions you take before you do them, which is one thing that I always did as a kid and still do as an adult.
When I started meditating I was confronted with a lot of visualisation/manifestation techniques and I just couldn’t get a grip it felt really weird and meaningless. Then I found out that there are techniques from Vedic tradition that target more the ability to concentrate and that’s where it hit me and I felt really good after that.
DR K PLEASE ANSWER! This was incredibly enlightening. What if multiple of these issues apply to you - for example, you want to be less angry/reactive mentally but you also have an overall personality of lethargy and indifference. Would you recommend doing multiple meditation techniques??? What would the breakdown look like. Thanks so much! You’re the best!!
God dammit universe says i'm on the right path with big ass letters. i just finished the three part stream with thor, and thought when i had 20min left that damn i hope you launch the meditation guide you were talking about soon so i can properly get in contact with the self. and boom! posted 6 minutes ago. this is actually mind-blowing, so much signs towards something last few days. something good. i tried the ring with the hands thing you did with thor, and i got the sense of Turiya. later i understood that when i react to something first comes ego, with the logic and emotions, then the space, then Turiya speaks. and i can hear it. but i have low impulse control, so i have acted on first impulse all the time. i haven't even realized this. driven myself such a deep hole doing it too. well atleast i have a piece of the damn map now and i can try and start to decipher my way forward towards life of happiness and fulfilment. thank you so much Dr.K! cheers from Finland! 🇫🇮
Insane, had almost the exact same path as you. Finished the 3 part series with Thor and checked out the playlist he has of meditation videos, today was my first time ever meditating, which happens to be the day he releases this video
i think enlightenment sometimes comes in waves to big masses of people. like something is transmitted from somewhere to our unconscious mind and if person listens he understands something profound that helps them take the next step in life. i think last one was in 2020 and many people started to see more of the corruption and how for example big pharma just sucks money out of peoples pockets etc. i think it was during the northern hemisphere spring, now that i think of it, about the same time of the year we're currently at! wtf?? 😂😂😂 have i stumbled upon some secret concept how we get our ideas and stuff? 😂 coincidence after coincidence too. damn, the mystery of life is so intriguing, and i'm curious to know if there's even slightly something truesome in my hypothesis. maybe it came from my Turiya and it's correct, that would be one of the coolest moments of my life probably 😆😆
He has a series of meditation videos on the channel check the playlists. And for 30 USD he has a paid meditation guide on his website which I believe goes into depth on each type.
Good stuff, thanks. I recently found watching birds to be quite nice, did it for a few hours yesterday morning while drinking hot green yerba mate. I also like breathing exercises based on heart rate variability because a heart rate monitor can show the a biological change has occured. I find that motivating, though I still fall in and out of practice with it. That shunya ego-melting meditation sounds like a good addition for me.
I love zen "do nothing", but I recognized at some point that I needed to balanced it out with something else. I am doing physical exercise and it's helping
I think I just got convinced to buy the Meditation module. I've been watching Dr. K's videos for years now as part of my overall journey of learning how to do human things better (among other things such as reading all kinds of books, journaling, introspection, etc), and I feel like I've managed to figure out a lot of my internal issues and gotten them to a point where most of them don't bother me as much and don't hinder me as bad as they used to in doing the things that I wanted to do. However, even with the debuffs gone, I still find it kinda tough to actually get things done. I'm definitely better than before but I'm still not super-productive or anything, it's more like I managed to go from a negative state to a neutral or somewhat positive state but I'm still far from the higher states that I wanna get to cause I still have dozens and dozens of things I wanna do and my ability to actually do them isn't as high as I'd like. And I don't know for sure, but I feel like good meditation practices might be the piece of the puzzle I'm missing. I've had some good experiences with certain kinds of meditation and seen the value of meditation as a whole, but I definitely have tried certain approaches that just felt like they never actually led anywhere. I don't know why, but it never quite occurred to me that it might be the compatibility between me and the techniques that was the issue, and not just a matter of me not grinding enough. But now that I hear it put into words, it makes so much sense. Some of the other techniques Dr. K mentioned like Yoga Nidra actually sound much like something I learned to do completely independently of any meditation practices. I read some books on positive psychology and one of the techniques it mentioned worked super well for me: the basic idea was to reframe my failures as being temporary and limited, and my successes as being permanent and pervasive (as in, it wasn't a fluke but a result of my capabilities and effort). And while the former part helped me to not be as anxious and afraid of failing, I think it was the latter part that actually gave me the confidence to keep trying and learning new things and just have an almost delusional level of faith that things would eventually go well. Thankfully it turned out that even if it seems delusional, I could buy into it because it made logical sense to me how it would actually impact my willingness to keep trying and how the continued effort would lead to me performing better. I don't know if Yoga Nidra does exactly the same thing but it seems like it would have similar effects, which gives me some amount of confidence in the other techniques too. I'm quite curious about that Tummo practice since one of my current issues is definitely that I have difficulty in generating motivation for certain things I want to do, or more accurately, the motivation is very spontaneous and inconsistent which makes it quite difficult for me to put in a consistent amount of effort, which has all sorts of negative consequences. I guess I'll try it out and see how it goes. Maybe I'll share my experience with the meditation module somewhere once I'm done with it. For now, I'm just excited to see what I can learn from it. Thanks for all the helpful content as always, Dr. K!
I'm in the same spot since few years, I'm decade in personal growth, started as 18yo and now I'm 28. I feel like nothing could break that glass ceiling which keeps me from becoming a very productive person, I tried everything (I think) including dr.K's guides and coaching, books, podcasts, learning psychology, and meditation (I've been meditating for few months straight for 14 minutes a day) but it didn't change my productivity(?) much to be honest, that's why I'm going for therapy next. If that can't fix me then probably nothing can lol :D BUT on that journey I've learned A LOT of usefull stuff around emotions, habits (even formed few to help me live my life easier), goals, communicating, dating, relationships, thoughts and many many more. So even if I did not become that super productive person I've learned a ton of usefull stuff and became a 'better' person
PS. But even if meditation didn't helped me (I'm pretty bad at it too) that does not mean it won't help you, and it has tons of benefits so I'd still recommend you to try it for at least few months
@@jakubliska4730 Oh, thanks for sharing your experience, it's really helpful to hear. It sucks that you couldn't quite get to where you wanted to be, but I'm glad you got something positive out of it. I know in my case, I'm very grateful for all the changes to my life as a result of all this self-exploration and self-work even if I'm not entirely where I want to be. The biggest thing for me is probably getting over my almost crippling social anxiety, which took a hell of a lot of work, but it's so liberating to be where I am today and actually be able to enjoy having conversations with even random strangers. And I hope the therapy works out for you. I never actually got therapy myself even though I was pretty certain it would be helpful, mostly because of financial concerns but also a little bit because of some mental blocks. But I think what I did on my own was almost a form of pseudo-therapy where I watched a ton of Dr. K interviews and read up on therapy techniques and psychology of the mind, etc, to learn how the mind can be molded and shaped in different ways. And the biggest thing that contributed to that self-guided approach working out for me, I think, was the existence of external perspectives. It's amazing how many blind spots you can have and not even realize you even them unless they get pointed out to you by an third party. I kinda went on a tangent but I do think therapy might be useful in that aspect at least, having a third party give you a perspective that might expose a blind spot you didn't even realize you had. So yeah, I hope it works out for you! Oh, and I did go through the meditation module a bit and I've already gotten a lot out of just Dr. K's overview of all the meditation traditions and their methods and philosophies. I like taking in broad overviews of concepts and then playing around with them in my mind to better understand them and sometimes even tease apart greater "truths" than were intended in the explanations, and the info I've gotten so far has definitely given me a lot to work with. It's fascinating how flexible the mind can be and how little we're aware of that flexibility. Fun stuff!
Alok, you probably already know or are aware of them, but Daniel Ingram (MD) and Willoughby Britton (PhD) would be worth looking into. Ingram would almost certainly agree with your point about having an eclectic approach, and Britton who is a clinician and a researcher, is pretty hard core with her science (as is Dan), and both are active yogis.
So the fire meditation is *wild.* I've been doing something similar since about the age of 3. Though at first I couldn't do it consciously. Then later on, I learned to do it when I wanted to, but I had to be almost sleep to do it. Then I worked until I could do it fully awake. And then pretty much do it at will. For me it's either centered between my shoulder blades or in my lower back. Also I have a similar meditation to the void one. I use it when I need to gain control of my emotional state or just settle the racing thoughts. I call it reaching for the silence. Or the void. Basically I stop, i get control of my breath, often will do a brief relaxation technique and then I mentally put myself in a silent and dark space. (Not like bad, just it's dark, there's nothing in there. Or white and empty also works. I kind of think of it like The Loading Construct from The Matrix. It's a completely blank space that i can create or do anything in, if I need to or want to. But sometimes, I will just exist in that space for... however long. Most of the time I just have to reach for it, hold onto it for about 10 seconds and then I've got my bearings again. I wonder if it's anything similar to the void meditation. And perhaps I might be able to use the idea or principles of it to work in a similar fashion. I have a lot of negative self talk I'm working on changing. Maybe i can dispose of that negativity through a visualization and such in there. I doubt this message will get seen, but I'd love to know if there are any others out there that have similar experiences. Also I''m mostly self-taught on meditation, and/or learning from a few sources. But mostly self-taught.
I'm a Christian but I really like Dr. K's approach to mental health. Is it ok for me to do these techniques even though they are tied to Eastern spirituality and religions I don't believe in?
In my opinion, just because you practice something spiritual that originates from a different faith, it doesn’t mean that you’re practicing that religion. You are just recognizing the benefits of whatever act it is and using that to improve your own life, which i’d argue improves your own faith.
Your faith and relationship with God is a personal journey. There is so much to see and learn in the world, let your inner spiritual compass guide you. God won't betray you, everything that is is under God's domain.
👍 im christian i do practice it often. But i discovered many years ago that some stuff dont work for me. And started meditation.and it worked. I allowed myself space to do so.tried for 6 months and i did researched many to find what works for me. I dont have overwhelmed guilt that i betrayed my religion. I even understand it better now. And appreciate teachings.❤
I recently subscribed to your channel, I watch all videos except songs on 2x, firstly, you're the only one I have to watch on 1.75, secondly I'm in the middle of the video where you're giving the example of running around in the house on cocaine, watching you on higher speed makes me feel like you do videos on coke too😂, plus the ever so often nostril rub. But I feel you're quite productive, I gain consistent value packets as the video proceeds on its timeline. What I mean is you're concise about the topic and give quite relatable examples while not digressing just for the monetization purpose! Keep up the good work.
While the idea that different forms of mental disorder need different techniques is obviously a good one ... I kinda need the one that has the checkmark at "all of the above". In my experience it is absolutely possible to be panicking and sluggish at the same time.
Great video! Very informative. I have the OCD/ADHD brain and have had panic thoughts my whole life. SSRIs feel like a shield from negative thoughts as I have an awareness of the negative ideas coming in, but the SSRIs dont allow the thoughts to penetrate to my emotional core. I hate being on SSRIs tho as they ruin my sex life.
I've been running/jogging for more than 15 years. I was curious if it's possible to meditate as I run/jog? Jogging allows me to think and calm myself even though I'm exerting energy.
I LIVE for Dr. K's character impressions. "oh my god I'm gonna die. Everybody's gonna die" It's the perfect marriage of accepting and moving forward without teasing.
Im interested in tummo meditation. Can someone reccomend me a good recource for that? I wanna give meditation a try again. I almost burned myself out with it in the past, after listening to the wrong people about it. (by wrong people i mean toxic productivity gurus who probably shouldn't have been giving mental health advice). but dr k's advice has helped me a lot so far, so Im warming up to the idea of meditating again. :)
Make something about transcending the mind Dr.K. I know you said in a video that meditation wasn’t meant to help with depression but that it’s a consequence to reaching enlightenment and I’m just curious how one can get there. Thank you Dr.K
The point you make about teachers not recommending different meditative practices also applies to therapeutic practices. Most people don't understand that there are multiple ways to engage in psychological therapy. You can use drugs like SSRIs, exposure therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, et cetera. A lot of people believe that therapy is 1 thing because we have 1 word for it, and they might go to a therapist seeking help that they waste thousands of dollars on for no benefit. So after a failed attempt at some therapeutic practice, they walk away saying "therapy didn't work for me", just like people do with meditation.
Personally, I learned TM, and no matter how many times I tried Mindfulness Meditation using Calm, Headspace, or Balance, I always returned to TM. My only gripe with TM is that it's very expensive.
Dang, I had a panic attack at work this morning and had to go home early it was so debilitating. I wish I'd had Kapal Bhatti a few hours ago, but going to read up a bit more on it and try it next time.
As long as I don't give up I can do this. Curious, I have just said this to myself yesterday when I was overwhelmed by the amount of things I have postponed and have to do now.
I’m almost 100% sure that the best sources for all of these practices are all different haha. Which one are you most curious about based on this video?
I've been getting into meditation for the past week and have been going through Dr. K's guide. I've noticed that I like combining two techniques in one session. Do any of y'all do that too or do you prefer picking one technique for one session?
I'm so curious what you think about Vipassana. I listened to this podcast (Untold: The Retreat) which told the stories of people whose mental health absolutely shattered after these meditation retreats. Full on psychosis, from how they describe it. I can totally see how the wrong technique could mess you up...like taking someone else's prescription
Any particular meditation techniques that are well-suited for helping break bad habits? Perhaps being more mindful and learning NOT to repeatedly engage in a self-destructive behavior? That kind of thing would be extremely helpful to me.
Shoonya is the meditation technique that works for me, I just find it funny that I was using the shoonya technique and that I didn't know what it was called, now I know the name of it after watching Dr k's video 9 minutes ago😂 but that's okay because now I know, and just like that(I know this/ I don't know this/ now i know this and since i know this now I know that i can do this,and if you don't know how to do something just learn and take the necessary steps that you need to take to them know it and how to do it but also try to understand why your able to do things, that's what I think and that's my advice and I just want to help people because we each have our own lives and our own lives are like our own little world and I truthfully enjoy exploring other worlds besides my own because then I get to see other people's lives, I'm not different from anyone else I'm the same as everyone because I can't change what I am and what I am in this exact moment is a person but if you dig a tad deeper with another what am I right now? Type question then you'll find the answer is I'm a human sitting, I'm a human standing, these are two examples but I may be wrong and that's okay because I don't have to be right because if I'm not right about something that just means that I didn't know something and if someone tells me what was correct then I know the something that I didn't know previously, anyway that's my thoughts on it so everyone can do with it what you will
What would Vipassana be good for? I used to practice Isha Kriya and it helped immensely with my anxiety and overthinking in a very short period of time. I’ve been doing Vipassana for a few months now and seeing results at a slower pace and I’d like to understand why
Master Joeng Hye, from Kwan Um school of Zen in Poland, told my friend, who admitted to having schizophrenia, that zen might not be the best idea for her. Zen meditation focuses a lot of mental energy in the mind, which can make schizophrenia symptoms worse. He then recommended that she try Bon (Tibetan school of Buddhism mixed with pre-Buddhist shamanic practices, thy also have one sangha in the same city).
He said that their practices of dancing, yoga etc. could help to get all that mental energy and move it throughout the body, disperse that which gives strength to intrusive thoughts, voices.
Good teacher is rare, but some actually do what you describe, and recommend a different school of meditation if they recognize the conditions to make such recommendation.
This sounds amazing... wow. It also makes so much sense too
thats a beautiful story frankly.
Wow. This makes sense to me.
A LOT of teachers won't touch people with schizophrenia or psychosis with a ten foot pole. It's really a very special case
And what he did is cover his ass essentially. Meditation and meditative practices can help those people greatly, it's just that it places an enormous responsibility on their psychotherapist and requires very high qualifications
Tbh Ive heard that certain types of meditation can actually be dangerous for people with stuff like shizophrenia. I suppose a worse version of what Dr K described, where traumatized people might have a panic attack when trying to open themselves to their emotoins and observe feelings?
But yeh, good example for extreme cases.
Summary:
For people with active minds (anxiety and panic)
Yogic Pranayama tradition:
Nadi Shuddhi - alternate nostril breathing
Kapal Bhati - rapid forceful exhalation - physiologically destressed us.
Zen:
Observe your thoughts - can help with anxiety but acc. to Dr K, something like Kapal Bhati will be more effective.
For sluggish people:
Tummo tradition - increase the temprature of your toes by 8ºC - energizes you
Dissolving the ego:
Shoonya - void/null/zero - becoming ego-less
Yoga Nidra - hypnotic state -> implant positive thoughts/identity.
God bless u ❤
Thanks !
Cheers mate
Is Tummo part of the guide? I cannot find it under that name.
@@linkndark I don't think so
Using a meditation practice that doesn't suit your innate traits is like being a wizard trying to lift a greatsword and wonder why you can't even hit a Lv2 goblin
UA-cam comments are always so over the top 😂
If you're a wizard and cant lift a greatsword you got bigger problems. They're only about 2 to 3 pounds. Some wizardry tomes are ten or twenty pounds.
@@tearstoneactual9773 i'll try to dismiss your lack of nuance as you trying to be funny 😂
1. I'm not trying to be funny.
2. What part of what I had to say was inaccurate?
New build idea
I started meditating last December when I purchased your Guide to Mental Health. So far I have some progression in all of the modules but the one that really caught my eye was meditation. I watched all the meditation module videos and most of the videos in the meditation index and I totally fell in love with it. For a long time, I meditated every day for 20 minutes at least, with my record being 1 hour.
But since a while back my ADHD seems to be getting worse and I cant sit still for more than 5 minutes anymore and I usually walk in circles instead. I wasn't sure if I could even continue meditating and that made me really discouraged...
But when I checked out the new Trauma module in your guide to mental health and it had a walking meditation method. Ive done it every day since I discovered it and now this video is gonna help me even further.
Thank you Dr. K (+ crew) ^-^
Vietnamese Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh had a technique for focused breathing meditation while walking.
I start walking, and try to synchronize my breathing with walking. It might be 4 steps each inhale, and exhale. It might be 5 for inhale, 6 for exhale. Or some other. But once I get the rhythm, I start counting my breaths. I can anchor my attention on breathing, like I usually do, but this way, I can also keep the feeling of my feet touching the ground, and muscles in my legs moving as an object of your attention.
It's very relaxing for me, as I also have ADHD, and sometimes I feel much better moving. I don't know Dr K's walking method, but I know that feeling of relief, that there IS a way to deal with my problem. Walking meditation is perfect gift for people with ADHD :)
@@JanKowalski-wb8ih - That's pretty dope. I found that tai chi can also have similar benefits. Focusing on breath and balance. But also I've been practicing martial arts since 1990, so even though I do freestyle, I will use it to incorporate visualization, and many other techniques, performing some things from harder styles or systems, but doing them at tai chi speeds.
I haven't done that in a long while though. I really should. Also a walking meditation... I should try that. What you're suggesting with the counts is just box breathing combined with focusing on the movement and walking. You could also do this with swimming, probably. And maybe even drown-proofing.
Tai Chi is incredible beneficial. Any days that are my “rest” days on workout I will do some tai chi. I find it incredibly helpful to calm down and recover.
@@tearstoneactual9773 Exactly! And if done often, you might start to associate walking with counting breaths and steps. So you could, for example, habitually go back to the present moment while walking to get some groceries.
Ive never met or talked to anyone else who meditates so I felt pretty isolated in my meditation journey. Reading the comments here so far have made me feel connected to other people in the meditation community like I never felt before. Besides that I also really appreciate you guys sharing experiences, advice and such things. Thanks yall!!!
Ironic how I've been struggling with focus lately, as most millenials and younger generations, but it was a breeze sitting through this video without getting distracted because the information is so valuable and exciting.
Another certified banger Dr. K 🗿
👍 Yeah, this one was really great. The dog-trainer I hired to get my big dog (used to be a puppy) under control suggested a few meditations, which helped. The biggest tip was something like, "Try acting nervous around a bear - they'll eat your face! This dog is almost like a fox or coyote." 🙂
TikTok ruins focus of a complete generation, thank you China
Lack of focus and hyperfocus are literally the same thing, it's the same executive function deficiency. Focusing on what interests us isn't different from playing video games or browsing social media etc, interest produces dopamine.
It's just as possible to get interested in consuming random unstructured self help videos as it is consuming any random unstructured content. This channel provides random videos to addict people to watching them, and paywalls actually structured approaches for those who find themselves watching everything random and trying everything randomly and getting into everything for months and years and finding that not much has changed in the end. It's great for profits, not so great for the people
This is so fascinating - I've tried meditation (as most people know it - sitting still and observing thoughts) so many times with failed results, because my mind is extremely prone to anxious spiraling, and sitting with those thoughts and observing them just makes things worse. This rapid exhalation technique immediately made me feel more chill, and I feel like I just got a cheat code to calming myself down. Thank you for sharing this!
It’s not bad if the thoughts get worse. That’s sort of the point. You’re teaching yourself that intense thoughts and feelings are not a problem. Gradually you weaken the impulse to turn away from difficult experiences, and every area of your life starts improving to the point where you are almost befuddled by how you used to view the world as such a serious, threatening place. Not that calming yourself down is a bad thing. It’s just not the goal
The other guy who commented is right. You haven’t meditated for long enough. You sound like you only try meditating for a few days then you feel anxious so you stop. You need to push through. Sit there and watch your thoughts go by like you said but try to not latch onto them and when you find yourself latching onto them just focus on your breathing again. Eventually this will get easier and you’ll feel overall less anxious in general. You are looking for a quick fix but you need to push through the sitting still mediation too. You are not the only one who gets anxious spiraling thoughts trust me.
The way you're describing it doesn't make sense, that's not what people mean by "observing". What you're describing sounds like what other people call "identifying" with their thoughts. Observing is more like watching wind rustling through the trees - you don't get upset that a particular branch is bent incorrectly and don't inspect all branches to check how correctly they rustle. That won't be the same internal mental process and the same relation to the trees
This is why most traditions say that a teacher is required - because they can catch these things beyond you using correct words and advice solutions
I can say that meditation legitimately feels like a inteligent buff, before any major match or exam I used to meditate and my focus would be way better and mind would work way smoother, also in India where dr.k's ethnicity lies, schools takes meditation daily before starting classes
Tbh from watching DR Ks stuff, I feel like there should be a class in school that prepares you psychologically for life, including meditation, mindfullness, good decision making processes etc.
Some of that stuff is so basic, yet so helpful, even for neurotypical people.
@@termitreter6545 it is in USA but it is optional
I practice zazen because any other type of meditation bothers me to the point where I can't do it. Simply sitting facing a wall in zazen makes me lose track of time, and before I know it, 30 minutes have passed.
The biggest breakthrough for me was learning from a Zen Buddhist monk that Zen meditation is done with open eyes, looking at a wall at a very close distance of about 20 cm. Keeping your eyes open and focusing on the wall helps prevent your mind from spiraling uncontrollably into fantasies. Previously, I meditated with my eyes closed, sitting on my bed, and my mind would run wild without any restraint, making it impossible to just observe.
It has helped me a lot, but I admit that calming the mind brings the hidden "dirt" to the surface. You start dealing with things you previously escaped from through behaviors like playing video games, watching pornography, eating poorly, etc.
What Dr. K said resonates with me. Thoughts like "I'm not enough," "Everything will go wrong," "Life has no meaning," and so on often arise during zazen. But with practice, you realize these thoughts aren't you; they're just thoughts. Over time, they appear less frequently, and you begin to discover in the silence who you really are. You start to distinguish between the "dirty" thoughts-those from your parents, culture, and society-and your own genuine thoughts.
However, I also believe that it's not enough to just meditate without addressing what comes to the surface. The dirt rises, and you have to remove it. As the monk at the zendo I attend says, "Meditation alone won't cure everything; you still need therapy, psychologists, and doctors."
In the end, many people want to turn to meditation as a silver bullet and avoid facing their deeper dilemmas.
Always pleasant to see wise practicioners of ancient traditions advocating for modern solutions. Zazen's simplicity changed my perception of what meditation can be when I first learned about it.
There isn't any one single way to practice in Zen. What you're describing is called "wall-gazing," and it is the most ancient form of Zen meditation, going back to the first Zen patriarch. You can find his writings (or rather, their translations) on Terebess. Bodhidharma's exposition is called "Outline of Practice" for anyone looking for more.
That's pretty cool. I had a similar difficulty and got really into a sort of mantra meditation that worked great for me. Focusing on the sound instead of a wall.
DR K really be like the Avatar of Meditation... Not a Master in Every tequnique, but can use all , in times of humanities crisis, And saves us all from ourselves 🤣🤣🤣
I don't know what it is about Dr k, but I my journey of living with anxiety, trauma, depression and addiction in the past couple months he uploaded videos that fit perfect to my current short term goals and thought reprogramming. Really changing for me were his teachings of disciplin (mana bar comparison) and the analysis paralysis. Right now I try to find a better way to switch between para sympathetic and sympathetic states and want to look into breathing methods, and here he drops the next video. Thank you for your help great sir
I can't wait to watch this. So many great videos lately!
Thank you Dr. K!!! An expert finally says it "there's more techniques than just watch x", which is basically the only type of meditation that is taught in the mainstream. During covid, I was hooked on the premise of Buddhism, but the "sit there and watch" meditation just resulted in a lot of internal conflict and perfectionism, definitely made my mental health worse. As someone with an anxious mind, if you can't relax in the first place, then how the hell am I supposed to watch something in a relaxed state of mind.
A meditating friend encouraged me that “no two sits are the same and you shouldn’t compare them. The intention to try every day is what matters.”
Can’t wait to see what advice Dr K offers here!
I just realized something. I think my meditation is just walking. and just listening to the world around me. after a while I can think about stuff that I usually never think about
I don't think there's any right or wrong way to meditate. So long as you are practicing being mindfull - like you are when walking and listening to the world around you - then you will get a benefit.
My friend just recently commented that my meditation might be learning
Walking by myself can be very meditative for me as well. Perhaps if we are in the west we are bound to learn to passively meditate as we go about our day.
Same here regarding walking. I prefer a treadmill because it allows me to just focus on the walking and whatever I am thinking about instead of keeping my eyes on the changing environment if I walk outside in the neighborhood or in nature trails. But that’s just me, and I’m odd. 🙃
The Zen monks call this kinhin
I do different types of meditation Dr. K explained: Pranayama meditation when I feel anxious and want to calm my nervous system; mindful meditation when I feel calm and want to immerse myself in the present moment. I also do a 20 - 45 minute yoga nidra when I wake up and before I go to bed to activate my parasympathetic nervous system to induce relaxation. Sometimes I experience Piti, tingling sensations, all over my body which is blissful. I feel the benefits of all of them and they have become an essential practice for my well being.
Welcome to every newbie on this channel…been following hg for about two years and just gotta say it was and still is like hitting a gold mine🙏🏼
I practice mostly zazen and other forms of "calming" meditation for 12 years. Many times I was googling for ideas and techniques to try new things. I always feel repulsed by esoteric babble and lack of meaningful descriptions of practical techniques. Internet is full of new-age crap, because many people think that meditation is something arcane, mystical and magic, and simply look for stimulation based on "I'm doing something magical!".
Meanwhile, it's exactly what Dr. K says. It's science. This video is one of the most informative materials about meditation I stumbled upon for the last decade.
I've practiced meditation for about 17 years, I haven't had teachers but I feel that it has helped me greatly by making the consciousness the master and the body the follower. I have adopted what most people would call an extreme lifestyle and I thank meditation directly for being able to stick with it. This video made me realize I'm VERY lucky that I fell on the tradition that works for me (Zen). That being said, I've also benefited from the ego dissolution brought by LSD, thanks to it I was able to change very persistent bad habits that I had like alcohol consumption.
Thank You! Because of seeing You on a podcast I began to meditate, practice I wanted to do from the age of thirteen (I’m 38 now😅). It’s a mystery what did happen, but something clicked and now I meditate for 3 months every evening.
I can’t express how grateful I am! 🍄❤️🍄
P.S. Pardon my English, it’s not my native language.😅
Some specific meditations from Dr. K have been very helpful to me in my mental health journey the past few years. I love that Dr. K really just wants people to get better, "you don't have to learn meditation from us, just don't give up on it" 😃
Please go very deep in explaining Shoonya meditation. I feel like dissolving the ego is very needed by most of people
He has videos practicing it
Thank you so much Dr K. I have autism/Adhd and struggled many years with undetermined anxiety/mood disorder, likely exacerbated by deep trauma relating to my upbringing. I was very privileged in one way, yet felt so low in self worth in another and lived my life to confirm this bias around the belief I was worthless and did not deserve love.
Your meditative practices have been life changing for me and my improved perception has helped me to tackle these beliefs I have held for so long and started to heal. A million times thank you
This is another great video from Dr K. I went through 7 Techniques over the course of a year. It took a lot of experimenting and learning to find one that works for me.
I have been doing a lot of shoonya and third eye to figure out my brain and let go of insecurities. Hearing about the fire energy technique sounds awesome. Now that my brain is getting fixed I’d like to move myself forward
After watching Dr K’s videos for a year I finally decided to buy the guide on meditation after this video. I don’t have a free financial situation right now, so even 30$ is a lot for me, but Dr K thank you so much for charging way less for the guide than what you put into it: your energy, your knowledge and your will to makes (ex-)gamers healthy ❤️
As someone with adhd, I was taught/ taught myself to have higher impulse control, but recently i started thinking/realised, that i might control impulses too much, that im resisting too much. I feel like that this might be in part what could cause social anxiety, that i end up worrying too much about what to do, instead of letting myself move natural talk natural, over observing myself.
Meditation for very active minds??? That's my problem, I just did two rounds on the rapid exhalation technique and I feel calmer than a Buddhist monk now. Thanks Dr. K you're the best
This is excellent and necessary! Additionally I find at any given time on our "life journey" one may work better than others, or we may be more receptive to one
I just came back from a Zen retreat. Mindfulness doesn't come naturally for me, but that is exactly why I try to do it. The phenomena of “McMindfulness”, detached from the context of spiritual practice in which mindfulness originally emerged is a Chesterton’s fence situation. There is something about the ritual, bells, smells, chanting, landscape and just generally lovely people that makes Buddhism work. I found that for me, rather than jumping straight to zen, using some other breathing techniques first can help mush my brain enough to be more receptive (especially at night for a bit of mild DMT release). The teachers gave me permission to try that so long as it isn't too loud that it disturbs the others, maybe just one breath hold at the beginning of a zazen block. I only signed u for 2 days, and was just starting to get somewhere when it was time to go. But I had a great chat on the drive back to civilization, and when reintegrating I found myself more energised and taking joy out of what I was doing.
You are a blessing to this earth Dr. K, in this age where lots are super fuckin’ lost
I'm here right after watching your video on adaptation, and I find it interesting how in this video, you talk about practicing the right thing "for you" and in the other video you're like "MAKE IT work for you"
One of the reasons your content is so good is because you try to teach solutions that fit our lives today, you give us hope that even if we "can't" go be a monk, we still can enter a simular state of mind just by using the resources and materials we DO have and balance them out, mentally and physically.
I guess that's why when it comes to meditation, it's better to find a technique that fits you because to "make it work" you have to sacrifice way more than other problems.
In any case, thank you so much! people like me take a lot of insights from your content and it really changes how I approach things.
Something that has helped me is binaural beats. You gotta use headphones and use real high quality binaural beats. It literally tunes your brain and puts you in a meditative state and helps the effort a lot. Its like a brain massage
@@peanbean1973 which will be the high quality ones can u suggest ??? Some
I would love a Tummo video or something with a similar effect for those of us with no energy.
Tummo guys are quite esoteric and secretive about it
I think it's good to think about it like this: dissolving the enemy within. No matter who it is, your mental practice of having an opposing force in your mind is something that can be turned around.
I always hear statistics and studies about how meditation is like a mental hack for the making the most of our bodies and all of the benefits that it gives, but honestly having been raised Buddhist until I left practice at 13, and having tried meditation both for religion and personal benefit I've never felt any or the benefits that it supposedly gives. It could be because I wasn't meditating right, or neurodiversity but either way I've tried multiple different styles of meditation between zen, yoga, tantra, and a mix between the 3, along with hypnotic suggestion and none really felt any different in end result. But I can understand how meditation helps in the practical aspect for the Buddhist tradition because the idea is to contemplate both the weight and impact of the actions you take before you do them, which is one thing that I always did as a kid and still do as an adult.
Love this Doc! I am so grateful I found him! Thank you!!!
The videos have gotten great recently! Thank you!!
Thank you Dr K for the referral to that trauma surgeon he taught me an amazing meditative practice for my temperament
I am one of the new people ❤ I’m so glad I found your channel
When I started meditating I was confronted with a lot of visualisation/manifestation techniques and I just couldn’t get a grip it felt really weird and meaningless. Then I found out that there are techniques from Vedic tradition that target more the ability to concentrate and that’s where it hit me and I felt really good after that.
DR K PLEASE ANSWER! This was incredibly enlightening. What if multiple of these issues apply to you - for example, you want to be less angry/reactive mentally but you also have an overall personality of lethargy and indifference. Would you recommend doing multiple meditation techniques??? What would the breakdown look like. Thanks so much! You’re the best!!
This channel is overflowing with great content man, can feel overwhelming sometimes e
God dammit universe says i'm on the right path with big ass letters. i just finished the three part stream with thor, and thought when i had 20min left that damn i hope you launch the meditation guide you were talking about soon so i can properly get in contact with the self. and boom! posted 6 minutes ago. this is actually mind-blowing, so much signs towards something last few days. something good. i tried the ring with the hands thing you did with thor, and i got the sense of Turiya. later i understood that when i react to something first comes ego, with the logic and emotions, then the space, then Turiya speaks. and i can hear it. but i have low impulse control, so i have acted on first impulse all the time. i haven't even realized this. driven myself such a deep hole doing it too. well atleast i have a piece of the damn map now and i can try and start to decipher my way forward towards life of happiness and fulfilment. thank you so much Dr.K!
cheers from Finland! 🇫🇮
Insane, had almost the exact same path as you. Finished the 3 part series with Thor and checked out the playlist he has of meditation videos, today was my first time ever meditating, which happens to be the day he releases this video
i think enlightenment sometimes comes in waves to big masses of people. like something is transmitted from somewhere to our unconscious mind and if person listens he understands something profound that helps them take the next step in life. i think last one was in 2020 and many people started to see more of the corruption and how for example big pharma just sucks money out of peoples pockets etc.
i think it was during the northern hemisphere spring, now that i think of it, about the same time of the year we're currently at! wtf?? 😂😂😂 have i stumbled upon some secret concept how we get our ideas and stuff? 😂 coincidence after coincidence too. damn, the mystery of life is so intriguing, and i'm curious to know if there's even slightly something truesome in my hypothesis. maybe it came from my Turiya and it's correct, that would be one of the coolest moments of my life probably 😆😆
@@traztom4082 - Where can I find this series? Is it on Dr K's YT channel here, or is it elsewhere?
He has a series of meditation videos on the channel check the playlists. And for 30 USD he has a paid meditation guide on his website which I believe goes into depth on each type.
That’s some serious talk! I think I need to explore more varieties of meditation
Good stuff, thanks. I recently found watching birds to be quite nice, did it for a few hours yesterday morning while drinking hot green yerba mate. I also like breathing exercises based on heart rate variability because a heart rate monitor can show the a biological change has occured. I find that motivating, though I still fall in and out of practice with it. That shunya ego-melting meditation sounds like a good addition for me.
Thank you, Dr K. This was an eye opener.
I love zen "do nothing", but I recognized at some point that I needed to balanced it out with something else. I am doing physical exercise and it's helping
I think I just got convinced to buy the Meditation module. I've been watching Dr. K's videos for years now as part of my overall journey of learning how to do human things better (among other things such as reading all kinds of books, journaling, introspection, etc), and I feel like I've managed to figure out a lot of my internal issues and gotten them to a point where most of them don't bother me as much and don't hinder me as bad as they used to in doing the things that I wanted to do. However, even with the debuffs gone, I still find it kinda tough to actually get things done. I'm definitely better than before but I'm still not super-productive or anything, it's more like I managed to go from a negative state to a neutral or somewhat positive state but I'm still far from the higher states that I wanna get to cause I still have dozens and dozens of things I wanna do and my ability to actually do them isn't as high as I'd like.
And I don't know for sure, but I feel like good meditation practices might be the piece of the puzzle I'm missing. I've had some good experiences with certain kinds of meditation and seen the value of meditation as a whole, but I definitely have tried certain approaches that just felt like they never actually led anywhere. I don't know why, but it never quite occurred to me that it might be the compatibility between me and the techniques that was the issue, and not just a matter of me not grinding enough. But now that I hear it put into words, it makes so much sense. Some of the other techniques Dr. K mentioned like Yoga Nidra actually sound much like something I learned to do completely independently of any meditation practices. I read some books on positive psychology and one of the techniques it mentioned worked super well for me: the basic idea was to reframe my failures as being temporary and limited, and my successes as being permanent and pervasive (as in, it wasn't a fluke but a result of my capabilities and effort). And while the former part helped me to not be as anxious and afraid of failing, I think it was the latter part that actually gave me the confidence to keep trying and learning new things and just have an almost delusional level of faith that things would eventually go well. Thankfully it turned out that even if it seems delusional, I could buy into it because it made logical sense to me how it would actually impact my willingness to keep trying and how the continued effort would lead to me performing better.
I don't know if Yoga Nidra does exactly the same thing but it seems like it would have similar effects, which gives me some amount of confidence in the other techniques too. I'm quite curious about that Tummo practice since one of my current issues is definitely that I have difficulty in generating motivation for certain things I want to do, or more accurately, the motivation is very spontaneous and inconsistent which makes it quite difficult for me to put in a consistent amount of effort, which has all sorts of negative consequences. I guess I'll try it out and see how it goes.
Maybe I'll share my experience with the meditation module somewhere once I'm done with it. For now, I'm just excited to see what I can learn from it. Thanks for all the helpful content as always, Dr. K!
I'm in the same spot since few years, I'm decade in personal growth, started as 18yo and now I'm 28. I feel like nothing could break that glass ceiling which keeps me from becoming a very productive person, I tried everything (I think) including dr.K's guides and coaching, books, podcasts, learning psychology, and meditation (I've been meditating for few months straight for 14 minutes a day) but it didn't change my productivity(?) much to be honest, that's why I'm going for therapy next. If that can't fix me then probably nothing can lol :D
BUT on that journey I've learned A LOT of usefull stuff around emotions, habits (even formed few to help me live my life easier), goals, communicating, dating, relationships, thoughts and many many more. So even if I did not become that super productive person I've learned a ton of usefull stuff and became a 'better' person
PS. But even if meditation didn't helped me (I'm pretty bad at it too) that does not mean it won't help you, and it has tons of benefits so I'd still recommend you to try it for at least few months
Its the best module imo
@@jakubliska4730 Oh, thanks for sharing your experience, it's really helpful to hear. It sucks that you couldn't quite get to where you wanted to be, but I'm glad you got something positive out of it. I know in my case, I'm very grateful for all the changes to my life as a result of all this self-exploration and self-work even if I'm not entirely where I want to be. The biggest thing for me is probably getting over my almost crippling social anxiety, which took a hell of a lot of work, but it's so liberating to be where I am today and actually be able to enjoy having conversations with even random strangers.
And I hope the therapy works out for you. I never actually got therapy myself even though I was pretty certain it would be helpful, mostly because of financial concerns but also a little bit because of some mental blocks. But I think what I did on my own was almost a form of pseudo-therapy where I watched a ton of Dr. K interviews and read up on therapy techniques and psychology of the mind, etc, to learn how the mind can be molded and shaped in different ways. And the biggest thing that contributed to that self-guided approach working out for me, I think, was the existence of external perspectives. It's amazing how many blind spots you can have and not even realize you even them unless they get pointed out to you by an third party. I kinda went on a tangent but I do think therapy might be useful in that aspect at least, having a third party give you a perspective that might expose a blind spot you didn't even realize you had. So yeah, I hope it works out for you!
Oh, and I did go through the meditation module a bit and I've already gotten a lot out of just Dr. K's overview of all the meditation traditions and their methods and philosophies. I like taking in broad overviews of concepts and then playing around with them in my mind to better understand them and sometimes even tease apart greater "truths" than were intended in the explanations, and the info I've gotten so far has definitely given me a lot to work with. It's fascinating how flexible the mind can be and how little we're aware of that flexibility. Fun stuff!
Of course, that's exactly the point of these videos - to serve as sneaky ads to make you want to buy stuff from him
This is legitimately fascinating. I want to try these. I feel like depending on my state I can be the anxious person or the depressed person.
One of the top videos on the internet about meditation.
Everyone should start with that meditation.
my favorite types of videos
They can work in tandem. You can use technique A to get out of the state of panic, and then technique B for introspection, or whatever.
Alok, you probably already know or are aware of them, but Daniel Ingram (MD) and Willoughby Britton (PhD) would be worth looking into. Ingram would almost certainly agree with your point about having an eclectic approach, and Britton who is a clinician and a researcher, is pretty hard core with her science (as is Dan), and both are active yogis.
Thank you so much for this video Dr.K.
So the fire meditation is *wild.* I've been doing something similar since about the age of 3. Though at first I couldn't do it consciously. Then later on, I learned to do it when I wanted to, but I had to be almost sleep to do it. Then I worked until I could do it fully awake. And then pretty much do it at will. For me it's either centered between my shoulder blades or in my lower back.
Also I have a similar meditation to the void one. I use it when I need to gain control of my emotional state or just settle the racing thoughts. I call it reaching for the silence. Or the void. Basically I stop, i get control of my breath, often will do a brief relaxation technique and then I mentally put myself in a silent and dark space. (Not like bad, just it's dark, there's nothing in there. Or white and empty also works. I kind of think of it like The Loading Construct from The Matrix.
It's a completely blank space that i can create or do anything in, if I need to or want to. But sometimes, I will just exist in that space for... however long. Most of the time I just have to reach for it, hold onto it for about 10 seconds and then I've got my bearings again.
I wonder if it's anything similar to the void meditation. And perhaps I might be able to use the idea or principles of it to work in a similar fashion. I have a lot of negative self talk I'm working on changing. Maybe i can dispose of that negativity through a visualization and such in there.
I doubt this message will get seen, but I'd love to know if there are any others out there that have similar experiences.
Also I''m mostly self-taught on meditation, and/or learning from a few sources. But mostly self-taught.
Banger Video! Thanks to the HG Team.
I'm a Christian but I really like Dr. K's approach to mental health. Is it ok for me to do these techniques even though they are tied to Eastern spirituality and religions I don't believe in?
In my opinion, just because you practice something spiritual that originates from a different faith, it doesn’t mean that you’re practicing that religion. You are just recognizing the benefits of whatever act it is and using that to improve your own life, which i’d argue improves your own faith.
Your faith and relationship with God is a personal journey. There is so much to see and learn in the world, let your inner spiritual compass guide you. God won't betray you, everything that is is under God's domain.
👍 im christian i do practice it often. But i discovered many years ago that some stuff dont work for me. And started meditation.and it worked. I allowed myself space to do so.tried for 6 months and i did researched many to find what works for me. I dont have overwhelmed guilt that i betrayed my religion. I even understand it better now. And appreciate teachings.❤
I honest to god think this video should be shown in schools. All of HG videos actually.
I recently subscribed to your channel, I watch all videos except songs on 2x, firstly, you're the only one I have to watch on 1.75, secondly I'm in the middle of the video where you're giving the example of running around in the house on cocaine, watching you on higher speed makes me feel like you do videos on coke too😂, plus the ever so often nostril rub. But I feel you're quite productive, I gain consistent value packets as the video proceeds on its timeline. What I mean is you're concise about the topic and give quite relatable examples while not digressing just for the monetization purpose! Keep up the good work.
This was so helpful! 🙏
would love to watch a long video just going over various meditation practices in enough detail to get started using them
I think it would be cool to have a sort of quiz on your website to find a good meditation technique for you
While the idea that different forms of mental disorder need different techniques is obviously a good one ... I kinda need the one that has the checkmark at "all of the above". In my experience it is absolutely possible to be panicking and sluggish at the same time.
I really appreciate this video… thank you Dr K
"As long as I give up, I can do it"
Super motivational, going to pin it in my room
Great video! Very informative. I have the OCD/ADHD brain and have had panic thoughts my whole life. SSRIs feel like a shield from negative thoughts as I have an awareness of the negative ideas coming in, but the SSRIs dont allow the thoughts to penetrate to my emotional core. I hate being on SSRIs tho as they ruin my sex life.
Wow i really needed this! Dr k you are a legend
Oh, this was so helpful-I'm new ! Thank you❤
I've been running/jogging for more than 15 years. I was curious if it's possible to meditate as I run/jog? Jogging allows me to think and calm myself even though I'm exerting energy.
I LIVE for Dr. K's character impressions. "oh my god I'm gonna die. Everybody's gonna die"
It's the perfect marriage of accepting and moving forward without teasing.
The “I need to chill the fuck out” breathing technique is fantastic.
Im interested in tummo meditation. Can someone reccomend me a good recource for that?
I wanna give meditation a try again. I almost burned myself out with it in the past, after listening to the wrong people about it. (by wrong people i mean toxic productivity gurus who probably shouldn't have been giving mental health advice). but dr k's advice has helped me a lot so far, so Im warming up to the idea of meditating again. :)
you should make a full list of different meditative techniques/traditions and who they might be good for
Meditation requires no technique. Just be aware of what your mind and body is doing naturally
Make something about transcending the mind Dr.K. I know you said in a video that meditation wasn’t meant to help with depression but that it’s a consequence to reaching enlightenment and I’m just curious how one can get there. Thank you Dr.K
The point you make about teachers not recommending different meditative practices also applies to therapeutic practices.
Most people don't understand that there are multiple ways to engage in psychological therapy. You can use drugs like SSRIs, exposure therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, et cetera. A lot of people believe that therapy is 1 thing because we have 1 word for it, and they might go to a therapist seeking help that they waste thousands of dollars on for no benefit. So after a failed attempt at some therapeutic practice, they walk away saying "therapy didn't work for me", just like people do with meditation.
Personally, I learned TM, and no matter how many times I tried Mindfulness Meditation using Calm, Headspace, or Balance, I always returned to TM. My only gripe with TM is that it's very expensive.
Dang, I had a panic attack at work this morning and had to go home early it was so debilitating. I wish I'd had Kapal Bhatti a few hours ago, but going to read up a bit more on it and try it next time.
This'll be helpful!
Keep up the good work, doc🎶
8:26 Please clip that 😂😂😂😂🙌
need more mediation specific content! ❤ this
I rly needed that, thx dr k you're the best for promoting well being with usefull information on youtube
Yes!!! My professor in college talked about Tummo
As long as I don't give up I can do this. Curious, I have just said this to myself yesterday when I was overwhelmed by the amount of things I have postponed and have to do now.
Where would you learn these practices, today?
you can just try find them on youtube, the basics at least. Or just try and find them on google. There are also some books
He sells a guide on it.
It's pretty good, built to let you jump around and chose what you wanna watch when, but it is 20 bucks.
@@twinkiefrost666820 bucks for a whole library isn’t too bad. I’m sure not everyone has the coin but it’s worth it 100 percent.
I’m almost 100% sure that the best sources for all of these practices are all different haha. Which one are you most curious about based on this video?
@@pookz3067 Tuumo sounds interesting. He doesn't go over the expect method, so i would be curious to know about that one
What a great primer!
Yasssss i clicked right away!!
Literally
It's not "difficult".
It's impossible for most people.
Most aren't ready to give up the illusion of self, or let go of attachments.
Strongly affirm thats true there is no referrals in spiritual meditation gurus do in india..
I was quite literally looking up “Dr k meditation” and saw this was posted yesterday. Wow
Om Namah Shivay 🙏🏽 Alok you are a ray of sunshine on the net scape.
I've been getting into meditation for the past week and have been going through Dr. K's guide. I've noticed that I like combining two techniques in one session. Do any of y'all do that too or do you prefer picking one technique for one session?
I'm so curious what you think about Vipassana. I listened to this podcast (Untold: The Retreat) which told the stories of people whose mental health absolutely shattered after these meditation retreats. Full on psychosis, from how they describe it. I can totally see how the wrong technique could mess you up...like taking someone else's prescription
Any particular meditation techniques that are well-suited for helping break bad habits? Perhaps being more mindful and learning NOT to repeatedly engage in a self-destructive behavior? That kind of thing would be extremely helpful to me.
I would LOVE to see a video between you and Mark Manson, if possible.
can you make a lot of videos talking about all the meditatons that you know? I know about your meditation playlist, but probably you know a lot more
Thanks
Shoonya is the meditation technique that works for me, I just find it funny that I was using the shoonya technique and that I didn't know what it was called, now I know the name of it after watching Dr k's video 9 minutes ago😂 but that's okay because now I know, and just like that(I know this/ I don't know this/ now i know this and since i know this now I know that i can do this,and if you don't know how to do something just learn and take the necessary steps that you need to take to them know it and how to do it but also try to understand why your able to do things, that's what I think and that's my advice and I just want to help people because we each have our own lives and our own lives are like our own little world and I truthfully enjoy exploring other worlds besides my own because then I get to see other people's lives, I'm not different from anyone else I'm the same as everyone because I can't change what I am and what I am in this exact moment is a person but if you dig a tad deeper with another what am I right now? Type question then you'll find the answer is I'm a human sitting, I'm a human standing, these are two examples but I may be wrong and that's okay because I don't have to be right because if I'm not right about something that just means that I didn't know something and if someone tells me what was correct then I know the something that I didn't know previously, anyway that's my thoughts on it so everyone can do with it what you will
great video, thank you. i love you
What would Vipassana be good for? I used to practice Isha Kriya and it helped immensely with my anxiety and overthinking in a very short period of time. I’ve been doing Vipassana for a few months now and seeing results at a slower pace and I’d like to understand why
One thing that helps me is see existence as filled with water and the water used inside this body is just water being used.