I am not a morning person. It's all I can do to cobble a few coherent thoughts together while I go through the routine of getting ready for the rat race on autopilot.

A Hindu meditation is singing. Something repetitive, so you don't have to memorize, just sing and become happy. Here's my favorite,.. during tough times, I've played it repeatedly for hours on end. The aim is to control the thoughts and not get captured by them, to become mindless.

I always start the morning with prayer. I find if I don't, things get crazier as the day goes on

There are a few people right here on this forum who could enlighten your path to mindlessness.

so you're saying, Tigerfan is therapeutic.

Thanks for sharing a source you find peace and joy in.

I too enjoy mediation although for me, it's not a routine. In times of distress or just boredom, I find that focusing on my breathing is a key for me to enter what I consider to be a meditative state. I close my eyes, relax and play with my breathing while asking myself... "Am I controlling my breath or is it automatic?" Somehow, focusing on my breath and asking this question without answer opens me up to hearing beauty in whatever sounds are around me and realizing how much more I am and all us (not just people) really are. Is this mindlessness? I don't know, but it feels good and works for me.

funny, the best example I can think of to describe a meditative state is,.. while quail hunting. When you're out walking the ground and you hear that bird noise rustle,.. immediately you become pure attention, you're not thinking about that stupid guy in the red truck any more,.. you're just watching for the bird, not thinking about your lunch, focusing, not thinking, observing.

It's said that if you can not think for 8 seconds, you enter the Christ consciousness, unless you notice,.. then poof it's gone.

For me, it's inconceivable to go for a single second without some conscious thought running through my mind. I supposed we will all find out when we are dead. The closest is getting into some kind of zone. Like when Michael Jordan took over a game in the last few seconds of a playoff game. On far too few occasions when I'm at the right combination of stoneation (Yeah, I made the word up) when I'm playing my guitar and it's sounding really good I get in that sort of zone. But I'm still aware of what I'm doing and there is still a thinking process going on, just more in the background. The other night I was in the zone and I'm thinking, I should be recording this, but I knew that if I stopped long enough to set up my recording software and resume it wouldn't be the same. I did it anyway and then I sucked. I couldn't get back to that same place.

two different things,.. meditative practice, meditative state

practice,.. horrible, miserable, torturous,.. it really takes discipline to be an excellent meditator, I'm a poor/midlin meditator,.. but I've been walking down this path for 47 years and soon expect to see progress

meditative practice,. ugh,.. my ankle hurts, my ear itches... (center)... my knee is killing me, and my butt hurts,.. after I get done, I'm making waffles... (center) ... I wonder how much time I've got left, ow my ankle, I'm gonna look at the clock, you're not supposed to look at the clock,.. yeah, I'm not supposed to look,.. this can't be right, fuck, I've only been sitting here 3 minutes... (center) ... I can't feel my left foot... (center) ... I wonder how long it's been now ... (center)

Constant battle between me and my mind, everyday, lunch at work, for 16 years, 27 minutes of hell at a time.