Listen Now

Beginner meditators often wonder how long it will take for meditation to work. The answer lies in what exactly it is we want meditation to do for us. We look at various meditation objectives and how long each of them typically and historically takes to accomplish.

Can meditation make us MORE irritable and angry? You’ve finished meditating, you’re in your happy place, you’re blissed out, it’s awesome. Then you do something else or interact with someone else and get super-annoyed with situation.In this episode we look at why this happens and what we can do to avoid it.

Is mindfulness the same as meditation or is meditation the same as mindfulness? We look at the history of each of these to figure it all out.

One of the most popular music meditation traditions is the Indain kirtan traditions. What is it and how can we use it to meditate?

Some meditation traditions encourage the use of music during meditation while others discourage it. In this episode we look at the reasons you might NOT want to use music during meditation.

The benefits and drawbacks of using a timer or timer app during meditation.

Are you wondering why you're not able to go into a deep meditation. In this episode, we look at three things that might help in deepening your meditation.

Should we keep our eyes open or closed during meditation? We look at the pros and cons of each.

Meditation and relaxation are a delightful pairing but how similar or different are they? Also, what exactly is the relaxation response?

We regularly hear that meditation changes your brain or that it literally rewires your brain. How true is this?Book mentioned in episode: Altered Traits - https://www.richardjdavidson.com/altered-traits

This is the companion episode to the earlier question, "Can meditation be bad for me?". In this episode we take a look at the numerous mental, emotional and physiological benefits of meditation. Lot's of good reasons to meditate so keep on meditating!

We're big cheerleaders for meditation here at Meditation Questions but it's important to recognize meditation is not for everyone. For some people meditation can end up with bad outcomes.

There's a worry that because meditation is supposed to lead you to tranquility or serenity, it will make us dull and emotionless and kind of boring. Is this what happens to those who meditate a lot?

Do I need a mantra? Do I need to pay for it? Should I keep my mantra a secret? Does it have to be in an ancient language?

Simple effective strategies to handle unwanted or distracting thoughts and emotions during meditation. Meditation is just like learning any new skill - like a musical skill or an athletic skill - we're going to fumble about in the beginner stage for a while until we hit our stride, until we master the basics and learn to play with joy - it might be frustrating until then - if we allow ourselves to be frustrated.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of learning meditation from a book?

Is meditation just sitting, eyes closed, breathing and trying to not think? How do I know if I'm REALLY meditating?

Are there any benefits to meditating together in a community or sangha?

The classic meditation posture is sitting cross legged, statue like. But if you're not able to do this, is it okay to meditate lying down? What to look out for when meditating lying down.

At first glance meditation seems as boring as watching paint dry. But what if we're wrong about watching paint dry and it's the most exciting thing we could possibly do?