We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

Re:We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant ... by zzzeek on Saturday February 20, 2021 @04:45PM (#26208264)

> It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy.

I meditate every day and it's cost me nothing, uses nothing, does not require going anywhere, literally brushing my teeth is more of a commercial activity than meditation is.

Meditation is exactly what your students could use most effectively to learn to manage distracted minds, so given you are in a position of mentorship it's kind of sad you seem to think the basic act of sitting and doing exactly nothing but observing how it feels is some kind of corporate fad that should be avoided.

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Re:We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant ... by hybridtupel on Saturday February 20, 2021 @05:14PM (#26208487)

I think what was meant here are the countless (monetarized) apps and courses which gamify the meditation experience of course. You are totally right that the original intention of meditation is quite the opposite. No app, gadget or anything else required.

Edit: Grammar

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Re:We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant ... by abnercoimbre on Saturday February 20, 2021 @06:07PM (#26208919)

Agreed, but I would need to vouch for the Waking Up app for my own meditation. It was training wheels before venturing off on my own -- don't think anything is wrong with that!

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Re:We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant ... by tayo42 on Saturday February 20, 2021 @09:53PM (#26210397)

> countless (monetarized) apps and courses which gamify the meditation experience

What do these apps do? Ive been giving meditation a shot recently. (Because i have similar thoughts about my distractions) So im aware of them, ive been mediating just by setting the timer on my phone and finding some quiet time and then well mediate. Mediate as i understand it is just sitting still and being present and aware of your mind wandering then bringing it back to being present.

What am I missing?

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Re:We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant ... by pencildog on Saturday February 20, 2021 @10:44PM (#26210607)

The main advantage of an app is guided meditation. If you only want to sit quietly, or you're already trained in meditation, or you've read some books on practice, then the apps may not provide an advantage to you.

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Re:We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant ... by thombee on Saturday February 20, 2021 @11:15PM (#26210742)

It's kinda like having a meditation teacher, but in an app. Totally not necessary, but I like it :D

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