Strong determination sitting
 

Anyone done it? I heard about it from Leo on actualized.org and I've heard that you can make a lot of progress in a relatively short period of time, so I want to give it a go (for anyone who isn't familiar with the concept, it's basically sitting for long periods of time, staying as still and relaxed as possible). I've been meditating for about four years now but rarely for more than thirty minutes at a time, so I'm building up to it - I'm currently doing one-hour sitting three times a day, and even that is proving quite challenging atm. I'm eager to increase the length of the sittings but at the same time I don't want to burn myself out, does anyone have any general outlines for how much and how quickly to increase the duration of the sittings? Anyone care to share their experiences and outline the benefits and pitfalls of doing SDS?

Brother, you need not longing your sittings as in most of meditation communes sitting slot is of 55 minutes. But if you want to longing it, long it by 5 minutes per day.

Oh I don't know, I think there is value to pushing the limits of one's endurance and people have reported considerable benefits from extended sittings, so I'm going to give it a go :)

Good suggestion, though, that makes sense - a wise one, you are :wink:

There is 5-10 minutes gap in between 2 slot of 55 minutes for water or lavatory and worm up to avoid stiffness of sitting postures during slot. but you can extend it to 90 minutes or 120 minutes.

Meditator can meditate while walking too.

Yes there is definitely benefit in longing the meditation slot.

Ah ok, that's very sensible, I might try that thanks :)

Yes, there is value in pushing our limitations so we become more comfortable doing longer meditates. These limitations are both physical and mental.

The obvious physical limitations are aches and pains from sitting still and upright for extended periods. Hatha Yoga comes in useful here, to make the body looser and more flexible. In the Raja Yoga system performing asanas is one of the eight steps in preparation for meditation.

We cannot all sit comfortably in a cross-legged position or the half-lotus or the full lotus, but with practice we do improve. I am fortunate in that I can sit comfortably in the full lotus for up to an hour - I once had a go at sitting in the full lotus for two hours, which was an interesting exercise in enduring pain but as meditation it was a waste of time. The purpose of sitting comfortably is that we can then forget about the physical body.

The other physical limitations are hunger and thirst, but sometimes the mind just wants an excuse to interrupt meditation and do something else like have a cup of tea.

Other mental limitations include boredom and frustration, and if we sit for long enough we experience both. It can be a challenge to simply continue sitting, being present with whatever is arising, but eventually we realise that this is just the nature of the mind.

So yes, continue extending the length of meditation and see what happens. For myself, my first year of meditation practice was very difficult as I pushed myself beyond my comfort levels, but then I reached a stage where sitting in meditation was like coming home. Nowadays I don't bother pushing myself so much - I simply meditate because I enjoy it.

Peace.

can someone please explain..when u say sitting, u mean meditation time right? i do it for 1 hour as i realize from minute 40+ it's when i can rally take a thought and divide it in 2 in 4 in 8 etc.....get to the root of problem.

Thanks for your input :) I actually used to do a few yoga asanas before meditating, though that was only if I was feeling particularly agitated, anxious, etc., beforehand - maybe I should get back in the habit. I'm with you as far as sitting comfortably goes, I don't see the value in sitting with more physical discomfort than is strictly necessary. And you're right, it can be a challenge to simply sit and be present with what's arising, though it gets easier the more you do it. So I will continue to extend the lengths of the meditations, I'm finding it a bit of a slog atm but I just have to stick with it I think.

Yeah, I mean meditation when I talk about sitting. I'm intrigued, when you say you divide a thought up, how do you do that exactly?

Strong determination sittings are usually practiced as remaining seated and motionless, for an hour duration. Your routine of 3 times daily is very good. It is sensible to be reasonably moderate, as you say, and 3 one hour determination sittings is probably as reasonable as it gets. If eager to add to add to the duration, then might as well, as you could make a 75 or 90 minute sit for any one of your meditation periods.