[A human Being]

Thanks to everyone for your input :)

Originally Posted by Gem

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.

Yeah it feels about right for me at the moment, I'm pushing myself without risking burn-out. Most important thing is to simply stick with it, I think, it's hardest in the beginning it seems.

Originally Posted by Bindu*

Yeah...keep it going while the inspiration lasts

My meditation practice is a rollercoaster.

Trying to uphold a minimum 20 minutes a day practice, in order to have the process going, whatever resistence there is.

When inspiration is there, or in a retreat mood, I sit longer.

Discipline is not always there. But the aim of enlightenment is cemented.
So some days just doing some mantra repetition or chanting some Kirtan will do.

Being on a path of grace. I think sometimes the intention is more important than the practice.

But that's me.....

Om Shanti

Namaste :)

Mm, the bit in bold - I'd say the intention is as important as the practice. As far as discipline goes, I think it's important but at the same time it's important to stay attentive to your needs, if you feel the need of a rest then I say have a rest. Though self-honesty's everything, there's a difference between actually needing to go easy on yourself and just being lazy (general point, btw, I'm not accusing you of laziness!).

Originally Posted by Bubbles

when i meditate, first 20 minutes or so.. a lot of mind chatter.. although I try to think of nothing, thoughts still come. it's like waves.. not thinking, thinking etc.. all this mind chatter... but after 40 minutes... it gets more quiet. you see if for example i want to think of why i have X problem, usually i'd be bombarded with reasons, justifications, rationalizing thoughts, emotions... all these clouding my judgement to a certain extent (valid for everyone). but when i am on the 40+ minute mark of my sitting, i get easily into a thought-loop, meaning I have this X problem, and I can clearly see a couple of reasons for this X problem, then without all the mind chatter disturbing me, I can see the cause of those couple of reasons, then i pick one reason and see what made me do it etc... in short, going to the root of the roots. this is what i mean about what you asked.

but im not just meditating to think of problems, that's just a part. sometimes i just meditate for that state. with meditation music on headphones... in 1 hour I am 'gone' really far to the point where I don't even feel like i am in my body or in that room ha :) i'm just saying, 20 minutes meditation is good for mood, but 1 hour+ is amazing :)

Ah ok, so the deeper you go into your meditation, the clearer your thinking becomes - thanks for the explanation :) In my case, I generally just notice the thoughts arising and I let them pass, return my attention to my felt experience. If I notice a particular thought reoccurring, I try to pinpoint a particular sensation in the body that's connected to the thought and give my full attention to that, go more deeply into the feeling.

Originally Posted by shivatar

Hardcore determination. Wanting to stand up is a craving of the mind that can be overcome by going deeper into meditation.

In deep meditation there won't be an urge to stand. Meditate until you get the urge to stand, then begin to chant or ask yourself "go deeper". Keep doing that until the urge to stand goes away, then you'll be able to recognize you are in a deep state of meditation by the lack of bodily desires.

In other words, don't try to keep doing a low level and ineffective meditation for longer periods of time. Go deeper into meditation as you increase the length of time spent in meditation. That is the point after all, not to take it slow.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll keep them in mind :) At times I do get quite a strong urge to stand up, stop the meditation, but recently I've taken to bringing my attention to the accompanying sensation in the body that's linked to that urge (seems to be in my heart, it's a feeling of, 'I can't do this, I give up!') and then, as I say, I just sit with the feeling. So my meditation practice is basically about becoming more conscious of and attentive to my felt experience, and releasing whatever's being held on to.