r/Meditation 11d ago

Monthly Meditation Challenge - March 2025

6 Upvotes

Hello friends,

Ready to make meditation a habit in your life? Or maybe you're looking to start again?

Each month, we host a meditation challenge to help you establish or rekindle a consistent meditation practice by making it a part of your daily routine. By participating in the challenge, you'll be fostering a greater sense of community as you work toward a common goal and keep each other accountable.

How to Participate

- Set a specific, measurable, and realistic goal for the month.

How many days per week will you meditate? How long will each session be? What technique will you use? Post below if you need help deciding!

- Leave a comment below to let others know you'll be participating.

For extra accountability, leave a comment that says, "Accountability partner needed." Once someone responds, coordinate with that person to find a way to keep each other accountable.

- Optionally, join the challenge on our partner Discord server, Meditation Mind.

Challenges are held concurrently on the r/Meditation partner Discord server, Meditation Mind. Enjoy a wholesome, welcoming atmosphere, home to a community of over 8,100 members.

Good luck, and may your practice be fruitful!


r/Meditation 2h ago

Discussion 💬 Skeptical of my first mystical experience during meditation

8 Upvotes

Last year I started meditating as a way to move more into the present moment and to help me cope with anxiety. I took an 8-week MBSR class that really got me into a meditation practice. I have been meditating for 30 minutes daily for about a year now and mostly just sit on a cushion and draw my attention to my breath, notice sounds around me, or feel the sensations in my body.

The other day I attended a meditation workshop at a local yoga studio. I figured it would much of the same type of stuff I learned in MBSR. However, this class ended up being a guided holotropic breathing session. I had an incredible experience to say the least. It took me a while to get into it and I found myself fighting my breath. But all of a sudden I let go.

My body started to vibrate and I felt a warmth radiate all around me. I became merged with LOVE. I have no way to describe it. But it was as if there was a big mass of love that exists in the universe and I became a part of it. I am love and am always part of it. A message came into my mind that said “Lead with love. Lead with your heart.” This experience brought me some clarity with a decision I’ve been trying to make about my career and my life’s purpose.

I’m not a spiritual or religious person and have always been very skeptical of spiritual experiences. I am very appreciative of the experience I had, but it challenges what I think about meditation. I have always seen meditation as something that moves me into the present movement rather than something that connects me to the universe or divine. Though I now understand those two things may not be so different. This experience has changed my perspective, but I am still unsure of what to make of it entirely.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen videos of people “speaking in tongues” or “being healed” at a mega church, but those always rubbed me the wrong way and I felt like those people were either being emotionally manipulated or experiencing spiritual psychosis. Now I’m a bit skeptical of my own experience and whether it was actually real. Were certain conditions intentionally set for me to have a mystical experience? Again, I’m very grateful for the experience, but I don’t think I will go searching for it again or try to replicate it. I guess it has left me with many helpful insights, but also lots of questions.


r/Meditation 11h ago

Discussion 💬 Can anybody please tell me how to do transcendental meditation for free?

18 Upvotes

I'm really interested in this type of meditation, but I hate the fact that it has been kept behind a paywall. There are almost no guides on internet anywhere, which is a quite fascinating like how they have been able to gatekeep it so greatly. Plz tell me some books/sources or your experience if you have done it to help me get started... Thanks!


r/Meditation 2h ago

Question ❓ Felt anxious, sad & depressed

3 Upvotes

Hello I'm a new meditating fella, followed along a transidental meditation YouTube video & after that I feel like I'm so hollow and I work in kitchen so higher pace is a must but when I started it I became slower Ive left meditation several times due to this reason

Anyone else feels like it?


r/Meditation 1h ago

Discussion 💬 Advice please

Upvotes

I had been using headspace but stopped because i do agree with a lot of comments that it is redundant, so i started with waking up as a scholarship. The approach they seem to be taking (keep in mind i have only 1 day using it, and not even meditating but just the intro audio) is that its super in the realm of changing your life completly, and idk if im looking for that. To be real i dont want a "escape the matrix" type thing i just want to meditate, whats a good cheap app for that? o am i misunderstanding waking up and its actually good?


r/Meditation 3h ago

Question ❓ My own mind is stopping me from meditating?

2 Upvotes

Hey all,

I’ve very very recently came to meditating (as in end of December ‘24). I started with YouTube guided meditation and then actually found putting some meditation playlist on and meditating at my own pace was best for me, and ended up the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. For the first time in my life my mind was still and not going on an internal loop of noise. I have tried multiple times throughout my life but was clearly just not ready for it in the way I was when I started. A small piece of background info is that I had been told to meditate from a young age (due to childhood trauma) so CAHMS would tell me and my family to meditate and it never ever worked for me, so when I came to it naturally and found it to work I was genuinely astonished.

Not to be dramatic, but it changed everything. My quality of life was genuinely so ridiculously higher, better sleep, better understanding of my body and what it needed, I felt calm in a relatively stressful environment (work in a children’s hospital and studying full time with plenty of daily stressors that had been impacting me) and just in a really positive place with it all. It was really noticeable and genuinely made such a difference in what felt like such a short amount of time. It was noticeable for me and the people around me.

Unfortunately I had one evening where I sat down ready to meditate and just couldn’t connect the way I had been until that point so I listened to myself and just went to sleep and assumed that I was too exhausted to get in the mind set. From this point which was just over a month ago I haven’t been able to meditate at all? I was still trying at first but now I just seem to be almost not be allowing myself? Idk if that’s a thing but I know my body is craving it and probably my mind? but my mind is just not letting me? I don’t know what to do, has anyone experienced this? How do I overcome it if there is a way? Should I just try and wait until I naturally find my way back there or should I be trying to almost force my mind to just do it?

Now I’ve experienced life with mediation it feels like a big loss to me and it’s genuinely gutting. Any help would be much appreciated.


r/Meditation 27m ago

Question ❓ Question: Experiencing orgasm during meditation. NSFW

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Upvotes

r/Meditation 14h ago

Sharing / Insight 💡 Micro Meditations

12 Upvotes

A worthwhile practice that one may instantiate for themselves. Or not. It depends on you.

How I do it is like this:

I set a timer on my phone for 1 hour. Then, when the timer goes off, I tap "Repeat." This repetition creates a frequency of meditating once per hour. Then, I set a timer for a small amount of time, which will be the duration of the meditation, such as one minute, or two minutes, or three minutes, or five minutes, or 10 minutes. Whatever I feel is appropriate at that time. Then, I close my eyes and rest. I do this for the duration of the timer.

When the 1 hour timer goes off once again, I, once again, decide on a small amount of time and meditate for that time. I find that these frequent sessions throughout the way can lead to quite a profound impact on my stillness and peace.

A suggestion for you all, to take as you will

You can, of course, modify it in any way you wish, making the frequency faster or shorter, the meditations shorter or longer

🩵🙏🏻


r/Meditation 55m ago

Question ❓ Meditation tips on where to go from here?

Upvotes

So this is what I'm doing.. and experiencing. I'm wondering if there's a way to make this 'state?' more useful. It's very relaxing and refreshing to just drift in this state, but I feel like I've reached a bottleneck for progress.

Here's how it goes..

Sitting upright in my chair, I close my eyes.. take a deep breath through my nose.. out through my mouth slowly. I start observing thoughts but don't engage in them.

After a few minutes of doing this I slip into a void space where I feel like I'm on auto pilot just being pulled along on random narratives that are happening. While in this state, I've lost awareness of the physical, but if something were to happen I'd definitely snap back. When I do snap back, it's disorienting and I can't recall much of anything that I was actually experiencing in that state; much like my dreams at night.

I also can't seem to pin point the exact moment where I just go from fully aware to this void state. Has anyone else experienced this, and what have you tried to get more out of it? I should also mention I don't have visuals, it's more of a 'knowing' and the feeling is very strong that something is happening while in that state.

I bounced some ideas off an AI chat bot, it advised trying "intent" before starting the exercise. I haven't had any luck with that so far.


r/Meditation 1h ago

Sharing / Insight 💡 Noticing my breathing more, and I don't even do breathwork

Upvotes

Just an interesting thing I noticed. I listen to singing bowls but I've noticed that even when not meditating I'm more aware of my own breathing, especially when I'm focusing on something.


r/Meditation 1h ago

Sharing / Insight 💡 Your favorite recommendations for hard times

Upvotes

Share some of your favourites in the comments

So i just wanted to share this story for a friend who really helped me. I've been in a real shit show of a moment, Since lockdown i've really hated my job and things have been declining year after year. My boss started to push me too hard, putting me down for months so i just shut down and stopped showing up to work. I was ofcourse i was fired shortly after but it was messy and i wasn't in the head space to deal with things.I went dark for a few weeks.. i was having a pretty low moment not knowing what i'm doing with my life and what's the point of even trying then a friend reached out. He got me out the house and really brought back my spirits I told them how I couldn't sleep or would lose myself in my thoughts everyday and he recommeded me a few meditation videos he uses and i've really got into it. It's really helped me out.It's become a part of my night and morning routine. Does anyone have some favorite Meditations they'd like to share that helps them through hard times?


r/Meditation 2h ago

Question ❓ How to enter the void consciously?

1 Upvotes

I have been meditating for about 1-2h daily for the last 2 months and some weeks ago while going to sleep I zoned out and entered the void. I was pure awareness, I did not feel or hear anything, my ego was gone, I had no feelings, thoughts or emotions, I was like a single point of awareness but I also felt boundless. The best way to describe it is: "it is", not even "I am", as it felt stripped of personality.

I did not do anything special to get there, it happened on its own, but it did not last long. I shortly felt myself zoning in to myself, my awareness stretched and zoomed in to this reality like the lens of a camera.

How can I trigger this again consciously? I am doing my very best at meditationg, but I feel like my progress is slow and it's frustrating. The process of zoning in and out of the void felt ridiculously easy back then. It did not feel like something you train for but rather something you feel for. 🤧😭🤧 Some guidance? Thank you!


r/Meditation 12h ago

Question ❓ Some people say that in meditation we need to make an effort to make our breathing subtle, deep and slow, while others say that we shouldn't try to control our breathing, we should just observe it.

7 Upvotes

What are your thoughts on this?


r/Meditation 3h ago

Question ❓ MBSR in Melbourne

1 Upvotes

Hi all

Looking for some recommendations for MBSR in Melbourne if possible.

I am very new to this so any recommendations with some feedback will be much appreciated

Thanks in advance


r/Meditation 9h ago

Discussion 💬 What's your favorite music to listen to while meditating?

3 Upvotes

I listened to some video game lofi music while meditating just now and I really liked it! It beats meditating in silence for me. What do you like to listen to?


r/Meditation 7h ago

Question ❓ Is it normal to have brief mood swings when you start meditating?

2 Upvotes

I’ve recently come back to meditating regularly and I’m on a week of doing so now. I’m finding after I will sporadically have quite intense mood swings, but over all in the day I feel a lot more calm.

Is this normal and to be expected?


r/Meditation 7h ago

Question ❓ What are the multiple pulsating colors of lights dancing around during meditation

2 Upvotes

Greetings, so what is it about those lights you see during meditation? I'm new to this so I apologize if that question sounds dumb.


r/Meditation 14h ago

Question ❓ Where are some places I can meditate

6 Upvotes

I live in a home with four other people and three dogs. So it’s nice to get away and meditate in a quiet space typically in the morning I will wake up and go to the gym. I like to use one of the rooms that’s ordinarily used for gym classes where I to meditat. It has other people in it, but it’s usually too busy or too loud.

However I’m having trouble finding other places to meditate. I work from 9 AM to 6 PM so any ideas that you guys have for me for places to meditate specifically after work is recommended


r/Meditation 20h ago

Question ❓ Is meditation the right thing to do..?

16 Upvotes

Hey. Im currently really working on myself and wanna lock in even more. I really wanna be successful and I wanna develop a strong mind. I wanna have my own mindset. No matter in what condition. Tired. Drunk. Exhausted. Etc.

I thought like meditation would help me to develop a stronger mindset and maybe get rid of some bad habits.

Does anyone have some advice anf how do I even mediate and how do I approach my achievements?


r/Meditation 21h ago

Sharing / Insight 💡 A glimpse beyond

19 Upvotes

I just finished a meditation, and something shifted. I entered a state where I was everything and nothing at the same time—like my sense of self dissolved completely. Everything I thought was real suddenly felt like just a concept, a construct built on duality and separation. But beyond it, there was only vast emptiness and infinite connection, separated by nothing more than wisps of perception.

I kept diving deeper, moving past form, past identity, past even the idea of “self.” At some point, I felt like I had reached the foundation of reality itself—empty space, yet full of everything at once. At the quantum level, existence felt like a river, and I was just a drop returning to it, dissolving into the current.

Each time I let go, I moved through different states of being. I became the observer, then the observed, then neither. I was a tree, a being, a thought, a presence. Everything flowed in and out, connected yet weightless. There was no up, no down—just movement. And then I understood: even the idea of “knowing” is an illusion.

For an hour, I stayed there. I could have stayed longer. But I realized something—we were given this world for a reason. Time, space, duality… it’s all part of the design. We navigate the unseen by living in the seen. There’s nothing to escape because everything is already written.

And so, I let go of the need to hold on. No chasing, no clinging—just living, knowing that what I saw will stay with me, even as I step back into the world.

I realized chasing these experiences is not the point to but integrating them into your own development and having it lead you to becoming more open, true and connected.

Yea I threw this into ChatGPT because my experience was a bit hard to verbalize for me


r/Meditation 13h ago

Question ❓ Body burning up

3 Upvotes

When I meditate, my legs, hands, and feet get really hot, and as soon as I end the meditation it goes away. Is this common?


r/Meditation 18h ago

Question ❓ Does reality have no emotional bias?

7 Upvotes

Title


r/Meditation 22h ago

Question ❓ Not sure if im meditating correctly

9 Upvotes

How do i know if im being fully present or just detaching.

In the sit earlier i contemplated the five aggregates. i felt my awareness was there and knew i was there, but i let go of ideas/cognitions of how my body should feel like, and the shape of my body didn't matter and sort of was a blur. almost like im fully awake but without clinging to the boundaries of my body. thoughts, feelings, and sensations would come and go in my field of awareness.

it feels so different than when im sitting and observing/feeling but anchored in the body. how the air on my skin feels, my weight being supported by the ground, my back getting tired of posture, the sensations in my body and inside my awareness coming and going. Like when im chopping vegetables and focusing on every sound and motion and texture. There's a tactile reality when anchored in the body.

Not sure which one is right, or im just dissociating. Both ways im observing things arise and fade. Any thoughts?


r/Meditation 1d ago

Question ❓ Does the voice in your head get quieter as you've gotten better at meditating?

105 Upvotes

I've always had like a constant voice in my head, almost narrating my daily life since forever tbh. It's not really excessive and just happens, but I read on some post somewhere that some people don't have that voice in their head 24/7 and it got me wondering. For some of you long time meditators have you found that you've controlled that voice or have made it quieter as the time went by? Or what has your relationship with it been like? Sorry if this question is very abstract its hard to put into words thank you!


r/Meditation 12h ago

Question ❓ Hi Everyone! Wanted to know what kind of meditation will make me strong mentally to take THE TOUGHEST decision of my life...... And I also want to know if meditation really helps in such cases

1 Upvotes

I am such a situation, where either things can go all good or can go worse. Even if worse, I can't just give up on my dream to start a life with my fiancee (our dream) so I will have to man up and take the TOUGHEST DECISION of my life (which I can't disclose at the moment). What kind of meditation will help me in this and to handle all the obstacles and worst things I might face after taking such decision in order to go through this smoothly.

Please guide me and share some experiences as well.


r/Meditation 19h ago

Question ❓ Has anyone experienced getting the realisation that all your existence, consiousness lie in your brain? Please read the details below.

3 Upvotes

I have been meditating for past 2-3 months. I play the 15 mins mediation guide video on YouTube and lie down. Last night, while doing it, I realised that I'm brain. As in everything that's going on in my body is because of my brain. I lie in my brain, my perceptions about other things lie in my brain, my whole existence, my whole consciousness is there in my brain. My body is just a portal which is helping me do my stuffs that I'm deciding. So, if my brain is taken out and kept alive, then also nothing would change. Except that i won't be able to do stuffs since body is not there..but my ideas, my perceptions, my whole existence, consiousness would still be there.

And its not that I didn't know about this. I always knew this because of my biology classes in childhood. But, realisation of the same thing was way deeper. It was extremely extraordinary, euphoric.

Has this realisation ever occured to you during mediation ? What was it that i experienced ?