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December 28, 2015
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So I’ve been hearing about the benefits of meditation for a while and with the new year I want to give it a shot. But where do I begin? Can someone push me in the right direction? Thanks
December 1, 2015
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Hi,
It’s a good thing to hear that you want to start meditating. I’ve run across a couple “poker” meditations in this forum and elsewhere and I’m sure those are a good start in the journey of meditating. It’s a very personal thing and there are many different types of meditation, for example creative visualisation, object focused meditation or mindfulness and transcendental meditation (via David Lynch), which is also object focused but you speak a mantra over and over.
The most common type of meditating these days is “mindfulness.” It’s gained popularity because of the medical research being done. Research says that it can help alleviate all sorts of human suffering. Mindfulness is based on Buddhist tradition, but the nice thing about it is you can really have any sort of religious belief and use meditation to enhance your conscious journey through life.
My first introduction to meditation was through the book “Creative Visualization” by Shakti Gawain. It’s a super short and easy book on the subject although it might be kind of dated now. Meditation is kind of like exercise, where the mind gets tired or bored with the repetition so you seek to find different types to deepen the experience. I moved on to “object focused” meditation and some very good starting points with that are the books and audio by Jon Kabat-Zin. His book, “Full Catastrophe Living” will walk you through the medical approach to mindfulness. It’s pretty dense at 600 pages, but a really good step-by-step guide. There is also this online resource that can walk you through:
You can try the sitting meditations and if that doesn’t work try the body scan meditation links he has in the sidebar.
On the Buddhist side there is a class by The Teaching Company that will walk you through the Buddhist meaning and teachings.
I have to mention Robert Wright of bloggingheads.tv He offered an class on Coursera that is definately worth a look. He is a meditator and the archives on his site have a wealth of information on the subject. He interviews practitioners in both the medical and spiritual side.
To start you can also try some of the free meditations by Tara Brach
There are meditation groups on meetup.com that might interest you. There are also classes offered and your health insurance might even cover them.
There are also all kinds of meditation apps for android and iphone. It can’t hurt to try them all. Personally, I don’t really like someone talking while meditating, so the ones with less talking and more silence seem better, but everyone is different in their response so don’t give up.
Meditation is not a one size fits all type of thing, the first one you try might be great for you, or you may have to seek deeper and deeper to find what’s right for you.
If you have any questions, let me know. I’m not a professional in the field but I think I have researched and practiced more than the average person on the subject.
Good luck.
December 28, 2015
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WOW thanks for the reply. I’m going to start diving into this tomorrow and I let you know if i need any more help. THANKS
December 18, 2015
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Wow! Lots of great info Rose! Thanks for the major share here!
I’ve been involved with the martial arts for more than 30 years. So as far as meditation and proper breathing, there’s lots chi kung exercises, Tai Chi, and practice my forms from Wing Chun on a daily basis.
This helps with my overall focus, concentration, discipline and keeps my body and mind fresh for whatever it is I’m doing whether it be for poker or anything else.
December 1, 2015
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I totally agree Mykhal. I don’t do martial arts but I hike a lot and I find that hiking more complicated terrain helps with focus and keeps my mind in the moment.
December 18, 2015
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Very nice Rose! See! Poker isn’t just about the game or the competition. It’s like martial arts. It’s about a better quality of Life.
TPE Pro
August 25, 2012
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There’s an app called Headspace that might prove a good introduction, and a YouTube channel called PsycheTruth that I use for a lot of meditation/relaxation videos. I’m no expert, but meditation has benefited me greatly in and outside of poker, so I definitely recommend it. Good luck!
February 5, 2015
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my…kane,
Very interested in the application of martial arts psychology into poker; at least, I am reading about it currently. The Art Of Learning by Josh Waitzkin is required reading for anyone interested in, well, the art of learning I suppose; anyone interested in high level competition in any field should take a look imo.
Josh began his career as a chess prodigy, becoming a celebrated Grandmaster. Later he became a world class martial artist. His experience in mastering two distinct disciplines forms the basis for this book.
I shall not go into it in depth, but suffice to say he outlines a formula of sorts which will serve anyone interested in mastering any competitive arena. A complete mastery and familiarity of the basics infused into the subconscious effectively enables the competitor to free up his conscious mind which can then focus on the moment. The lesser competitor needs his conscious mind to process that which the master perceives intuitively. In this way the master can effectively slow down his perception of time, giving him a massive advantage. A master looks at less, but sees more.
So long as the basics are mastered, one need not think, rather one can just “do”. This idea hit a chord with me as I had already discovered this for myself. Many moons ago, before I wrecked my career and life with a criminal conviction, I trained and qualified as a fixed wing commercial airplane pilot. Although not a competitive event, I struggled for a long time with handling the aircraft, particularly with landing. However, I reached a point where I no longer needed to consciously think through my actions; indeed thinking became a hindrance to me. I gave in to feel, discarding thought, and just “did”. This has worked for me ever since, and has applications in my life all over. I now drive heavy goods vehicles in central London, and if I ever find myself struggling in a tough driving spot, the very last thing I do is think about my actions; rather I take a good look and “do”. Again, conscious thought would most likely be a hindrance.
An intuitive mastery of the basics is the key. As Josh points out in his book, most advanced concepts and practical abilities stem from a basic fundamental or series of basic principles. I am sure I need not expand on the possible applications within poker.
Anyway, I hope I have not hijacked the thread; I just got hooked by the martial arts link.
I sincerely hope you guys take a look at that book if you have not already read it. Laters.
February 5, 2015
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Intuition. This is the bridge between our subconscious and conscious minds. The book is freaking awesome. I am overwhelmed with your enthusiastic responses! Sarcasm was never my strong suit. Actually I hope nobody reads it. It is awful. I could not recommend it less. Stay well away. And if you download it? It comes with 1000 viruses which will wreck your phone!
February 5, 2015
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Truthfully it’s possibly the most inspiring book I have ever read.
March 11, 2016
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Tommy Angelo is a name that comes to mind. Poker expert and meditation expert. He mentions Jon Kabat-Zin as someone he has learned a great deal from.
The guy charges 10k for a 3.5 day training course these days so I guess he got something people want to learn 
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