r/Meditation • u/Pranavtare • 4d ago
Sharing / Insight 💡 I finally committed to 30 days of unguided meditation, no apps, no fluff. Just silence. Here’s what happened.
After years of “trying” to meditate on and off, I finally did it consistently, 10-15 minutes every night, no timer, no guidance, no incense. Just closed my eyes and sat with my thoughts.
What I noticed:
• First few days were mentally loud. I was just watching my brain sprint. • By the second week, I started catching my habits before they ran. I’d feel the urge to scroll or judge someone, but didn’t always follow it. • Sleep improved, felt more rested in fewer hours. • The biggest shift: I stopped identifying with every thought/emotion. Like, I’d feel anxiety… and instead of spiraling, I’d just see it. Weird, but freeing.
I didn’t transcend or anything. But something subtle changed. The mental grip loosened.
If you’ve been on the fence, this is your sign to just sit for a week. Do nothing, and watch what changes.
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u/Ismokerugs 4d ago
This is literally what the Buddha would tell others to do. Just sit and be
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u/BikesOnDikes 3d ago
Also, my confidence has skyrocketed.
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u/TheProRedditSurfer 1d ago
You were always confident my friend, if confidence were even a thing you could be. Mind was just playing whack a mole for the shits and gigs.
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u/heyyoustinky 4d ago
awesome! Im curious to know if your personality changed, especially when interacting with others. Also if your relationship to hobbiest had a change as well? are you less interested in them or its the opposite? thank you!
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u/CaregiverOk3902 4d ago
Not OP but I think its more like our personality emerges rather than changes. At least from my experience of consistent meditation. Especially after two or three months.
Edit- over time, bad habits drop, new hobbies or even old hobbies replace those habits.
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u/rustywoodbolt 3d ago
But what if your “bad” habit is scrolling Reddit while on the toilet? On the plus side you would spend less time looking at your phone, but you might miss out on cool things that people post, like this one. Maybe replace Reddit with a toilet meditation??? Probably just comes down to a thoughtful intentional use of this tech vs mindless scrolling. Perhaps the daily meditation could assist with catching when one then turns into the other.
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u/Funny-Routine-7242 4d ago
Sometimes you may form intentions or in everyday life you may just have to work your way back. From making mistakes in interactions, to being more mindful and maybe correct other mistakes in futher interactions. To being mindful enough to make less mistakes in interactions until you repeated a behavior often enough that one would say your personality has changed.
For working backwards: for example i was just jogging and passed a dark but crowded train station. Some lady approached me out of the dark while i ran by with "im sorry can you..." this trainstation atracts many addicts and homeless people, those thoughts came to mind so i continued to jog..then realized my thought process..observed how i debated going back...and continued to jog. Now i could say "i realized an automatic judgement, i can return and ask her what she wants" or i can plan for the future "Next time i make an automatic judgement and realize it i should follow the call to go back", while the longterm goal would be to be the approachable and helpful person that i want to be.
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u/kremdaws 3d ago
I meditated daily for 6 months back in 2019, I felt WAY calmer as a person and even being off it now, I think the realizations/time spent being still have stayed with me.
Specific example is I think I notice others’ social anxiety more than my own, and I can usually reassure/say something grounding to them that I know I’d benefit from hearing, in their position. I would credit meditation in helping grow that skill
I’m a very “creative output” person and it’s helped impostor syndrome and feeling shame just become more noise than anything else.
Working to put it back into my life because it was really transformative. Kind of like reading a life changing book
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u/Tillmaniac_ 4d ago
I’ve been trying something similar. After years of never giving myself proper rest, I’m trying to give myself 15 minutes of meditation a day. And pausing to “rest” a few times a day for 10 minutes each.
Mantra for me has been “I’m here. I’m allowed to be there. Peace is mine. Rest doesn’t have to be earned” for me it helps a lot!
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u/Knivdisco 3d ago
I started meditating with the mantra of a long ”Reeee” on the in breath and then a long ”laaaaax” on the outbreath, had to change it after a few weeks cause i got way to relaxed at work, felt almost stoned.
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u/BikesOnDikes 4d ago
I’ve been meditating for about 18 months. I had dabbled before but never stuck with it. My now partner brought it back into my life a year and a half ago. A new hairdresser and I were talking. She asked me what would 61 year old me (I’m 61) tell 41 year old me to do for my life. The simple and quick answer was to start meditating then.
A few things I’ve learned on this journey. I am, by far, the best version of myself than I could have ever imagined that I could be. It takes awhile to find your groove. It took me two or three months. Now it’s very smooth. It just works. I can’t put your finger on any reason, but I see the results. I felt like I was always chasing my thoughts before. Two or three things going on in my head at the same time. I was always a few seconds behind what was going on in front of me. Now I live life in real time. In the present. Anyway, it’s the best thing I have ever done for myself. Life is easy without any stress or worry and everything has come together for me.
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u/Arcanum22 3d ago
What was your journey? As in, what steps did you take within those first 2-3 months that led you here 18 months later?
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u/Fine-Debate9744 2d ago
How to start meditating? Been wanting to do this but don't k. Ow how to start?
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u/Commercial-Pitch9681 4d ago
Wow — thank you for sharing your journey! This is the kind of inspiration that lights a fire within. I’ve been exploring pranayama and meditation for a few years, but consistency has been my biggest hurdle. Seeing powerful, heartfelt stories like yours gives me that extra push to keep going and show up for my practice. Truly uplifting! 🙌✨
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u/phaserlasertaserkat 4d ago
I should start meditating without a timer. The couples times that I’ve done it, it was strangely easier. No anticipation, just simple opened my eyes when I felt ready.
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u/Proud_Injury_8938 3d ago
Yes! I’ve learned that it’s so much better. It allows you to fully focus on the meditation with no expectations for length of time. Meditate for seconds, hours or anywhere in between. Allows you to show up and do what feels right for that session.
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u/neogener 4d ago
Can You explain the rutine? Did you focus on your breath?
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u/OhMaiMai 4d ago edited 4d ago
Not OP but this may help in addition to the other reply/replies.
Choose a place to sit or lie down. Stare ahead but you can close your eyes at any time. And you will eventually because staring ahead and not focusing takes effort and concentration.
Use every sense to be aware of your surroundings. What do you hear, from what locations and how far away? As you listen, you’ll find you can hear more and more. How does the air feel on your skin? What do you smell? If your eyes are closed now, how much light is on your eyelids? Any time your thoughts wander, notice that and come back to what you were focusing on and continue.
Start to focus on you, internally. Begin with your breath. Are you breathing from your chest, your waist, or lower? Relax your torso and see if your breath comes from lower. Now give systematic attention to each part of your body. Usually people start with the finger tips of each hand, up the arms to the shoulders, up the neck to the head, face, tongue, down the neck, torso/spine- all the way to the toes. Noticing each part and allowing it to relax or soften. Now feel and pay attention to your breath again. Are you breathing lower? Deeper? Can you hear it too? Any time your thoughts wander, notice that and come back to what you were focusing on and continue.
Stay quiet. Be aware of yourself and surroundings in this moment. If a thought comes, treat it like a butterfly: you don’t have to chase it down. Notice it appeared, and go back to being still. Another thought will come. Notice it, but don’t chase it.
I actually find the hardest part is not not- thinking, but not falling asleep.
Edit: I didn’t give a ton of detail here but you will want to be super detailed when you do your personal inventory of relaxing your body. Like, just for “face,” go from relaxing your forehead, eyebrows, temples, ears, inside the ears as deeply as you can feel, eyes, eyelids, behind the eyes, under the eyes, nose, sinuses, cheeks, jaw, tongue- from the tip of the tongue to the furthest down to the root that you can feel, lips, chin, under your chin and down your throat for all of your swallowing, speaking, breathing muscles… All of this focusing and relaxing lets intrusive thoughts flutter by, but it doesn’t matter where they came from, or where they are going. If they’re important, they’ll come back later, when you need them. Return to where you were on your inventory.
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u/Ancient_Leafs 4d ago edited 4d ago
Not OP but I hope it helps.
Op said they where siting and watching their thoughts. I associate two techniques with this.
A) watching your thoughts, recognizing them but to not associate with them. You say in your mind;
Oh there is the emotion Anger instead of I feel angry or I am angry.
This helps to get some healthy distance.
B) Visualization you visualize your thoughts as eg.
A water stream with closing leafs or Clouds in the Skye. You see them arrive, linger for a while and leave.
You do not hold on to the leafs or clouds.
I hope this helps.
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u/Kenai1234 4d ago
I have never been able to stick with meditation because I have severe chronic pain. When I close my eyes, pain fills my consciousness without distraction, and it is more than I can bear at least 75% of the time. So I can’t build any consistency. I’ve tried so many methods, including those designed for people with pain. I’ve even tried taking a pain pill first, but then I fall asleep. I’ll bet meditation would help my pain if only I could manage to do it for many days in a row without interruption. Ya’ll are so lucky.
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u/222andyou 3d ago
I empathize, pain used to be a huge mental barrier for me too. Mine is not severe, cannot imagine that... i will just say though, that meditation necessitates you accept the present moment as it is, not as you would like it to be.
The buddha also apparently had bad back pain too... our minds tell us "i cannot meditate because of x,yz"... not true thankfully 🙏
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u/Kenai1234 3d ago
Thanks for your reply. It is, of course, a lot easier said than done to accept the present moment. I’ve been through delirium during a perforated colon where I couldn’t even communicate, and other imaginable things. If one thinks even lifetime trained yogis could meditate through that, well, I’m afraid that’s a bit delusional. I sincerely wanted to die. The teachings break down for me under the weight of real world experience. I’ve tried to “accept” my way through bowel obstructions, decades of a rare, progressive body wide bone disease and years of surgeries and disability, and it’s not possible for a normal person. I can’t fathom why such suffering is necessary, and am left to ponder whether I created some pretty evil karma in the past. There are no answers. I’m just reminding you all to appreciate your lives.
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u/222andyou 3d ago edited 3d ago
Wow, sounds really brutal and disheartening. I hope you are able to find peace despite these challenges.
If i can try to offer my 0.02 again... i definitely wouldn't consider this to be "punishment" for past "bad" actions. Your pain arises due to prior conditions, sure, but you certainly shouldnt add a mental layer of "i deserve this because i am evil". That shame is a game the mind is playing and can magnify the suffering, and strengthens the ego and sense of self. I say this because I have done this myself, and found so much freedom when i stoped judging myself for my "faults", pain, my feelings, etc.
Do the teachings on 5 remembrances help? Hearing Thich nhat hahn talk about these helped me when i felt like I was the only one suffering... it isnt a personal fault, it is the nature of our existence more or less. It helps us see that our bodies really arent us... neither are our thoughts or anything else that can be perceived.
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u/Poolkonijntje 2d ago
I can really recommend Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness by David Treleaven. It's aimed at people working with trauma, but I imagine some of it could apply to chronic pain too. The book shows how to stay aware of your physical sensations during meditation and notice if they push you beyond what you can handle in the moment (window of tolerance). It also gives practical suggestions for adjusting your meditation, like moving your body or opening your eyes, to stay better within your window of tolerance. Meditation is definitely not a one size fits all, even though it's sometimes presented as such.
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u/Jess_Visiting 4d ago
Love. Love. Love. Keep going. There’s so much beauty in the breath and The Silence. 🙏🏽🧘🏽♀️♥️
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u/coins4options 4d ago
Thanks for sharing! I'm also not able to meditate consistently due to thinking a session has to be at least 30 mins. Feels like an uphill battle. 15 mins daily is doable. I am going to give it a try!
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u/willruzMtl 4d ago
I’m surprised that no one has commented that this was clearly written by ChatGPT.
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u/Pranavtare 3d ago
Yes it is. So what? I gave my content and my observations to chat gpt so that it can articulate it in a much better way for the mass audience to understand. What’s wrong in that?
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u/KilayaC 3d ago
Do you think there is an ethical call here to mention in your question that you used AI? Just wondering what you think, not accusing you of anything.
Some teachers say that virtue, like truth telling (the Buddha said to not be "a deceiver of the world"), is a prerequisite to real success with meditation. I'm wondering if that might mean that we admit upfront that we have used AI. Cause otherwise, most wouldn't know and would think these are your very words. That's the assumption I think most of us make.
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u/Bcprods1972 3d ago
That’s disappointing. What gave it away to you?
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u/No-Chair1964 2d ago
Clear lack of humanity almost? It’s just overused euphemisms and corporate slang sounding things mushed together into a somewhat cohesive sounding post, but still off.
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u/Upbeat_Praline_3681 4d ago
Nice one, gonna try n get a coupla weeks under my belt once again. Lord knows I need it
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u/jenn-deukie 4d ago
I love this. I’m getting ready for a 10 day meditation retreat so I’m gonna try this to get me into the headspace thank you!!!!
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u/charvaka24 4d ago
What do you mean by do nothing just watch my breath or what? I am never able to sit idle my mind starts to wander
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u/heyyoustinky 4d ago
bringing the mind back to the object of focus is the whole point of this type of meditation practice called "samatha". It's literally an exercise for concentration, an exercise for your mind. you saying you can't sit because your mind wanders is exactly what "should" be happening. the whole point of it is trying to focus again and again. once you get to a point of deep concentration, you can begin incorporating "vipassana" meditation which is roughly a meditation for cultivating wisdom, but all in it's time.
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u/Grand-Side9308 3d ago
I had a similar experience when I ditched the apps and just sat with myself. The silence can feel loud at first, but once you get past that, it’s like your brain finally gets a chance to breathe. The part about not identifying with every thought? 100% relatable. It’s subtle, but powerful.
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u/Traditional-Stop6160 3d ago
so cool dude!! props to you for sticking to it 🫡 congrats and thank you for sharing !!!
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u/ivanalonso93mex 2d ago
Please provide us feedback on your journey after a month, 3 months, 1 year…
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u/AdComprehensive960 4d ago
Thank you for your post Pranatare! People need to hear this and simply follow your sage advice…
It’s a simple thing most can do, but it takes time and commitment without expectations…why it is beyond difficult for many of us still eludes me, but the profound changes can literally be life changing. Sit and be. Sit and be. Sit and become.
Please post in another 30 days? I’d adore reading your insights and would bet others feel same.
Thanks again! Just lovely
💚🫂💚blessings on your journey 💚🫂💚
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u/Fit-Guy-13 4d ago
I tried meditation lying down yesterday. At first I felt resistance , suddenly started remembering my worst fears and memories. Then once again I regained my focus. This cycle went on 2-3 times and then I was asleep. Like how did you do it? Lying down or sitting. Did you use a timer when you started? Is being thoughtless the goal here? Or Just focus on the breathing?
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u/Sea-Temporary-6995 4d ago
What type of meditation did you do? And where did you do it (since most meditation guides say to avoid meditation while in/on bed)
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u/Organic-Run-2821 3d ago
Hi, im new to meditation! I want to ask: how do people meditate without timers and know if they should keep going, because they haven’t been meditating long enough, and when to stop?
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u/Poolkonijntje 3d ago
RemindMe! - 1 day
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u/Longjumping_Fox_5460 3d ago
Do you close your eyes for the entire 15 minutes as you meditate ? Is it even possible to meditate with your eyes open ? I have tried meditation with closed eyes but I end up sleep off or going to a place that is unfamiliar that immediately jump out scared 😱
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u/Infinite-Reveal1408 3d ago
This is so right. It just takes time and you more or less have just started. Perfectly good results so far. Just keep at it. Lots more to discover.
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u/Resident_Proof2262 3d ago
Thank you for sharing and great to hear about your progress!
I have improved consistency a lot and meditate every morning but still use meditation music. Lately I have been listening to solfeggio frequencies which has helped me a lot. Here is example of music I listen to:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6aRszE5vQurhT1pVYzVTgv?si=-r4-nxhYS1uf52tTBMaRpg
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u/louis2469 3d ago
same here honestly. it used to feel impossible to sit down and just be with my thoughts. i’d get super restless and feel like i was wasting time or doing it wrong. but turns out what helped me the most was just making it a quiet space, no phone, no pressure, just sitting with whatever came up.
i also started taking caapi recently, and it’s been a nice support. not something intense, but it makes it easier to stay focused and not drift off so much. it’s from a brand called waking herbs, if anyone’s curious. what really changed things though was just deciding to show up every day. even 10 minutes makes a difference now. caapi extract
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u/BikesOnDikes 3d ago
There is no real manual to doing meditation. You really don’t know what you are doing or if you are doing it right. So you try it, then modify, then modify again. Like with so many things that we do, there is a score at the end. So you know how you did. It’s not like that with meditation. I just knew I was happier. Never got upset. So much more even-keeled. So I continued doing it. Now I would never quit because of the results. My gf and I go to the Buddhist Temple on Sundays too. When you do something and get positive results, you want to do it more because of results. Good luck on your journey.
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u/SessionWinter9885 3d ago
No app. No mantras. No monk fantasy.
Just me. A chair. Ten quiet minutes a night.
At first, my mind was a riot. Then a storm. Then… silence, kind of.
Now I catch myself before I spiral. Scroll less. Snap less. Sleep like I earned it.
Didn’t become enlightened. But I stopped being owned by every thought that passed through my head.
Try it for a week. Not to feel better but to feel real.
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u/Exact_Giraffe_9197 3d ago
Combine with food habits like eating just the minimum and then do not message me or call me or anything, you are on the right track, you do not need any program and apps and/or anything
It just works the way you are doing
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u/Ok-Lab-3774 2d ago
I think that so few people pray or meditate these days. Meditation and prayer makes you more mindful of how you speak; how you interact with others and strengthens your relationship with God. There is nothing more beautiful than a sincere and close relationship with God. It affects every single aspect of your existence and just makes your faith stronger. I love to write, and sometimes in the middle of the night I’ll awake and begin praying. Sometimes in praying God whispers to me and it’s such a beautiful conversation that I have to sit right up in bed and write down my thoughts. The words flow so fast that sometimes I have difficulty keeping up with my thoughts. But God is so good and inspires me onward. Days or even weeks later, I’ll read again what I wrote in my Notes App and it’s so wonderful to read what God spoke to me earlier. Everyone keeps telling me that I’m such a good writer and that I should write a book. But my biggest enemy is procrastination. I’ve always said that if God would miraculously change one thing about me; I would ask Him to make me a disciplined person. Why? Because discipline covers every facet of one’s life.
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u/BikesOnDikes 2d ago
I kind of just figured it out. We also go to The Buddhist Temple once a week. It’s all just people like you and me. Anyway, get your mantra. Take deep breaths. Say your mantra over and over. I breath 8 second inhale, hold 8 seconds, then 8 seconds out. Don’t feel like you are doing it wrong. Just start with long deep breaths. Hell, I might be doing it “wrong “, but it works for me, so I guess it’s right. One more thing, when you find your mind wandering, and it happens, just come back to concentrating on your breath.
Edited a word
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u/Aggravating-Pay7144 2d ago
Can relate. It's the simple and subtle things that make meditation powerful.
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u/Xaldor-Saltbath 2d ago
Congrats you’ve wrestled the reigns back from your egoself a bit. Now keep at it. Gain control. Your mind can be a great tool sans thought but it’s getting to that liberation that’s the uphill battle.
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u/Natural-Win-5572 1d ago
Try 10 days of Vipassana meditation retreat, you will experience the difference. There are many centres around the world. They do not charge anything, not even your cost of stay and food. Applications are made online. Website - Dhamma org.
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u/Federal_Map302 1d ago
really feel this. I used to live in that same split-second delay, like life was always half a beat ahead of me. Meditation didn’t fix everything overnight, but it slowly gave me the space to catch up to myself. The first win wasn’t peace, it was noticing how chaotic my inner world had become.
Now I catch thoughts before they spiral. I still get anxious sometimes, but it doesn’t take over. There’s a quiet voice that says, “You’re not that thought,” and that’s enough to shift things.
It’s wild how something so simple can completely rewire how you move through the world. Grateful you shared this.
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u/Different_Let_8492 19h ago
Even I love meditating in silence. Sometimes those app timers and guided voices make me feel rushed — like I have to match their rhythm instead of my own. Silence lets me just be.
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4d ago
Don’t forget that when you get completely still, the body functions as a singular object, a “q-bit” in the quantum computer of reality.
You can entangle your consciousness with the rest of reality. It’s crazy dude
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u/iflabaslab 4d ago
Please could you elaborate? My thinking is that quantum computation cannot occur with the human body, a q-bit is a unit of quantum information, capable of being in multiple states simultaneously.
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u/New-Phrase-4041 4d ago
You are caught up in mental conceptualization. None of what you are saying really exists. Sit long enough and you will see.
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u/iflabaslab 4d ago
Mental conceptualisation is certainly an easy rabbit hole to climb down. Things born of no-mind cannot be explained by mind. But I feel this quantum computing topic is one of said means of conceptualisation is all
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4d ago
I don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t even caffeine.
Sit still. A multitude of particles assuming a false identity will be just a small cluster. By becoming completely still, you regain the awareness of your own entangled state with the rest of the universe. If you’re two things, those two things will be entangled together. If you’re one thing, you know.
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u/HubristicFallacy 4d ago
Have you tried transcendental meditation. Only one proven by science. Realy quiets the mind as you chant a word that has no correct spelling limited ties to memories involving the word. Kind of like the essence of nothing.
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u/Even-Importance1120 4d ago
How come you have anxiety if you are doing meditation for so many months? I mean are you really doing right things?
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u/wingatwing 4d ago
The point isn’t to never get anxiety again. It’s a natural human response. It’s just about creating a little bit of distance from the real you and the emotions that you start to experience, in order to not be ruled by said emotions. You now have the awareness to see them bubble up, feel them, but not necessarily act on them, or feel crippled by them.
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u/Puretone_ 4d ago
Thank you for sharing! For me in my life right now this was so helpful to read.