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[deleted] t1_irvglkt wrote

Reply to comment by redditalieno in Meditation may protect older people against Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia. Researchers found meditation was superior to non-native language training on changing a global composite score and two of its subscores reflecting attention regulation and socio-emotional capacities by Wagamaga

It really isnt.

Meditation is meant to train your mind to focus and concentrate ( though it can also be used to turn inward and seek peace).

That means you re meditation when you gently bring your mind back from wherever it wandered to to your focal point.

What that focal point is - externally or internally- does not matter. It could be your breath, the sensation of your little toe, a candle flame, music, a mantra or a topic to reflect om.

And sure, boredom can be an obstacle or challenge in that process. Or rather, restlessness is.

But it’s hardly the point.

The point is to focus on being in the moment with your focal point, whatever that may be. And to be aware enough to come back to it whenever you wander off.

It is perfectly fine to switch to a different focal point if the one you re using currently isnt working for you or is boring you to bits. The point is to actually encourage the practice and get the hang of it - not get competitive by whiteknuckling it.

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redditalieno t1_irvvs6b wrote

> Meditation is meant to train your mind to focus and concentrate

That's debatable. There are several types of meditation where focusing is not the point, see Shikantaza and Vipassana.

But sticking to it when you really don't feel like it? Absolutely. Otherwise it's hard to see how you can get it into your routine (and that goes for exercise and just about any other healthy behaviour) or even complete one sitting, where negative feelings are bound to arise. In my experience, that might occasionally include "white-knuckling" it. At least this is how I made it work for me daily for 14 years.

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