I find I can't do mindful meditation practice well unless I have a regular mantra meditation practice. Close to the age of 30, I was seeking a way to build my self esteem. I found the book Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodian and he said meditation can change my thoughts and mantra meditation was one of the meditations that increases concentration. The book recommended starting with a meditation practice that increases concentration so I started doing mantra meditation. I wanted to change my negative thinking so I would write down my negative thoughts and come up with a positive mantra that contradicted my negative thinking. I would change my mantra every week and spent 45 minutes, 5 days a week for 18 months repeating the positive mantra in my mind and anytime my mind wandered return to repeating the positive mantra in my mind. Slowly, my thoughts changed and became more positive. Also, my thoughts became calmer. From the age of 7 until close to the age of 30 I frequently suffered from depression. After my mantra meditation practice, I don't suffer from depression nearly as much and when I do it is not as severe as my thoughts are more positive than they once were.
I find I can't do mindful meditation practice well unless I have a regular mantra meditation practice. Close to the age of 30, I was seeking a way to build my self esteem. I found the book Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodian and he said meditation can change my thoughts and mantra meditation was one of the meditations that increases concentration. The book recommended starting with a meditation practice that increases concentration so I started doing mantra meditation. I wanted to change my negative thinking so I would write down my negative thoughts and come up with a positive mantra that contradicted my negative thinking. I would change my mantra every week and spent 45 minutes, 5 days a week for 18 months repeating the positive mantra in my mind and anytime my mind wandered return to repeating the positive mantra in my mind. Slowly, my thoughts changed and became more positive. Also, my thoughts became calmer. From the age of 7 until close to the age of 30 I frequently suffered from depression. After my mantra meditation practice, I don't suffer from depression nearly as much and when I do it is not as severe as my thoughts are more positive than they once were.