I am following the Mindfulness for Health meditation 8 week book as my neurologist was worried that I was on too many painkillers. I am on week 4 and finding it helpful in controlling some of my pain, particularly in the evenings. Is anyone else practising mindfulness meditation and if so how do/did you find it?
I try to meditate for 20 minutes a day… I have apps on my ipad that walk me through it. It has helped with my pins and needles and burning skin sensations in a way that gapapentin never did! I have no doubt it has also helped with my ‘low mood’ that I suffer when my ms gets me down. Big fan.
Ooh jdog could you share the apps with me please? The book is actually a kindle book which comes with guided meditation which I do on my iPad but the more the merrier as I find some more suitable than others. Many thanks. P.s. I’m also on gabapentin.
I have tried this but always seem to run out of time! Threads on here in the past have been pretty positive. Must make time. Would love pins and needles to ease - even just a bit. Xx
Hi
I do it and love it. I started it a couple years ago after I took part in a study that was funded by the MS Society, into the effects of it for people with MS. I found it really helpful for things like pain or emotional things like depression or stress. I also find I enjoy experiences more like eating or listening to music. We got a few different meditaitions on CD which I use. and I sometimes use the getsomeheadspace.com website. I also sometimes go to a weekly meditation that someone started doing at my workplace. This is the longest one I do, and is basically just noticing your breathing for about half an hour. By the end my head is in a slightly trippy place, which I really like!
I highly recommend it for anyone. On paper, it doesn’t sound like it would do anything. And if anything, you’d think just noticing pain instead of trying to change it would feel like torture, but it’s weird how the pain does seem to lessen.
Hope you keep on doing well with it.
Dan
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I have found midfulness meditation very helpful. I try guided relaxation too. It did become harder with new sensory symtoms - but still really useful. It was really hard to focus mentally especially during the worst of my last relapse. I would like to go to mediation group or even a retreat now I feel I could physically handle it a bit more.
Its the practice that counts.
Fiona X
That’s interesting cookiemonster. Never having done meditation before I find it a private thing I wouldn’t want to do in the company of others (particularly whilst in pain) but I know people do get a lot out of groups and retreats
The aps I use most are ‘simply being’, ‘relax hd lite’ , ‘sparsh…itation’ … But there are quite a few on the ap store and it seems everyttime I go in there are new ones to try and you can usually get the starter version for free and then buy the full ones if you like the ‘taster’. My fave is the ‘simply being’ one as you can choose different background noises, select different times/lengths and adjust the volume between the background noise and the voice. I also like the message which is more about learning to accept the feelings you are having and allow them to become part of the meditation as opposed to a distraction… Because let’s face it, when you arm is burning and your feet tingling, there is no way of just imagining it isn’t there anymore… But it has helped me so much. Happy experimenting and meditating!
Jdog thanks for the suggestions, I have downloaded the simply being one, hoping this will help more with my moods. Thanks 
It’s important to try and get some ‘control’ over this beast,M
hi
i did a mindfulness course at the ms therapy centre. i practised it daily for a few months but havent been keeping up with it.
however this week i went to a pilates class taught by a young man and i tried so hard to keep up. it did get a bit painful and then i noticed the mindfulness kicking in. in fact anything that involves noticing your breath or counting takes me back there.
carole x
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I do meditatiing twice a day, have been doing so for last 18 months. I think it helps with my stress and anxiety. Anyone else doing meditation ?
a young friend used mindfulness meditation when she was in labour and she really rated it!
methinks they should start teaching it in school.
carole x
hiya
this is the main thing that helps me get thru each day… now is the focus. easy to say, harder to do but the benefits unmeasureable…
ellie
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I’ve come to the conclusion that for me meditation is like cleaning my teeth. It’s something I find beneficial to now do every day. There studies to show long term meditators (non- MSers) may have less brain atrophy in later years. So if MS results in faster brain atrophy it would be best that I keep meditating.
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This webpage by University of Los Angeles Mindfulness Research Centre has free guided meditations. Including a five minute breathing meditation.
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Hi Puddinglover.
I have read your post,and did a quick search online Mindfulness for Health. Quite a few hundred links were showed.Please could you a link on there, that I could open up and have a look at.
I am in quite a lot of pain quite a lot of the time - so am willing to give anything a try
Thanks
Neila
This is the brilliant nook. It is the guided meditations I find so helpful. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindfulness-Health-practical-relieving-restoring/dp/074995924X/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1411933554&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Mindfulness+meditation+health
Sorry book lol
A few of you mentioned on this thread about mindfulness and schools. My mum just sent me this link about schools introducing yoga/mindfulness in todays Independent newspaper online.