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Some of us find other methods more helpful
You may know the routine. A guide tells you in a soothing voice, “Sit comfortably in your chair, with your feet on the floor … . Relax and settle in … . Feel your breathing, in … and out … , in … and out … .” You settle into a semi-hypnotic trance as the guide takes you further, for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, maybe longer. That works well for relaxation and restoration for many people. So I don’t disparage it, but for me it just leads to gentle sleep.
Or maybe the guide leads you in a rhythmic chant that you repeat, over and over again, in a language you may not know. Many people also find that practice rewarding, and occasionally I have had positive, even memorable, experiences from performing resonant Ommm-style chants in large groups. But I have similar experiences from group singing and group dancing, too, and I don’t find much inspiration from non-resonant chanting.
Four kinds of behavior work better for me, and probably for some other people, maybe for you: Zooming out, curiosity-based meditation, flow (“being in the zone”) and peak experiences.
Zooming out, to read and think about deep history and astronomy relaxes me by reminding me of the cosmic insignificance of my personal problems. It helps me to appreciate the mysterious complexity…
