20 Apr 2026

Effortless meditation

I hurt my spine during the morning stretch on Saturday. Now I won't be able to go on a bike ride or exercise. I start feeling increasingly frustrated. This frustration comes from realizing that I will be locked to my devices for all weekends, and I will be forced to spend way more time on X than I need to. I know I will try to watch a movie, but I won't be able to because it's so hard to focus. So instead, I will just keep staring at my laptop screen. Maybe I will work on some of the side projects. This feels productive. But it's not. The side projects are just additional distractions. The inability to focus manifests in many ways.

So what do I do now? I know only one technique that helps me in cases like this - 45 minutes of lying meditation with sound. I've meditated for years, and most of the time I don't want to do it. But this meditation feels effortless: I lie down, put my AirPods on, set a 45-minute timer, and enable the sound of deep OM chanting. All 3 components are necessary for this to work for me.

I need to lie down because sitting for 45 minutes gets too uncomfortable and creates too much friction for me to continue meditating. I know the correct way to meditate is to sit with proper posture, but I don't optimize for "correct"; I optimize for not quitting.

I set a 45-minute timer because I feel the effect of this meditation only after 30 mins, everything below that is just preparation. From 30 to 45 minutes is when my attention naturally detaches from thoughts, and I don't need to do anything about it. I don't focus on breath or sound, I don't try to observe thoughts. I just relax.

I need the sound of chanting because otherwise, I fall asleep. Also, there is something about the repetitive sounds that keeps me from getting lost in thought. It keeps interrupting my constant stream of thoughts every single second, until my mind just gives up and stops focusing deeply on the thoughts and anxieties it generates.

The combination of these 3 factors works wonders for me and helps me to get calmer and do a dopamine detox without making any effort whatsoever. In fact, it feels pleasant. It feels like getting a massage. I look forward to it. And that's the only option I have this weekend to keep me off the devices.