Do You Meditate?

[Soultrader 12]

Curious to see traders methods of meditation. Been studying NLP for some time which led to hypnosis... eventually into self-hypnosis. For me I tend to relax my mind to eliminte all thoughts and create a moment of blankness.

 

What do you all do meditate or ease your mind? Thanks!

[dandxg 10]

I have done both hypnosis and NLP in the past. Both work well. You reminded me I should get back to them. In college, while I never took the formal course in TM, I read some books on it, and it worked well. If I was going to try TM again I would give these folks a try. http://www.natural-stress-relief.com/ No I am not affiliated in anyway. The TM course is just so expensive, last time I checked around $2k USD.

 

So much of trading is psychology IMO.

[Bearbull 10]

Curious to see traders methods of meditation. Been studying NLP for some time which led to hypnosis... eventually into self-hypnosis. For me I tend to relax my mind to eliminte all thoughts and create a moment of blankness.

 

What do you all do meditate or ease your mind? Thanks!

 

Mind is thoughts in motion, hence cannot be emptied of thoughts, however it can be made steady with a single thought. Even if say one succeeds in emptying the mind, there is still the thought of being aware of the blankness. Initially ofcourse this is preceded by the thought of the effort , "I am going to empty the mind" then "I am now aware of having emptied the mind". Real peace and calmness arises from focussing on the awareness, the silent witness , you the Real conciousness who is attempting to empty the mind and is aware of all that effort.

Get hold of "Enlightenment - The Path Through The Jungle" by Dennis Waite

[jasont 10]

I meditate every day but use a few different ways. The most effective way I have found, which has been proven through a biofeedback device is sitting at my desk listening to a meditation song. I focus on one image in my mind and also on my breathing. Whenever I recognize that I am thinking something different I go back to that one image.

 

Another form of meditation I use is walking my dog. Sometimes I try not to think about anything and just try to take in as much information from the surrounding environment as possible. Looking at individual leaves on trees, noticing little things, trying to keep my mind as curious as possible. Other times when I walk my dog I deliberately spend the entire time thinking about what makes my trading plan have an edge.

 

The last form of meditation I use is Holosync. If you want to know what that is simply Google Holosync and you should get their site with all their information. I actually find it isn't a peaceful form of meditation and that it gets you thinking about things you don't want to. Usually the stuff that hurts that you deliberately buried in the back of your mind because you didn't want to think about it. It is good to clean out the cobwebs.

[atto 20]

The "new age" market is filled with snake oil salesmen. That being said, I have used Holosync, and do think it works.

[MC 10]

My mind races often, I can slow it down and seem to have good mental control. I can focus on one thing if I really try, it has to be something I really want to focus on like a chart. I try to feel the market participants and what they were thinking as the auction shifts its equilibrium.

 

The more I go down the road of psychology and it's role in the markets, the more in tune I'm getting with my own psychology. This has been quite the journey for me.

 

I'm gonna look into Holosync and some more on NLP as well since NLP has come up in my studies allot.

[waveslider 10]

I agree meditation is critical - so is being self observant. Maybe this is a form of meditation, being outside yourself as an observer.

Quote on my board is:

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are - Anais Nin

 

MC- if you are currently, have you tried avoiding caffeine? I don't drink coffee while trading anymore. I will have green tea or yerba mate, but that is much mellower. Tea drinking is sort of a meditation in itself, as it places you in the current moment.

 

James, maybe you could do a poll about coffee drinking.

[MC 10]

I agree meditation is critical - so is being self observant. Maybe this is a form of meditation, being outside yourself as an observer.

Quote on my board is:

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are - Anais Nin

 

MC- if you are currently, have you tried avoiding caffeine? I don't drink coffee while trading anymore. I will have green tea or yerba mate, but that is much mellower. Tea drinking is sort of a meditation in itself, as it places you in the current moment.

 

James, maybe you could do a poll about coffee drinking.

 

I'm not a coffee drinker at all, tea daily but not till after the markets closed. I find after I ride the bike and get my heart rate up I actually get into a zone which is odd. I would think being slow and calm would be better for focus but I'm the opposite. I always thrived on pressure though, and I perform best when my back is to the wall.

 

I was a skateboarder so the pressure we put on ourselves can be immense. It's that individual sport mentality that I feel will help me succeed in something like the market where NOT fitting in is cool.

[Trader333 10]

I know of a 3 part professional NLP recording that was specifically for trading of forex. It takes around 20 minutes a day which is manageable in my view if you feel that this sort of thing can help.

 

 

Paul

[Tess 10]

I know of a 3 part professional NLP recording that was specifically for trading of forex.

 

sweet jesus, you gotta be kidding me right? :o

 

do they do one for the 1st 30 minutes of european play?

[bootstrap 47]

i meditate everyhour of everyday, but its probably not what you are thinking. for me meditation is being in the here and now. and i try to stay that way throughout the day. it is not that i do not plan for the future or contemplate the past, i just want to be in the moment at hand as much as possible. there is no moment more important than the one you are currently in.

[BlowFish 10]

I agree meditation is critical - so is being self observant. Maybe this is a form of meditation, being outside yourself as an observer.

Quote on my board is:

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are - Anais Nin

 

MC- if you are currently, have you tried avoiding caffeine? I don't drink coffee while trading anymore. I will have green tea or yerba mate, but that is much mellower. Tea drinking is sort of a meditation in itself, as it places you in the current moment.

 

James, maybe you could do a poll about coffee drinking.

 

Larry Pesavento had a paper weight or something on his desk that he used to pick up and examine before making hasty trade decisions. I tried making tea but I must say i found it hard to walk away from the screen at key junctures.

[cowpip 10]

sweet jesus, you gotta be kidding me right? :o

 

do they do one for the 1st 30 minutes of european play?

 

 

:rofl: They must also have a flavor for trading the news too, right? Lol...

 

 

I used to meditate, when I first started trading. But then I discovered that it really wasn't doing me a ding-dang bit of good. Mental state may be important for some people, but sensible aggressiveness is just as valuable.

 

It's as simple as knowing what's going on in the world, be aware of the important market levels, and hitch the rides that are worth hitching. Nothing complicated. Nothing mysterious or requiring hypnosis (at least, not for me). Just tag'em and bag'em without remorse.

[angelaktariel 10]

I just had to chime in here. I haven't posted in a while, but I am familiar with this subject somewhat. I have been using Brainsync, which is Kelly Howell's work. She has tons of meditation cd's that you can purchase and download on her site.

 

http://www.brainsync.com/pilot.asp

 

 

I go to sleep every night with my Ipod listening to one of her meditations. I absolutley love it, as it puts me into a very calm place. I also listen sometimes during daytime to some of her other ones, some even during trading, as they are just music with different brain waves. I think it's worth checking it.

 

Also a few months ago, someone here posted an e-mail that was forwarded to him about how to be a succesful trader(talked about support and resistance being the key). The author of the e-mail wrote about Ryan Watts, as he is successful trader. Since I love to research, I decided to look him up and see if he has a website, and he does. He has a section where he talks about three products he uses himself and it includes NLP and brainwaive technology. I purchased two of the three items (as I could 't figure out how to use the 3rd one, and I am trying to get in touch with him about that), and I can say they have been pretty amazing for me. Here is the link to his site, where he talks about those products. They are not that expensive, and I think they are very valuable.

 

http://wattstrading.com/Mindgames.html

 

Hope this helps at least one person.

[dandxg 10]

Here is thread from ET that has some good info in it. Not sure how to do threadback so pardon the redundancy http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131306&perpage=6&pagenumber=1

[sreeja 10]

No i am not meditated yet.But now i am thinking of to try it.Is it so difficult?

[tune 10]

One simple idea is to keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose, if you don't already do so that is. A very relaxing thing to do while sitting still or going for a walk or whatever. IMO, worth a try if not tried.

 

http://www.sethigherstandards.com/increase-your-endurance-and-reduce-stress-with-one-simple-technique/

[minoo 11]

I try to start off the day with some positive thought

 

I will see one of daily slide show ( 2 / 3 minutes) & some favorites ones

http://greatday.com/cgi-bin/X02/jsprev.pl?07MRpn8

 

My meaning of meditation is

'Absence of Thoughts' (plural)

 

Ta Minoo

 

James if you like what they have to offer than there is also a link for the web-master, check it out.

[GammaJammer 10]

I find exercise helps. I get good thinking done when I cycle into work in the mornings. Wouldn't necessarily call it meditation though.

[Kiwi 16]

I agree with GammaJammer. Exercise is excellent for sorting out your bodies biochemistry and also for working out any emotional reactions to earlier trading sessions. Its also the only thing proven to keep the aged mentally alert (so, yeah, it helps )

 

I do meditate but funnily enough find that it doesn't help my trading - it hinders it. I think its because I come out so relaxed. To trade well I have to be slightly on edge with my inhibitions finally tuned to balance my greed and fear. That means my patience, discipline and aggression all in line. So I psych up from time to time during the day rather than tuning out.

 

But that's just one persons style and experience.

[Wilson 10]

I do. If I sit or lay down I tend to be asleep within a few minutes. So I enjoy a slow martial arts workout instead. Nice and focussed and works on your body and mind at the same time!

[FFTrader 10]

I have the Holosync demo CD ... it does seem to work ... is there a way to make it trading specific?

 

The "new age" market is filled with snake oil salesmen. That being said, I have used Holosync, and do think it works.

 

My mind races often, I can slow it down and seem to have good mental control. I can focus on one thing if I really try, it has to be something I really want to focus on like a chart. I try to feel the market participants and what they were thinking as the auction shifts its equilibrium.

 

The more I go down the road of psychology and it's role in the markets, the more in tune I'm getting with my own psychology. This has been quite the journey for me.

 

I'm gonna look into Holosync and some more on NLP as well since NLP has come up in my studies allot.

[jamieja83 10]

Psychology is the key to success in trading and hypnosis / meditation is the best way to get into the optimal state.

[sevensa 10]

Psychology is the key to success in trading and hypnosis / meditation is the best way to get into the optimal state.

 

What is your definition of optimal state? Do you have any research you can point me to that hypnosis/mediation is the best way to get in the optimal state?

[dandxg 10]

I don't have time to elaborate much, packing for holidays. I would highly suggest a program I am demoing, Neuro Programmer 2. It's brainwave entrainment and hypnosis all into one. You can even record your voice. Do some research on isochronic tones and why they are better than binaural beats. NP2 has both. https://www.transparentcorp.com/products/np/