Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery?

Isak Tougaard, modified 2 Years ago at 11/28/22 9:33 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 11/28/22 9:33 PM

Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery?

Posts: 17 Join Date: 11/9/22 Recent Posts
I came to wonder if I could make my time more productive while driving, by performing noting meditation while doing so.

Then again, even if it is an open-focus type of meditation, I have read stories of people suddenly losing consciousness when attaining Stream Entry.
Maybe I am overthinking things, but better safe than sorry, right?

What is your opinion on meditating while driving? Do you ever do it, or recommend against it?
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Jim Smith, modified 2 Years ago at 11/29/22 1:13 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 11/29/22 12:52 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 1814 Join Date: 1/17/15 Recent Posts
Isak Tougaard
I came to wonder if I could make my time more productive while driving, by performing noting meditation while doing so.

Then again, even if it is an open-focus type of meditation, I have read stories of people suddenly losing consciousness when attaining Stream Entry.
Maybe I am overthinking things, but better safe than sorry, right?

What is your opinion on meditating while driving? Do you ever do it, or recommend against it?


I am not 100% sure and it could vary from person to person, so take my advice at your own risk. But I think it would be safe to note what you are doing with labeling. When driving I some times practice: "looking, steering, braking, looking, gas, hearing, shifting, etc." I don't get into too fine detail where it would take attention away from the task. I think if it kept your attention on the task, kept your mind from wandering, it could improve safety.
Hillary Kapan, modified 2 Years ago at 12/1/22 2:13 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/1/22 2:13 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 2 Join Date: 2/8/22 Recent Posts
Very good question!  I can't speak to driving heavy machinery, and of course, traffic conditions vary widely.  When I drive a personal automobile, I don't do noting (with words), yet often do work to increase (broaden and make more specific) awareness, by noticing various parts of my body--only after first working on noticing more intently the various aspects of the road conditions in various lanes, the vehicles closeby and their behaviors, the vehicles far ahead and far behind, lighting conditions and signs, etc, all with rapid re-attention to the vehicle directly in front of me.  And I do this with a sense of the idea: "If I'm paying more attention than usual, the drive is safer."

Of course, exhausting oneself is not the goal, so doing this all with a sense of relaxed attentiveness is the goal.  It's a mindfulness practice I learned from a Buddhist philosophy professor ages ago, and includes noticing flows of emotion.  At first, I could only do tiny parts of it at once, yet gradually it became 'natural'.  I do forget to do it quite a bit these days, so thank you for reminding me to get back to it!

All the Best,
​​​​​​​Hillary
shargrol, modified 2 Years ago at 12/1/22 6:12 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/1/22 6:12 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 2753 Join Date: 2/8/16 Recent Posts
THis might be interesting/relevant. I was created by a teacher at IMS and Vipassina Hawaii: https://www.amazon.com/Awake-at-Wheel-Mindful-Driving/dp/B01FEKM7KG
Robert L, modified 2 Years ago at 12/2/22 10:13 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/2/22 10:13 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 85 Join Date: 2/10/19 Recent Posts
Natural meditation and inquiry into my perceived foot and hand positions/sensations vs depth perception of the visual field ie horizon/road/surroundings lead me to significant insight. I did this type of meditation while driving and listening to a book on tape! Great way to spend a 45 minute commute twice a day.
Martin, modified 2 Years ago at 12/2/22 1:24 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/2/22 1:24 PM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 1056 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
I always practice quiet-mind, broad-awareness when driving. It's the best part of driving! I would never go back to listening to the radio or ruminating. My guess is that I am a much safer and more courteous driver as a result. I can't see any problem with practicing noticing. 
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Matt Jon Rousseau, modified 1 Year ago at 1/8/23 4:54 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/3/22 10:16 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 247 Join Date: 5/1/22 Recent Posts
Do concentration meditation.  CONCENTRATE ON DRIVING.   Seriously most people  don't.  Most people are in a state of highway hypnosis.  Lost in their own heads or the radio while the body goes on automatic pilot.   Try turning the radio off and concentrate on the road and traffic. If you start daydreaming amd catch yourself ,do a quick note DAY DREAM ,MEMOREY ETC  . Then go back to driving.  It will make you a better driver also.
I am not being condensending . It helps.   Also  look up highway hypnosis on Wikipedia  . its almost the opposite  of being mindfull.  We do it in everyday life.     Good luck
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Rich Lee, modified 2 Years ago at 12/6/22 8:36 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/6/22 8:36 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 43 Join Date: 7/15/15 Recent Posts
I recently returned to riding a motorcycle. Every part of it is a concentration practice. Speed, gear, road surface, other road users, anticipation, turns. Countersteering is a yoga of it's own. It's very ordinary, in the same way that noting is ordinary. Although the engine tends to drown out the nada sound current.
thor jackson, modified 2 Years ago at 12/7/22 8:32 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/7/22 8:32 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 42 Join Date: 11/17/22 Recent Posts
Isak Tougaard
I came to wonder if I could make my time more productive while driving, by performing noting meditation while doing so.

Then again, even if it is an open-focus type of meditation, I have read stories of people suddenly losing consciousness when attaining Stream Entry.
Maybe I am overthinking things, but better safe than sorry, right?

What is your opinion on meditating while driving? Do you ever do it, or recommend against it?


A very good question that opens up profound implications.

When someone enters stream entry, they no longer exist as a person. The physical body they have identified with acts independantly. The body you inhabit is like a robot that acts according to it's programing (karma). Once you transend that body, it carries on independantly without you
As an example, when ramana maharshi excited Nirvikalpa Samadhi he discoved that on occasion, his body was in a different location to when he entered it.
As PURE AWARENESS, we inhabite physical bodies (at conception) that will provide us with the lessons we need to learn to come to full spiritual maturity. The life experiences that body will go through are predetermined to give us the experiences we need to develop. The scope and complexity of which are beyond comprehension, for now.

So to answer your question directly, no, you do not have to worry about crashing your car while doing one pointed concentration. The body you temporarily inhabit, will take over the reins, as it were.

Not only that, but the entire universe will cover up your development...
Isak Tougaard, modified 2 Years ago at 12/7/22 8:35 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/7/22 8:35 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 17 Join Date: 11/9/22 Recent Posts
Thank you all for the wonderful replies.
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Jim Smith, modified 1 Year ago at 1/9/23 1:37 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 1/9/23 1:33 AM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 1814 Join Date: 1/17/15 Recent Posts
Jim Smith
Isak Tougaard
I came to wonder if I could make my time more productive while driving, by performing noting meditation while doing so.

Then again, even if it is an open-focus type of meditation, I have read stories of people suddenly losing consciousness when attaining Stream Entry.
Maybe I am overthinking things, but better safe than sorry, right?

What is your opinion on meditating while driving? Do you ever do it, or recommend against it?


I am not 100% sure and it could vary from person to person, so take my advice at your own risk. But I think it would be safe to note what you are doing with labeling. When driving I some times practice: "looking, steering, braking, looking, gas, hearing, shifting, etc." I don't get into too fine detail where it would take attention away from the task. I think if it kept your attention on the task, kept your mind from wandering, it could improve safety.


When driving, there is often some type of context to the trip. For example if you drive to work every day you might tend to think about what you expect to do at work that day, or after work in the evening, or what happened yesterday at work or afterward, or there might be common types of worries or mind wandering that you tend to experience while driving. Often, when meditating or practicing mindfulness, there can be some background thoughts going on. And because it is habitual in that context it can be hard to even notice you are doing it. So it might be helpful to be aware of that type of predictable habitual context thinking and try to let go of it. Just drive, focus your attention on driving, let go of planning or reviewing etc.
Michal, modified 1 Year ago at 1/9/23 1:15 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 1/9/23 1:15 PM

RE: Is any type of meditation safe to perform while driving heavy machinery

Posts: 33 Join Date: 6/9/20 Recent Posts
If you can easily increase wakefulness with sitting practice then just noticing when you're being a bad driver should be enough.

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