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2 questions on meditation
ThailandTom
Veteran
Firstly, what do you tend to do or what tends to happen post meditation. I am aware through practice and it being obvious that not every sitting is the same, but I am curious to know what happens when you finally open your eyes, mentally and physically?
Secondly, I seem to get the worse pins and needles in my legs in the loyus position after only about 10 minutes, and if I still sit merely cross legged then it eventually happens also. It happens to the point it becomes a distraction I cannot ignore and after a sitting I have to wait a minute before I can walk properly :-/
Secondly, I seem to get the worse pins and needles in my legs in the loyus position after only about 10 minutes, and if I still sit merely cross legged then it eventually happens also. It happens to the point it becomes a distraction I cannot ignore and after a sitting I have to wait a minute before I can walk properly :-/
0
Comments
As for your sitting, do it any way that's comfortable that doesn't cause too many problems. Don't attach to what other people do, if it doesn't work for you.
Meditation is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you can't sit cross legged on the ground, just sit in a chair. It works the same as long as you keep your back straight.
Follow advice about meditating in a comfortable position for you. We are all different.
However, I do attemot daily, sometimes twice a day now, to be honest with myself I have not put the time or effort in for the long whole, so this is probably why I do not seem to get it.
What confuses me is the difference in opinion on meditation, even one type of meditation. Some say we should just sit and let thoughts/feelings come and go, some day we should learn to focus strictly on breathing, others say that we can focus on anything if it is one single thing, then people suggest that emptiness and dependent origination become clear through meditation and then ajahn brahm says, 'just let everything go'...... :wtf: Which is in complete contrast to what his teacher ajahn chah said about meditation. Brahm said this himself, he changed his own view on it and used the anaology of a wild bull.
>Firstly, what do you tend to do or what tends to happen post meditation.
Nothing in particular.
I sit seiza with a zafu, but i still end up getting pins and needles after about 15 - 20 minutes. This gets really distracting because I'm trying to up my time to 30 minutes. I'm thinking of getting of just getting a seiza bench.
I do it when I can, can't even cross legs or sit normally for long periods so I just lay down....true meditation can be done anywhere in any way.
I'm very bad with routines, so for me it's easier to tell myself to meditate whenever I can. Maybe it's standing in line waiting for something. Using different objects of meditation be it the breath, the feeling of my feet on the floor, my whole body, the sounds....
The point is simply to experience what is without mentally labeling it. My "pure concentration" powers in one single object aren't awesome....but I can definitely enter this state of no-mind almost whenever I "want" in real life. I think that's because I haven't tied myself down to the strictness of a formal practice. I prefer to incorporate it in simple things, like talking with people, eating food...whatever...
I can definitely feel a lot of prana building up over time. I have semi-regular longer sessions where I can definitely start to see myself in the world around me...and I really just want to say that it had nothing to do with formal meditation. I even spend days without meditating at all. Also I had never had a teacher, although listening to talks by Alan Watts and others helped. Talks heard without a keen focus on interpretation can be great too.
I always got pins and needles when I started, but not so much anymore.
You can also just let your legs go numb eventually. Then you have some major pins/needles, but at least the meditation is steady.
As you said Epicrus, I also sometimes use to meditat in everyday situatons. When I was on the back of my friends bike sat at a railroad crossing along with about 50 or so other bikes, I simply sat and meditated. My friend was getting so stressful and I said to him, 'where do we have to be in such a hurry?' We did not have anywhere to be as a matter of fact, so going for a night up into the mountains, so I guess it sank in a bit for him
Next time I actually get around to a formal sitting I will try and reposition my legs Jeffrey, I think I have let them go really numb before, it is still a distraction and when I come to try and stand up afterwards, it is quite a sight to see I am sure
@shanekarma, I have heard that book title before, I guess I have no choice but to look into it now! Thanks for the heads up though.
I think you are trying too hard. Just as we cannot fall asleep if we try too hard to sleep, meditation too is elusive if we try it too hard.
My humble suggestion: Sit comfortably in the chair and do not exceed 15 minutes limit per session, till meditation becomes a pleasurable activity.
http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php
Enjoy :-)
@ada_B I guess tai chi could not hurt to take a look into. There are many things in life that can help or compliment our existence that are not strictly buddhist. Google here I come
@ddrishi Yea I guess I am trying a little too hard. I have said it many many times on this site, but one specific phrase Ajahn Chah said on an interview has stuck with me. He stated that if we strive for nirvana or anything for that matter, we will only end up with suffering.
@possibilities kudos to you, life saver
But if you can sit lotus already, that's great and maybe you can supplement/pre-empt sessions with yoga stretches/practice.