No Meditation

MindGate

I don't meditate. I'll sit down to try to meditate, but then I'll have restless legs. Or my back will feel restless and full of heat and energy. Or I won't be able to breathe out of my nose properly (I have a medical issue or something which causes my nose to constantly be stuffed up). Or if I try to keep my eyes open when I meditate they become dry constantly. Or I'll feel generally uncomfortable. Or parts of my body will ache. Or everything will seem to hot or too cold. Or blah or blah or blah.

It seems as though I just don't want myself to meditate. My body does everything it can to stop me from wanting to do it. I just don't want to now. Any suggestions?

Mountains

Meditate for 30 seconds. If that works, try for 45 seconds or a minute tomorrow. Don't jump into the deep end of the pool. Wade into the kiddy pool first. Get comfortable with the water, then gradually walk further and further toward the deep end.

If your nose is constantly stuffed up, try eliminating dairy products from your diet for a week. My guess is you'll find your nose isn't stuffed up anymore.

taiyaki

Just do it.

zenff

Just do it.

Plus do something about the medical issue or something.

compassionate_warrior

You can meditate lying down. Your body will have less excuse to ache and protest that way.

person

Make a set time for yourself. 2 minutes, 5 minutes whatever. Its much easier to sit down for a set time if you feel restless than to just go until you don't want to anymore. Also if you do short sessions Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche suggests doing it multiple times per day. He says 3 minutes every 2-3 hours or so may be better than doing one or 2 30 minute sessions a day.

ShaneKarma

meditation group? It doesn't matter what happens, stop judging it, don't force it, just sit and be aware of your breath. If all else fails try walking meditation. The best meditation book I've ever read is "Mindfulness in plain English" try it.

aMatt

Perhaps consider reducing the amout of idle chatter, useless reading and entertainment of self. The mind has difficulty resting when we spend a lot of our time fueling it with frivolity. Imagine if you were trying to sleep after eating lots of sugar, how difficult it would be to rest. The mind works the same, with idleness.

shanyin

interesting post matt.

have you heard of a netti pot? It can keep your nasal passages clear, and I've heard other good things about it.

I suggest if there is a monastery or meditation group find one for extra motivation and to voice your problems further.

caz

Okay what you need to do is make an effort to sit down, Before we do meditation at group class the meditation leader will always do some mind cool downs that help us focus and disapate our uncomfort from our body its a fairly simply process of creative visualisation by imagineing a cooling white light come over each part of your body and drain away your uncomfort and problems which appear in the form of blackness and these drain away and dissapear from ones body leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to concentrate.

Successful meditation also depends upon several other factors as well But this is what you need to try to start with friend.

Jeffrey

First, Try walking meditation for awhile to settle down. Outdoors. Or I go around in a circle around the living room. Feel your feet on the floor and walk slowly and mindfully with your eyes directly in front of you. That can be a practice in itself. Or it can be used to make friends with your body before sitting.

Second. You can try a bodyscan lying on your back. Slowly feel your toes. Then the bottom of your feet. Each time you move spots let the energy from that spot go up into your lungs and breath out. Then the ankle all the way up to your pelvis. Then the other leg starting with the toes. Then the pelvis and your lower back. Then the upper. Make note of any sensation and feel it. Then your hands and wrists and shoulders. There is a lot of tension often in the shoulders and fore head. Which after shoulders go to the neck mouth and teeth. Eyes and eyelids. Forehead. Sides of head and back of head. Then the top of head. Now breath in through your feet and out through a blowhole in the top of your head. Then in through the blow hold and out through your feet.

Next feel your belly rising and falling. Just note the rise and fall. If you feel an itch or a twitch just note that 'itch' 'wish to get up' 'twitch'

Three. Another method is the one breath meditaion. Breath in and out normally and then get ready. On the outbreath feel the nostrils the air sensation. When you are fully breathing in close your eyes and breath in. Then feel that instant when you are switching from in and breath out. You can repeat or just do one breath.

that one breath with practice can give you a taste of the peace of meditation. And you can do it whenever you have a moment.


Fourth, don't meditate. Just sit down on the sofa and sit but be mindful. Its not meditation, ah but it is. Just sit normally like your waiting for the dentist and be mindful.

sobergirl

I took quite a long hiatus from meditation because of the painful mental flashbacks that would occur while meditating. It's been a long process and, at times, incredibly slow moving. I am now up to 10 mins a few times a week.

I had to address the images and the overwhelming feelings associated with them before I could feel safe enough to try again. The same would be true for any physical medical issues.Address what needs to be dealt with then try again. Slowly. Without judgement. Any meditation is far better than nothing at all. Deep breathing and attempting mindfulness was a good substitution (for me) while I dealt with other issues.

Namaste.

Tosh

@mindgate, I have a similar problem with my nasal passages. I think it's because my nose has been broken when I was younger.

I've tried the nettipot, but that didn't work for me, but what does work REALLY well is 'breath of fire'; it's a yoga breathing technique, and it doesn't take much practise to do well enough to clear the nasal passages.

I generally sit down, do my set prayers, and then spend a minute or so doing the 'breath of fire' breathing. It's great for waking yourself up too, if you're tired; it gets the body oxygenated, but more importantly for me, it clears my nasal passages lovely. I like it with incense burning.

How to do breath of fire.

Mountains

have you heard of a netti pot? It can keep your nasal passages clear, and I've heard other good things about it.

Netti Pots are great for when you have a cold or flu, but being congested shouldn't be a normal way of living for anyone.

Ada_B

I have congestion all the time, on account of severe, environmental allergies. I get different allergies at different times of the year, but I suspect there is about a day in a year when none of them affect me! I have a constant runny nose, swollen, itchy eyes (despite eye drops) and often asthma as well.

I also suffer painful joint conditions, am in chronic pain, and suffer from itchy skin. Yet I meditate. The trick is to learn to do things without breaking your concentration - I learned this was possible by watching a lady with severe rheumatoid arthritis in our sangha, who is unable to sit still for long without her joints 'locking'. Basically, you move when you need to, without focussing or becoming obsessed with the movement.

I used to sit there with an ache or an itch, trying not to notice it, and trying not to scratch or reposition myself. It was a nightmare, and a little like saying to someone "Don't think of an elephant". The second you try not to think of it, you are thinking of not thinking of it! And so on.

These days, I scratch if the itch is unbearable but I try to distract my brain from the itch before that point. So if my head is itching, I think about my feet, or my breath, or something else. Itching is not good for the skin so I try to avoid doing it to excess. But at the point when all I can think about is the itch, I have a quick scratch. Then I immediately re-focus my mind.

As for my joints, I have learned to meditate in a sitting position, with plenty of cushions to support my lower back, and often a zafu as a foot stool as well. I always have a box of tissues on hand, a bottle of water (for throat tickles) and a blanket to wrap around me in case I get chilly. If I need to move, I move - I may stretch our my feet in a Tai Chi like movement, or my arms and hands. I try to move slowly, gracefully, with body awareness, and yet without being focussed on the movement. If my tailbone is hurting, I may even stand up.

You may think it is impossible to meditate with all this going on, but I've been doing it a few years now. But as we learn to let our thoughts just be, observing them like clouds blowing across the sky, I have learned to let my body just be, too. I observe its aches, pains and itches, and may take action if I need to, but I do not attach to it or wish things were different than they were. It is a great lesson for life to have challenges meditating! I can hardly believe that I have learned all this - it seemed so impossible at first. But you know what they say: Practice, practice, practice.

prettyhowtown

You might first try something more active-- perhaps yoga, tai chi, or walking meditation. I find it is much easier to meditate once I have expressed some physical energy. Then, once you get the hang of that, straight-up seated meditation may be a little easier.

When I'm ill or have a stuffy nose, I just breathe through my mouth. Not preferred, but necessary if I'm to meditate.

seeker242

This is a good video!

ajnast4r

all these unpleasant things you're talking about are perfectly normal and most (all) meditators have these problems initially. just ignore them, let them go. you will itch, twitch, hurt, be hot, be cold, etc etc etc... and initially the more quiet you become the more intense they will feel. just ignore them... once you establish basic concentration you wont be bothered by them... simple things like itching can be springboards to deeper states of concentration in my experience.

if your back hurts, pick a different position.

if your eyes hurt open, keep them closed.

if you cant breath out your nose, dont use the nose for anapanasati. you can use the rising and falling of the abdomen or just the breath itself. Ajahn Brahm has wonderful meditation instructions that dont involve the nose at all: http://www.jhanagrove.org.au/meditation.html

possibilities

I observe its aches, pains and itches, and may take action if I need to, but I do not attach to it ....

Attachment This word jumps out at me - with a twist! Try to get rid of all preconceived notions of how you are - technically - supposed to meditate. People get too attached to the Buddhist how-to, IMO. Some people seem to want instructions down to the last detail - not even realizing what kind of body structure and cultural tradition those postures are based on.

Instead, think of the goal for your meditation, the peace that you want, why you want/need it and what you will gain from it. Then think about how, given you have innumerable options, you will best achieve that goal - for your current parameters anyway....

Then go from there. Easy!

Shutoku

Depending on what tradition you are interested in, you can instead do some sort of mantra repetition.

I too have sinus issues, and often cannot breath through my nose well, but since I follow the jodo shinshu tradition my practice is mainly chanting sutras and reciting the Nembutsu, and there the sinus plays no role at all.
I also can practice Nembutsu anywhere anytime by whispering, or mentally reciting if I'm in public.

Ada_B

I do agree with Possibilities that if you can't breathe through your nose, breathe through your mouth; if you can't meditate with open eyes, shut them; if you can't sit still, move and if you can't stay silent, chant. Please don't make it harder than it needs to be!

Jeffrey

Pema Chodron's method of meditation the mouth is slightly open. Not like a fish, but just slight and you breath naturally whether that be through mouth or nose.

ddrishi

In my view, the only solution is that don't meditate for more than 5 minutes at a time.

ajnast4r

In my view, the only solution is that don't meditate for more than 5 minutes at a time.

?

Arn

I do agree with Possibilities that if you can't breathe through your nose, breathe through your mouth; if you can't meditate with open eyes, shut them; if you can't sit still, move and if you can't stay silent, chant. Please don't make it harder than it needs to be!

Beautiful advice!

prettyhowtown

One method I've read about but haven't tried is to read a sutra out loud as fast as you can, so that there is no room for other thoughts.

Floating_Abu

Or blah or blah or blah.

In one of Luang Pu's branch meditation monasteries there lived a group of five or six monks who wanted to be especially strict in their practice, so they made a vow not to talk throughout the Rains Retreat. In other words, no word would come out of their mouths except for the daily chanting and the bi-weekly Patimokkha chant. After the end of the Rains they came to pay their respects to Luang Pu and told him of their strict practice: In addition to their other duties, they were also able to stop speaking for the entire Rains.

Luang Pu smiled a bit and said,

"That's pretty good. When there's no speaking, then no faults are committed by way of speech. But when you say that you stopped speaking, that simply can't be. Only the noble ones who enter the refined attainment of cessation, where feeling and perception stop, are able to stop speaking. Aside from them, everyone's speaking all day and all night long. And especially those who vow not to speak: They talk more than anyone else, simply that they don't make a sound that others can hear."

- Luang Pu Dune Atulo
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/dune/giftsheleft.html

pegembara

I don't meditate. I'll sit down to try to meditate, but then I'll have restless legs. Or my back will feel restless and full of heat and energy. Or I won't be able to breathe out of my nose properly (I have a medical issue or something which causes my nose to constantly be stuffed up). Or if I try to keep my eyes open when I meditate they become dry constantly. Or I'll feel generally uncomfortable. Or parts of my body will ache. Or everything will seem to hot or too cold. Or blah or blah or blah.

It seems as though I just don't want myself to meditate. My body does everything it can to stop me from wanting to do it. I just don't want to now. Any suggestions?

Who is the one noticing all these things as they occur? Who is having these thoughts afterwards? Stay with the knowing and leave those thoughts or blah blah alone.