lips twitching a little bit...

TheJourney · November 2010

I just got done doing some samatha meditation. I am able to get into a very deep concentration now, and so have done some research on how to enter jhana. Once you get into that deep concentration, you're supposed to focus on a pleasent physical sensation and it will increase and eventually you will be filled with ecstacy and joy, a change in consciousness, and this is the jhana. Smiling's the simplest physical sensation to focus on. Anyways, after I got into my concentration I began to focus on the pleasentness of my smile. The feeling increased. After it started to feel quite good, though, my lips started sort of twitching. I doubt you would've been able to see it, maybe, but it was definitely noticable for me. I tried to ignore it, but it was impossible to completely ignore. I began to do a toothless smile, as I thought this would solve it. Same thing though. I stopped meditating, as I was frustrated and sure it was going to hinder my progress. I just smiled to see if it was still happening and it's not. It was only then.

Anyways, any idea on what that could be?

ShiftPlusOne · November 2010

Keep trying, I don't think it's something that will happen often and if it does, it will probably go away.

As for what it could be... anything. Nerves can do odd things sometimes.

SherabDorje · November 2010

A psychiatric nurse would say possibly medication side effect or nervousness/stress. Any chance that's it?

I was a psychiatric nurse. I've also had these things happen to me.

Cloud · November 2010

Maybe it's just me, but that pleasant physical sensation isn't something that needs created artificially; the mind itself feels like it is enveloped in physical joy when concentration is firmly established and just the constant awareness and focus upon that feeling leads to the destination.

TheJourney · November 2010

SherabDorje wrote: »

A psychiatric nurse would say possibly medication side effect or nervousness/stress. Any chance that's it?

I was a psychiatric nurse. I've also had these things happen to me.

I'm on psychiatric meds, so perhaps. Actually it's doing it again now. Idk. Maybe I should tell my doctor. Weird. Quivering was a better word than twitching, btw.

Humble · November 2010

In deep meditation all sorts of strange things can occur. I get sensations like electricity or maybe a feather made of energy running up and down my face, sometimes it becomes concentrated on the cheeks or the middle of my forehead but mostly I just enjoy it or experience it with no judgments. I do not fully understand it but when the mind is quiet we can notice many things that had previously gone unnoticed. For example just now I noticed the crickets chirping. I have been reading, listening quietly to classical music, and responding to posts all evening but the chirping was not apparent to me until this moment. Do you see what I mean? In other words there are literally hundreds or thousands of things we can pay attention to at any one moment but we choose only a handful from one moment to the next.

In any case I must be going because the crickets are singing along to Rudolph Serkin and I do not want to miss it...

Namaste

questionful · November 2010

The face is full of nerves. When I notice something funny is going on with them, I usually find that it's because I'm doing something wrong. Try to let go of whatever is causing the nerve-grid phenomenon. I think we should not intentionally try to manipulate the face nerve-grid. But if our past karma means that we have to face some emotion like sadness or shame, it is fine if the face reacts to that. Idk if any of this makes any sense.

SherabDorje · November 2010

TheJourney wrote: »

I'm on psychiatric meds, so perhaps. Actually it's doing it again now. Idk. Maybe I should tell my doctor. Weird. Quivering was a better word than twitching, btw.

To me quivering bespeaks some kind of stress, like emotion showing itself. This could be any strong emotion like sadness or diffuse nervousness. Just an opinion. I'm not a doctor or psychologist.

boutdeau · April 2015

@TheJourney said:
(...)
my lips started sort of twitching.
(...)
Anyways, any idea on what that could be?

There are several interpretations of Jhanas, and even of Samatha, however mine is

this kind of physical/cognitive effect is to be understood as "piti". In my opinion, this kind of piti is not possible into first Jhana but describes the second one, since in second one the piti is born from concentration, not from simple effort to isolate the mind. Something supporting this interpration would be "Reinterprating the Jhanas" for example (RS Bucknell article which you'll easily find).
Some teachers will instruct to focus on the factors of the jhana, and piti is part of them. Some teachers will instruct to keep on the sign. Given Samatha might be regarded as bringing both Samadhi and Insight, i'd say this depend on which one you want to follow (samadhi however will then help for insight, according to the texts). About the idea that "go do Jhana" is the only buddhist meditation , see for example Thanissaro Bhikkhu http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/onetool.html.
Even more personal, I'd say this might appear close to the counterpart sign. I have no support for this interpretation, thus don't believe me

No matter which interpretation, this step is both great news and will help reaching other step, but does not suffice, so anyone reaching this kind of step should go on and on!

federica · April 2015

Bienvenu @boutdeau heureux de vous connaitre. (Pardonnez l'absence des accents sur mon clavier Anglais....!)

Je suis obligee de t'informer que, malheureusement, quand une discussion a plus d'un an, normalement il faut qu'on commence une nouvelle, parce que pour la pluspart, les membres qui ont participe dans celle-ci, sont tous absents, ou ils sont partis de ce forum.

tout a fait, tous members ci-dessus ne sont plus actifs ici....

Cette discussion et trop ancienne pour la continuer. (Voir ici).

Par contre, si vous voulez la continuer ailleurs, fait comme vous voulez!

(on peut se tutoyer...?)

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lips twitching a little bit...

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