General questions on meditating

Pilot

I've been trying to meditate for at least 30 minutes everyday for a month now.
And boy it has been quite an experience. I've experience things that I've never felt before. Like, last night when I did a lying meditation I became aware of the emptiness of my small room, and i felt really, really, really tiny and the room kept on expanding. I'm not sure what to think of that, but I found it hard to ignore and I know I should have been paying attention to my breathe. Anyone know what feeling this was?

Also What are some ways I can check that I am at least progressing in my practice?

TheJourney

Weird things are not uncommon in the practice. Best to take them for what they are and not go any further into trying to explain. And I know it's frustrating to hear this, but if you want the best results meditating do it without a goal. If you're always thinking "I hope my meditation sessions get better" or something of the sort it will hinder progress. The only real measure I would say at this point for whether you're making progress is if you are better able to concentrate and quiet your mind. That's not to say you're doing badly if your mind isn't quiet. As I said, no goals. If you have thoughts, be mindful of them and let them go. If you have more do the same.

ShiftPlusOne

There's no "progressing" you're just helping your mind and insight develop. Don't worry about all the things that can happen, the idea is to still your mind, not to get caught up in interesting experiences.

Having said that, you can check how often you "stop and think" about situations before acting on emotion. Meditation develops your pre-frontal cortex, so if you are prone to getting angry and then realising later you might have overreacted, you should notice a reduction in that. Generally, if you stop and think "I am feeling this emotion, but it's not rational, so I won't act on it" then that's a sign.

meditationman

ShiftPlusOne wrote: »

if you are prone to getting angry and then realising later you might have overreacted, you should notice a reduction in that. quote]

Really? Well I really need that reduction LOL I've been meditating for a short while now, I look forward to seeing that improvement in my life.

I've also heard that the longer the time lapse between unwanted thoughts while meditating, the more wellbeing one should experience when they're not meditating. Is there really a connection between the two?

TheJourney

meditationman wrote: »

ShiftPlusOne wrote: »

if you are prone to getting angry and then realising later you might have overreacted, you should notice a reduction in that. quote]

Really? Well I really need that reduction LOL I've been meditating for a short while now, I look forward to seeing that improvement in my life.

I've also heard that the longer the time lapse between unwanted thoughts while meditating, the more wellbeing one should experience when they're not meditating. Is there really a connection between the two?

I would say no. The reason being that every unwanted thought that arises during meditation is an opportunity to practice mindfulness and let it go. This is why there is no such thing as bad meditation.

ShiftPlusOne

Yup, I'd agree with TheJourney. Also, don't just "let go", but note it first. Recognise it, observe it, get to know it and then let it go. Basically hang out with your thoughts and feelings a little before letting them go.

meditationman, there's an article I throw around in many meditation related threads. I feel that it explains a lot of the important benefits of meditation. Obviously, science isn't able to explain everything yet, but it's a good summary of what we know. I'd recommend you read the whole thing.

http://www.eubios.info/EJ141/ej141j.htm

meditationman

Shift,

Thanks for sharing that, I'm about to log off of here and check that out. I'm aware of some of the benefits, however I look forward to learning more. I'm addicted to learning.

Pilot

Thank you for the replies. Just one more thing.. is it normal when you focus on your breathe it becomes a bit more rapid and short? I feel like I'm breathing faster, as if I was jogging, whenever I pay attention to my breathe.

DaltheJigsaw

ShiftPlusOne wrote: »

Yup, I'd agree with TheJourney. Also, don't just "let go", but note it first. Recognise it, observe it, get to know it and then let it go. Basically hang out with your thoughts and feelings a little before letting them go.

meditationman, there's an article I throw around in many meditation related threads. I feel that it explains a lot of the important benefits of meditation. Obviously, science isn't able to explain everything yet, but it's a good summary of what we know. I'd recommend you read the whole thing.

http://www.eubios.info/EJ141/ej141j.htm

Thank you for the link!

Jason

Pilot wrote: »

I've been trying to meditate for at least 30 minutes everyday for a month now.
And boy it has been quite an experience. I've experience things that I've never felt before. Like, last night when I did a lying meditation I became aware of the emptiness of my small room, and i felt really, really, really tiny and the room kept on expanding. I'm not sure what to think of that, but I found it hard to ignore and I know I should have been paying attention to my breathe. Anyone know what feeling this was?

Also What are some ways I can check that I am at least progressing in my practice?

It sounds like you stumbled upon what is called 'emptiness as a meditative dwelling.' I suggest reading MN 121 and MN 122 for a better understanding of how to develop and utilize this particular mode of perception in the future.