In this FAQ I will give answers to the most popular questions about meditation, for example, how not to fall asleep during meditationhow to get out of meditation, etc. If you want to learn about the technique of meditation, then read the article on the link, here the story goes in the format of "question-answer".
I answered many of these questions in the comments, but not all readers get to them, especially since there are a lot of comments and, at times, it is difficult to find the answer to the questions of interest in them. Here are collected such questions, which, in my opinion, can often arise in many people, after they began to meditate.
How not to fall asleep during meditation
Question: I cannot understand what I am doing wrong: I sat up straight, relaxed, disconnected from the surrounding stimuli, I began to watch my breath and ... I fell asleep! Well, it would be the first time, but all the time ... Tell me what to fix!
- Sergei
Answer:
There are some tips that will help you not to fall asleep during meditation.
- You need to keep your back straight and not leaning it on the back of a chair or any other surface. First, it promotes deeper breathing: the air begins to pass better through the lungs. Breathing is an important part of meditation. Secondly, it helps to remain conscious: it is very difficult to fall asleep in this position!
From the beginning it may not work, perhaps you will not be comfortable in this position. But with time practice this position will become natural and convenient for you.
- Do not eat before meditation. After a hearty meal, you often want to sleep, as the body spends energy to digest food. In addition, such processes in the stomach distract from meditation and interfere with relaxation.
- Cheer up. Do light exercises before meditation (a small stretch will be very useful), take a shower.
- Ventilate the room in which you meditate. Because of the stuffiness you want to sleep.
- Do not meditate in bed. The body gets used to the fact that you are sleeping there, so it can automatically "turn off".
- Try to get enough sleep. Maybe you do not have enough sleep and because of this you fall asleep? If so, go to bed earlier and sleep more.
Do some breathing exercises (diaphragmatic breathing).
In his lecture, the Swami Veda meditation teacher Bharati said that falling asleep during meditation is not so scary. After all, it will not be an ordinary dream, but a dream that you entered through meditation. Such a dream restores the body much better than normal sleep. Therefore, even if you fall asleep while you are meditating, it will not mean that meditation is “lost.” You will still be able to feel some kind of meditative effect upon awakening.
How to get out of meditation?
Question: If we relax as during autogenic training, then at the end there is proposed an exit phase. How should end the meditation?
- Nikolay
Answer:
The main principle - you need to go out of meditation smoothly. At the end of the practice, without opening your eyes, move your fingers and toes, calmly stretch (hands in the "lock" up above your head - quietly to the right to the left), gently lower your hands, open your eyes. To this you can add a pleasant exercise from yoga, which is done at the exit of shavasana, relaxation postures after practice: after stretching and moving your fingers, without opening your eyes, rub your palms together to warm up, put them to the closed eyes, sit for about ten seconds, feel the heat, move your arms and open your eyes.
After meditation, one should avoid active and intense activity for some time.
Legs numb during meditation, what to do?
Question: Hello, Nikolai. I have 20 minutes of relaxation so that my legs get numb so that when I get up, I move like on crutches for a few minutes. Tell me please, maybe this is due to incomplete relaxation?
- Maria
Answer: leaking of the legs is caused by the fact that the vessels in the legs are clamped and the blood does not flow well in some areas. It's not scary, considering that you sit in this position for only 20 minutes, although it is unpleasant.
Try experimenting with the pose of meditation: sit on a softer or lower surface, try to cross your legs. In general, change position. Even during meditation, you can gently move and change the position of the legs to a more comfortable one so that they do not become numb.
What to do if after meditation a headache?
Question: I have been practicing this practice somewhere for a week, but lately my head has been constantly aching. This is normal? Or do you need to stop urgently?
- Ksyunya
Answer:
This symptom occurs in some people, I was convinced by reading various sources. The question is quite popular on the Internet. The reason may be as follows. Perhaps you are too tense to maintain concentration. And your mind, accustomed to constant activity, encounters attempts to get rid of thoughts with resistance. This resistance probably causes a headache. Of course, I can not insist that you continue the practice, since the body reacts so. But perhaps this only happens in the beginning ...
If I were you, I would try to reduce stress during meditation, for this:
- Do not try to push away thoughts by tension of will, let them come. When you notice that you are thinking about something, just smoothly focus your attention on the mantra or breath. But do not focus on this. Concentration is not the goal of meditation. Aim to relax. Let your thoughts flow as you go, just calmly watch them. One should not constantly think about not thinking.
- Sit in a comfortable position. Make sure your body is completely relaxed!
- Take a couple of deep breaths before you begin to meditate. (It is better to breathe with your stomach, diaphragm).
- Constantly watch your body, if you feel that the muscles have tightened (including the muscles of the face) - relax them.
- If the head starts to hurt during meditation - stop the session.
This is what I would advise you to try before you stop the practice, as meditation is a very valuable thing, so as not to try to continue it even with such an organism reaction.
Ps. Perhaps it’s all a matter of body tension, so you can try to relax each part of the body alternately before meditating for two minutes, directing attention from the crown to the toes. You can read about this relaxation technique in the article how to learn to relax in the section “Relaxation Techniques from Yoga”.
How to read the mantra?
Several people asked this question about meditation with a mantra, so I decided to answer it here.
Question: Tell me, does the mantra need to be repeated out loud during meditation, or can it be to yourself?
Answer: Of course, you need to repeat to yourself.
What if there is fast / labored breathing during meditation?
Question: Now, before relaxation, I also have rapid breathing, what is the reason for this?
- Tatyana
Answer: Perhaps because of the position of the body in which you are (wrong position of the back), your lungs cannot open completely and you have to inhale the air in smaller portions, but with an increased frequency. Therefore, keep your back straight! This will allow your lungs to open up in full force.
What if I experience discomfort or back pain when I try to meditate with a straight back?
Question: Hello, Nikolay)) I want to ask you advice. I tried to meditate many times ... but my back hurts !! and I absolutely can’t concentrate ... I just can’t sit up straight for a long time. I tried to lie down on the floor and I started to get it! Well, at least it seems to me so. After such lying meditations, I feel better. But this is not right !! At least everyone is taught to do it while sitting ... I will be grateful for the answer!
- Oksana
Answer: press your back against the back of a chair or against another support and meditate.
Head rotation
Question: Begin to meditate. During meditation, my head rotates in different directions and in a circle ... is this normal?
-Helena
Answer: Elena, read several sources. You are not the only one who happens. Some sources say that there is nothing wrong with that. In others, that is generally good. Someone connects this phenomenon with muscle slackness, and someone explains this by the flow of energy. In any case, there is nothing wrong with that.
Do not pay attention to these movements, let them go on as usual and do not distract you. If they are too strong and prevent you from meditating, just open your eyes.
For now, these are all the questions and answers that I have been able to collect. Ask questions, I will answer and post some answers here.
A strange feeling in the nose
Question: I feel pressure (tingling, warmth) in the area of the nose during meditation and not only.
The answer is: it's ok, even maybe good. I myself began to experience this feeling immediately after I began to meditate. It manifests itself in me not only during meditation, but also in ordinary life, when, for example, I try to pull myself together, to cope with emotional experiences. In my case, this is a kind of “indicator of awareness,” which is included in moments of concentration.
Many people associate this feeling with the energy activity in the area of the third eye.
Saliva is secreted during meditation, often I swallow
Question: Nikolay, during megatia, salivation begins, you often have to swallow, which is very distracting, maybe someone who has experienced this situation. Thanks
Answer: Vitaly, salivation occurs constantly, just during meditation, I think you pay attention to this. Therefore, when swallowing saliva distracts you, smoothly turn your attention back to your breath or mantra. This is the main thing
But here are some more tips from various sources:
- Gently press the tongue to the sky, and the front of it to the upper front teeth
- Keep your neck and head straight
- Again, do not pay attention to what is happening in the mouth (on the position of the tongue, saliva, etc.)
Can I listen to music during meditation?
Question: Nikolay, I meditate under special music for meditations (Thai, Chinese, etc.), it seems to have an effect, I can't sit in silence at all for 5 minutes. You say it is better to meditate in silence. Please explain why?
Answer: Ekaterina, because meditation is self-observation, and not a concentration on listening to music. During meditation, you need to reduce the incoming information to a minimum (so you close your eyes), and music is superfluous information. Yes, it helps to relax. But relaxation is not the only goal of meditation. Meditation is also awareness, mind control and conscious work on oneself.
If you cannot meditate in silence, then something is stopping you. And you are hampered by internal stress. You need to get rid of it and learn to relax in silence. Therefore, you all the more need to meditate without music. In short, if you cannot meditate in silence, then you need to meditate in silence.
Why do you need to meditate twice a day? Why is it so difficult to sit for 20 minutes?
Question: Hello, Nikolay!
Please explain why you so strongly recommend to meditate 2 times a day?
You know, it's very difficult to concentrate for 20 minutes. Although each time it turns out better. But during meditation I’m still waiting for the 20 minutes to run out (I set the timer, and sometimes I look for the rest of the time) ...
Answer: Anastasia, in the morning you need to meditate in order to mobilize forces, get concentration, and in the evening, in order to relieve stress, get rid of your thoughts.
Anastasia
I know that is difficult, but what to do? Such desires should be treated like any thoughts and emotions during meditation, just watch him, but not get involved in them. Do not identify yourself in the desire to distract. Convince yourself that you will not be able to finish before 20 minutes anyway. And if you torment yourself with thoughts about how to stop as soon as possible, you will not relax, and time will drag on even longer. Learn to dwell in the present moment without thinking about the future or the past. It is better not to look at the timer. This is an excellent training for willpower, forcing yourself to sit for 20 minutes, you will do it every day, everything will be given easier. But this effect does not exhaust meditation.
Ps. The fact that it is very difficult for you to sit for 20 minutes is just a strong argument in favor of the fact that you need to meditate. Because it prevents you from sitting still, the internal tension that pulls you somewhere. Meditation relieves you of this tension.
What time to meditate?
Question: Is it possible to meditate in the morning — just as I woke up, and in the evening before bedtime?
Anatoly
Answer: Anatoly, in the morning you can only need to wake up, do exercises, take a shower, for example. Before bedtime it is undesirable, at least 3 hours before bedtime. It happens that after meditation it is difficult to fall asleep. Therefore, it should take some time.
Is it possible to meditate lying down? What if I can’t keep my back straight?
Question: It is not clear to me how, with complete relaxation of the body, you can meditate while sitting, because with absolute complete relaxation of muscles, the body and head cannot be kept upright, the body begins to simply fall down, and the head falls on the chest according to the law of physics. So I begin to be distracted by keeping the body upright. And what can you say about lying meditation, because lying body is possible to relax.
Natalia
Answer: Natalia, lying down is a risk to fall asleep and concentration is harder to hold than if you were sitting sitting meditating. Meditation is not only relaxation, but also awareness. When you sit with your back straight, your attention is better focused, you are in a balance between total relaxation and inner tone, you relax, but you also do not sleep. Your mind and attention are working. To support this work, not to fall asleep, not to fall into complete prostration, a straight back, a sitting position helps to maintain awareness. At first it causes stress, but then you get used to it.
If for some reason it is impossible to keep your back straight without a support - lean it on something.
And for relaxation, lying down, you can use shavasana from yoga, but this is not quite meditation, but more rest, relaxation. And meditation is not only relaxation!
How to meditate during illness?
Question: Good afternoon! Can you please tell me how to meditate with a strong cold? Some time ago, she started mediating successfully, but now she has ached - she is constantly flowing from her nose, she has a strong cough and sore throat, she is not at all able to relax and concentrate on meditation. Surely, for a long time of your practice, you have encountered such situations. Thanks in advance for the answer!
Evgenia
Answer: Eugene, I used to answer this question in such a way that you can meditate less, overlap with pillows and even meditate lying down.
After my last illness, with fever and severe chills, I began to respond differently, giving the opposite answer. Meditate as well as meditating, if you were healthy, even, you can do a little more. Why? Because a sick person needs some kind of tone, in a good mood is much more than healthy. And meditation will help him in this. With her, the disease is much better tolerated, plus it warms the body (not all people, it is true) and perfectly relieves chills (tested on itself). Of course it will be more difficult to concentrate and relax. But this does not mean that meditation will be wasted. Try to divert your attention from the symptoms of a cold by stopping it on a breath or mantra.
Tingling in limbs and yawning during meditation
Question:
I meditate for only 2 days. During meditation I have tingling and numbness of the fingers. Still there is a desire to yawn continuously. It alarmed me. Is it normal?
Answer:
Valeria, tingling is normal. Do not focus on this feeling. (some meditation teachers say that this is how biological processes normalize in certain places in your body)
Yawning can occur for the following reasons: you change your breath or it changes itself, you relax quickly and you get drowsiness that you haven’t felt before because of tension or because you don’t keep your back straight or lean on it. Try to eliminate any of these factors. If it does not work out, just stop paying attention to it.
Body wiggles back and forth during meditation
Question: Good evening. I meditate only for the second day, but I noticed that it is worth sitting down in the lotus position and relaxing, as for some reason I start to sway back and forth. I would like to know what this shows and whether it is necessary to somehow deal with it. Thank.
Dmitriy
Answer:
Dmitry, it happens. But it can just stop and not swing. Every time the body starts to swing, just stop it.
"I can not sit for a long time"
Question: I started to meditate based on what was stated in your articles, thanks for that too, but there is a problem that I can't sit through and I constantly want to lose 15 minutes to stop thinking that “Good for today” comes to mind ,
wifa
Answer:
it was with me. This is natural, it is an inner concern that “climbs” outside. It is precisely to reduce such anxiety, including meditation. Потом становиться легче с этим справляться. Это такая же эмоция и мысль, как и все остальные эмоции и мысли, следовательно, нужно делать то же самое: наблюдать за тем как вам "хочется сорваться" и не вовлекаться в эти переживания. Не пытаться их остановить и как-то контролировать, а просто наблюдать. И сидеть до конца. Если не помогает наблюдать, то просто принять то, что не помогает, и ничего с этим не делать, опять же сидеть до конца.
Как засечь время
Вопрос:
Здравствуйте, Николай,
пробую начать медитировать по вашим советам, но не могу понять как контролировать время. На часы смотреть - отвлекаться, ставить будильник - резко выходить из медитативного состояния. Без привязки к реальности не получается следить за временем, что же делать?
Заранее спасибо!
Юрий
Ответ:
Юрий, можете поставить на будильник приятную мелодию, например пение птиц, или какую-нибудь медленную музыку. Чтобы она вас не раздражала, но при этом давала понять, что время медитации истекло.
