Meditation hurts :S

[Akashic Librarian]

So I just sat down to do some meditation, my legs are killing me. Is this usual?

Yes! Try rolling up a wool blanket and placing it under your bottom to ease the pressure on your knees.

[atomheart]

After a while everything just becomes numb and you stop feeling anything lol.. problem is standing up after that!

:D

Yes, sad to say, Buddhist sitting meditation has the effect of cutting off the energy of the legs :(

if you want to try another type, you could try the Taoist meditation style -

stand with feet facing straight forward, shoulder-width apart
knees slightly bent so they are not locked
shoulders down, elbows bent slightly with hands in front of your pelvis as if you are holding a basketball
tongue on the roof of the palette
chin slightly tucked in
head as if suspended on a string (this straightens the spine)

with eyes closed gently, begin breathing in and out, gradually deepening the breath, and bringing your focus of awareness lower and lower in your body, from your forehead down to your heart, your belly, your groin, your feet, then down through the bottoms of your feet into the earth. imagine you are a tree and there are roots extending from the bottoms of your feet down and out into the earth, twice as deep as you are tall

You can do this for as long or as short as you like. It will cultivate earth energy in your lower body and ground and relax you.

(and it won't make your legs numb!)

;D Pilar

[Alex]

I basically do all my meditation lying down on a comfy matress, couch, or clean carpeted floor with a pillow. I've never had any troubles with losing circulation in this way. Lying down on your back is a comfortable and natural position for the body.

However I do remember reading somewhere that the buddhist practitioner has to pick a position that is deliberately uncomfortable as their meditation stance, and that the months or years taken getting used to the discomfort is part of learning mind over matter. If only I could remember which book it was...

[atomheart]

Although I mostly meditate lying down out of pure laziness there are many reasons why sitting down is optimal.

- First and foremost lying down can put you to sleep especially when you are in deep trance.
- Sitting down with your back upright ensures proper energy (chi) channelling through the body (negative pole towards earth and positive pole towards sky).
- Sitting in the lotus position not only makes sure your back is perfectly straight, but provides pressure to key secondary chakras on the legs.
- Having your torso not resting anywhere (as in on the floor or back of a chair) means that you have some moving space when the vibrations start and your body starts rotating - this rotating movement helps in maintaining the trance.

Preaching but not practicing... shame on me :-\

Yes, I've got to try the sitting-chair meditation. Dan always tells me to do this, from Microcosmic Orbit practice. RB's book advocates that posture for astral work also, no?

[Alex]

I'd have to re-read RB's work - Im afraid my skills at ad-libbing tomes of other people's writing is somewhat lacking :(

But I do also do some energy work in the sitting upright posture, in a chair. Maybe a more comfortable chair is needed that doesn't cut too sharply into the buttocks etc?

On the other hand and as I was talking to Pilar today I remembered a small tidbit where I had read that a young monk should choose a posture which is deliberately uncomfortable, since the years of concentration required to no longer feel the discomfort are of great benefit to development of mind-over-matter skills. Again I forget which book and which author, hence I can't credit the idea other than to put it out there as something for consideration.

I know what you're talking about. I struggle with that, though. Those monks love to beat the body into submission through pain. I am trying to be a more loving animal trainer to my body, if you know what I mean.

[Alex]

I am not sure if I want to know what you mean (dot dot dot) :D

I think I get your drift.