When I meditate, I seem to focus my eyes intensly. It starts to redirect my attention towards the sensation in my eyes and distracts me. When i stop the focusing and relax i always find myself doing it again. Does anyone know any methods of relaxing that could help?
distractions, letting go, isn't that what meditation stands for? jk, do you meditate with eyes open or closed? pretty important to know to answer I would think, maybe try meditating with eyes open for a bit. I think distractions show us what we have to work through and what we are tensed about, so perhaps the questions is how do we break through distractions? Or is it how do I relax my focus from eyes to elsewhere? Where is elsewhere? Why are you trying to move your focus, your eyes are telling you something. "If you get rid of the pain before you have answered its questions, you get rid of the self along with it." Carl Jung Should you be searching for understanding or an answer? how bout both
I meditate with eyes closed, its more distracting for me to do it with eyes open. Ive been meditating just about everyday for a year and this seems to be the only distaction keeping me from going deeper. I can quite the mind and relax the body, but after a few minutes i just find my eyes either rolling back or focusing hard. Then i stray away from meditation to fix it then when i start to go deeper it happens again.
Candle meditation will help you train your eyes to sit still. Maybe do that first, then sit for regular meditation afterward. You have to be careful not to punish yourself. This is the reversal of a lifetime of habit. It's pretty hard stuff to chisel through. No effort is ever wasted. Take a break when you need one . The rock will be waiting for you. Be patient, not expectant. Enlightenment can run faster than you can chase after it. So one has to sit still. It requires more of you than movement does. x
"Be patient, not expectant. Enlightenment can run faster than you can chase after it. So one has to sit still." Absolutely beautiful!
The candle meditation/trance did help relax my eyes so I think ill stick with that for awhile. It reminded me how I can strare blankly into a bonfire or fireplace pretty easily, so I think it will help tremendiously. Thanks for the help guys!!
Hey Tony, are you trying to shut your mind up while you meditate, focus on a mantra, or be mindful and just observe all the mantras (sounds, sensations, thoughts, other points of focus)? Meditation is not about quieting the mind, it is about letting go of the mind and all the mantras coming and going. Be an observer and accept that you are attached to your eyes and their function. You attach - observe/accept - detach and relax, again and again. This is the process of meditation - the detachment/freedom of being.
Concentrate on your breathing. Be aware of each breath and the feelings of deeper relaxation. Allow thoughts and feelings to enter your mind. Acknowledge them, allow them to pass, and refocus on your breathing.
