Hallo everyone, I am trying to meditate (beginner), however it causes me some anxiety as I have the feeling that if I let go I will lose control. When I am sitting and meditating, I feel that calm state, it is almost too calm, I feel my arms being endless, and then I am at the point where I think that if I relax even more something will happen, and then I will stop the meditation because I can't go further. Is anxiety common part of meditation, at least for beginners?
It happens. People are taught from an early age to 'do something, anything!' We're never taught to 'just sit and relax!' So you probably have some anxiety coming up just from old admonitions. It's important to realize the need for inner work, and set aside some portion of ones life for that. When this idea of centering, healing, just being, working with soul, spirit, mind, etc, becomes a necessity for you, you will allow yourself to go with it more. Right now you are judging your efforts against the material manifestation of results, and in meditation there are no material manifestations per se. In time there are other manifestations, like better action, reaction, more awareness of choices, paths, and means for accomplishing things. And the old presently outmoded wisdom - not much touted any longer. Also, Western religions, especially Christianity make people fear themselves as if demons and spirits are always lurking waiting to grab your soul and rend it apart and send you to hell. I forget those fears because they existed so long ago now for me, but I had them, even though I am not Christian. I went to Catholic school and alot of that totally meaningless superstitious shit got into my head. Face it, there's a lot of bogus shit to wade through in the mind.
yes, meditation is about being in control no longer. so ask yrself the question: what's the worst thing that could happen to me if I 'm no longer in control? and address the terms of yr answer. by the way, you may THINK yr in control ... but thinking is often delusion. anyway ... what could be bad about not thinking? we don't think when we're asleep and nothing bad happens then! cheers ... !
@Chopda I am kind of a person, who cannot just sit. In fact, I even feel guilty if I would just sit and watch TV. But I do realize that meditation is not the same as doing nothing, and therefore I am enjoying it. However, I had some anxiety issues in my life, now less then before, and I think that for some reason they manifest when I am at the point to let it go completely. Interestingly, the other time during meditation, I actually saw demons, so you made a very good point on Christianity. Today I felt like I feel faint any moment so I had to stop. As an experienced mediator, how would you suggest me to proceed. When negative feelings arise, should I stop meditating and begin again, or should I just stop for the day completely, or shouldn't I stop at all? Can someone actually faint during mediation?
good point...its like Chopda said, Christianity taught us that demons are lurking everywhere, maybe this is something that thinking applies to me, of course unconscious. Maybe it is also unconscious fear of unknown. Last time I mediated, I had to stop cuz I felt like I am close to faint. And I was not hyperventilating. I really feel ready to let everything go, and I want to. That is why I am meditating.
Yes, my instructions regarding meditation are that when the mind is churning so is something in the body, so back off the meditation and let the mind float in the body until the mind/body settle down, then continue. Also, lie down for five or ten minutes afterwards and let the mind go back to usual functioning. Don't try or expect to take away much more than some refreshment. I had a few more thoughts on this. Regarding control - the sense of spaciousness develops during meditation. In fact, the sense of becoming more spacious or bigger in awareness is one of the most universal experiences associated with meditation in general. Along those feelings much occurs. The main portion of increase of inner space sensation develops with losing identity with the smaller diverse parts of oneself, and identifying with the spacial awareness which is ones essence. That essence is really without limiters and delineations. It can be very difficult for many people to reprogram since ever since we are born we are defined by our limitations and shortcomings, and also by our prowess and successes. It's hard to allow those both to subside and just to return to the spacial part of ourselves which really has no definition, quality, or quantity. Another different thought regarding he sensing of demonic or black type things. Basically most people live in the world of their senses, or if more mental, then a world of thought or feeling. But only those who take time out to allow themselves to experience the finer levels of awareness, consciousness, get to become aware of themselves as a field of spacious awareness. As one experiences their self as light and awareness within they will start to feel where that awareness is thicker and where it is thinner within their own nervous system. I suggest that one is not experiencing objective negative spirits or demons but areas of one's own subjectivity where they are having more blocks or unawareness, maybe coupled with either traumatic associations, or they are experiencing traumatic feelings upwelling through their meditation practice and are objectifying them with some sense of the interplay between the more and less awareness spaces in their own body, mind, environment. So what to do? Basically understand that the process of meditation, like exercise, isn't about the practice itself but about enhancing ones life. Therefore do not place too much importance upon the variety of spiritual or mental experiences you have and just go through it with a sense of balance.
hi ya i am a meditator. i practice vedic mantra meditatation.i have looked at this thread and have really enjoyed Chodpa's commentary regarding this thread. thanks . i have a video of my meditation teacher explaining the situation for the new meditator in a more compact to the point way than i ever could. ........https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNy-SWJ4G-U........ i find this short video very good. vedic meditation is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. for me long term meditation (although i admit that i have allot of problems currently) has saved my life. i would have been 10 times worse without it. xenka...i encourage you to continue with your practice...eventually meditation becomes the best thing thats ever happened to you. as far as the initial fear of being out of control...its a myth that any thing bad will happen....nothing bad happens(the mind as Chodpa states lets go every night when you sleep) in meditation eventually you learn to let the mind drop all of its thoughts and you are left (for a time)with a clear mind with no thoughts. simple consciousness is left the most basic form of awareness. this moves towards what the hindus call Samādhi. the great thing about vedic or simple mantra meditation is that it takes no effort of big concentration. basically its a mantra. one silently repeats the mantra....the mind drifts away from the mantra.....thinks about the washing up....the meditator realizes that its not on the mantra...the mantra is started again.....as this process develops the mantra becomes favored over other thoughts as because over time the mantra becomes more pleasurable. and the mind likes pleasure. it becomes like an old friend. but here lays the trick and that is not to strain on getting back on the mantra...this is a skilled art that can be learnt. eventually the periods where no thought is experienced become longer. eventually this silence starts to pervade the waking consciousness and thoughts and actions become like actors on a stage. but this is not the end or goal of the process. this is where it gets difficult for me to describe as i am round that stage now. there are more developed stages of transcendence to develop. one is called unity consciousness and than enlightenment dawns. eventually one understands that one was enlightened all the time and that enlightenment was like your nose .it was too close to see. there are many stages on this magnificent journey. xenka i congratulate you on taking the first steps on this journey. any new meditator is very special and the beings that exist on the more subtle relative planes of reality always take note and celebrate the new meditator. xenka meditation in the begining is different for everyone however as meditation progresses the experiences for everyone become remarkably similar. this is because the relitive world is a complex web of action and reaction however as the relitive world deconstructs one is left with the experience of a shared human reality not dependent on thought/interlect structures. this experience is common to all meditators. i am not so articulate i can tell you how you should feel but i know if your practice is on track you can expect to fell a tad more peaceful...less reactive ...more responsive . as a new meditator i can advise you this...just be regular...do your meditation...than forget about it ...till next time...meditate....it is best done (in my opinion) twice a day for about 20 minuets. do you have a teacher who can help? im really interested in what sort of meditation you are engaging in. post again let me know,im interested. i hope this was not too much...i am struggling currently with some big problems but my meditation helps me to understand that the relitive world is not as strong as reality.if that makes any sense. its however a honor to post you.thanks
eventually i understand all my struggle to be something or do something where secondary to the end of the process. that being "just simply being" and in the end one understands that not allot really happened of great importance and that the universe did not need a reason to exist. enjoy the process..congratulations "Interestingly, the other time during meditation, I actually saw demons, so you made a very good point on Christianity. " the visions of your demons can be what we call "stress release". they are relative phenomena.....just pay them little attention.they will just fade away. the trick is to just be regular in your meditation eventually everything settles down.
The key for me is to let it slowly build up. Don't try to go forward, but don't try not to either. Just be one with all that is the universe. Realize it's all natural feelings of the mind. If that's to difficult you may want to pretend the feelings of anxiety are feelings from a drug called meditation. Don't worry you can't OD. You know you haven't taken to much of this drug, because it's the magical energy that was there all along. Do you want it? Then you can't have it. Do you care if it comes or not? Are you accepting to the ritual of nothing? Does it matter what happens? Just let it all go. Meditation doesn't require for us to conform to anything, and is actually pleased when we don't.
How meditation should feel? How can the infinite Absolute be described from the finite mind, explanations of the mind simply point; how does the nothingness from the so called stillness/silence from which all arises and operates feel…
