Comments on: Lying down to meditate

By: Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:40:52 +0000

Hi, Anna.

If the supine position is working for you, then I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t get the same health benefits as if you were meditating in a sitting position.

And you’re welcome!

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:02:35 +0000

I used to do a lot of meditaion when I was a Martial Arts student. We did a lot of standing (‘holding the ball’) and sitting meditation. I stopped meditating many years ago, and am trying to get back into it. For the past few days I have been practicing lying down in the supine position. I LOVE it and am more motivated to do it this way than the other postures. As long as I don’t fall asleep, am I getting the same health benefits?
Thank you for this forum. It is wonderful! :)

By: Vidyamala

Vidyamala — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:17:34 +0000

thanks bodhipaksa that is very clear and heloful.

By: Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:00:28 +0000

I’d use rather different terminology to describe this. Meditating activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which leads to increased blood flow to the skin and to extremities. Hence the feelings of warmth in the hands. It’s not as poetic as talking about “energy” although of course the warmth and increased movement of the blood is a form of energy. Once we start to pay more attention to part of the body because we’ve noticed increased warmth, then we become more sensitive to the sensory receptors there, and we often feel sensations of tingling as well. This can be very pleasant.

By: Vidyamala

Vidyamala — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:50:15 +0000

Hi thanks for telling us about your friend. I suspect if he just keeps practising gently then things will settle down. Sometimes heat can be energy freeing up and moving about the body and is just something to be aware of without fixating on it, nor trying to block it out. Just let it be as it is. It is good to heat he feels a flowing sense of the heat which means energy is moving and not blocked.

By: skilla

skilla — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:52:51 +0000

im new to this but a friend of mine has been meditating for the past two weeks and he gets no pains of any kind but his hands start to heat up and if they are touching any part of the body it also becomes flowing with heat. he meditates lying down

By: jim

jim — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:09:22 +0000

thanks for the replies and advice,and great website by the way..jim

By: Vidyamala

Vidyamala — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:25:16 +0000

HI Jim

Many thanks for writing in. My immediate question is how you were breathing? You say “i was breathing deeply into my chest trying not to think of anything..” was the breathing normal in terms of rate and depth or were you intentionally ‘breathing deeply?’ A lot of what you describe sounds to me like hyperventilation or overbreathing. This causes symptoms such as numbness or tingling in the hands, feet and lips, lightheadedness, dizziness, headache, chest pain, etc.
Counterintuitively, such effects are not precipitated by lack of oxygen or air. Rather, the hyperventilation itself reduces the carbon dioxide concentration of the blood to below its normal level because one is expiring more carbon dioxide than being produced in the body, thereby raising the blood’s pH value (making it more alkaline), initiating constriction of the blood vessels which supply the brain, and preventing the transport of oxygen and other molecules necessary for the function of the nervous system.[4] (the quote is from wikipedia). So I would suggest you try meditating where you DO NOT ALTER THE NATURAL BREATH AT ALL. Just breathe normally at whatever rate seems natural and see if this leads to a more grounded and balanced experience. Hope this is helpful and let us know how you get on.

best wishes
Vidyamala

By: Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:50:22 +0000

Hi, Jim.

This is all normal, and a good sign. The trembling is technically known as priti, and the pressure is technically called a nimitta. These things come and go, and it’s a really bad idea to “chase” those kinds of experiences or to try to make them happen. I think it was right to let the meditation come to an ends.

All the best,
Bodhipaksa

By: jim

jim — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:04:40 +0000

hi there,i was hoping you could give me some advice..i have tried meditation many times and to be honest although i felt ok afterwards,i wondered what all the fuss was about..maybe i was doing it wrong,i thought..so today a yanttra mat arrived in the post and i decided to meditate lying down on the mat with earplugs in so i couldnt get distracted..i was breathing deeply into my chest trying not to think of anything..15 minutes or so in i started to feel a tingling feeling in my fingers which slowly spread all over my body,and i could also feel my body trembling slightly..now i had never had this before but i kept on with the breathing..this slight trembling was apparent on my face,body everywhere and it was feeling quiet intense..i aslo was feeling 2 points of pressure on my chest(i cant think of another word to describe it-pressure)..i checked my pulse coz i was a little worried,but my pulse was fine..after a while i slowed down the breathing and 10 minutes later i got up feeling quiet high!!..this took place over about 30-35 minutes and it took me by surprise to be honest and i thought i better get in touch with the experts!!should i have continued the meditation?what were the 2 distinct pressures i felt on my chest?should i try this daily?all these questions..i have tried meditating quiet a few times before and this hadnt happened..any help/avice would be greatly appreciated..thanks jim