New developments

[JosephineB]

Looks like a tongue and eyeball issue to me.

[Wantingpeace]

Originally Posted by JosephineBloggs

Looks like a tongue and eyeball issue to me.

I guess you don’t know much about it.

[JosephineB]

Originally Posted by Wantingpeace

I guess you don’t know much about it.

From your OP you're getting good sensations from your eyes, and your tongue position feels really nice. I can't see a problem.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Wantingpeace

The first one I have had is my eyes rolling up while I am meditating. It happens soon like within a few to ten minutes. It isn't uncomfortable at all and sometimes gives good sensations. I am wondering more about what it is.

The next thing I notice is my tongue goes up and my mouth opens, almost hangs open. It probably looks really weird but it feels really nice. I am doing this like for a year now. Just starting to notice things more.

I experienced both of these things not long after I first started meditating, when my practice was much more head-centred, with my focus behind my eyes - I also began to experience a lot of pressure in my head (firstly in my third eye and then in my crown), which has persisted ever since. In my own case I eventually had to shift to a more body-oriented practice in order to progress further, because whilst my third eye and crown chakras appeared to be very active, my lower five chakras weren't functioning very well at all. Not that I'm saying that this is necessarily true for you too, of course, I'm just sharing my experience

[Unseeking Seeker]

Originally Posted by Wantingpeace

Hello everyone. I would like to know about other people's experiences with meditation. I have been meditating for several years now. And for a few years now, I have had some changes happening which I did not really wonder too much about until recently.

The first one I have had is my eyes rolling up while I am meditating. It happens soon like within a few to ten minutes. It isn't uncomfortable at all and sometimes gives good sensations. I am wondering more about what it is.

The next thing I notice is my tongue goes up and my mouth opens, almost hangs open. It probably looks really weird but it feels really nice. I am doing this like for a year now. Just starting to notice things more.

I have not read a lot about the effects of meditation but started to do it in order to help myself with stress and depression. Can someone recommend me a book about silent meditation? Guided meditations send me straight to sleep. Thanks everybody.

***

To begin with, I’d say that meditation is our natural state of being. This means, no effort, no doing. Attention internalised effortlessly.

Society has conditioned us to stagnate in narrow grooves of self serving thought. This contracts our consciousness.

To restore ourselves to our original pristine state, our orientation itself should be meditative, employing the instrument of thought only as and when needed. What does this entail? Living naturally, unfettered, fearless & desireless, moment to moment to moment.

The benefits? Who remains seeking benefit, since we have exited sole identification with mind-body ... meaning, it is a vehicle for earth life experience but not the eternal us. Yet, to calm the agitated mind, we can affirm that we get to bliss in permanence.

What is this bliss? Well ... the questioner asking would only know in actual being and so becoming.

Oh! About the physical aspects as described ... whatever enables and expands is valid. Whatever inhibits or limits is suspect.

***

Allow me to try this one more time, and I know it's not popular for most new to meditation. And yes, a couple or few years is relatively new.

After a couple of years of fairly consistent practice I started to notice things I never did before. Colors and patterns behind the screen of the closed eyes, sometimes quite fantastic and even faces and scenes of people acting out something I couldn't quite identify. Sensations that started deep down at the base of my spine, very pleasurable sensations.

It got to the point I would focus on them instead of breathe and come to expect them to materialize during each sitting. Can you guess where this is going?

If not I'll spell it out. It was extremely detrimental to my practice, and in fact when those expectations weren't met I'd get discouraged, even to the point of not practicing for months at a time. It was a rather large setback and until I understood and put into practice what I'm going to say I couldn't overcome it.

Point being they are a distraction and should be treated like any other distraction. A sound, a thought whatever. Notice it, gently let it go and return to the fundamentals of the practice, whatever technique one is practicing.

It's called experience chasing and any instructor worthy of the title cautions against it.

I know the OP doesn't want to hear this, but there it is.

[iamthat]

Experiences which happen during meditation?

The original post concerned physical responses during meditation, but there are many inner experiences which arise spontaneously without being sought for.

For example, back in the early 1980s I was doing an eight day meditate, sitting for up to 18 hours a day. (This is easier than it sounds - once you have got past the first couple of days the mind surrenders). I tended to begin at about 3.00am because that is such a good time to meditate.

Anyway, in the early morning of the 7th day I was sitting gazing at brilliant white light when a perfect pink lotus manifested at the ajna chakra. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Unfortunately I was so startled that I lost concentration and it dissolved back into the light. But the mental image still remains quite clear in my memory.

I would not call such experiences a distraction from meditation. They arise spontaneously as a result of deep meditation and are to be treasured.

Peace

[Anala]

Originally Posted by Wantingpeace

I would like to know about other people's experiences with meditation.

I have been meditating for a year or so and it seems to change quite often, from the tingles, to shivers and thunder sounds and little twitches, bright light, and colorful visuals. Occasionally I hear a guide. I try to hold all these experiences loosely to maintain the beginners mind. I use an app.
But I have used a couple of YouTube videos. and work on new topics from week to week. This works for me.

I hope you find answers to your questions.