Decided to increase the length of my sittings

[A human Being]

This is something I did a few years back when I was really struggling with anxiety and depression and was willing to go to extreme lengths to come out of it, but I ended up pushing myself too hard and just ended up feeling fried (though it did really help to lessen the anxiety significantly). Since then I've been generally sitting for 20-30 minutes four times a day, and that's been very beneficial I feel, my practice has helped me to dissolve various energetic blockages in my body (I have a particularly stubborn blockage in my heart, I'm feeling a lot of tension and pressure there at the moment) and work through various strong emotions.

I've just had this impulse recently, though, to increase the length of my meditation sessions, and I'm just starting this thread to document my progress as much as anything. In the last couple of days I've sat for an hour on two occasions, and fifty minutes on another occasion; I'm wary, of course, of overdoing it again, so I'm trying to be watchful that I don't push myself too hard this time. It can be quite tricky to know when to persist with the practice and when to ease up, but I'm just playing it by ear at the moment, just trying to listen to what my body's telling me.

At the moment I'm all right up to about the forty-five minute mark, then I start to feel restless and I start to feel discomfort in my feet and ankles due to the way I'm sat - I sit in half-lotus position, which I like because I feel like it gives me a solid, stable foundation which helps my body to remain balanced and relaxed, but the drawback to it is that it puts quite a lot of pressure on my feet and ankles. I'll have to see how it goes, maybe it'll get easier as time goes on; I know some people prefer to meditate on a chair, but I've tried that in the past and didn't really care for it - maybe I'll give it another go if the discomfort gets too much.

So that's about it for now. It's early days, obviously, but I already feel like the longer sittings have been beneficial.

Hello A human being,

It is nice for you to share your experience here. I will follow your tread.

I like it when there comes a moment when we do not count the minutes anymore. We just don't know what is a minute.

Enjoy!

[iamthat]

Regarding physical comfort, the body gets more flexible with practice and you should find that eventually you can sit in the half-lotus for an hour quite comfortably. It is certainly much more comfortable than sitting on an upright chair. There are various natural remedies which can help with joints and flexibility.

Of course, your age can make a difference. I am certainly finding that I am less flexible than when I was a young man and I could sit comfortably in the full lotus for an hour. Now I get twinges after 30 minutes, which is a bit tedious.

But extending your meditation times can be very beneficial. Sitting for an hour may seem a long time at first but with practice it gets easier.

Peace

Alexia Meditation Seat. Pricey but very nice. https://cdn-s3.touchofmodern.com/pro...g?1549669 315

I finally broke down last year and upgraded from a fully adjustable ergonomic office chair and bought one. My right knee (arthroscopy) doesn't mind it at all, at least up to 45 minutes and I imagine much longer.

[Miss Hepburn]

I was so surprised when I went to my first SRF (Yogananda) group meditation and there were chairs!! Ok, ''when in Rome".
(Turns out when Paramahansa cam to the US in the 20sand 30s he tailored meditation for those.. folks, chairs it was!

I will never go back, after decades, to the floor or pillow, in any position.
You sit close to the edge, your back is straight in the chair -you forget about your body ---it is so comfy!
WHO KNEW!? Ha.
I can sit for 3-5 hours.

30-45 minutes...excellent. That is to me like having a small plate from a gourmet buffet;
very very nice...no soup, salad, no dessert or champagne, tho.
Nothing wrong with it - a very good start. :)

[A human Being]

Really appreciate the feedback, guys, many thanks. :)

Originally Posted by Legrand

I like it when there comes a moment when we do not count the minutes anymore. We just don't know what is a minute.

Hi Legrand, nice to see you again.

It's a great point you make, yeah! At the moment it's not something I'm thinking about until the discomfort sets in, but once that happens I do find myself wanting the timer to go off. That's when it really gets challenging to persevere with it, but I just try to notice any inner tension that may be present and allow it to release.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by iamthat

Regarding physical comfort, the body gets more flexible with practice and you should find that eventually you can sit in the half-lotus for an hour quite comfortably. It is certainly much more comfortable than sitting on an upright chair. There are various natural remedies which can help with joints and flexibility.

Interesting, I'll have to look into that - thanks for the tip.

Right, that's what I was thinking about the body getting more flexible with practice, obviously it's currently not used to sitting in that position for so long so it might just be a matter of it adjusting over time. I don't have issues with my joints and flexibility so I should be all right in that respect.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

Alexia Meditation Seat. Pricey but very nice. https://cdn-s3.touchofmodern.com/pro...g?1549669 315

Ahh yeah, I remember you posted about this in the past - does look like a very shrewd investment, I'll have to look into that too. Thanks for the suggestion!

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

You sit close to the edge, your back is straight in the chair -you forget about your body ---it is so comfy!
WHO KNEW!? Ha.
I can sit for 3-5 hours.

I'll see how it goes, like I say I did try meditating on a chair but struggled to settle - maybe I just needed to persevere with it, I don't know. Thanks for the feedback.

[Halloween Jack]

Originally Posted by A human Being

At the moment I'm all right up to about the forty-five minute mark, then I start to feel restless and I start to feel discomfort in my feet and ankles due to the way I'm sat

About 15 years ago I gave up sitting (kneeling astride over a couple of cushions) due to back problems. Instead I lay on a bed with a meditation cushion for a pillow (so as to not get too comfortable) and find that it works absolutely fine - no difference from the sitting meditations. I meditate for an hour every morning. Perhaps you could try this approach for occasional meditations in order to give your feet a rest.