note 1: Body-Aches for Meditators

21 notes for Meditators: Answers for Questions you never asked!

Note 1: Body-Aches for Meditators

Welcome to the new series. I hope & wish this journey is going to be rich and rewarding for both of us. I wish you love and awareness.

The first effect of meditation is not really on the mind but the body. Once you start meditating, it is possible to experience body and joint pains. Today let’s talk about it.

Every emotional pain you have experienced from birth carries a storage space inside your body and mind. It keeps on accumulating past experiences with new ones. Most of the unconscious living happens through this pain-body. Anger, violence, rage, depression, hatred, grief, emotional drama are some of the characteristics of this pain-body reflected in your life. Pain body feeds on unconsciousness and pain body lives within you and Consciousness is the anti-dote to pain body.

As and when you start Meditating, you start the healing process and you start healing your pain body. Once you make progress in meditation then parts of your body start relaxing. Usually, hands, legs, and shoulders are the first ones to relax, however, the back and pelvic region take more time to relax. As and when body parts relax then part of the tension moves to other ones. while you may feel relaxed at certain parts of the body, few part may feel heavy after meditation sessions.

Your body is trying to tell you something. For example, if you are a predominantly angry person then you carry a lot of tension in shoulders and hands. If you are depressed chronically then your hip and back areas tend to be tighter. If you are fear-oriented then pelvic and stomach tends to be in more tension. If you are a worry-round-the-clock person then you may even feel severe headaches.

So as and when make progress with your meditation, you will begin to experience Body-pain often and this may derail your awareness. Please note this as an opportunity and sign of progress. Your body demands attention and your unconscious dominating energy needs your awareness. Your dominant unconscious energy manifests itself into pain and tension and you start feeling body aches. The universe is helping you to pay attention and your Meditation progress is helped by body awareness.

You have to exercise your body often and regularly. If you do not relax your body, you cannot go deep into meditation. You can walk, swim or jog. Idea is to involve in a physical activity so that you become aware of your body. Yoga can help you but is not a must. Gardening, cooking, cleaning anything which you can do with awareness and joy will help. Make it a habit to meditate after physical activity. If not immediately, at least try and meditate within few hours of exercise.

Observe what part of body pains often after meditation. It can tell you something and you will figure it out yourself. That answer can open up energy channels so much that you will wonder where this energy was.

Two techniques to help you overcome body aches and understand energy centers:

First practice : Downward dog position

Now you don’t have to get downward dog position correctly. This position helps you to relax your body quickly and energizes you. The key here is not to worry about the perfection of the pose but do your best to come to the pose and then stay in this pose take 10 deep breaths! If you can’t do 10, do how much you can. Then relax by stretching your body completely, then repeat this for at least three rounds. now you are ready for meditation.

Second practice : Body scan meditation

Body scan meditation helps you to understand pain points as well as build awareness of the body. Generally while meditating, a lot of us struggle to relax the body. If you relax your body first, you can relax your mind very easily. This meditation helps you to relax your body and gives you more insight into your body. When you are doing this meditation do observe body tensions and your breath.

Insight into your body ache:

Sit in a quiet corner and Meditate about everything that bothers and hurts you. Take one issue at a time. It could be relationships, money, love, fear, depression parents, love, career ..anything. When you contemplate on each of these issues, pay attention to your body and you will exactly locate pain and tension points. It is that identified body part you have to relax and it is that unresolved issue you have to meditate on. There will be interconnection and you will figure out a solution while you meditate.

I welcome your experience and would love your comments and know that your sharing can help fellow travelers.

Love…..Sureshg

Sureshg is the founder of Breathwork India. If you have any doubts , feel free to write in comments or if you have personal or professional question then do use our contact details page to write to him.

Image Right belongs : art by John Dalton