Question:
I have a difficult time staying awake when I meditate! Location, time of day, physical position do not seem to impact this. After I am able to stop thinking, I am aware of a short time of silence, then I vision (or is it dreaming), then I start to nod off. I feel a strong desire to nap. Sometimes I indulge this desire, sometimes I force myself into wakefulness. I enjoy sleeping, going to bed around 10, falling asleep right away, awaking once or twice during the night but falling right back into sleep, and awaking between 5 and 6 each morning. I’m generally alert and not tired during the day. Any insights or recommendations?
Answer:
Go ahead and let yourself sleep if you feel a strong urge to nod off during meditation. It’s not a good idea for force yourself to stay alert. Even if you don’t have a sleep deficit from the night, sometimes you can go through a period of meditation where your body requires an experience of sleep in order to release a particular quality of conditioning. Don’t worry about it, just let the body shift into the state it needs, and when that conditioning or stress has been cleared, then your meditations will resume their usual character.
Love,
Deepak
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Needing a lot of rest or dropping off to sleep can sometimes be a result of the type of diet you have, this fact isn't recognized enough in spiritual practice. The body is food and the relation between body, mind and spirit is effected by diet at an energy level. Also digestion can tax a lot of energy from the body.
try introducing more fruit into your diet if you are not already doing so.
I am your reflection as you are mine
This reminds me of when I lived with some Buddhist people and one of them in particular used to wake himself up through the night to meditate and every night about three in the morning there was a loud bang against the wall or on the floor where he had fallen asleep in the lotus and banged his head.
It got to the point where all of the stuff they were doing seemed ritualistic to me. I am at a stage now where there isn't any methods. Even meditation in a methodical sense is totally not necessary. People will ask me now "How often do you meditate?" my answer is "I am Meditation"
I am your reflection as you are mine
Hi,
You could always try standing post meditation from the Taoist/Buddhist internal martial arts. It's definitely harder to do than seated meditation as the leg muscles and shoulders take a beating in the early stages. But if you stick with it long enough you will reach the place of "thoughts of no thoughts." A paradox worth attaining.
Bob
When that was happening to me, I found out that I was pregnant
I don't think Superfrog was talking about that kind of meat Karen!
what did you have a boy or a girl?
love xx
I am your reflection as you are mine
Bless him x
I am your reflection as you are mine
Continue with regualr practice of MEDITATION!
With awakening of consciousness! by and by this tendnecy of feeling sleepy will go away!
And a time will come when you will be awake! even during sleep!As you will always feel fresh and energetic!Sleep will be at your command! Like Lord Krishna addresses, Arjun in Gita, on one place as -"O Nindar Jayyee Arjun!"(One who has conqured his sleep!.i.e.sleeping or waking, at will! a total control!AMEN! JAI HO!
With love!
@run
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don't be too much bothered about falling asleep. just become more more aware of the wakeful meditation state and keep extending the gap. i used to keep my eyes open without batting an eyelid for a certain length of time . it came out of practice. it is better to look at your own eyes in your mirror image without winking for sometime. keep increasing the time span everyday and a day will come when you will be able to do it for 45 minutes! may be that your own image in the mirror will morph into various images and it can even disappear one day even though you are sitting in front of the mirror! don't be perplexed! It is better to use a lit candle also behind the mirror in order to throw some light on your face.