Feeling Asymmetrical/imbalanced During My Sits

[Jan Odvarko]

This is currently a big issue for me... Although I sit on a seiza bench, I always start to feel kind of asymmetrical and imbalanced towards the end of my sits. Also, one shoulder feels to be a little lower than the other one. I guess it's caused by my back muscles being a little weaker on one side, or the other side might be tighter. Or maybe it's just a feeling. Hard to say if I actually become imbalanced at all, but it definitely feels like it and it can get so uncomfortable that I start shifting my legs every couple of minutes to feel balanced again, just to find myself twisted when I open my eyes at the end of the sit.

Pain is not a problem, pain is good. What is so distracting is not the actual sense of being imbalanced/asymmetrical, but knowing that I might be damaging my body by leaving my spine twisted for prolonged periods.

Anyone else experienced this or something similar? Would you have any suggestion?

Thanks!

[DreamSpirit]

Hmm, I can't say that I have.  There have been times where I'll meditate and lose sense of my body, like feeling a little slanted, if that's what you mean

[Jan Odvarko]

17 hours ago, DreamSpirit said:

Hmm, I can't say that I have.  There have been times where I'll meditate and lose sense of my body, like feeling a little slanted, if that's what you mean

Kind of slanted, yes. It's difficult to describe, it's like an urge to rotate my hip or shoulders a little in order to balance my upper body. But it often starts even before I lose sense of my body.

[Azrael]

@Jan Odvarko I am familiar with your problem and also have it once in a while. For me it helps to keep my eyes open, so I don't have the illusion of sitting in-balanced what for me seems to come up in longer sits with eyes closed. However, if I want to close my eyes and I get the sense of being in-balanced I try to imagine that a string is connected to my neck and somebody is gently pulling it into the sky.

What then happens is that I unconsciously balance my self a little bit and get a better feeling. Also I found that I think that I'm in-balanced way more often then I really am. It is just a side effect from longer sittings.