Meditation is Relaxing?

[Maijeee]

So I've finally become more serious in my mindfulness practice. I've tried meditating before, however it would only last for a couple of weeks, but now I intend for it to stay as a part of my everyday life. I just have a question about meditation, because today I got hung up on the idea of meditation being a relaxing practice. I feel like the idea of meditation being relaxing is a common one. The thing is, I don't feel like it is relaxing. I might feel relaxed after being done, but not while doing it.

I personally feel like it probably shouldn't be too relaxing, because you are doing this to practice - to do work. You're not just sitting there being mindless, you are sitting there being mindful. Am doing something wrong, or am I on the right track? 

By the way, my intention for meditating right now is to practice on my concentration. And just to be specific, my body feels relaxed (besides my spine, as I'm not used to keeping it erect yet), but my mind does not. 



 

[Gili Trawangan]

If you want to improve your concentration, forget about relaxation for the time being. Practice again and again until you can concentrate effortlessly. This can take quite some time. Relaxing your attention will come after having acquired good concentration skills. 

[Freakyboo]

Meditation should not be effortful, or it is not meditation.  The awakening process (if that is your goal) is a process of letting go, letting go, letting go - surrender and relax, releasing the egoic patterns you are holding on to.  If you use meditation as yet another practice of effort like everything else in your life, it is strengthening the ego, which thrives on striving.  Concentration in meditation should not be a huge effort - it should be effortless. 

The way to really clear out your karma and your Vasanas is by attaining states of Samadhi, where the clearing process really happens.  The best way for this to occur is effortless concentration.  I use a seed mantra and just observe it, favouring it over other thoughts or sensations that arise.  This way, the mind can be carried into Samadhi by the mantra.  Your effort of will, will never do that.

I recommend the AYP site https://www.aypsite.org/10.html   Lessons are very clear and sequential, and the forum there is great.  He teaches transcendental meditation techniques, then gradually adds to that with awakening the kundalini.

[Gili Trawangan]

@Freakyboo That's all well and good, but if you're just starting out with meditation and you just let go, all you will get is monkey mind. The mind needs to be trained before it can be let go of. 

[Freakyboo]

Gili Trawangan  not true.  I started out with this meditation practice and it catches on very quickly.  it is a very simple meditation to practice. You're not trying to get rid of "monkey mind," you're allowing it to be what it is while favouring the mantra, and gently bringing yourself back to it when you drift off into internal chatter.  It is remarkable how quickly the mind becomes quiet after a short time practicing this technique.  

I have tried many different techniques over many years, including Vipassana, and this is the only technique I have been able to stick with over the long term, and twice a day.  The results come very quickly and seep into your daily life within the first week of practice, which is the important part.  It is easy because you are not trying to control anything.

Many thousands of people have started with this technique and are still practicing it decades later.

Edited August 13, 2019 by Freakyboo

[Maijeee]

Okay I see, thank you both for your advices!

[Jordan94]

I agree with @Gili Trawangan

Althought there still is a question of balance and kinda both are useful and needed, especially in the begining, and for concentration practice, there has to be a lot of intention and then in some way effort, although it's way better (more enjoyable AND more efficient) to keep the efforts light and gentle, nice to oneself, same as a lot of light gentle touch repeated a lot during each sit

[Maijeee]

I will try my best to be gentle and as relaxed as possible then.  As I understand from your guys' thoughts on it, it will be relaxing after I've gotten the hang of it. So we will see how it feels in a little while!  I'm hoping to be able to get good concentration skills, so that I can move on to contemplating a question or something else. 

[Jordan94]

You can also focus a bit on making it more relaxing and find the joy in it, it's definitly more easy and effective to progress when it's enjoyable, so both are important

In the begining it's kind of like a balance, gentle intention helps also because it can increase both at the same time (enjoyable and intention/effort), but at the begining and for a good period before one gets really skilled in meditation, I would say that it's better for progress that the balance leans more in efforts rather than relax, for concentration practices

[Maijeee]

Thank you for your advice Jordan!  I just watched Leo's video titled "Concentration vs Meditation - How To Develop Concentration", which was really helpful. Although he didn't speak specifically about relaxation, he helped distinguish between meditation and concentration, which made things a lot more clear! So I will continue doing what I am doing + taking your guys' words into account as well. 

[SriBhagwanYogi]

@Freakyboo Yeah you are right easiest way to get tot that pure consciousness state is mantra meditation after you can do self inqury or whatever calm mind will stay even when meditation ends

[Freakyboo]

@SriBhagwanYogi Yes, the mantra is like a vehicle that navigates it's way very quickly into source consciousness.  This guy's blog is very interesting.  He's reached very advanced states of permanent realization, even past the Brahman stage and has a depth of knowledge that is rare.  I was corresponding with him and he was the one who suggested the effortless mantra meditation as the most effective and clean method for awakening.  https://davidya.ca/2009/05/27/mantra-mantra/

Here he is on Buddha at the Gas Pump: 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by Freakyboo