Recent Posts

1

Sangha: Community Introductions / Re: New members introduction thread 2017 - present.

« Last post by Foxterrier on July 17, 2019, 10:28:58 PM »

Hi everyone,

My name is Finnur and I’m very happy to be on this forum.

After dabbling in meditation for several years I did a 10 day Goenka-Vipassana retreat last May and have been keeping up the two hours a day so far.

Looking forward to hearing of other people’s experiences.

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Meditation, Practice And The Path / Re: Hello, I am new to meditation.

« Last post by LECHISY2008 on July 16, 2019, 03:15:40 PM »

Thank you so much Stillpointdancer!

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Meditation, Practice And The Path / Re: Hello, I am new to meditation.

« Last post by stillpointdancer on July 16, 2019, 09:53:33 AM »

It depends what you are trying to do. There are all kinds of breathing exercises, each changing the meditation to larger or lesser degrees. Not only that but where you breath from, chest or diaphragm, brings change too. Nowadays I usually breath through the nose after starting with consciously breathing deeply for a few minutes to refresh the air in my lungs. If I become conscious of my breathing becoming too shallow I either repeat the deep breathing or, as you say, try nose and mouth breathing for a while.

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Meditation, Practice And The Path / Hello, I am new to meditation.

« Last post by LECHISY2008 on July 16, 2019, 01:54:35 AM »

Hello everyone,

I have been doing meditation for almost 6 months now.  I do not know whether I have been breathing correctly or not.  I am not sure whether to exhale through your nose or your mouth?  Some people said to breathe naturally so I just use my nose to breathe.  However, breathing in and out through the nose is shallow and short.  Inhaling through the nose and exhaling out by the mouth is deeper and longer but feel less natural.   Thank you for your inputs.

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Meditation, Practice And The Path / Re: Grandparents facing death - I cannot find time to meditate

« Last post by Chaska on July 11, 2019, 04:44:26 PM »

Thanks to all of you for your advice.
It helps me to see that meditating in “real life” (not on my cushion) is already mindfulness. Also reminding myself the impermanence and anicca while observing sensations also helped.
Then the point on Jesus is interesting, i will then reassure him and talk to him about the love of Jesus instead of trying to help him teaching him anapana (thanks for that).
Thanks for your wishes for my grandpa. Metta to you all

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Meditation, Practice And The Path / Re: Numb legs while sitting

« Last post by Chaska on July 11, 2019, 04:40:42 PM »

When I started 10 days Vipassana in 2016 I use to have numb legs a lot.
I have started to practice more yoga stretches such as : seated pigeon pose (you can look on YouTube and do it everyday it is easy ) and it helped me. Now it happens but rarely and usually it is because of the cushion.

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Meditation, Practice And The Path / Re: Back cracking while inhaling during meditation

« Last post by stillpointdancer on July 11, 2019, 11:24:05 AM »

It might seems like a weird question.
But who knows maybe it happens to some of you.

Since 2018 every time I do my 1hour sitting my upper back is « cracking every time I inhale. And then it keeps cracking during the day and at night at the same spot (probably more than 100 times a day). I went to doctor, osteopath etc.. but they don’t have answers, it is so small it’s a tiny crack deep near the spinal cord.

It is difficult to meditate with it sometimes because it distracts me (when I am doing the Vipassana part by part technique) as most of the time I inhale it does crack and it tends to keep my attention to the sensations near by.

Any advice? Or similar experiences in the past?

Thanks for you help and metta 🙏🏼

Happened to me and went to chiropractor who said that my spine was misaligned and who straightened it for me, and the noise stopped. Mind you, I haven't been since then as I heard a lot of horror stories about what damage these people can do.

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Meditation, Practice And The Path / Re: Back cracking while inhaling during meditation

« Last post by Goofaholix on July 11, 2019, 02:08:55 AM »

I assume what you are saying is that it is making a small cracking sound as the bones move as you breath in and out.

Can you feel a sensation?  If not you should investigate the area to see what you can feel.

Do you hear this sound when you go about your daily activities?  If not there are probably two possibilities either it's been happening for a long time but it's too subtle for you to notice until you started meditating, or when you meditate you are tensing up or forcing the breathing causing the sound.

Either way this is an interesting experience to investigate, can you become more aware and relaxed around it, are you tensing up and making it worse etc

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Meditation, Practice And The Path / Back cracking while inhaling during meditation

« Last post by Chaska on July 10, 2019, 11:48:51 AM »

It might seems like a weird question.
But who knows maybe it happens to some of you.

Since 2018 every time I do my 1hour sitting my upper back is « cracking every time I inhale. And then it keeps cracking during the day and at night at the same spot (probably more than 100 times a day). I went to doctor, osteopath etc.. but they don’t have answers, it is so small it’s a tiny crack deep near the spinal cord.

It is difficult to meditate with it sometimes because it distracts me (when I am doing the Vipassana part by part technique) as most of the time I inhale it does crack and it tends to keep my attention to the sensations near by.

Any advice? Or similar experiences in the past?

Thanks for you help and metta 🙏🏼

10

Meditation, Practice And The Path / Re: Dark night got me spooked

« Last post by mobius on July 09, 2019, 06:50:00 PM »

Thanks for the link.
Btw, just in case it wasn't clear, my other questions were for Travis, not directly about A&P