Weird energies, panting and involuntary postures (but no panic)

[p340]

Hello meditators,

i learned a lot from this site and i'm meditating on a daily basis for about 4 month now. I really enjoy my practice and i truly feel the key to success (if you like to call it that) is remembering the right things in the right moments. Sometimes when i remember a teaching or a instruction an can fully commit to it strange things happen.

Examples:

1. After very restless 20 minutes of meditation (with which i can make peace directly, it felt just like it was part of the story), i remembered the teaching of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and asked (but quite without words) *Who am i?* which was followed by the immediate perception of *Not these thoughts, not thinking* and *something beyond*. This realization lasted about 10 seconds and was accompanied by (all involuntary) heavy breathing or panting, strong but very pleasant energy flowing up my body and me losing my posture like a dropping head. Then it ended and i started my normal practice again.

2. Same thing happens sometimes when i truly try to accept myself, me existing as the one i am in the moment that is. The amount of honestness with which i do this results in the strength of these bodily phenomena, which tend to feel spastic but pleasant.

The third and really weird story i will only tell if there is interest

What do you think that is? A good friend of mine who really lives yoga called out kundalini, but i don't think this is right. I don't hold the 8 percepts, i don't practice any yoga etc. It doesn't seem adequate for me to achieve some form of enlightenment nor do i want to.

I'm not panicking, i just enjoy it and wonder myself what it could be or "mean". Then i thought: Why not ask the forums! They've been helpful before!

[Quardamon]

Hello p340,

You mention that you feel that the key to success is remembering the right things in the right moments. And then you mention two examples.
You mention that you remember the teaching of a maharaj, and you do as his teaching sais - you ask "who am I ?". The reaction that you get is in keeping with the teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
It reassures me, that after it ended, you restarted your normal practice.

In your second example, you speak of truly accepting yourself and you mention the effect of the amount of honesty. You have involuntary reactions in your body, your energy, and you feel pleasant sensations.

If I understand well, you mention a few short moments, where the process is taking over. You mention how you get into this process: You ask a question, you truly accept yourself.
You mention how you make sure that the process will be OK: Remembering the right thing in the right moment, existing as the one you are in the moment that is.`
You mention things that will help you not to be overwhelmed by such a process: Going back to your normal practice; enjoying it and wondering what it could be.

I am not interested in hearing a weird story. What I am interested in, is that you stay on the right track when your sense of self changes. From what you wrote, I would say that you are OK.

If you know little about this Sri Nisargadatta, I encourage you to read about him.

Thanks for sharing.

[p340]

Hey Quardamon, tanks for reading and answering. I guess i just wanted to share my experiences and talk about it. I do not know many people who would understand this kind of sensations in real life.

You understood me perfectly, for which i am very grateful!

I read a few things about Nisargadatta and was reading 'I am that' but stopped half way through. The more i read, the more often weird moments of 'realization' kept taking over my perceptions, which very often left me afraid and alienated by my surroundings. I had the feeling that these Q&A's with him were opening doors in me way to fast for me to cope with it. So i dropped reading stuff like that for now.

At the moment i focus more on loving kindness and 'classic' mindfulness f.e. with the teachings of Ajahn Brahm to keep me sane...

[p340]

You mention things that will help you not to be overwhelmed by such a process: Going back to your normal practice; enjoying it and wondering what it could be.

I am not interested in hearing a weird story. What I am interested in, is that you stay on the right track when your sense of self changes. From what you wrote, I would say that you are OK.

Thanks for this part. You pointed my awareness towards the fact what a useful coping mechanism i already have going for me. I'm trying to focus more on what i can rather than what i do not.

[Quardamon]

I had the feeling that these Q&A's with him were opening doors in me way too fast for me to cope with it. So I dropped reading stuff like that for now.

Again: that sounds proper to me.

Do you live a proper life? In Buddhist terms, that would be the eightfold path. But I mean in the sense that you live a useful life, take care of your health and maybe that of others, exercise, interact with people of different walks of life, enjoy humour and creativity, etc.    I ask, because you mention keeping yourself sane. Those normal things do have some power to keep one sane, once the spiritual is doing its own work anyway.

[p340]

Hm. I do not follow the eightfold path. But i try to be a good person, if that counts. But you guessed right, at the moment the 'normal' things go a little short. Again some good advise, i will strengthen my effort in establishing more of them.

[Stefan]

I think of this the same way as Quardamom does: it is reassuring that you simply go on with your practice after a weird experience. There will be more weird experiences, some of them quite disturbing, some of them oh so blissfull. It is important to go with them, observing them, and then return to practice. Not giving them too much attention, not trying to ignore them.

I was sitting in deep meditation when suddenly a fly landed on my nose. And my sensual universe exploded (I have no words to actually describe this experience). It was a unique experience that left me shaking uncontrollably. When my body reactions ceased, at first I was like "oh man what am I to do now?", then after some minutes, I sat down and continued with practice. What else could I have done?

As for "The Marvellous Omannobazong!!!": he loves to hear a weird story! go ahead ... 

[p340]

haha well.. reassuring!

3. Story:

I was sitting in meditation for about 15-20 minutes, when i felt the wish for a "master" to touch/work on problematic points on/in my body. It's important to mention that this is by far not my normal vocabulary. Everything about Gurus and masters doesn't feel very important, i honor good advise but i don't go crazy about the person, i guess you get what i mean.

So i had this urge for being "touched" in a spiritual way and then someone stood in front of me. This was in my imagination of course but i felt quite passive. I recognized the "master" was me and then he suddenly touched a place on my ribcage which has been feeling slightly odd as long as i can think back. No pain, just as if it was a weak spot, as if something there was missing, muscles? I don't know.
He then stuck his arm through this point into my ribcage, with his whole arm in me. While it was a pleasant feeling i immediately collapsed on this side, my upper body fell to the left, and i "awoke" hanging on my left side.
As always i just got on with my practice.

My interpretation? Maybe i have some very visual and narrative self-healing processes going for me? This could result out of the ways my mind work... I wanted to research this exact spot in my body further, but had forgotten about it until now. I can keep you posted

Thanks for reading my bumpy english
P

[Stefan]

  yeees ... this is exactly the weird stuff that keeps happening during meditation

.... I once experienced having two bodies. One kept sitting upright in meditation while the other one got bored and laid down for a rest ...

[Matthew]

Hi p340,

Back to your first post remembering is synonymous with mindfulness or Sati (Pali/Sanskrit) so I would agree you are on a healthy track.

Quardamon gives a good way of looking at it, "I ask, because you mention keeping yourself sane. Those normal things do have some power to keep one sane, once the spiritual is doing its own work anyway. "

Kindly,

Matthew

[p340]

  yeees ... this is exactly the weird stuff that keeps happening during meditation

.... I once experienced having two bodies. One kept sitting upright in meditation while the other one got bored and laid down for a rest ...

Haha. I didn't know this is common As a very critical (some times to critical) person i enjoy these things a lot. they surprise me! i love getting surprised!

I even can tell you a new story, maybe this will be the WeirdStoryThread, sounds like my thing.

I was sitting for 30 minutes as i began recognizing that a part of my mind was sitting in a totally different room, like through a shadow of darkness i could see a large room. It's interior looked a lot like i would imagine a religious room or even a meditation room. A part of me was sitting inside meditating. A person with dark hair came towards me while i was meditating and gently pulled my eyelid up as if he was checking my consciousness, i could see his very interested looking facial expression. Then it vanished.