Tensed up

[Korpo]

Even after years of energy work my body is in parts very tense. I definitely can see long-term improvement when it comes to general flexibility, health and also parts of my body where I reduced the tenseness of the muscles and tissues. But the fact of the tenseness remains.

What frustrates me about it is that this also affects meditation attempts. Meditation on any body sensation basically triggers the tenseness to become very noticeable. I focus for example on the breath travelling down the center of my body. Or the expansion of my abdomen during breathing. All of it triggers the sensation, and more than the sensation.

The real trouble, actually, is that it not only triggers the sensation as something to be acknowledged, but it changes it, too. The muscles start in my right shoulder for example start to tense up and wind up in a knot, the sensation not only changes but the body moves and I also react with shudders and movements. In fact, the muscles and joints make crackling noises when tensing up and when unwinding. It's all more than a bit unnerving, a mixture of renewing irritation, also exhausting.

Going into it has proved this can go on and on, as if there were ever more layers to this. Just continueing to practice has not proved easy either. I'm unsure, actually, how to deal with this. Even the slightest turning inward of the attention, right at the beginning of the meditation, triggers the energy flows that then hit the blocks and cause all the associated phenomena.

Anyone else having similar effects?

Oliver

[jasis]

Hi Korpo,

I used to have a similar problem, also focussing on the movement of breath. The solution which worked for me was to change my meditation so that now I do not focus on the breath, which to me is in some way focussing on the physical, but rather on an internal mantra. In fact, I favour the mantra rather than focus on it. http://www.aypsite.org has all the info. Worth a look and it worked for me.

I hope this helps.

Love and Light,
Jasis

[Korpo]

Thank you, jasis.

Oliver

[Alienor]

Have you tried working with regression therapy using the tensed up areas as the pointer where to go? For me it sounds very much like a blockade/past life memory trying to get your attention.

[Korpo]

That sounds interesting. I wanted to check out being hypnotized for a long time, anway.

Thank you,
Oliver

[psionickx]

The solution which worked for me was to change my meditation so that now I do not focus on the breath, which to me is in some way focussing on the physical, but rather on an internal mantra.

Absolutely same here.I would get "sucked in" on breath awareness and couldnt cut deep into postural muscle and fascia.This more or less impedes my desire to phase rapidly beyond trance states while body is still sustaining tension.
Initially my mantra-jappa was out a loud then it turned out that internalized mantras do quite a job engaging superficial conciousness into submission.
Personally is suspect a link between igniting silent areas of the brain to life with sacred sound repetition- like ripples on water surface gain magnitude , till momentum builds up and spills to reverberation.

[Korpo]

So, which mantras were you voicing internally?

I have to agree with the suggestions here, there's surely a reason why there are different forms of meditation. I actually modified my breath meditation, too, and it works now better for me.

Oliver

[psionickx]

I definitely can see long-term improvement when it comes to general flexibility

In fact, the muscles and joints make crackling noises when tensing up and when unwinding
assess your standing risk-profile , evaluate causality to negate possibility of pathophysiological etiology against applied bioenergetics.
personally for me after years of ballet , pilates and yoga -it generally fares well to keep tympanic membranes taut , listening to your own musculature....hmmmmm but then again i've been suspect to contortion induced endorphin surges.


which mantras were you voicing internally?

sacred sound repetition

Bija is Seed.Mantram is a mystic sound.Sanchalana means conduction.
The practice of Bija Mantra Sanchalana - "un-scabbards" so to speak the sword in a word, moving beyond the mechanical reverberation this metaphysical katana , does a decent job ,at least for me, cutting away through muscle and fascia.
Sacred Names of Divinity - mantra jappa here is dualistic.While the lower levels of conciousness are engaged with repetition the inherent power of these words manifests in your psyche , once experienced the taste can be kind of ...potently sweet.
Analogies dont too well here....but it could possibly be one swift arrow to two sweet prey.


Tool's 46 & 2 - evolution cant entirely double helical , autosomes only go so far.I did warm upto Jung's shadow-archetypes though....then i read his work in The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga....left me cold.
Did tinker with the idea of buying 10,000 days...hmmmm cant remember what happened there :roll:

[jasis]

I use the mantra IAM, sounding as AYAM. Nothing to do with "I am". The idea of deep meditation with the IAM mantra is to gradually and gently purify the human neuro biological system so that, with daily practice and over time, the natural inner light of our divine nature is able to shine out more, resulting in a state of increased bliss and joy in normal daily life. The technique is simple, subtle and it works.

Take a look at the topic of deep meditation on http://www.aypsite.org for a very thorough introduction.

Love and Light
Jasis

[drax]

Id i record a mantram in a cellphone its going to work?

[heliac]

Hi Korpo,

I've noticed this happening to me as well but only under certain conditions.

If energy work or progressive relaxation is done without some spirit is when i have noticed this tension occurring. Or i guess in other words if progressive relaxation or energy work is done mechanically and without emotion is when i have noticed the tension occurring.

Deeper relaxation, the kind that kicks you into trance pretty quick, can occur if positive higher emotion(deep/pure love, joy, gratitude) is mixed with progressive relaxation and energy work.

[sono2]

Hi Korpo,

I used to have a similar problem, also focussing on the movement of breath. The solution which worked for me was to change my meditation so that now I do not focus on the breath, which to me is in some way focussing on the physical, but rather on an internal mantra. In fact, I favour the mantra rather than focus on it. http://www.aypsite.org has all the info. Worth a look and it worked for me.

Just my quick 2c worth. too - I also found that focussing on breath makes one too consciously attached to the process; it made my heart race & breathing became quite unnatural. That was long ago; nowadays I use 2 or 3 mantras to calm the mind -waves for a few minutes, & then go into the void. Sometimes the gayatri mantra "plays" very subtly throughout, without my consciously concentrating on it.

Do you do yoga, Korpo? That should help for the tensing of the body; so should grounding. I find when I feel very "light" or "abstract", the body tenses (probably trying to hold on to 3D!) I have also used mantras mentally placed in different parts of the anatomy help.

[Korpo]

Funny that you guys replied so recently. I was to write something about my dealing with tension, and have been contemplating this since yesterday I guess.

For years I've been doing my techniques for releasing blocks. My most recent attempts have proven to be very effective, I'm now finally getting to the deeper muscular layers, I think. A perceived tension may release and shift within 1-3 conscious breaths. My body is still wound into itself, I'm currently resolving tension from the abdomen outward. It's good that the rate of progress is so good, because there's still a lot to do.

The strong bodily tension has been a problem that has accompanied me for many years, but I feel I have been making progress on this. I think it's one of the many conditions sensitive people can develop as reaction to stressors. In my case I put some effort into releasing this most days with energy work meditation and maintaining a basic fitness regime.

I don't do Yoga, but I do stretching from Qigong exercises, only I do them rather irregularly... I tried doing a variant of Yoga, but I find even that gentle variant to not work for me. I can't assume the postures.

[sono2]

Am I going nuts? I am sure I posted a link to some amazing chanting by Mokurai in this thread?:whatthe:

[CFTraveler]

I haven't deleted anything, as you have full linking privileges. Maybe in another thread?

[drax]

What if i record the mantram and play again and again in a cellphone? its going to work?:confused: