What Does Meditation Feel Like: Things I Learned About Meditation

What does it feel like to meditate? Meditation beginners, like any other new activity, are constantly curious about what to expect in order to determine whether or not they are performing it correctly. According to Jiddu Krishnamurti, an Indian speaker and writer, the mind must be exceptionally calm and tranquil in order to perceive the infinite. So, should you expect complete silence or a mix of emotions when meditating?

Meditation, according to Yoga International, is a practice or technique for relaxing the mind and achieving a level of consciousness that is completely distinct from the normal waking experience. It is sitting still for minutes or hours, strictly watching the mind and doing nothing else. Meditation, which originated in ancient Vedic India, is a technique that aims to connect oneself to one’s deep inner self, and it is one of the modalities used in Ayurveda, or the Science of Life. As a science, this technique has established principles, follows a specific order, and delivers verifiable outcomes.

Meditation Emotions and Experiences: How Does Meditation Feel?

Every beginner, as well as some seasoned meditators, becomes sidetracked. Instead of focusing on your breathing, your mind may draw you to consider your fears, hopes, and plans. Even if this happens, don’t quit because your ability to focus on meditating will improve over time. You’ll start to enjoy the subtle meditation experiences that affirm you’re on the right track, and these distractions will have less of an impact on your emotions of serenity and fullness that comes with meditation.

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It is worth noting that meditation views humans as comprised of the physical body, inner faculty, and deep inner self. The physical body is the usual tangible appearance, whereas the inner faculty is the constantly changing working awareness that includes the mind (which analyzes sensory perceptions), intellect (which assesses, discriminates, decides, and judgments), ego (doer and experiencer), and Chitta (stores all memories and impressions of life). Finally, the deep inner self is the constant pure consciousness that is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, creativity, and natural laws that regulate life.

What Should You Consider While Meditating?

Worrying about whether or not you are in deep meditation might damage your experience. As a result, avoid thinking about it when meditating. Approach meditation with an open mind. It is acceptable to let your thoughts wander, according to Elite Daily’s expert viewpoint.

Meditation ideas can be influenced by the technique used, which can include concentration, contemplation, guided meditation, the use of natural sounds such as the ocean, mantra, contemplative movement exercises such as yoga and tai chi, qigong, and breathing exercises. Raja yoga meditation, for example, is a meditative yoga of the mind that focuses on calming the mind and bringing it to a single point of attention. All of these strategies operate on several levels, including the mind, senses, emotions, and intellect. Others are more difficult to learn and practice than others.

Meditation Emotions

According to Declutter The Mind, meditation is not a single feeling, despite the fact that persons sitting still and even expressionlessly may be experiencing a maelstrom of emotions. It is a far deeper and more involved practice than simply using breathing techniques to attain a meditative state. One meditation session may elicit a combination of the three main meditation feelings, which are:

• Frustration – The sense that everything you’re doing is pointless, that it’s not going well, that it’s unproductive, or that you’re a failure. Frustration can cause fatigue, restlessness, and boredom.
• Calmness – A deep and tranquil form of serenity, a sense of time slowing down in which the mind stops racing and ideas settle down. It is one of the most popular meditation experiences, and it is what keeps many people coming back to the practice even after multiple instances of irritation. It gives you a sense of fulfillment to remain in the present moment, and it may even persist after the practice.
• Vastness – This is a state of clarity in which the mind appears to have enlarged, frequently after extended periods of calm when the brain is at rest, and then something switches. The mind appears to be as empty, large, and beautiful as a clear blue sky. Your cluttered mind starts to clear, and you feel empty and clean.

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If you’ve tried meditation previously but couldn’t sit through a session because of all the thoughts racing through your mind, impulses stealing control, or overwhelming feelings that arise the moment you sink into the silence, it’s just because you didn’t have the correct instruction.

Experience with Meditation

Meditation teaches you the distinction between analyzing your feelings and simply watching them. We always evaluate and act on our thoughts, but meditation teaches you to handle mental occurrences differently by letting them go. The following will occur if you are meditating correctly:

• Concentration has improved. Because mindfulness meditation emphasizes nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, the ability to comfortably concentrate on one activity at a time demonstrates that meditation is effective. Because you are more in tune with the present, you become less concerned about the future and work more efficiently on the current single task. You can try counting your out-breaths; if you can count up to 10 without losing track, you’ve made substantial progress.
• Wonderful Meditation Experience. Instead of fretting about the event, concentrate on what you are experiencing right now and maintain an impartial stance. The awareness proves that your meditation is effective. It is common for your sensations to be different than usual while in meditation. For example, they may intensify; therefore, do not attempt to explain, imitate, or even reject these sensations. Actual progress occurs when you are able to maintain a very natural and objective awareness of whatever arises without grasping at it in any way.
• Other People Have Noticed Changes. Meditation has both physical and psychological effects on those around them.

How Does Deep Meditation Feel?

Thoughts, judgments, ideas, and perceptions muddle the mind, yet in profound meditation, there is usually a vastness of consciousness that feels like clarity (8). The transition into deep meditation, like falling asleep, can be delicate, and you may unwittingly sink deep into this level of tranquillity.

Indications That You Were Deeply Meditating

What does it feel like to meditate for hours? After a session, you can assess whether or not you went deep. Common symptoms include:

You Forgot You Were Meditating.

Deep meditation would imply a significant loss of awareness, therefore if you thought you were meditating while practicing, you were not. Keep your thoughts busy with other things. This is why some meditation approaches use a yantra, mantra, or breath awareness to gently distract your mind from surface awareness and make you forget you’re meditating.

I’m becoming lost in my thoughts.

As you meditate intensely, your mind gradually shifts from surface awareness to subtle awareness and, eventually, no awareness. You will be thinking about non-meditative things along the path, and resisting thoughts may re-excite the mind, therefore welcoming the thoughts continues to de-excite and may cause you to lose all awareness.

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Time travel.

If you felt that time was passing too quickly, you were in profound meditation. For example, suppose the meditation lasted 30 minutes but you felt like it lasted just 15 minutes and you can’t recall what you were thinking about during the last 15 minutes. It means you immersed yourself in meditation.

Total relaxation.

You may have started the session with your back straight and your chin lifted, but by the end, your back had bent, your chin had lowered, and you may have even drooled. This could be an indication that you let yourself to let go and were really immersed in the moment—outwardly, you appear to be sleeping, but you felt like you were still sitting upright.

Breathing is shallow.

Another clue that you were deeply meditating is that you took a deep gasp of air right after because the rate at which you breathe is related to the quantity of rest you get during the meditation session. When you jog, read, sleep, or meditate, your breathing rate changes. It may fall even lower than when you sleep. You may briefly cease breathing, followed by a deep intake of air before returning to normal.

What Does Awareness Feel Like in Meditation?

According to the indicators listed above, losing awareness is a symptom of the most profound levels of meditation. Because your mind transforms to a more subtle type of awareness and you become less self-conscious, you may progressively release the limitations of self-centeredness (10). For a period, emotional tensions and physical pain may disappear, and you may feel at peace. Breathing may slow down when deeply meditating. Furthermore, profound meditation alters your perception of time, making it seem to pass either faster or much slower.

Understand that the absence of the aforementioned effects does not suggest that your meditation was useless. There will be moments when your experience is more on the surface than others, so don’t conclude that deep experiences are better than surface ones. Be judgment-free; you will enjoy deep meditations more since you will have fewer expectations of what you should feel and embrace in the moment. Be apathetic to all experiences, be constant, and avoid having too many expectations, particularly in the first few days, weeks, or months.

The Body And Meditation

Meditation involves not just the mind, but also the body (8). At the start of the session, you may experience odd aches, scratchiness, or tingling. The body feels the disappointments of the mind, and you may desire to stand up or even give up. You may feel fatigued at times, with your body feeling heavy, sleepy, and sluggish. Remember that these are only feelings that you must overcome in order to experience more positive physiological experiences.

The body feels light, airy, flexible, and elastic when it is tranquil. From the toes to the head, a gentle warmth radiates, making the entire body feel tranquil and quiet. At the pinnacle of meditation, the body is completely relaxed, free of tension and lethargy.

What Motivates People to Meditate?

There are numerous reasons why people meditate. You can practice contemplative yoga or meditate for spiritual or energy objectives. Meditating makes you more comfortable, serene, and happy.

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This practice has the following advantages:

• Reducing stress and sadness through diverting the mind’s focus away from concern, ideas, thoughts, goals, and other stressors, resulting in peace of mind and tranquility. A randomized controlled trial published in The Permanente Journal, for example, indicates that a transcendental meditation program can help personnel working in a therapeutic school for adolescents with behavioral problems reduce psychological discomfort.
• Sitting still while experiencing various emotions teaches you how to deal with both comfortable and uncomfortable situations in order to fulfill life’s demands with poise and grace.
• Increasing the formation of white blood cells and antibodies, which improves the immunological response.
• Increasing adaptability energy makes you less resistant to life changes.
• Increasing creativity, daily performance, IQ, and sleep quality.
• Reducing both physical and psychological discomfort.
• Reduces sympathetic overstimulation and lowers cholesterol and smoking.
• Assisting you in being a more positive influence in your personal life, at home, at work, and in society as a whole.
• According to meditators, following meditation, you may feel more energetic, charged, refreshed, content, and deeply connected with a completeness.
• It improves concentration, attention, and decision-making abilities.
• Clears the mind to organize it and makes one think better, be more patient, and feel less nervous. Recent research show that this approach complements treatment and is a low-cost helpful technique of offering support for persons experiencing anxiety, healthcare workers, patients, caregivers, and the general public during crises like as the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• Gives life and mental balance.

Conclusion.

Meditation should be simple. Instead, be present at the moment and notice it without judging whether it is the correct or erroneous feeling. The total experience of meditation is indescribable. It cannot be fully conveyed by mere mental and physical feelings. Spiritual meditators may describe it as a holy experience since they are transported to a level beyond humans. Because everyone feels differently while meditating, the purpose of this practice is to allow yourself to have a truly deep experience rather than to feel something specific.

What does it feel like to meditate? You now know enough about this practice to realize that the emphasis should not be on selecting your meditation experiences, but on welcoming the different feelings and thoughts that emerge during the practice. Learning to appreciate and let go of everything that passes through your mind is vital on this mindful road. Remember to get expert assistance before beginning your meditation journey to ensure that you do it correctly.