Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

Hi,

I have been noticing this for more than a year now; sometimes, when I get into a very relaxed state of concentration after watching the breath, my throat starts to hurt. My posture causes no tension at all in the throat area, and the rest of my body and mind are very peaceful, so I notice it in somewhat detached way. And then I start salivating, and pressure starts appearing on the left side of my face. Sometimes my left eye cries, sometimes both. There is no particular emotion associated with this. Sometimes I get through it to a very comfortable and pleasant state, and sometimes I have to stop to spit all the excess saliva. It happened so many times now that I'm starting to wonder what it's all about.

Does anyone else get this?

Hi kizma

It doesn't happen too frequently, but I have had the experience where the swallowing reflex seems to have been put on hold for the duration of sitting and I've ended the meditation choking on an enormous mouthful of spittle.
I also suffer from gastro-oesophagal reflux and find sore throats are quite common after practice.

Perhaps experimenting with the water element as an object of meditation could help us
(And more mindfulness, less concentration perhaps?)

The salivation is very common. Try resting the tongue so the tips is against the roof of your mouth near the top of your front teeth. The saliva will naturally drain.
As for the other aches and pains, the expression of your tear ducts - this could be the result of unconscious tensioning and relaxing of the muscles in the head. I would be very surprised that in time it doesn't just dissipate on its own. In the meantime, keep your attention on the meditation object.
kind regards,

Ben

Hi,

It happened again while meditating last night.
What's most interesting is the pain is accompanied by an itchy sensation at the back of the throat. The type that you can relieve by coughing.
The whole experience went away pretty quickly this time.

It doesn't happen too frequently, but I have had the experience where the swallowing reflex seems to have been put on hold for the duration of sitting and I've ended the meditation choking on an enormous mouthful of spittle

I'm happy to know I'm not alone.
There seems to be a precise moment near the end of the in-breath where swallowing doesn't seem to cause to much trouble to concentration. When I start noticing an accumulation of saliva, I'll wait until the appropriate moment and then swallow.

The salivation is very common. Try resting the tongue so the tips is against the roof of your mouth near the top of your front teeth. The saliva will naturally drain.
As for the other aches and pains, the expression of your tear ducts - this could be the result of unconscious tensioning and relaxing of the muscles in the head. I would be very surprised that in time it doesn't just dissipate on its own. In the meantime, keep your attention on the meditation object.
kind regards,
Ben

I will regard all of this as temporary and allow it to happen while it lasts while staying focused on the breath.
Still kind of curious about why it's still happening, but oh well. I'll let that go too.

Thanks for your help.

I sympathise with your curiosity kizma. There have been times in my sitting career where various psycho-physical "artifacts" of practice have arisen and I would have liked to understand their aetiology. Discuss them with a medic and preferably one with a good solid meditation practice.
But you will notice that as you continue to sit, such phenomena occur less frequently, and your interest in them lessens.