Sloth/Torpor vs Back Pain
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 3:17 am
Well, the title kind of describes it all.
If I use my buckwheat zafu for some reason I tend to fall asleep a lot more but I don't appear to have any back pain. When I don't use my zafu I tend to get much better concentration, focus, and deeper meditation BUT my mid back starts to hurt and it gets tight in one spot. I meditate for 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening doing breath meditation(anapanasati).
I sit in half lotus and from time to time burmese.
Things I have tried:
No meditation to get back to a point of no pain nor tightness - Still came back.
Ice and hot packs - it helps, but not a good long term solution.
Ibuprofen - Helps with pain, but tightness remains.
Checked posture on zafu - I could not discern any particular slouching or anything that would cause me to be more sleepy.
Checked posture off zafu - l had my wife check my posture and she says that everything looks good.
Normally this wouldn't even be a problem to be honest, but I am doing a retreat in about 3 months time and it's a 10 day Goenka retreat and although I am confident that I could sit through the pain; it doesn't necessarily mean that I should.
The only thing I could think of doing was taking out some of the buckwheat until I find a middle ground. Any other suggestions?
(FYI I do plan on going to a chiropractor to at least be checked to make sure nothing is wrong)
If I use my buckwheat zafu for some reason I tend to fall asleep a lot more but I don't appear to have any back pain. When I don't use my zafu I tend to get much better concentration, focus, and deeper meditation BUT my mid back starts to hurt and it gets tight in one spot. I meditate for 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening doing breath meditation(anapanasati).
I sit in half lotus and from time to time burmese.
Things I have tried:
No meditation to get back to a point of no pain nor tightness - Still came back.
Ice and hot packs - it helps, but not a good long term solution.
Ibuprofen - Helps with pain, but tightness remains.
Checked posture on zafu - I could not discern any particular slouching or anything that would cause me to be more sleepy.
Checked posture off zafu - l had my wife check my posture and she says that everything looks good.
Normally this wouldn't even be a problem to be honest, but I am doing a retreat in about 3 months time and it's a 10 day Goenka retreat and although I am confident that I could sit through the pain; it doesn't necessarily mean that I should.
The only thing I could think of doing was taking out some of the buckwheat until I find a middle ground. Any other suggestions?
(FYI I do plan on going to a chiropractor to at least be checked to make sure nothing is wrong)