Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
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Patrice
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Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:16 pm

Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by Patrice »

When I first started meditation, 20 min was a long painful experience. Few weeks later it was super easy. Then it was 1h that was a long and painful experience and after a while it got super easy. sometimes I find it too short. I never have any pain anymore and it's all good. Lately I have been trying 1h20 min and 1h30 min.
Boy I'm my legs makes me suffer. I haven't had pain like that in over a year. It's hard to guess but I start having trouble after about an hour (the time I'm use to meditate).

Does our body have some kind of internal clock that say "ok, this isn't what we agreed on. This is more than usual, let's be in pain" of something like that? Do you find it hard when you suddenly add some time to your meditation routine?
perkele
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Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by perkele »

I've never been able to develop a consistent meditation habit for long, and now I haven't sat down to meditate at all anymore for I think at least two years.
But for the short periods where I managed to keep up something of a habit, what you say sounds familiar.
Patrice wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2018 12:34 amDoes our body have some kind of internal clock that say "ok, this isn't what we agreed on. This is more than usual, let's be in pain" of something like that? Do you find it hard when you suddenly add some time to your meditation routine?
Yes. I always found it hard to increase the time when I had become used to a certain time interval. First there would be pain quite soon after the "usual" time. And it would take a few sessions to get over that and used to the new threshold.
But I also witnessed something in the opposite direction, while sitting on a retreat, where we had group sittings scheduled throughout the whole day. Sometimes (actually more often than not) the pain would suddenly evaporate as soon as the bell went off to signal the end of the session, so I could comfortably sit some more. That also seems to be a common phenomenon: As soon as one feels free to go the body does not feel oppressed anymore and does not produce pain to protest the harsh conditions. It's interesting.

Now I find it too painful to increase meditation time to something beyond zero. I can't even bring my legs to the ground anymore to a half-way comfortable cross-legged position.
User1249x
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Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by User1249x »

I am curious when you say that 20 minutes used to be painful are you talking about similar pain?
Caodemarte
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Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by Caodemarte »

Patrice wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2018 12:34 am When I first started meditation, 20 min was a long painful experience. Few weeks later it was super easy. .......Do you find it hard when you suddenly add some time to your meditation routine?
Some years ago I started with a 5-10 minute period and then went to a 40 minute period, I try to add time in 2 minute or so increments, continue that period for a week or so, add time and so on. A sudden change is quite difficult for me, but I find gradual change helpful.
Patrice
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Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:16 pm

Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by Patrice »

User1249x wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2018 1:40 am I am curious when you say that 20 minutes used to be painful are you talking about similar pain?
Not similar pain, no. Now it's more like my muscles tel me they have enough and become painful. Before, it was my legs going num and I hated it terribly.




@Caodemarte
You're right, little incensement would make it easier. I went from 60 to 80 min because I have time for it this week. I know next week will be different. I just thought I would take advantage of this slow week to meditate a little more :)
User1249x
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Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by User1249x »

Patrice wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2018 3:53 pm Not similar pain, no. Now it's more like my muscles tel me they have enough and become painful. Before, it was my legs going num and I hated it terribly.
What is this pain? do your legs go numb? Tremble? Twitching? Spazms? Piercing pain? Does it come and go? Does body get warm?

For me at 20 minutes legs used to go numb and become unbearably uncomfortable, so i had to change posture to continue.

Then i learned satipatthana meditation and decided to learn about this pain and my reactions to it. That was it basicly, stuff happened, i saw and learned about that pain and my reactions along with the power of patience, now pain is an interesting concept.
dharmacorps
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Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by dharmacorps »

My experience is that the body does adjust over time, but it is also variable. I can sit for up to an hour, but you have to do it consistently. If you do 20 minutes here, 40 minutes there, your body will "grumble" earlier. If you are consistent it seems to adapt. I would recommend to try siting longer to extend by 1 or 2 minutes each day your sitting time.
santa100
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Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by santa100 »

Patrice wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2018 12:34 am Boy I'm my legs makes me suffer. I haven't had pain like that in over a year. It's hard to guess but I start having trouble after about an hour (the time I'm use to meditate).
Listen to your body. Sharp pain is always a bad sign. Some useful tips and advice from a related thread here
Patrice
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Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:16 pm

Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by Patrice »

Thank you!
2600htz
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Re: Does your body adjust to your meditation time.

Post by 2600htz »

Hello:

This is just like any other physical activity.
You get kinda good with time, but you can also have injuries.
Meditation pain: you get up, its gone.
Serious pain: you get up, and the pain sticks.

Regards.
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