Does anyone know a relaxation technique that will aloww you to get to a point when you no longer feel your body?
How to deal with the swallowing reflex after laying still for long periods of time?
Thanks for the attention
Relaxation Technique (to no longer feel your body)
Re: Relaxation Technique (to no longer feel your body)
Blessings AlephAyin,
In the Classical Yoga Traditions Patanjali teaches us a good meditation process that can be applied to any style of meditation – body relaxation techniques included. The following is a very simplistic break down of his Eight Limb Yoga:
Free yourself of mental clutter, worry, anxiety, fear, and so forth (Yama)
Align your space, body and mind with your intention (Niyama)
Relax the body (Asana)
Calm the breath (Pranayama)
Withdraw your attention from external stimuli (Pratyahara)
Concentrate on one thing (Dharana)
Refine your focus (Dhyana)
Let go (Samadhi)
Granted, one little reply is not sufficient to answer your question, but the sum of the Yogic Path is to fuse your consciousness with your chosen focal point – be that God or a pile of dung. In other words, unify your consciousness with whatever you choose to focus on. When you do that, the body naturally drops away.
So to answer your question, any relaxation technique will lead you to that "point when you no longer feel your body?" The key is focus. If your mind is wondering, if you get fixated on some distraction, swallowing for instance, your mind will continue to waver and pull your attention to random things, which in turn, will keep you in your body. Although, in some extreme cases it can pull you away from your body, just not in a healthy or balanced way.
Having said that, here is the good news, when you watch a movie, read an engrossing novel, obsessively fantasize about something: where is that body of yours?
My point in the above question is to show you that you already do things that allow you to forget about the body and be fully in the mind. Are you focused on swallowing all the time while watching a movie?
Okay, now you know you can do it, the hard part is believing it. When I first started meditating, saliva was a really big deal, it would build up in my mouth and ruin my meditations. Then one day it just stopped being a distraction. I stopped fixating on it, stopped worrying about it: that is a big one, the worrying. Now, even when those moments arise, I just swallow without losing my focus.
As for how I overcame this issue, it is all about focus. If we can truly focus on one thing, the body takes over and does what it does best without our conscious interference: it works and lives. Trust in that, and you will find that in time, you can relax and allow the body to do its thing. For the truth is, during the day you are probably not self-conscious and worried about the body or even paying attention to it, and you know what, you are still breathing.
And that brings us to my answer: what sense of the body do you find most conducive towards meditation. Is it sensation, thinking, smelling, seeing, hearing, tasting, etc… Which sense do you naturally connect with, that naturally draws your attention in. I am a feeler, so my meditations often focus on internal sensations. My wife is a seer, so visualization works really well with her. My son is a hearer, so music really helps him focus and disengage from the physical plane. My point is, knowing which sense you naturally resonant with will really help you focus, and eventually, transcend the physical plane.
Granted, you might connect with more than one sense. That is great. Just utilize one to help you focus. Too many dimensions split the focus, like a water hose with a thumb on it: when we split the water stream we weaken it, spreading out the energy, which spreads the focus. Just focus on one thing.
Bringing all this together, when working with a body relaxation technique, focus on the area you are working with. If you need audio stimuli, then verbally state which area you are relaxing, tighten the muscles, and then relax them. If you are a seer, then visualize the area. If you are a feeler, then feel the area you are seeking to relax. But remember, it is all about focus: FOCUS. The more aligned you are with your focus, the less outside sensations and internal mental distractions will arise. Eventually, as you hone your focus, you will find the body naturally dissolves on its own. No need to worry about it.
As for the hard part, for most of us, it takes a long time to hone the focus. While there are extreme moments when we are really focused, such as when we are doing something we really like. But for the most part, the mind and bodily sensations are vying for our attention, and when we are meditating, we really get to see this. Just be patient with yourself, keep practicing, don't be too rigid or too lose, and try to enjoy yourself. You will get it.
I hope this has given you something to think about.
Be Blessed,
Suba
In the Classical Yoga Traditions Patanjali teaches us a good meditation process that can be applied to any style of meditation – body relaxation techniques included. The following is a very simplistic break down of his Eight Limb Yoga:
Free yourself of mental clutter, worry, anxiety, fear, and so forth (Yama)
Align your space, body and mind with your intention (Niyama)
Relax the body (Asana)
Calm the breath (Pranayama)
Withdraw your attention from external stimuli (Pratyahara)
Concentrate on one thing (Dharana)
Refine your focus (Dhyana)
Let go (Samadhi)
Granted, one little reply is not sufficient to answer your question, but the sum of the Yogic Path is to fuse your consciousness with your chosen focal point – be that God or a pile of dung. In other words, unify your consciousness with whatever you choose to focus on. When you do that, the body naturally drops away.
So to answer your question, any relaxation technique will lead you to that "point when you no longer feel your body?" The key is focus. If your mind is wondering, if you get fixated on some distraction, swallowing for instance, your mind will continue to waver and pull your attention to random things, which in turn, will keep you in your body. Although, in some extreme cases it can pull you away from your body, just not in a healthy or balanced way.
Having said that, here is the good news, when you watch a movie, read an engrossing novel, obsessively fantasize about something: where is that body of yours?
My point in the above question is to show you that you already do things that allow you to forget about the body and be fully in the mind. Are you focused on swallowing all the time while watching a movie?
Okay, now you know you can do it, the hard part is believing it. When I first started meditating, saliva was a really big deal, it would build up in my mouth and ruin my meditations. Then one day it just stopped being a distraction. I stopped fixating on it, stopped worrying about it: that is a big one, the worrying. Now, even when those moments arise, I just swallow without losing my focus.
As for how I overcame this issue, it is all about focus. If we can truly focus on one thing, the body takes over and does what it does best without our conscious interference: it works and lives. Trust in that, and you will find that in time, you can relax and allow the body to do its thing. For the truth is, during the day you are probably not self-conscious and worried about the body or even paying attention to it, and you know what, you are still breathing.
And that brings us to my answer: what sense of the body do you find most conducive towards meditation. Is it sensation, thinking, smelling, seeing, hearing, tasting, etc… Which sense do you naturally connect with, that naturally draws your attention in. I am a feeler, so my meditations often focus on internal sensations. My wife is a seer, so visualization works really well with her. My son is a hearer, so music really helps him focus and disengage from the physical plane. My point is, knowing which sense you naturally resonant with will really help you focus, and eventually, transcend the physical plane.
Granted, you might connect with more than one sense. That is great. Just utilize one to help you focus. Too many dimensions split the focus, like a water hose with a thumb on it: when we split the water stream we weaken it, spreading out the energy, which spreads the focus. Just focus on one thing.
Bringing all this together, when working with a body relaxation technique, focus on the area you are working with. If you need audio stimuli, then verbally state which area you are relaxing, tighten the muscles, and then relax them. If you are a seer, then visualize the area. If you are a feeler, then feel the area you are seeking to relax. But remember, it is all about focus: FOCUS. The more aligned you are with your focus, the less outside sensations and internal mental distractions will arise. Eventually, as you hone your focus, you will find the body naturally dissolves on its own. No need to worry about it.
As for the hard part, for most of us, it takes a long time to hone the focus. While there are extreme moments when we are really focused, such as when we are doing something we really like. But for the most part, the mind and bodily sensations are vying for our attention, and when we are meditating, we really get to see this. Just be patient with yourself, keep practicing, don't be too rigid or too lose, and try to enjoy yourself. You will get it.
I hope this has given you something to think about.
Be Blessed,
Suba
Life is to quick to be in a hurry: Slow down and Enjoy it!