If too much meditation is always a bad thing then every senior Buddhist monk would be suffering the negative results of ‘over meditation’. Many of the famous Buddhist meditation teachers meditated for 10 – 12 hours or more per day for over 20 years.

Problems arise in meditation because we are training our minds to behave differently and we are no longer allowing it to roam free. Not everyone reacts positively to new experiences. This is why Buddha strongly emphasized the importance of equanimity in practice. Problems are due to attachment and aversion, not meditation. Meditation simply points them out to us and allows us to gain control.

During meditation you should be aiming to maintain a focus on an object and simply watch things arise and fall away. Don’t become adverse or attach to anything, just let it go (which it will do).

Another important point is that meditation is not something that is only done while sitting down with your eyes closed. Serious practice is meditating while sitting, walking, lying down, or doing the dishes. Monks will watch their breath all day long.

Alex’s tingling is the Kundalini flow. It’s a positive sign as it means you are freeing up energy. Keep practicing!

You will be able to find all kinds of things written about meditation, what is good and what isn’t. There are many different styles and many different opinions. You need to find the right style for you. If you are considering meditating for long periods of time, more than, say, 1/2 hour twice a day (which would be a lot for some people), I strongly suggest you get expert guidance.

All the best to you.

Also this answer to the question of if it is possible to meditate too much kept me from meditating all day like I was planning on doing since I had nothing else to do. I read from an article that it is extremely benificial to meditate for an hour a day and that for some if this is continued for a decade they can access the other part of their brain which normal people can not do.

thanks very much for all the help,

Alex

I had a little freeflow so it wasn’t 100% regarding meditation as focus / attention may not be as good but that blissed up feeling stronger.

I think the focus / attention is excellent in a closed eyes meditative state but the focus is either open, i.e experiencing the space or inward, internal focus / attention. All meditation produces a predominance of alpha simply because eyes closed automatically produce that frequency but also often an increase in theta. So, although attention / awareness may be very good you’re going to move much more gently or slowly and no doubt your voice will follow suit. Some meditation practices describe the “zone” as a predominance of alpha such as TM. Really what you want is a harmony / equal measure of all brainwaves, this is the real “zone”. Calm still mind, yet alert and ready like a cat quietly sitting there one moment and then chasing a mouse the next. This is the ideal state for day time.

If I could recommend my opinion of the ideal day it would like this:

Qigong a session any time between 5am & 7am.

Active morning

A 20 to 40 min closed eyes meditation shortly after lunch. This is siesta time but science has proven a meditation works better. Not essential to do this but this is just ideal scenario.

Active afternoon

Maybe 30 to 60 mins evening meditation and or something relaxing like give / recieve massage, chilled music etc.

Naturally the ying yang applies if you did something very active like a long run, then its reasonable to have an enjoyable rest if its needed.

Obviously weekends can vary. In an ideal world I think we would have more clubs to go dance / party but during the day, here in London we actually have quite a few parties during the day which is great. I used to love clubbing through the night but these days I can see how out of balance that is. I still love the music and the freedom of partying so I sometimes go to a day party, either outside or in a nightclubl. Once you’re in, it’s dark, you have the lasers, you can’t tell plus you have the energy to party without needing to drink which is another bonus as although I enjoy the odd beer I really don’t like getting drunk which is often the case during the evening as people need the fuel to stay awake. When you look at it like this you can see this is a funny example of how out of balance clubbing through the night can be. Mind you every now and then it’s still lots of fun. If it’s a regular occurance it can cause quite a bit of imbalance.

Yes on a spiritual note, we are all God’s children. I had a little inspiration last night when I was making dinner. I was making mash potato, I pre cooked a big bake potato but then decided I wanted to mash it. Bit of a random thing to draw inspiration from I know but I’m that kind of cat. So I plunged the potato plunger over the potato and lots of potato oozed through all the little holes. I noticed that under the plunger the potato was one big solid expression and the other side of the plunger there was many unique expressions. That is when it hit me. We are all the potato but we are all having our unique expression. If it was just the potato, who is conscious of the potato, where is the beauty, where is the dance? Subjectively the expressions can dance and play with each other in the space that exists between each expression. We are all god’s children, we are babies.

I here people say, what is the meaning of life? I find this very funny, I love skiing. Imagine the same urgent question was asked, what is the meaning of you putting planks on your feet and sliding down a hill? I would laugh, I would say there is no meaning, but if I had to give an awnser, I would say humorously, the meaning is joy, fun, to play & to love every second of it. Likewise this same answer can be applied to life.

I’m especially struck by your saying “When you sacrifice for something greater the need for that greater thing must be ever present”. That does take us away from enjoying what is already present!

I believe meditation is best in the evening as its a transition from being in “the zone” to more relaxed where focus / attention may not be as good but that blissed up feeling is allowed to become more prominent.

Likewise Qigong is an excellent practice for the morning as it works as a stepping stone from sleep to daytime (the zone). In Qigong we are doing meditation but in an active manner. The movements are relaxing and gentle which bridges the states of sleep and “the zone”.

All states can be done in the now. Therefore they are all meditations, some are active, others and inward. The is ying yang, life is about balance. Too much inward meditation is going against the balance. Those who spend their day meditating such as Buddhists are limiting themselves of the dance that is life. Many are chasing enlightenment but ironically enlightenment most often comes to those who don’t chase. I believe those who follow a balanced life are more likely to wake up and are less likely to want to. Life could already be very enjoyable. When you sacrifice for something greater the need for that greater thing must be ever presant.

Regardless of this there is much to learn from the Buddhists, they are truly experts in meditation. On the same token though there is much to learn from Einstein however this does not mean that how he lived his life is an example we should follow. Einstein completely invested in thought to the detriment of everything else life had to offer.