Sleepiness through meditation

[RoerAmit]

So I am installing the every day meditation habit.

I find myself struggling to stay alert and focused.

I changed my nutrition almost two months ago, I am vegan and I am more energized than before, exercising 3-5 times a week. My sleeping habits still not great I am sleeping between 5-7 hours a night. I feel it’s not enough for me, and working on fixing it.

Any suggestions why am I sleepy? It sometimes happens afternoon, but mostly when I meditate.

Thanks guys

[everythingisnothing]

@RoerAmit Yeah could be a defense mechanism to keep you from feeling what‘s going on inside of you. Observe how tiredness kicks in, be alert behind the tiredness so to say. Keeping your back straight without back support and pulling your chin towards your chest, to have slight tension in the neck will help you to stay awake. Eyes can stay open to let some light in. But you probably need some more sleep too?

[RoerAmit]

On 25.10.2020 at 8:51 PM, everythingisnothing said:

@RoerAmit Yeah could be a defense mechanism to keep you from feeling what‘s going on inside of you. Observe how tiredness kicks in, be alert behind the tiredness so to say. Keeping your back straight without back support and pulling your chin towards your chest, to have slight tension in the neck will help you to stay awake. Eyes can stay open to let some light in. But you probably need some more sleep too?

Thanks man.. BTW - how did you create a meditation habit? I'm struggling with that.

Thanks!

[Barbara]

On creating an habit, I fond that 5 minutes is better than 0 and failing just once is enough to ruin it all. Always always respect that one time. If you fail once, you will loose the habit easier. Approaching it this way really helps me to stay on track! 
 

[Consilience]

Agree with @Barbara building consistency is key. My personal minimum when starting and even to this day is 10 but 5 mins is better than 0.

Fatigue can definitely be a defense mechanism. It can also just be you’re not accustomed to being that relaxed unless you’re going to bed. The mind will adapt over time.

In terms of techniques, you can keep your eyes open, do standing mediation, or strong determination sitting for longer durations. You may also look into using a body scan technique. This will help sensitize you to the energy of the body and then from there you can return to the breath. For example if you’re doing a 20 minute sit, the first 10 minutes are a body scan, last are a focusing on the breath. Just an example. Note that overtime, your mind will work through this fatigue. Turning into the fatigue and using it as your meditation object is also another powerful technique. You may find that with enough penetrating mindfulness, the dullness/lethargy transforms into a fluid, even vitalizing source of energy. This, however, takes a lot of consistency and training. 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Consilience

[nistake]

I guess that's quite normal. Usually every meditator goes through that phase at some point.

A proper sleep routine is key, but other than that, maybe try doing some light exercise or some yoga asanas before your session. It helped me a bit.

[RoerAmit]

Thank you, everybody!

I'll imply your tips and update. thanks