Is It Efficienter To Mediate Laying Down?

[Julian gabriel]

Why meditate sitting upright if your goal is to relax the body? 

Wouldn't it make more sense to meditate while laying down if the goal is to relax? 

I seem to be able to dis-identify with my sense of separation easier when laying down than sitting up. 

 

[PenguinPablo]

Can contribute to dullness and decrease alertness.

It can work. I wouldn't be dogmatic about it. Try everything. 

[Leo Gura]

Laying down is no good. You will quickly fall asleep. It's important to keep the spine as vertical as possible. Even reclining is not good. Ideally you should meditate without any back support, so your spine supports itself.

Edited November 9, 2022 by Leo Gura

[herghly]

@Julian gabriel If you laying down, do yoga nidra

[How to be wise]

@Julian gabriel I’ve been doing meditation while laying down for the past 6 years, and achieved enlightenment 3 years ago. It works. I never fall asleep since I basically spend all day in bed, so I got used to it. 

[Thought Art]

@Julian gabriel Ignore peoples dogma around what is the correct way to meditate. I have read enough books on meditation to know now there are different postures that all have their own pros and cons. If you are looking to deeply relax the body, then laying down is the best option. It’s best to be well rested, and maybe even take a cold shower before hand. 
 

Then use the body scan, visualization and even Tao Yin techniques to deeply relax the body and purge out toxic Wi while breathing it ‘Golden’ Qi. Qi is a good word to study and understand philosophically. 

You are more likely to fall asleep if you lay down. But, there’s points to be made there. Sometimes we need to sleep…. Simple explore different styles. 

There are different styles of meditation. As well of different postures etc

1. laying 

2. cushion 

3. chair 

4. Standing in tree pose  (super powerful meditation)

etc

Edited November 9, 2022 by Thought Art

[StarStruck]

It is a good use to teach yourself the habit to have a vertical spine during meditation. Kundalini won't rise if you don't have a straight spine. I mean you can still meditate laying down but it will just be focus based meditation.

Edited November 9, 2022 by StarStruck

[Thought Art]

@StarStruck nah, Qi will move through the meridians even if you lay down. Kundalini ain’t the only energy in town.

my understanding of kundalini is usually pretty hang, he wants to relax then he needs a more yin approach. Relaxing, stretching, slow deep breathing. 

Edited November 9, 2022 by Thought Art

[Julian gabriel]

9 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Laying down is no good. You will quickly fall asleep. It's important to keep the spine as vertical as possible. Even reclining is not good. Ideally you should meditate without any back support, so your spine supports itself.

@Leo Gura But if I do not fall asleep from it, and I find that it works for me, then why keep the spine vertical? 

[Thought Art]

@Julian gabriel laying is fine 

[Carl-Richard]

Meditation is about finding the optimal balance between alertness and relaxation. Lying down is generally not conducive to that, but if you have big problems with sitting, lying down might produce better results. I've found that using a back support is helpful, but you have to be mindful about how you use it.

[Carl-Richard]

14 hours ago, Julian gabriel said:

@Leo Gura But if I do not fall asleep from it, and I find that it works for me, then why keep the spine vertical? 

It's not just about not falling asleep. Lying down makes you a bit too relaxed, which has a passive effect that affects the entire meditation.

Say if you were to stand under a tree waiting for an apple to fall, what would you do to increase your chances of catching it? You would adopt a sort of ready-to-pounce stance while staring intensely at the apple. That's an extreme example of an alert state. Lying down is on the other extreme. Sitting upright is somewhere in the middle. You want to be able to catch the thoughts as they fall and not let them hit the back of your head  

Cultivating spacious awareness requires both alert concentration and relaxed openness. Pure relaxed openness is good for inducing sleep, but not as good for meditation.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Carl-Richard

[Twenty]

.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Twenty

[axiom]

On 09/11/2022 at 6:01 AM, Julian gabriel said:

Why meditate sitting upright if your goal is to relax the body? 

Wouldn't it make more sense to meditate while laying down if the goal is to relax? 

I seem to be able to dis-identify with my sense of separation easier when laying down than sitting up. 

 

If your goal is to relax, I think it is best to lie down and go to sleep.

[Thought Art]

@Carl-Richard There are very active Toasit meditations that are done laying down.

Not all meditation is the same.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Thought Art

[Carl-Richard]

9 minutes ago, Thought Art said:

@Carl-Richard There are very active Toasit meditations that are done laying down.

Not all meditation is the same.

Sleeping meditation is also a thing  

[Zedman]

Guys, this would be a non-debate if there was a solution for the legs. My skinny legs just keep distracting and getting in the way no matter the pose. Laying down helps to "get rid" of the body.