Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Jeddah Mali teachings Pathways Wk 5: Body stiffness during meditation?

Hello Again,

I am having a frustrating experience with the most recent meditation in which there are several steps to the expansion process.

What I am finding is that although my consciousness is reaching for more expanded states, my physical body is becoming stiff and I am leaning forward. I keep having to shift my focus outward to relax my arms and shoulders and lean back again, during which I lose my focus. Aaargh!

Is anyone else experiencing this?

This feels different from the contraction in my awareness/energy field. I am wondering if it is due to the effort to focus on the increasing levels of focus and awareness in the most recent meditation. If so, how can I counter this?

(note: the leaning foward thing has been an issue throughout my meditation history, no matter what posture I try).

Thanks for any suggestions!

Hi WaterBird!

There are a couple of possibilities here. One is what you are surmising, that as you continue to focus on more and more expanded states, you are working with higher and higher energetic frequencies. Just as the body experiences strain when using muscles that are not usually employed, this can also occur when working energetically with new frequencies. As the frequencies become more comfortable, so will the body.

The other consideration is that old thoughts, beliefs, assumptions and habits can set in energetic patterns. When these are challenged and start to shift, it can sometimes hurt when you sit to meditate. It’s almost as if the meditation is seen as a threat to the pattern and as it is being reworked, the pattern resists the attempts to release it. Try not to lose the calm focus that is generated during the meditation and ignore the discomfort as much as possible. As the pattern is released from the energetic field, the discomfort will also dissipate.

All of this is a sign of growth and change, so keep up the great work!

With love,
Wendy