On feelings of tension, strain, pain or resistance when meditating

When meditating you may occasionally encounter feelings of tension associated with the body, the perceptual field, emotions, a thought, or something else.

 

This feeling indicates, however small, some degree of resistance. As part of normal practice when you encounter such feelings there are two possible solutions to release the resistance. One involves acceptance, and the other involves letting go.

 

So for example, when I first began meditation and observed the breath I used to experience feelings of tension, which sometimes become painful, around my diaphragm.

 

I discovered the cause of these feelings was that I was holding on to my breathing process too much, I was trying to actively control my breathing rather than observing it with equanimity. Equally, when the breath didn’t match my expectations – deep, long, and without coarseness – I would experience further tension which was my resistance to what I perceived as an imperfect breath.

 

By letting go of my expectations of the breath, by letting go of my controlling of the breath, and by accepting the breath whatever it may be, I stopped experiencing these sensations of tension and pain in that area.

 

The next time you meditate, observe the body for any sensation of tension. When you identify such a feeling, try to locate the source of the resistance – and realise that there is something you must either accept and welcome, or let go of.

 

Go through all the feelings of resistance in the body, or resistance towards any thoughts, and by letting go or welcoming, as much as possible see if you can obtain a state where-by you have complete acceptance of everything within your awareness in the present moment.