meditating makes me feel a stoned and clumsey

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i've recently started meditating again and i've noticed that i feel very unfocused and out of it for at least an hour afterwards. its not something i really pay attention to, but i've realized that i drop things, i cant form sentences quite the same, my train of thought often stops dead for no apparent reason, and i generally dont function well. i almost feel stoned and i havent smoked pot in months.

it doesnt happen every single time and it's not something i'm looking for either. i dont even tend to get bothered by it at the time .... i just get a lot of exercise picking up my water bottle.

[diego]

off the head or out my azz...:) maybe you hold your breath too long when you breathe so you get light headed...or maybe you going into the deepest states of your m ind and hit the depression corridor so your subconscious thinks you depressed and then you move all slow and sh*t...or your girl laced your cupcakes with thc....

[Chief Fox]

Well there are a few diferent styles of meditation.

1. The first is the kind where you just sit there and breath and focus on your breath.
2. The second is where you sit there and sorta chant. Saying something like "Ooom".
3. The third is a little more active wher you sit there and hit your self in the face with a hammer.
4. The fourth is more of an assisted meditation where you sit there and a partner hits you with a 2x4.

Your symtoms are very common with the 3rd and 4th styles listed above. Now if you're experiencing the same symtoms with the 1st or 2nd styles of meditation it means that you think about guys when you masturbate.

So either stop doing styles 3 and 4 or maybe try thinking about women when you masturbate.

I hope this helps.

[diego]

haha, GDA lost his virginity in San Francisco.......

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i dont think about men when masturbating. i think about your mom and my german shepherd.

mmmm ... peanut butter.

[David Jamieson]

are you still seeing a doctor? you could be lowering your blood pressure inadvertently. not that im an expert, but you shouldn't be exepriencing ill effects from meditation anymore thanb you would feel ill effects from sleep really.

it is merely quieting yourself.

[Faruq]

Have you discussed this with the person who taught the med to you? What did they say about the symptoms?

[D-FENS]

That's funny, usually weed makes me feel stoned and clumsy. Meditating makes me feel alert and clear-headed. I must be doing it wrong. :D

[Water Dragon]

Stop smoking blunts before you meditate.

[FuXnDajenariht]

go see one of those buddhist/yoga dudes to make sure your doing it right.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

are you still seeing a doctor? you could be lowering your blood pressure inadvertently. not that im an expert, but you shouldn't be exepriencing ill effects from meditation anymore thanb you would feel ill effects from sleep really.

it is merely quieting yourself.

sort of .... i go here and there for checkups but im two years out so im as normal as im gonna get. i wonder if the blood pressure thing could have something to it though. i naturally have very low blood preasure. when i had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks in 2004 my diastolic would dip down into the 40s.

comparing it to sleep actually helps me describe what it a little too. you know how you're more groggy some mornings than others? the toothpaste falls out of the cabinent, you drop your razor, you burn your toast, nothing makes a lot of sense ..... its kinda like that but less intense and it lasts for about an hour. im just generally unfocused and clumsy.


Have you discussed this with the person who taught the med to you? What did they say about the symptoms?

i certainly would, but i learn from books. all im doing right now is just counting my breath though.... zen meditation i guess.


go see one of those buddhist/yoga dudes to make sure your doing it right.

id love to man, but there simply arent any in my area. the best i could do is go talk to a catholic priest, but then there might be some truth to what chief is saying about me. thus im left to ask for the best advice i can get from the inetweb.

[Fook Kuil]

Mr, stop at once your Qi is stuck and you are or arent getting enough flow usually the back or the neck as these are the points that most people get the energy caught from bad posture. Get a professional chinese massage and learn from a meditation teacher or you can harm yourself. If you do continue practise, make sure you end your session properly, you might try something simple such as counting down slowly from 10 to 1 to bring you back to normal. But yes, check posture and find a good teacher to help you.

[Faruq]

comparing it to sleep actually helps me describe what it a little too. you know how you're more groggy some mornings than others? the toothpaste falls out of the cabinent, you drop your razor, you burn your toast, nothing makes a lot of sense ..... its kinda like that but less intense and it lasts for about an hour. im just generally unfocused and clumsy.



i certainly would, but i learn from books. all im doing right now is just counting my breath though.... zen meditation i guess.

I'd also suggest, in case you don't end up giving it up or finding a teacher in your area, that you never force your breathing in any way to feel a sensation of chi. Instead, if you want to feel your chi, force it by meditating longer, and more times a day (i.e., maybe an hour in the morning, and an hour when you get home from work-over a couple of weeks you'll feel the effects). But that clumsiness can occur from holding the breaths different ways that do make you feel a chi-like sensation throughout your body while doing it, but cause health problems in the long run. Your breathing should be natural like when you sleep, or are not conscious of it, other than that you breath with your stomach like a child. Any pain in your chest is a sign that you're doing it wrong, and are probably forcing something. Relax.

[Ford Prefect]

i've recently started meditating again and i've noticed that i feel very unfocused and out of it for at least an hour afterwards. its not something i really pay attention to, but i've realized that i drop things, i cant form sentences quite the same, my train of thought often stops dead for no apparent reason, and i generally dont function well. i almost feel stoned and i havent smoked pot in months.

it doesnt happen every single time and it's not something i'm looking for either. i dont even tend to get bothered by it at the time .... i just get a lot of exercise picking up my water bottle.

So you meditate before you post here I take it?

[Ray Pina]

I wouldn't worry. I view meditation as an exercise to quiet or turn off my brain when I find it being overly active in my daily life.

Coming out of it my mind is off and almost like stoned but with no anxiety or anxiousness to do something... just kind of empty. Everything takes on a wierd kind of calm, almost so calm that it takes on its reverse and the world, atom by atom, almost seems to vibrate every so slightly... almost.

I've never noticed increased clumsyness or anything like that, but that can just be you. in your stage of your life right now, after meditating. If you feel concerned, definitely go see a doctor. Though I'd say just be mindful of it, drink more water and eat more fruit and see how you feel physically during these times.

[David Jamieson]

meditation often clarifies and intensifies cognitive abilty both intrinsically and extrinsically. It's a side effect. You may have touched upon something and discovered something that you were previously unaware of.

I would suggest that you see a doctor and get a check up. Get your bloods done and check your blood pressure.

Cognitive disruption can be a sign of a lot of things from early onset of huntingtons to alzheimers. Not saying you have these, but definitely worth a check.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

From my perspective, meditation is a means of quieting the mind.. so, if i am focusing on something the mind is actively "focusing", contrary to my intended quietness.. the benefit to a quiet mind is it allows whatever experiences are happening to be perceived without much of the prejudice encountered by the busy mind.. a bit like a direct experience. Cultivating a quiet mind is very useful in MA quests, we tend to link directly to the situation rather than contrive reactions.. in the stillness of the meditative state we perceive and sense with heightened awarenesses, allowing our training to manifest appropriately to the situation, not "forcing" it..

Other than that, switch hands.. the imbalance of single-handed wanking can lead to symptoms as described.. oh, and Sativa is much better than Indica for active pursuits..

Be well...

[Chief Fox]

i dont think about men when masturbating. i think about your mom and my german shepherd.

mmmm ... peanut butter.

DOH! :eek:

[mantiskilla]

drink a beer...the cause of, and solution to most of life's problems.
________
Jackinize (http://www.girlcamfriend.com/cam/jackinize/)

[Scott R. Brown]

I think you may just be confusing meditation with sleeping!

That is how I feel whenever I just wake up!!:eek:

;)

[Golden Arms]

GDA, here is my input for what its worth as a 14 year Zen practitioner.

1) The blood pressure thing might be worth looking into, although from what I recall, blood pressure doesnt drop too much WHILE meditating, but meditating regularly makes it drop for many people overall during the day.

2) Zen is quieting part of the mind, but the exercises are very active in nature. That exercise should feel more like 'drawing the mind tight like a bowstring' vs. getting unfocused or tired. Try doing the counting with your eyes half open, your visualization is stronger that way and you are also more alert. If you cant help but get distracted, just face a wall when you do it. Also pay attention to your posture, you should be straight backed, top of your head going up.

3) If you stick with doing Zazen, look for a temple or practitioner in your area and go see them on occasion. In many Zen sects, they actually strike people on occasion when they start losing the ability to be alert, often to help push them further and also to snap them out of it.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me :)

[KC Elbows]

You need to deseed your incense.

[Shaolin Wookie]

What you've done is taken the metaphorical "red/blue pill".

What happens is that your chi is quite powerful in concentration, and mixed with the focusing techniques of intense meditation, has caused the flow to focus itself down the throat to the inner core of your physical being. Now, this causes a jump start to the system, beginning with the lungs--which leads to the dizziness you feel because of shortness of breath. Is it cold? I bet it is.

Your meditation has caused a power surge in the matrix. Can you read this post?

Can you bend it?

There is no post.....

Welcome to the desert of the real.

[mickey]

Hi GDA,

Could you please detail the type of meditation that you do? That may help us understand what the problem is.

mickey

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

Hi GDA,

Could you please detail the type of meditation that you do? That may help us understand what the problem is.

mickey

most of the time just counting breath .... sometimes ill start out with a little tonglen ... sometimes i follow the breath ... but not always. its done this to me for as long as i can remember. years ago i used to take my lunch break down by this stream to meditate. my co-workers just assumed i went down there to smoke a joint, and i had a hard time arguing with them cause i felt high when i got back.

[mickey]

GDA,

Even with the meditation that you are doing you are still generating energy, and a great deal of it. If you are doing nothing with the energy that you are generating it is important to ground it in the way that is seen with the ending posture in taichi. If you have the book, "Scholar Warrior, " by Deng Ming Dao, use the grounding and dispersal methods contained therein. They work. You must also take into consideration your physical health. If you are hypertensive you may need to lose some pounds.


mickey

[NewToChen]

Hola

I dont really meditate, but when i get done practicing (chen18, about 1/2 thru is what i have learned so far), after about 45 min of deep breathing and concentration, I am feeling really very mellow(the pitch of my voice lowers noticably) and find myself looking in the freezer for the oddest things. It doesn't last as long as GDA describes.

I always put it down to being hyper-oxygenated from all the breathing. Usually I feel stoned when I am stoned. TCBob was right, indica is way too sleepy for active pursuits.:cool:

cheers

[AJM]

So GDA. Now is the time to practice finishing gong and return your chi to your lower dan tian when done with meditation. Obviously as you have found out this is important.

[TenTigers]

Kudos to Ray Pina
"with no anxiety or anxiousness to do something... just kind of empty. Everything takes on a wierd kind of calm, almost so calm that it takes on its reverse and the world, atom by atom, almost seems to vibrate every so slightly... almost."

That was probably one of the best descriptions of this sensation I have ever heard. You should write more.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

GDA,

Even with the meditation that you are doing you are still generating energy, and a great deal of it. If you are doing nothing with the energy that you are generating it is important to ground it in the way that is seen with the ending posture in taichi. If you have the book, "Scholar Warrior, " by Deng Ming Dao, use the grounding and dispersal methods contained therein. They work. You must also take into consideration your physical health. If you are hypertensive you may need to lose some pounds.


mickey

thanks man ... i appreciate the advice ... im going to do my best to remember this book as the next one i buy. weight shouldnt be an issue as the same thing would happen when i cut down to about 120. ive been chewing and clawing my way up to 150 and still the same.


So GDA. Now is the time to practice finishing gong and return your chi to your lower dan tian when done with meditation. Obviously as you have found out this is important.

i have no idea what you're talking about. if your talking about the same thing mikey is i need to read up on it.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

From a different perspective.. we are more like "patterns of consciousness" that channel the flow of energies, not vessels for storage.. stored energies become stagnant.. dizzying effects often occur as we have unusually high volumes of energy flowing through our physical beings, often a result of particularly beneficial meditations.. we perceive ourselves or others as having differing amounts of energy, not as stored but as volumes flowing through us..

Be well..

[RonH]

I've got something to add, too. Brain wave frequency is different when you're in different stages of sleep (from light to deep) and they are different from when your fully awake. The way I understand it, what happens when you've woken up, but are clumsy, even though there are often times when you can perform high level of adept-ness "skill" (I don't care what-- juggling knives, fighting off a half a dozen opponents and you look like a blur to even experienced fighters), your brain is still stuck in the midway point between fully conscious and being asleep, but are leaning a little more towards fully conscious. You try to direct yourself to do something, but you push too hard and screw up. The conscious mind isn't getting enough stimuli that it normally gets and you over compensate at the wrong time.

When you're meditating, you could also be letting yourself transition into this state and the conscious part of you that would stifle the automatic response to external and internal things you'd react to and the errant and weird thoughts and ideas that creep up in us come out for the world to see and hear, when we'd just keep them more to ourselves, push them aside and then, move on, doesn't work like it's supposed to and you look and feel clumsy or stoned.

In fighting, linking the conscious and subconscious minds is good, but there are different kinds of linking. The kind that lets you fight multiple people at once and be unharmed is good (linking the 2 without your conscious mind letting the subconscious take over is better, but both are good) and the other is when you're still partially stuck in sleep mode, which is not good for fighting or any type of meditating. Conscious dreaming is another matter.

Aside from the other suggestions, I'd also add just rubbing your face after you meditate, like you'd do when you wake up, but need to be more awake. Rub your eyes, cheeks, the back of your neck, your forehead...all of it. When some people meditate, they let themselves relax too much and fall alseep. This might be happening to you, too.