I have been trying to meditate on and off for a number of years. I have
tried various techniques, from books to Sahaj Samadhi and Sudarshan
Kriya.
However I always get stuck.
I can feel part of my brain ready to let go and be free. But I am not
able to get the nerve and muscle gangalion surrounding my eyes to let
up the tension in them. The outer part of my brain in relaxed. But in
the center, slighly forward towards the eyes, there is major tension.
One main problem is when I try to relax, I end up trying to visualize
everything through my eyes. Like if I am trying to expand my
conciousness, I end up trying to filter that experience through my
eyes, trying to make visual sense of what I am experiencing. I am too
tied to relying on interpreting everything through my eyes I guess. As
I do that, my eyes tense up; I start visualizing random things and my
eye muscles end up straining and breaking my concentration.

Has someone else faced a similar problem. I tried asking my Sahaj
Samadhi teacher, but she didnt really offer any solution. I have had
Lasik surgery done on my eyes and all she said was that was the reason
why my eyes are tensed up.
But how do I get past this?
Please let me know your thoughts on this.
Thanks in advance,
Gupit

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On 2004-12-27 10:48:54 -0800, gupit@yahoo.com said:

> I have been trying to meditate on and off for a number of years. I have
> tried various techniques, from books to Sahaj Samadhi and Sudarshan
> Kriya.
> However I always get stuck.
> I can feel part of my brain ready to let go and be free. But I am not
> able to get the nerve and muscle gangalion surrounding my eyes to let
> up the tension in them. The outer part of my brain in relaxed. But in
> the center, slighly forward towards the eyes, there is major tension.
> One main problem is when I try to relax, I end up trying to visualize
> everything through my eyes. Like if I am trying to expand my
> conciousness, I end up trying to filter that experience through my
> eyes, trying to make visual sense of what I am experiencing. I am too
> tied to relying on interpreting everything through my eyes I guess. As
> I do that, my eyes tense up; I start visualizing random things and my
> eye muscles end up straining and breaking my concentration.
>
> Has someone else faced a similar problem. I tried asking my Sahaj
> Samadhi teacher, but she didnt really offer any solution. I have had
> Lasik surgery done on my eyes and all she said was that was the reason
> why my eyes are tensed up.
> But how do I get past this?
> Please let me know your thoughts on this.
> Thanks in advance,
> Gupit

Meditation is first and foremost about non-action.  If you are getting
"stuck" it is because you are trying.  Trying is a form of karma that
is not part of meditation.  Meditaton is about letting go.

Sudarshan Kriya is not a form of meditation it is a pranayama.  I
suspect that you have been taught these techniques that are really to
be used as an adjunct to meditation but are not really meditation.  Be
very cautious of meditation techniques that require karma or action.
Pranayams and asanas are excellent practices in their own right.  But
meditation is a very different experience.

You talk about "trying" to relax.  That is not how meditation works.
When one meditates correctly relaxation follows.  I too had Lasik
surgery it does not affect correct meditation.  It is very easy to
recognize a technique that is correct meditation - within 5 minutes you
should experience samadhi.

I suggest you take a very simple technique, like classic Anapanasati
Buddhist meditation or a mantra meditation.  And just practice the
technique.  Practice the technique regularly every day, and do not
judge or analyze the actual time of meditation.  Do notice how
meditation changes your life experience away from meditation.

You may want to find a real meditation teacher as well.
--
~Stu

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<gupit@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1104173334.835677.57200@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com..
>I have been trying to meditate on and off for a number of years. I have
> tried various techniques, from books to Sahaj Samadhi and Sudarshan
> Kriya.
> However I always get stuck.
> I can feel part of my brain ready to let go and be free. But I am not
> able to get the nerve and muscle gangalion surrounding my eyes to let
> up the tension in them.
..

> Thanks in advance,
> Gupit
>

Hi,

There are many different types of meditation for many different purposes. If
you can tell us why you are meditating and what you hope to happen either
during or after the meditation it will help others advise you.

One very common form of meditation is just to concentrate on one thing like
the natural rhythm of your breathing or a candle flame, repeating a mantra
sometimes in rhythm with your breath, or the sensations in your body.

You focus your attention in one of these ways, and when you notice your mind
wandering you bring it back to the object of meditation.  In this type of
meditation you do not expect any mystical experience, or altered state of
consciousness, so there is no need to let go and be free.

The benefits of this type of meditation include, calming the mind, helping
you to understand the nature of the mind because it can be understood better
when it is calm and you can see what is happening. You gain understanding of
the temporary nature of thoughts and emotions and other sensations which
helps you to have more equaniminity since you understand that ultimately
thoughts and emotions are not reality they change and cannot be trusted.
Observing the thoughts that arise to distract you is also useful since that
helps you to understand what is bubbling up from your subconscious. You do
not need need to try to prevent distracting thoughts. The alternation
between concentration and distraction is important and without distractions
arising the meditation would be merely relaxation and not education.

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"g5kfd29jf4" <g5kfd29jf4@g5kfd29jf4.com> wrote in message
news:10t0vr8gqm27i9e@corp.supernews.com..
>
> <gupit@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1104173334.835677.57200@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com.. 
> ..
>

you can't relax by trying to relax.

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