retreats

[miguel]

Hi all[]

I have been recently in a 8 days silent retreat with more people and a spiritual leader leading it, in a monastery.

We used to do all kinds of meditation along all the day and i  nerver experienced overload problems.

Its strange cz the amount of meditation was huge but i didnt feel bad at all.

Does anybody know why i didnt feel overloaded at the retreat?(and i feel good now)

Now im increasing my dm time very much...is self pacing a real thing or maybe i was creating it with my mind (but it was not real)?

Im a bit confused now. Helping hands on this would be very much apreciated now.

thanks.

[HathaTeacher]

Hi Miguel,
- what a good way to boost your meditation[]
Self pacing is real IMO., given a person's abilities and limitations at present; that's why the enthusiasm about (and length of) meditation varies - it's not like "the right amount for me is 32½ minutes sharp, every day of my life, and I love it every day".
Of course meditating for 8 days paved your way, so you experience much less friction for a couple of days or weeks right now. Feeling good/invigorated afterward proves you've mostly done the right things during retreat meditations; whenever out of track, meditation doestn't feel like this afterward.

I didn't feel overloaded after meditation retreats either (and, sursprisingly few did), but I felt very agile and energized for a couple of weeks after.
'njoy !

[miguel]

thanks hathateacher for the good reply[]

Im doing lot of meditation this days and i dont feel overloaded now. maybe self pacing is a mental thing? i mean .if i believe that i will have an overload then it will happen...

mmmm...just some research here after the retreat..

[Shanti]

Overload is not mental Miguel. Fear of overload is mental. So just keep that in mind.

Also, as openings happen, our capacity increases, but the overloads get stronger too... please keep that in mind too.

Take care and all the best.

[Katrine]

Hi Miguel

Thanks for sharing from your beautiful retreat experience

What I can share with you regarding my overloads over the years is this:

At the core of it all is resistance to the flow........somehow insisting on grasping the energy...insisting on squeezing it into the always limited idea of myself. This includes identification with the body.

Once this point is fully seen......the intention and onepointedness will be strong enough to step back...step back.....relax....relax.....further and further into myself without loosing awareness of everything else.....all that arises....and also that which it all arises in.

On a retreat like the one you just had - there is immense strength...support from many in the presence (location included)......and if the teachers are good - balance - and you will feel very safe and trusting. This leads to a deeper letting go, less resistance and hence less overload.

However - things will settle in their own time.  Overload will be felt if the balance is not there. So listen deeply - and  not too much meditation. There is no need to increase it all in one leap. Enjoy the stillness and take it easy, yes?

 Just be wise about it

All the best

[miguel]

Thanks shanti and katrine.
I have been doing more meditation than usual since last thursday (when i came back to the world) and there has been no problem.now im doing 20 mtes dm and 5 mtes sb and i dont feel bad.Dont now whats happening but it seems like i can support it for the moment.Strange....just follow the flow[]

[miguel]

Yesterday for example i did 5 mtes sbp and 20 mtes dm. Two sessions.
And i have been doing 20 mtes of dm and 5 mtes sbp (once a day and maybe some day twice...) this last days (since last sunday).

No overloads for the moment.
Its strange ,i cant belive whats happening but i feel ok.
Strange cz 2 months ago i couldnt support 10 mtes of dm twice a day more than 2 days...


I feel like my energetic system is changing,like if the energy could flow outward more fluently (form the depths of my nervous system),without obstructions blocking the frre flow of the energy and causing overloads (wich usually caused overloads here)

I know it is too soon now,but this is the first time i can sustain this amount of practices for one week (and after an intensive silence/meditation retreat)...

[miguel]

After some time i had to stop and reduce my practices a lot.I felt overloaded 2 weeks after the retreat and i dstopped practices for 2 weeks.Now i have started again with i am mantra 10 mtes 2 per day. This was a huge practice before the retreat but after some days using it i dont feel so much overload...maybe a little sometimes but it dissapear with some grounding activities.

The purification this summer has been HUGE.Like nerver before...greatlly favoured by new elements here like gestalt work,retreats,new "spiritual" friends (energies)...and the energetic character of this summer (powerful summer).

So its not strange that now i can support the i am mantra for 10 mtes 2 a day. May be is too soon but 2 months ago was impossible for me to support this for 2 days...

Time to wait and see now.

[Katrine]

That's great to hear Miguel

[JDH]

Hey miguel.  Glad to hear things are going well.  Sounds like you must have been pretty overloaded and the 2 week break did you really well.  I also hit the wall recently, and have felt good to just settle into a daily easy practice.  Be well.

[jean]

From my experience the overload symptoms don't show up immediately but rather with a delay, mostly here with 3-5 days depending on the overdoing.
I think Yogani mentioned it also that the delay factor is a tricky thing.
Be safe miguel

All the best,
Jean

[miguel]

Thank you guys[]

I have reduced to 8 mtes dm and 1 mte sbp and it feels pretty good here. Much inner silence and some pleasant feelings along the day.I also feel the boundaries falling down little by little (mental ideas and pre-judgements...).
The only thing that i clearly know is that i dont know nothing at all[]

10 minutes dm plus 1 mte sbp was going almost fine but i had to reduce to 8 mtes cz i felt unconfortable, too much energy in the daily activities.But nothing to do with the past terrible overloads that i had one year ago with this amount of practice.

But is amazing to sustain this 8 mtes dm and 1 mtes sbp cz some months ago it was impossible and a huge amount of practice!

this sunday will be 2 weeks using i am mantra and the delayed effects (wich im feeling this week but in terms of pretty good inner silence and some ecstasi) will have appeared here. Nothing to be worried about cz delayed afffects with i am mantra has always appeared here in 2-3 days of practice in the past. Im sensitive.

Seems that im incresing my capacity after almost one year using the breath (5 mtes of dm were my limit one year ago and until this summer (and not using sbp))

I hope that this isnt just a phase and that i will can sustain more and more practice from now and with the passing months/years.

[cosmic]

Good for you, miguel  

I hope you're able to sustain practices over the long haul.

Love
cosmic

[tonightsthenight]

Just one more piece of advice for you Miguel:

The amount of time, and the intensity of practice will not always produce the same "symptoms"

It is essential to find your limits, but you should keep in mind that those limits fluctuate all the time, depending all many factors.

So one day you may be able to tolerate several hours of practice, while the following day you cannot bear even 5 minutes.  C'est la vie spirituel!

[miguel]

Thanks for the advices and good words cosmic and tonight. ill Keep them in mind[]

My best wishes to both of u.