| | I guess I'll throw another hat into the ring, having never really used stimulants to help balance out effort as the rest of you have. And that is that while I don't think it's a bad idea to use coffee, tea, or cocaine (ok, maybe not cocaine ;) to help with balancing out energy, and like you all mention it has been done for many, many hundreds of years I would suggest that a psychostimulant may end up masking what could be an imbalance between investigation and concentration.
Having trouble with sleepiness every sitting could be because concentration is over-developed and investigation needs to be powered a bit more (that or you truly are the sleep-master!). One thing to try when following the breath, is to try and become even more precise with every single sensation that makes up the breath, almost like you're studying it with a microscope. When exactly does it start, what does the middle feel like, when does it end and what are all the sensations that make each of these parts of the breath up? This will power the investigation quality of the mind, and if investigation and concentration are imbalanced, will balance things out and then you might not have as much trouble with sleepiness. The noting method is also fantastic for powering the investigation. Then of course, you may swing in the opposite direction (tight, anxious, restless, etc.). Then you can bring in relaxation, a sense of sinking into the breath, etc.
Caffeine may be a good way to go to balance the equation, but I'm also all for working with this balance of effort through one's own natural means. I guess you can call me old-fashioned or a meditation fuddy-duddy, but there it is. :-D |