Calmness and progress

chonghe, modified 7 Years ago at 4/12/17 8:19 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 4/12/17 8:13 PM

Calmness and progress

Posts: 5 Join Date: 1/8/17 Recent Posts
So I was feeling really bad yesterday and I went into meditation. As usual I only focused on the breath and after some time I seems to be able to lock into the breath, and I feel quite calm for about 10 seconds. The calmness is really calm than usual daily calmness, but it does not last long. Because after two breaths which I feel calm I started to have thoughts, and everything is gone.

Before the meditation I feel like having an invicible stone pressing on my chest. And I really don't have any motiavtion to work on what I am doing. But after I sit up from meditation, the "stone" miraculously gone, and not only that, I suddenly have the energy and movitation to keep doing what I am doing on.

Is this a good sign of progress? 
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Laurel Carrington, modified 7 Years ago at 4/13/17 2:21 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 4/13/17 2:21 PM

RE: Calmness and progress

Posts: 439 Join Date: 4/7/14 Recent Posts
Most or even all beginning meditators prefer a sit in which they experience calm during meditation, and then better spirits after than before. This is pleasant and useful, but not necessarily progress in insight. Sometimes unpleasant sits represent more progress than calm sits. The key to progress is to face whatever is coming up, right in the moment it is happening. We tend naturally to shrink away from painful sensations and latch on to pleasant ones as a basic survival tactic, so it's not all that easy to open up to something unpleasant. Being able and willing to do this takes practice. All the best to you!
chonghe, modified 7 Years ago at 4/15/17 10:45 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 4/15/17 10:45 AM

RE: Calmness and progress

Posts: 5 Join Date: 1/8/17 Recent Posts
Thank you for your reply.

It is a very good and right attitude to take the unpleasant sits as progress, as it may be accummulating to produce useful results later! 

The calmness that I felt was calmer than usual. Just wondering can the calmness produce the positive effect to my feeling as I mentioned?
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Laurel Carrington, modified 7 Years ago at 4/15/17 1:23 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 4/15/17 1:23 PM

RE: Calmness and progress

Posts: 439 Join Date: 4/7/14 Recent Posts
It is likely a sign that your concentration is progressing. This is all to the good. emoticon

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