New meditation phenomenon

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Laurel Carrington, modified 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 6:20 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 6:19 PM

New meditation phenomenon

Posts: 439 Join Date: 4/7/14 Recent Posts
Okay, this is a new one for me. Some background, for people who don't know me: I read Daniel's book in late 2010 and have been meditating intensively since then. I have gotten SE and a few other paths, but do not feel done, although my emotional reactivity is a small fraction of what it used to be. 

So: mostly I practice open awareness, bare attention, or "just sitting" (and if these aren't roughly the same thing, I'm willing to stand corrected). Lately, almost every time I meditate, once I get settled, at some point my entire head feels like it's being pushed backward. If I let it happen, which I typically do, I wind up with my whole throat extended and my head upside down resting on my upper back. After awhile I get tired of it and inch it back to an upright position, only to find it being gently but persistently pushed back again. 

I'm assuming this is some kind of kundalini response. I've gotten lots of kriyas off and on, itching, twitching, shaking, and build ups of heat, but this is something else again. I realize it's just another phenomenon to note and keep on with the practice, but I'm curious: has anyone else here had something similar happen? And does anyone have any light to shed on it?

Thanks. It's been awhile since I've posted here. 
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Dream Walker, modified 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 6:45 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 6:45 PM

RE: New meditation phenomenon

Posts: 1657 Join Date: 1/18/12 Recent Posts
Jane Laurel Carrington:
at some point my entire head feels like it's being pushed backward. If I let it happen, which I typically do, I wind up with my whole throat extended and my head upside down resting on my upper back. After awhile I get tired of it and inch it back to an upright position, only to find it being gently but persistently pushed back again.  

This happens to me but my head tilts to the right instead of back. I kinda asked it why it was doing that and the answer I got back was "inclining toward nirvana" I told it that was not what was meant by that. It still happens sometimes.
Not much help here but you might ask why and see what you get.
Good luck,
~D
John Wilde, modified 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 11:04 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 6:55 PM

RE: New meditation phenomenon

Posts: 501 Join Date: 10/26/10 Recent Posts
Dream Walker:
Jane Laurel Carrington:
at some point my entire head feels like it's being pushed backward. If I let it happen, which I typically do, I wind up with my whole throat extended and my head upside down resting on my upper back. After awhile I get tired of it and inch it back to an upright position, only to find it being gently but persistently pushed back again.  

This happens to me but my head tilts to the right instead of back. I kinda asked it why it was doing that and the answer I got back was "inclining toward nirvana" I told it that was not what was meant by that. It still happens sometimes.
Not much help here but you might ask why and see what you get.
Good luck,
~D


Heheh, I used to get this when I first started smoking pot as a teen. Felt like there was a gentle current that would slowly swivel my head to the left; I'd keep bringing it back, chuckling, but it'd move slowly to the left again and again, as if it was the path of least resistance. (Had forgotten all about it...)

EDIT: Come to think of it, that wasn't the only time I've experiened the invisible current thing. Another time I'd taken some acid with a friend, and without any discussion or commentary, we started walking around each other in wide, slow circles... as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if we were just yielding to some sort of invisible energy flow. (Interesting when it's not just one body-mind affected, but two, in indentical ways...)
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Laurel Carrington, modified 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 7:39 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 7:38 PM

RE: New meditation phenomenon

Posts: 439 Join Date: 4/7/14 Recent Posts
Well I haven't been smoking anything, nor dropping acid, although maybe while I'm in Boulder next month I'll try some of that newly-legalized weed and see if my head can be coaxed in a different direction for a change. :-)
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Not Tao, modified 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 9:38 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 9:38 PM

RE: New meditation phenomenon

Posts: 995 Join Date: 4/5/14 Recent Posts
Hey Jane,

I got this a lot before, and I found a way to fix it.  If you pretend you have telekinetic powers, and you use them to push the opposite direction your head is pushed, it will even out the feeling of forces, haha.  For me my head wanted to drift to the right (I must be John's purple twin), so I would imagine a force pressing on the right side and the feeling would go away. The force itself is imaginary, so you can use the imagination to correct it. If you try to force your muscles to go back, though, it can actually strain your neck. I think the whole thing is probably caused by tight muscles to begin with.
John Wilde, modified 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 10:46 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 9/23/14 10:23 PM

RE: New meditation phenomenon

Posts: 501 Join Date: 10/26/10 Recent Posts
Not Tao:
(...) For me my head wanted to drift to the right (I must be John's purple twin)

Hmm... so you and Dream Walker drift to the right while I drift to the left. But you guys are in the northern hemisphere while I'm in the south, so our heads are actually spinning the same way.

Not sure what's happening with Laurel. Maybe she's the evil throat-baring twin of someone who's bowing reverently.
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Laurel Carrington, modified 9 Years ago at 9/24/14 1:29 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 9/24/14 1:29 AM

RE: New meditation phenomenon

Posts: 439 Join Date: 4/7/14 Recent Posts
Not Tao:
Hey Jane,

I think the whole thing is probably caused by tight muscles to begin with.

You're probably right about that! Or maybe I'm just adopting an attitude of complete surrender, offering my throat to the universe. Or else my throat chakra is opening. The whole group of us here would look pretty funny sitting side by side at a retreat. 
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Simon Ekstrand, modified 9 Years ago at 9/24/14 2:11 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 9/24/14 2:11 AM

RE: New meditation phenomenon

Posts: 245 Join Date: 9/23/11 Recent Posts
Hi Jane,

In my experience stuff like this - ie. the body pushing in different directions, shaking and other kriya'ish stuff is related to muscular tension that the body is trying to compensate for. This type of tension seems to mostly have a psychological basis, though I suppose physical issues could probably also cause it. Resolving whatever problem is causing the tension makes the other phenomena go away.

Jack Kornfields book A path with heart has a section about stuff like this that might be of interest.

Disclaimer: this is purely based on my own experience.

Simon