Hello,

I have started noting for about a week,
When I itch or a though popups, I label them, so I am aware of the itch and of the though that popped up.. however, do I need to give the itch or though any more effort? like "zooming" in to really feel the itch or see the though content in more details? in that case, won't it make noting very slow? some people note 5 times a second so I don't understand how one can put "full effort" in the arising of something that way..

One other thing is, the first day I started noting at some point I could note incredibly fast and then intense vibration started arising through my whole body.. is this the A & P? I mean it was really intense it covered myself like a planket, and I felt very light like something big was about to happen, I just continued noting..

After about 3 days of noting my whole body started to itch, in practice and outside practice.. it doesn't stop, there is no reason for me to itch that way, I read a little bit about the 9th Nana and I though that it might have something to do with that, it's not even really my skin that's itching, it's more like feeling something crawling on my skin, I don't see anything on the skin not even redness.. it has been a couple of days since then and I still itch all the time.. if it has something to do with the 9th Nana, does it mean I already passes the previous nana inside practice without realizing it?

Thanks..

Hi Julian

Maybe it's the The Icky-Sticky Creepy-Crawly It-Doesn't-Really-Hurt-But-I-Can't-Stand-It Feeling?

Cheers,
Florian

Hey Florian,

I am afraid that's not exactly what I am feeling..

Even now when practicing noting the itching feelings arise all over my body, and follows me also outside practice for a while..

This only happens when doing noting practice, when I just do breathing meditation, this does not happen..

Anyone have any ideas why this is only happening in noting practice? my concentration is quite good, I don't get lost in thoughts, nor do I really get bored during practice..

Is this occurring in any particular spot or is it an all-over kinda thing?

Energetic arousal / agitation is pretty common for meditators, in particular during the A&P (though it will likely persist and continue to shift afterward as well). This can be pretty bizarre and unsettling at first, but one can acclimate rather quickly, especially when adopting an open-minded attitude toward such sensations. Fascination with them isn't helpful, nor is the tendency to feel tormented by them -- try to land somewhere in the middle, if you can manage it.

If it is subtle energy, this is a pretty sure sign of progress and 100% normal. The reason you're hitting these sensations with noting and not breath meditation is that you're breaking into territory that you hadn't managed prior. Which, of course, is awesome!