Common Problems for Beginners in Sitting Meditation
1. Modern people are accustomed to thinking and often overuse their brains. Because they carry too many worries in their minds, their energy often pools in the head, making it very difficult to relax the entire body when they first start sitting meditation. The key to full-body relaxation is relaxing the mind and the brain. Therefore, when beginning sitting meditation, you must first let your qi sink downward. Then, regulate your breathing.
2. In sitting meditation, observing the breath and observing your thoughts is not about analyzing or thinking; it is about seeing with the heart. So, generally, you need to let the qi from your head sink down to the heart chakra area, then relax, and begin observing.
3. Some people sit very well during meditation, but if you observe their energy channels, some exude a decadent, lifeless energy, while others have energy channels that are withered and dull. This is all related to their state of mind before getting on the cushion. Therefore, before meditating, you must adjust your state of mind so that you are filled with love and joy.
4. Do not eat too much before sitting meditation.
5. Pay attention to your practice outside of meditation. In daily life, try your best to minimize the energy drain of your six sense faculties. When eating or sleeping, you should first gather your spirit inward. Withdraw the energy of the six sense faculties back into your body, relax, and only then begin to eat or sleep. Doing this makes you less prone to gaining excess weight and having nightmares. When having a bowel movement, do not read books or newspapers. That easily leads to constipation and hemorrhoids; you must quiet your mind and relax in order to more fully expel the body’s waste. Actually, only by focusing on a relaxed, quiet, and natural state during your daily “eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, and sleeping” can your sitting meditation get on the right track faster.
(Conclusion)