Tuesday, 03 June 2014
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For years I've had the habit of making tiny adjustments to my sitting posture every few minutes during meditation: relaxing my hips a little more or correcting a feeling of slumping by pulling the upper spine up straighter. I noticed a quote of the day on this site in which swami Sivananda advises keeping perfectly still for three hours at a time. Inspired by his advice, I decided to be more strict with myself about holding a steady posture and not making frequent adjustments. I found it much easier to stay focused mentally when sitting in is way.

But about forty five or fifty minutes in to each meditation session I start feeling a bit cold, although the temperature in my room is quite warm. I set a timer for an hour and if I sit still like that until the hour is up, as I unfold my legs from lotus posture at the end of the session, the cold chill becomes momentarily so strong that it resembles the feeling of having a fever. That lasts only a few minutes after the end of the session so I wrap myself in a blanket and then I warm back up.

I suspect what is happening is simply that blood isn't circulating well through my legs so they gradually cool down while I sit. When I unfold my legs, the blood flow is restored all that cold blood from the legs circulates around and cools the upper body. It takes a few minutes for everything to heat up again.

So here's my question: I've been feeling sick with common cold symptoms since the second day I tried sitting more still during meditation. Should I just keep working at it gently and hope that my body will adjust or am I doing something wrong that needs to change to avoid causing health problems?

Thanks
9 years ago
·
#6861
Accepted Answer
Indeed, circulation is likely the issue. Using a blanket helps. It may also be that some slight modification to the position of the lower body will stop this from happening.

Do you get much exercise, such as walking? This can help improve the circulation.

In my experience, if you continue sitting in this posture, the body will adapt, and the issue will go away.

"Do not worry; cultivate the habit of being happy." - Samael Aun Weor

9 years ago
·
#6861
Accepted Answer
Indeed, circulation is likely the issue. Using a blanket helps. It may also be that some slight modification to the position of the lower body will stop this from happening.

Do you get much exercise, such as walking? This can help improve the circulation.

In my experience, if you continue sitting in this posture, the body will adapt, and the issue will go away.

"Do not worry; cultivate the habit of being happy." - Samael Aun Weor

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