Question about meditating each night

[kentucker4]

Each night to help me sleep, I lay down on my back and listen to a sleep hypnosis track for about an hour before I sleep. This is meditation because i only focus on the track with no thinking. Lately, though, I have been feeling a sort of pressure in my head when i get deep into the track and on the verge of sleep. Will this cause too much chi to go to my head? Can this be dangerous? I don't want any chi in my head ideally.

 

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I have been doing this every night for about a year now.

Edited June 8, 2012 by kentucker4

[Aaron]

Each night to help me sleep, I lay down on my back and listen to a sleep hypnosis track for about an hour before I sleep. This is meditation because i only focus on the track with no thinking. Lately, though, I have been feeling a sort of pressure in my head when i get deep into the track and on the verge of sleep. Will this cause too much chi to go to my head? Can this be dangerous? I don't want any chi in my head ideally.

 

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I have been doing this every night for about a year now.

 

Hey Kentucker4,

 

If it's only occurring when you're listening to the track and are about to fall asleep, I would stop listening to the track. I can't tell you exactly what the cause is without knowing what the track actually is, in particular the induction and whether or not ther're using modality and harmonics to augment the induction. I would suggest that relying on the track for sleep for the long term may be detrimental, simply because it can form a dependence that will prevent you from going to sleep naturally. I would suggest the following in lieu of the track, first try sitting meditation prior to bedtime. About 20 minutes before you feel like going to bed, meditate for 15 minutes and then stop. During the five minutes prior to bedtime give yourself time to relax a bit. Also try and use the same routine (minus the hypnosis track) before you go to sleep, i.e. brush your teeth, listen to a little music, whatever you like to do. The process of using a routine will help your body get into the right mode for sleeping.

 

The reason I discourage reliance on hypnosis, is because this is something that shouldn't be difficult for you to achieve without the use of hypnosis. Hypnosis is a tool, but shouldn't be used if you can achieve the same result without it. I recommend sleep tapes for short term use, for instance if you're suffering from a bout of insomnia, but not for long term use.

 

If you have any questions about this, send me a message. I hope you find something that works for you.

 

Aaron

 

edit- Oh, and no you probably aren't experiencing too much chi in your head, but ideally you don't want to be laying down during meditation, unless the particular form or practice requires it.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Twinner

[kentucker4]

Hey Kentucker4,

 

If it's only occurring when you're listening to the track and are about to fall asleep, I would stop listening to the track. I can't tell you exactly what the cause is without knowing what the track actually is, in particular the induction and whether or not ther're using modality and harmonics to augment the induction. I would suggest that relying on the track for sleep for the long term may be detrimental, simply because it can form a dependence that will prevent you from going to sleep naturally. I would suggest the following in lieu of the track, first try sitting meditation prior to bedtime. About 20 minutes before you feel like going to bed, meditate for 15 minutes and then stop. During the five minutes prior to bedtime give yourself time to relax a bit. Also try and use the same routine (minus the hypnosis track) before you go to sleep, i.e. brush your teeth, listen to a little music, whatever you like to do. The process of using a routine will help your body get into the right mode for sleeping.

 

The reason I discourage reliance on hypnosis, is because this is something that shouldn't be difficult for you to achieve without the use of hypnosis. Hypnosis is a tool, but shouldn't be used if you can achieve the same result without it. I recommend sleep tapes for short term use, for instance if you're suffering from a bout of insomnia, but not for long term use.

 

If you have any questions about this, send me a message. I hope you find something that works for you.

 

Aaron

 

edit- Oh, and no you probably aren't experiencing too much chi in your head, but ideally you don't want to be laying down during meditation, unless the particular form or practice requires it.

 

 

 

But sometimes it is the only thing that allows me to sleep.......i am not worried about becoming dependent on it because o iused to be dependednt on strong sleep medications that were hell to come off of...so i will take this dependency over that dependency any day......i am just worried about the chi aspect of it.

[joeblast]

Excellent reply, twinner!

 

Ky if at times you need it, go for it, just be mindful over the long haul of the dependency there - though it is better than a substance, realize the similar root and that may help you.

 

Many nights I will sit until I reach a threshold of energy-consciousness where the meditation "begins to require more awareness-effort than it is worth to keep going" and laying down after that, finding sleep but a moment away. By sitting it is a better more efficient meditation posture, and the body doesn't think you are trying to go to sleep, or trick it to sleep, if there is apprehension - so in that vein, perhaps just a little more definitive of a separation between meditation and sleep might help.