Yawning during meditation
Jeff Callaway
I have been meditating almost daily for about a year now and there is
something that I've been curious about. Although the discussions in this
newsgroup tend to get pretty deep, I was wondering if someone would
comment on a matter that is a little less inspiring, but interesting none
the less.
Counting breaths and breathing from the abdomen, instead of from the
chest, has an amazing calming effect. Sometimes by the 16th or 17th
breath I feel as if I've walked through a door into a quiet room where
everything is peaceful. This, of course, is why most of us meditate in
the first place. We find that quiet place where our awareness can
flower. I was wondering, however, if yawning is typical during
meditaion. I get a bad case of the yawns almost immediately when I'm
meditate, sometimes to the point of eyes watering.
Is this a sign that the meditation is working as it should? I haven't
seen this curious side effect discussed in the limited number of books
I've read on meditation and was wondering if anyone else had this curious
effect. In my recent meditations, I began to wonder more about the
subject. What is a yawn anyway? What physiological or psychological
purpose does it serve?
Sincerely,
Jeff
Kivivalli Antti
Jeff Callaway (call...@softdisk.com) wrote:
> Is this a sign that the meditation is working as it should? I haven't
> seen this curious side effect discussed in the limited number of books
> I've read on meditation and was wondering if anyone else had this curious
> effect. In my recent meditations, I began to wonder more about the
> subject. What is a yawn anyway? What physiological or psychological
> purpose does it serve?
I've seen an explanation in a small book titled A Guide to Human
Conduct and written by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. The book is mostly
about the yogic principles of morality, Yama & Niyama (the best
presentation I've seen), but in the last pages one can find the
following information: (pardon the many sanskrit terms and their poor
transliteration)
"When the mental flow of a spiritual aspirant moves along the
introversal pahase of Macrocosmic meditation, one's animative force,
having the potentiality of divinity itself, rises above all tendencies
- all samskaras - and proceed towards eternal bliss. In this state the
mind is vibrated with Cosmic feeling. The unexpressed divine qualities
of the higher glands find expression and the resonance of the mind
vibrates the nervous system. This gives rise to pious expressions in
the physical body. In the case of those peole whose occult feelings
are not to physically expressed due to causes associated with the
nerves, the mental vibrations cause certain radical changes in the
various glands within the body.
These occult feelings are basically of eight types: stambha
(astounding), kampa (trembling), sveda (sweating), svarabheda
(hoarsness of voice), ashru (tears), romainca (horripilation),
vaevarna (change of colour) and pralaya (fainting fit). There are
other feelings associated with these major feelings. For example nrtya
(dancing), giita (singing), viluntha (rolling) kroshana (weeping),
humkara (roaring), lalasrava (salivating), jrmbhana (bursting into
laughter), ghurnam (whirling), hikka (hiccoughing), tanumotana
(relaxation of the physical body) and diirghashyasa (deep breathing).
The probability of such symtoms is very little in the case of
vacanika and upamshu japa (repeating the mantra aloud or in a quiet
voice). That expression is very natural in the case of those who have
learned the correct process of sadhana. These are associated with
pleasure, and not with pain of any kind. Therefore those who do not
practice sadhana should not be unnecessarily afraid of these signs.
When such occult symptoms appear, the sadhaka also should not worry in
any way. In this state if sadhakas pay attention to expressing those
signs, their progress will be retarded. If they suppress these occult
feelings, their bhava or ideation itself will be disturbed and their
minds will become detached from Iishvara pranidhana. Yuo should always
remeber that Cosmic feeling is above everything else, so it is unwise
to waste time paying attention to the external symptoms of ideation or
bhava.
These occult symptoms disappear as soon as the mind is detached from
Cosmic objectivity. When sadhakas attain the capability to establish
themselves in Cosmic feeling for long periods, these ideations are
confined to the mental body only and the physical body becomes calm to
a great extent." (A Guide to Human Conduct, pp 38-40)
So, there is nothing to worry, the phenomena has been recorded long
time ago. Now you can forget the whole list of symtoms and go on doing
meditation. As one can imagine, it is very easy to make the wrong
conclusion that if meditation causes laughter, so laughter helps
meditation or even does the same thing. And because it easy, such
wrong conclusions have been done.
The trick is not to pay attention to anything that happens even if you
are rolling on the floor laughing. :) Even more difficult it can be
when there are other people meditating with you! Or for the other
people to stick to their meditation while you are laughing and
rolling.
There are also theoretical discussions about yawning in yogic
literature. It is said to be caused or helped by one of the "external
pranas", namely krkara, which normally causes the contractive
movements of our body. In a way this is relevant, for because the
pranas are functioning very much as a mediator between the mind and
the gross physical body, so it is easy to imagine how a strong process
in the mind like meditation can affect the pranas and thereby cause
the shakes and yawnings in the physical body.
Normally yawning seems to be connected to getting sleepy, so maybe it
has to do about contracting our bodies and making them ready for the
sleep. After waking up we do a similar kind of thing, but then it is
more about streching ourselves - the opposite process.
If you are interested to learn more about Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
and/or his books which really contain a lot of information in this
field, you can ask me or start your search at
http://jp.enable-plaza.vt.edu/meditate/index.html
--
Antti Kivivalli - ar...@cc.tut.fi
Kun olet päättänyt lähteä
sfnet.tori.kyydit
VenomX
Jeff Callaway wrote:
> flower. I was wondering, however, if yawning is typical during
> meditaion. I get a bad case of the yawns almost immediately when I'm
> meditate, sometimes to the point of eyes watering.
>
> seen this curious side effect discussed in the limited number of books
> I've read on meditation and was wondering if anyone else had this curious
> effect. In my recent meditations, I began to wonder more about the
> subject. What is a yawn anyway? What physiological or psychological
> purpose does it serve?
Hi Jeff.
No, it's not a sign the meditation works, but don't worry, it's not the
other way around either. A yawn is a spontaneous feeling to inhale a big
gulp of air, simply because the body needs it. Some people tend to get
this feeling when not breathing deep enough, sometimes even leading to a
sort of (quite harmless) temporary oxygen starvation of the body.
There's nothing wrong with yawning, but it might be irritating in the
way that it often breaks concentration. My advise if you want to get rid
of it is too simply breathe a bit more deeply than you do now.
Hope I've helped you at least a bit with your question. :)
-Robert-
Darrell Neff
Jeff Callaway wrote:
>
> I have been meditating almost daily for about a year now and there is
> something that I've been curious about. Although the discussions in this
> newsgroup tend to get pretty deep, I was wondering if someone would
> comment on a matter that is a little less inspiring, but interesting none
> the less.
>
> Counting breaths and breathing from the abdomen, instead of from the
> chest, has an amazing calming effect. Sometimes by the 16th or 17th
> breath I feel as if I've walked through a door into a quiet room where
> everything is peaceful. This, of course, is why most of us meditate in
> the first place. We find that quiet place where our awareness can
> meditaion. I get a bad case of the yawns almost immediately when I'm
> meditate, sometimes to the point of eyes watering.
>
> Is this a sign that the meditation is working as it should? I haven't
> seen this curious side effect discussed in the limited number of books
> I've read on meditation and was wondering if anyone else had this curious
> effect. In my recent meditations, I began to wonder more about the
> subject. What is a yawn anyway? What physiological or psychological
> purpose does it serve?
>
> Jeff
I once heard that a yawn is a release of tension. Maybe you're
unravelling something. Hoopy.
-J
Danielle Russell
> Jeff Callaway wrote:
> [snip]
> I was wondering, however, if yawning is typical during
> meditaion. I get a bad case of the yawns almost immediately when I'm
> meditate, sometimes to the point of eyes watering. Is this a sign > > > that the meditation is working as it should?
I usually fall asleep!! In the beginning, I thought that meant that I
was unable to meditate. I found, through ones who were experienced with
the matter, that it actually divulged a lot about my past lifestyle and
that I was capable of total relaxation. I would think that the same
applies to you. I think it's a good sign...
Brent Wood
One physiological state which I believe stimulates yawning is low blood
O2, as opposed to high blood CO2. If you are running mildly low on
oxygen, a yawn will flush the lungs of stale air & refresh things a bit.
Note the difference to CO2 levels which are primarily responsible for
the breathing reflex.
Colin Hankin
In article <32D984...@softdisk.com>, Jeff Callaway
<call...@softdisk.com> writes
>I have been meditating almost daily for about a year now and there is
>something that I've been curious about. Although the discussions in this
>newsgroup tend to get pretty deep, I was wondering if someone would
>comment on a matter that is a little less inspiring, but interesting none
>the less.
>
>Counting breaths and breathing from the abdomen, instead of from the
>chest, has an amazing calming effect. Sometimes by the 16th or 17th
>breath I feel as if I've walked through a door into a quiet room where
>everything is peaceful. This, of course, is why most of us meditate in
>the first place. We find that quiet place where our awareness can
>meditate, sometimes to the point of eyes watering.
>
>seen this curious side effect discussed in the limited number of books
>I've read on meditation and was wondering if anyone else had this curious
>effect. In my recent meditations, I began to wonder more about the
>subject. What is a yawn anyway? What physiological or psychological
>purpose does it serve?
>
>Sincerely,
>Jeff
>
It could be that you are just too tired. Try meditating in the morning
or an hour after a short nap. It works for me.
TTFN
--
Colin Hankin Buddha said, There is hope for man only in man.
Turnpike evaluation. For Turnpike information, mailto:in...@turnpike.com
Linda Birmingham
In article <32DA6F...@Hotmail.com>, VenomX <Ven...@Hotmail.com> wrote:
>Jeff Callaway wrote:
>> flower. I was wondering, however, if yawning is typical during
>> meditaion. I get a bad case of the yawns almost immediately when I'm
>> meditate, sometimes to the point of eyes watering.
>>
My yawning started when I did a course in autogenics, a relaxation technique.
Since then I yawned in ANY mind/body/meditation activity.
I still have phases when I yawn at the beginning of meditation....
I also have loads of water rolling down my cheeks ! Always have
a box of tissues with you.
I do not subscribe to the need for oxygen theory.
I believe that yawning is a symptom of the body letting go of tensions.
Once during a yawn when lying down I felt the whole of my back take
part in this activity. The jaw holds a lot of tension which yawning
starts to release.... and the jaw is connected to everything else.
It can be a disturbance in meditation ... but as the mind/body releases
there will be many disturbances as quoted earlier. I am experimenting
with going with the releases with the intention of openess and stillness
once it has passed. Like watching the mind with detachment watch the
body with detachment.
Love and peace,
Linda.
--
Linda Birmingham
Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, England.
li...@brunel.ac.uk
Linda.Bi...@brunel.ac.uk
VenomX
Linda Birmingham wrote:
> I do not subscribe to the need for oxygen theory.
Hmm.. This is not a theory, it's a biological fact really.
> I believe that yawning is a symptom of the body letting go of tensions.
> Once during a yawn when lying down I felt the whole of my back take
> part in this activity. The jaw holds a lot of tension which yawning
> starts to release.... and the jaw is connected to everything else.
Well, when - after a yawn - you exhale all the air in your lungs, you
tend to feel very relaxed, but that's not the purpose with yawning. It's
just a side-effect, really.
> It can be a disturbance in meditation ... but as the mind/body releases
> there will be many disturbances as quoted earlier. I am experimenting
> with going with the releases with the intention of openess and stillness
> once it has passed. Like watching the mind with detachment watch the
> body with detachment.
Hmm. Don't make the common mistake of separating the mind from the body.
:)
Otherwise it sounded interresting, and I just thought I'd leave a few
comments to your post.
Seeya'round.
-Robert-
jdsut...@aol.com
I'm sure I read somewhere that yawning is a mechanism to expel CO(2). Not
the other way round, as some people have said (Inhale oxygen). Have you
ever noticed that you expel as you yawn; not breath in ?
(Sincerely, first time meditator)
VenomX
Umm? Yes, of course you exhale carbondioxide, but you have to inhale
(oxygen) first. And do you not begin "your yawns" with inhaling air? You
"breathe out" as the first thing you do? I'm sorry, but in that case
you're the first I've heard of doing it that way. :)
The yawn *is* in fact a way to increase the amount of oxygen in your
body. I'm no professor, but I *have* studied nature-science, biology and
chemistry enough to know what a yawn is, and the definition is indeed "a
way of inhaling a large amount of air", to put it in a simple way.
I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. :)
-Robert- - "Back off, or I'll define coughing too..." ;)
Kivivalli Antti
VenomX (Ven...@Hotmail.com) wrote:
> The yawn *is* in fact a way to increase the amount of oxygen in your
> body. I'm no professor, but I *have* studied nature-science, biology and
> chemistry enough to know what a yawn is, and the definition is indeed "a
> way of inhaling a large amount of air", to put it in a simple way.
> I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. :)
No need to be sorry, we can always discuss here about all kinds of
opinions and observations... :)
Has anybody noticed that reducing the oxygen level and increasing the
CO2 level by holding the breath would induce yawning? That would be
logical if the function of yawning were to get more oxygen.
On the other hand, it is quite easy to induce yawning by keeping the
mouth open and breathing a few short breaths which produce also a
sound.
Interesting, isn't it. :)
--
Antti Kivivalli - ar...@cc.tut.fi
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