"headspace"

[johnathanmatthew]

hey hey hey / first, it's really great that this website exists (also the internet in general) and that experienced people here are so willing to help others work through problems that come up / recently something that's bothering me is that i'm noticing parts of my "headspace" feel dull or tense, and there are feelings of fear(claustrophobic-like) around this/ at the same time, feelings of doubt about practicing meditation itself/ the way that i'm dealing with it now is like an itch, where i sense the dullness or tension, and i'm trying to focus on a feeling of relaxation around the spot, and after a few seconds i feel it open up and a sense of relief comes, like i can breathe again/ in trying to relax the spot, sometimes i'm not able to, and there's a small sense of frustration, and right away i stop trying for a while


are the feelings of doubt i'm talking about legitimate or not? i've been for a while now focusing on the feelings of the nostrils while breathing, and recently focusing on the stomache area because i'm finding that there's a significant grounding effect from it/ i'm meditating right now for about forty minutes, sometimes up to an hour


what's the dullness or tension about? any helpful questions or comments you can make about any of this is great/ thank you, really

[TheNoBSBuddhist]

I'm failing to understand whether these sensations are physical or psychological.

Notwithstanding, it is difficult, not to say virtually impossible, to state with any certainty what these feelings are about, or legitimate or not.

They happen to you.
Note them, work through them, let them go.

Don't allow them to be a hindrance, or even worth concentrating on.
They arise, you notice, you deal with, they linger, they pass.

Move on....

[mikenz66]

Welcome johnathanmatthew!

Can you tell us a little more about your approach? Are you following instructions from some teacher, book, web-site, etc? Knowing that would enable members to comment in a little more detail.


Mike

[johnathanmatthew]

I'm failing to understand whether these sensations are physical or psychological.

Notwithstanding, it is difficult, not to say virtually impossible, to state with any certainty what these feelings are about, or legitimate or not.

They happen to you.
Note them, work through them, let them go.

Don't allow them to be a hindrance, or even worth concentrating on.
They arise, you notice, you deal with, they linger, they pass.

Move on....

thanks for replying, the sensations are mainly physical, though there's some feelings of claustrophobia about it

[TheNoBSBuddhist]

Try to not over-think it, or allocate labels, names or definitions of the sensations.

Headpsace (sorry) means nothing.
You are meditating; bringing 'The Mind' home.
If you have a sensation in the body, just say "oh, slight cramp" or "bit of a twitch there...." or "nose is itching... I may sneeze...." and leave it be.
By focusing and trying to dissipate the feelings, you are actually having an opposite effect, and bringing more tension both to the mind and the body.

Your body is a constantly changing organism. It is designed to feel, to move, to articulate, shift, support, relax, contract, and all manner of actions we don't even know are going on, let alone have any control over.
Let it be, it's expressing itself.

At least it's a sign everything is functioning.
Don't view it as a hindrance, with hostility....

"Hello, itchy arm!*scratch, scratch* There, gone! ok, back to Mind....."

Welcome it. Deal with it. And let it go.