Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
suttametta
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by suttametta »

kitztack wrote:
suttametta wrote:I had this problem too up until recently. The head pressure drove me nuts, literally. I also had this extreme tension between the shoulder blades that seemed locked in place. I think a remnant of a debilitating injury I suffered fifteen years ago. I tried everything. What finally allowed me to relax these things was to balance samatha and vipassana. Focusing of anapanasati helped me temporarily to remove the hidden thought of the tensing. Focusing on vipassana helped me to not let that thought come back. For me, these potent distracting tensions were like a great nemesis. Defeating this nemesis has been very illuminating exercise about what does and doesn't help. Specifically, Pak Aw Sayadaw's talks on the kalapas brought together a problem I've been trying long to crack and now I'm very relaxed myself. Powerful oppressing thoughts lurk underneath the surface of awareness. And when I tried to find this oppressor, I could only find this tension. I could only find a shadow of the past. When I saw it, it seemed as useless as taking to a shadow. Trying to crack this shell of tension using only shamatha didn't allow me to destroy the thought permanently. Focusing on vipassana make it worse because I was building up hope to destroy that thought faster. With shamatha and vipassana together, I was able to reduce this thought to nothing. Don't take a one sided approach, is my advice. Corner it from all sides using all the weapons of dhamma.

hi suttametta

could you by any chance provide a link for the talks by Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw you listened to.

i have trouble finding ones of good quality audio that i can follow. thanks
I read this.

http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/know-see.pdf
KnowThyself
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by KnowThyself »

Hi,

Thank you all kindly for your wisdom. I have been travelling and am now settling into a new home for the moment. I have taken a break from meditating and have not sat since the end of the course I attended. The pressure has definitely gone down and I do not think of it usually. I am worried it may come back if I meditate however.

Khlawng, thank you, I will heed your advice. But, how to normalize?
if you are a beginner, you need to spend time on only 2 activities

1) how to relax to the point where you can feel your body breathe naturally ie. total body relaxation
2) how to normalize

normalize normalize normalize. bring all this mental energy and dissipate it throughout your body after each meditation exercise.
To Pondera, I think you captured my attitude quite well. I guess I intuitively knew this, and also knew to avoid it, but I was unaware that I was still thinking this way.
You're using the breath deliberately.You're using the breath as if you could free your mind by the breath....Your mind wants to understand reality
I will need to learn how to really "let it go with the flow of impermanence". It is interesting how difficult it can be to just observe...objectively.
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khlawng
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by khlawng »

KnowThyself wrote:
Khlawng, thank you, I will heed your advice. But, how to normalize?
As you relax the problem area, keep bringing the tension back into the entire body.
Just like when you form the one-pointedness by gathering your mind at the tip of your nose or at the upper lip, reverse the process and dissipate it back into the body.
use the sensation of the in-breath as a guide and feel how the breath can spread throughout your entire body.
you may try to do the same with the tension.
hope that helps.
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Pondera
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Pondera »

suttametta wrote:I had this problem too up until recently. The head pressure drove me nuts, literally. I also had this extreme tension between the shoulder blades that seemed locked in place. I think a remnant of a debilitating injury I suffered fifteen years ago. I tried everything. What finally allowed me to relax these things was to balance samatha and vipassana. Focusing of anapanasati helped me temporarily to remove the hidden thought of the tensing. Focusing on vipassana helped me to not let that thought come back. For me, these potent distracting tensions were like a great nemesis. Defeating this nemesis has been very illuminating exercise about what does and doesn't help. Specifically, Pak Aw Sayadaw's talks on the kalapas brought together a problem I've been trying long to crack and now I'm very relaxed myself. Powerful oppressing thoughts lurk underneath the surface of awareness. And when I tried to find this oppressor, I could only find this tension. I could only find a shadow of the past. When I saw it, it seemed as useless as taking to a shadow. Trying to crack this shell of tension using only shamatha didn't allow me to destroy the thought permanently. Focusing on vipassana make it worse because I was building up hope to destroy that thought faster. With shamatha and vipassana together, I was able to reduce this thought to nothing. Don't take a one sided approach, is my advice. Corner it from all sides using all the weapons of dhamma.
Is there an occasion for certainty that this thought has left itself?
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
suttametta
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by suttametta »

Pondera wrote:
suttametta wrote:I had this problem too up until recently. The head pressure drove me nuts, literally. I also had this extreme tension between the shoulder blades that seemed locked in place. I think a remnant of a debilitating injury I suffered fifteen years ago. I tried everything. What finally allowed me to relax these things was to balance samatha and vipassana. Focusing of anapanasati helped me temporarily to remove the hidden thought of the tensing. Focusing on vipassana helped me to not let that thought come back. For me, these potent distracting tensions were like a great nemesis. Defeating this nemesis has been very illuminating exercise about what does and doesn't help. Specifically, Pak Aw Sayadaw's talks on the kalapas brought together a problem I've been trying long to crack and now I'm very relaxed myself. Powerful oppressing thoughts lurk underneath the surface of awareness. And when I tried to find this oppressor, I could only find this tension. I could only find a shadow of the past. When I saw it, it seemed as useless as taking to a shadow. Trying to crack this shell of tension using only shamatha didn't allow me to destroy the thought permanently. Focusing on vipassana make it worse because I was building up hope to destroy that thought faster. With shamatha and vipassana together, I was able to reduce this thought to nothing. Don't take a one sided approach, is my advice. Corner it from all sides using all the weapons of dhamma.
Is there an occasion for certainty that this thought has left itself?
When you relax deeply and feel comfort and joy.
enlightenmentseeker
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by enlightenmentseeker »

I get pressure or tension in certain area as well. To get rid of it, just put your attention on the area as you notice your breath at the same time. It will go away. By observing the tension in your mind, it goes away.

For me it can recur frequently during meditation, but always short lived as I observe the sensation.

I don't know what it means to have it but I know how to get rid of it.
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Pondera
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Pondera »

Yellow,

Animals have a natural "snarl" response. In acts of aggression, or defensive acts; even during sex;
the muscles around their nostrils go up. It makes them look angry. Obvious right? You might find it useful to investigate your own "snarl" response. Give yourself a second to let go of any inhibitions around your nostrils to see how active your "snarl" response is. My advise would be, if it is very active, to investigate the root cause of this snarl-response - rather than attending to sensations around the nostrils. In actuality, if you have a tendency to be "testy"; the snarl response will overrule any attempts to pacify your self to the point where you can enter jhana.

It's all about energy. The headaches are a fight between two types of energy. The energy from your ajna precedes the energy from your nose. In other words, your ajna needs to be open three degrees before any of that aggresive nostril stuff can be let go of. I'm not recommending opening your ajna either. That isn't to be opened first. And by opened, i mean brought into harmony with the external environmwnt. What should we address at the outset? Possibly someone knows of a bridge that might be suitable for addressing to the environment at the outset. Otherwise, the negative sensations might worsen.
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
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ryanM
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by ryanM »

So I had the same experience, and I'll tell you how it stopped for me. Simply, as I'm sure you've heard this a million times, it to relax into the feeling of the breath. You know, if you're mind doesn't feel like settling into the breath, then that's OK too. I found that my tension dissipated after I stopped focusing on any one particular area of the breath. Something paradoxically effective is to just let that sensation stay there without trying to get rid, or keep it. Your mind will naturally fall into the breath when it's ready. If this didn't help, then I hope you'll still come to learn something from all of these great members!


:woohoo: :jedi:
sabbe dhammā nālaṃ abhinivesāya

"nothing whatsoever should be clung to"
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Kumara
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Kumara »

Spiny Norman wrote:It might be that you're trying to hard, or it might be that you're just noticing chronic tension in this area. Consciously relaxing this area might help.
I agree.

karunametta, which of the 2 possibilities do you find is truer is your case?

When you said "I find that with metta I get a very strong third eye pressure”, I get that the former is truer. You try to control your mind, don't you?
Chandrasekar
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Chandrasekar »

Dear Karunametta,
I wonder knowing your experience during meditation. I have also the same experience while meditation. Have you overcome this? What’s the reason behind this? Please advise your further experience and how to overcome. I am from China. Email to [email protected]
Voltron007
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Voltron007 »

I had the same problem for the longest time. I was taught to keep one-pointed meditation on the breath at the tip of the nostrils. So I was only breathing in through the nose and out through the nose. And I always did it that way thinking that's the right way to meditate.
Now I found out that if I breath in through the nose and exhale out the mouth it calms me down better and the tension around the nostril area is reduced. If I keep doing it enough I can calm my breath down to were I can just breath in and out of the nostrils.
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Pondera
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Pondera »

karunametta wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:54 am Hello all,

I know there are some similar topics on this, but I couldn't find anything that was directed towards my situation.

So I've been doing a lot of anapana-sati meditation lately (~3-4 hours a day) and now that i've been keeping to that schedule consistently I'm constantly experiencing pressure/tension from my '3rd eye' area down to my top row of teeth. This happens while in meditation and often throughout the day just from gaining momentary awareness/concentration. I've been experiencing this now for about a week or so, maybe a little longer.

About my practice: I focus on the sensations of the breath passing on the underside of my nostrils and above the upperlip. I don't feel as if I'm "forcing" the concentration or doing anything different from my previous practice that would cause this tension/pressure. I'm approaching the point where I'm just beginning to see some nimittas that are for sporadic, almost like a strobe light at high frequency. They'll only last for a split second as I get distracted from the breath haha. The pressur ein my head just feels like at my forehead someone is pumping air into my third eye as if to expand it. It's kind of the same for my nose area but more like sinus pressure, but all the way down to the bridge between my nose and mouth. My top row of teeth feels like I have braces again and they were just adjusted lol.

Not sure if information helps, but I feel as if this tension/pressure is getting in the way of allowing myself to fully relax into the breath and I'm starting to develop the slightest aversion to it that I think it's creating a hindrance. The aim of my practice is towards developing the first jhana.

Any advice? Sorry if this is too vague, I can happily be more specific. The pressure in my third eye is making it hard for me to write/think clearly...

Thank you!

Common complaint. Switch to diaphragmatic breathing.

Ie. focus on your diaphragm - not your nostrils.

This is the proper method which will solve all problems.
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
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Kumara
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Kumara »

Voltron007 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:57 am I had the same problem for the longest time. I was taught to keep one-pointed meditation on the breath at the tip of the nostrils. So I was only breathing in through the nose and out through the nose. And I always did it that way thinking that's the right way to meditate.
Now I found out that if I breath in through the nose and exhale out the mouth it calms me down better and the tension around the nostril area is reduced. If I keep doing it enough I can calm my breath down to were I can just breath in and out of the nostrils.
I believe, in your case, there's already a tension issue there even if you don't meditate, but becomes obvious if you do. Is that correct?
Voltron007
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Voltron007 »

Kumara wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:02 am
Voltron007 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:57 am I had the same problem for the longest time. I was taught to keep one-pointed meditation on the breath at the tip of the nostrils. So I was only breathing in through the nose and out through the nose. And I always did it that way thinking that's the right way to meditate.
Now I found out that if I breath in through the nose and exhale out the mouth it calms me down better and the tension around the nostril area is reduced. If I keep doing it enough I can calm my breath down to were I can just breath in and out of the nostrils.
I believe, in your case, there's already a tension issue there even if you don't meditate, but becomes obvious if you do. Is that correct?
Yeah, I have generalized anxiety. Plus neck and lower back pain that probably has to do with it.
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Kumara
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Re: Pressure/tension in face/teeth during meditation

Post by Kumara »

Voltron007 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:59 pm
Kumara wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:02 am
Voltron007 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:57 am I had the same problem for the longest time. I was taught to keep one-pointed meditation on the breath at the tip of the nostrils. So I was only breathing in through the nose and out through the nose. And I always did it that way thinking that's the right way to meditate.
Now I found out that if I breath in through the nose and exhale out the mouth it calms me down better and the tension around the nostril area is reduced. If I keep doing it enough I can calm my breath down to were I can just breath in and out of the nostrils.
I believe, in your case, there's already a tension issue there even if you don't meditate, but becomes obvious if you do. Is that correct?
Yeah, I have generalized anxiety. Plus neck and lower back pain that probably has to do with it.
OK. Before I tell you what to do, let me tell you that I teach meditation, and I used to have a lot of tension issues myself. It's no longer an issue for me.

1. Don't focus on the tension.
2. Open your eyes.
3. Remember to breathe normally.
4. As you breathe in and out, feel your whole body, and allow it to slowly relax.
5. Don't be in a hurry to relax. Focus on what you're doing, not the results.

Let me know if you need more help.
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