How do you keep your head during seated meditation?

[Tad]

Do you keep your head so you are looking straight forward, slightly tilted up, or slightly down?

[Jhanananda]

Do you keep your head so you are looking straight forward, slightly tilted up, or slightly down?

This is a good question, Tad. When I meditate my goal is to be as comfortable as possible, because my goal is to meditate as long as possible, which is typically 1 hour sessions, but when kundalini rises then it can be a 3 hour meditation session. So, as for head position I find keeping my head balanced and facing straight forward. 

The other things to consider such as how much to elevate the butt during meditation.  I find elevating the butt until the knees touch the floor helps me.  This way there is less stress on the knees.

I also find sitting on a wool blanket that is large enough to fit the entire platform of the triangle formed by my knees to my butt.  And, thick enough so that I do not feel the hardness of the floor.

On top of the base cushion I put an elevating cushion which raises my butt up off the floor to bring my knees down so they touch the base cushion, and allows my head to be balanced and facing straight forward.

Pillows should not be made of cotton, because cotton compacts to be hard and traps heat; whereas, wool breaths, and does not compact.

Clothing:

The material that one's pants and underpants are made of is important.

As above these should not be made of cotton, because cotton compacts to be hard and traps heat; whereas, silk for under pants breaths and does not trap heat, silk or wool trousers or skirt breaths, and does not compact. I also found rayon is comfortable as well.

[Tad]

Thanks, Jhananda for great tips. I will try them all.

[KriyaYogi]

When I do my breath work I sit which ever way works, usually with eyes closed, but at my alter chanting Kali mantras, which is most of my training I fix my gaze on the yantra that she suggests.  I have a gold plated copper plate which cost me 5$ with geometric triangles that she suggested to me 5 years ago to use.  I gaze at it deeply and chant until reaching trance.  I change my shirt color and sitting mat at 2-5 month intervals whenever she says a new color is needed.  I have used a rainbow blanket to sit on, a green cloth blanket, a red cloth blanet, white wool, etc....   whatever color I hear I try to find in the house or purchase, the same with shirts.
-David

[Jhanananda]

I forgot to mention, folks, in my instructions for long meditation sit practice a few things:
1) I find sitting on the floor in meditation works best for me verses sitting in a chair, but I also find standing, walking and lying down meditation practices have their value.  Especially lying down meditation allows for the deepest level of relaxation, which I find to be essential for the 4 deepest states of samadhi.

2) When I sit in meditation on the floor with crossed legs I make sure that I do not have any leg over the other, because doing so tends to cut off circulation to the leg or foot on the bottom.  This finding is in contrast to the commonly held belief in Hinduism and yoga that the full lotus is the ideal posture.

[Tad]

I forgot to mention, folks, in my instructions for long meditation sit practice a few things:
1) I find sitting on the floor in meditation works best for me verses sitting in a chair, but I also find standing, walking and lying down meditation practices have their value.  Especially lying down meditation allows for the deepest level of relaxation, which I find to be essential for the 4 deepest states of samadhi.

2) When I sit in meditation on the floor with crossed legs I make sure that I do not have any leg over the other, because doing so tends to cut off circulation to the leg or foot on the bottom.  This finding is in contrast to the commonly held belief in Hinduism and yoga that the full lotus is the ideal posture.

Jhananda,

This is good to know. I noticed many times that lying down position is the best for deep relaxation. So I used to wonder why very few people talk about it. I also have the same experience regarding crossed legs. I remember reading somewhere about old Zen master who could not walk cause of spending too much time in full lotus. Clearly, not good for knees unless someone has natural flexibility. But my joints and muscles are very tight having spent years in the military.

BTW, what kind of pillows do you prefer? I currently have a rouns buckwheat pillow. It is Ok. But Ive seen wedge shaped meditation pillows online that should be great for keeping back straight. I will have to get one to try


David,
Pali suttas say that when one is in Jhana then Mara cannot see them. So in deep meditation you should be protected 

[Jhanananda]

Jhananda,

This is good to know. I noticed many times that lying down position is the best for deep relaxation. So I used to wonder why very few people talk about it. I also have the same experience regarding crossed legs. I remember reading somewhere about old Zen master who could not walk cause of spending too much time in full lotus. Clearly, not good for knees unless someone has natural flexibility. But my joints and muscles are very tight having spent years in the military.

The problem I have with Zen is they only talk about the still mind, which is just the second jhana. So, we really should question the Zen marketing hype.

BTW, what kind of pillows do you prefer? I currently have a rouns buckwheat pillow. It is Ok. But Ive seen wedge shaped meditation pillows online that should be great for keeping back straight. I will have to get one to try

What works best for me is 2 wool blankets.  One I have laid out flat to cover my entire sitting platform.  The other blanket I roll up and wedge it under my bottom to get the right elevation to bring my knees down to the wool sitting platform.

David,
Pali suttas say that when one is in Jhana then Mara cannot see them. So in deep meditation you should be protected 

This is a good point  One of the things that I think is often overlooked in the various contemplative traditions is the 4 jhanas as critical foundational states of samadhi, which should be visited in one daily meditation practice.  There is often an unfortunate obsession with the deeper states of samadhi and a profound lack of understanding that it is best to start every meditation session with the 4 jhanas.  This way the technique is dumped to get to the 2nd jhana where the mind is still, then we allow the other states of samadhi to emerge naturally, not by forcing them, but just allow the session to evolve naturally. This way one has the correct psychological foundation to deal with any encounters with demons along the way.

[KriyaYogi]

Tad:  Sleep is getting easier as I progress yes, Samarth Ramdas from the 15th century said that for each 10,000,000 japa you chant one astrological house of the horoscope is purified and for each house he discusses the benefits of the chanting.  I definitely see correlations between what was written in the old times and what I experience. 

    I am just starting purification of my 11th house now, having finished 100,000,000 chants (10 houses).  For example the 8th house is Scorpio which according to Jyotish governs chronic disease and accidental death.  When I reached the 8th house I started getting alot of help from my spellcaster friends on my health and my health improved alot.  Currently I have no chronic diseases that bother me, except sometimes overactive libido if I request too much healing.

  The 11th house, Aquarius governs friendship, gains and other things, so I find it synchronous that I've met some friends here on the forum despite not leaving my house in a year except to get food or for walks.  The final house, the 12th, governs secret enemies and harm from secret enemies, losses in life such as money, any kind of imprisonment, monasticism and other things.  Interestingly it also governs sleep, according to Indian Astrology.  As I am getting closer yes sleep is getting much easier to attain regularly.

-David

[KriyaYogi]

>>>
If you have accumulated twelve times benefit, then your twelfth house of astrological chart, Vyayasthaan will get purified. You will never acquire wealth by wrong deeds ever again. There will be complete demolition of Rajo–Tamoqualities and dreams states. You will be completely overwhelmed by love of God. That person will no longer have to crave for freedom after death, he shall be free in the living state, become one with the universal soul. The realisation of oneness with the soul that Lord Vishnu has, Lord Shiva has, Lord Krishna has, Lord Ram has or Lord Ganapati has, so shall he view the world in the same manner and finally experience true oneness with the universal soul.
>>>
    This is what is traditionally written about what happens if you finish purifying all 12 houses.  I look forward to seeing if it's true.  I've had a few instances where I felt like I was one with my deity already but some karma is blocking the connection yet for me.

  -David

[Jhanananda]

"You can lead a camel to water, but you can't force it to drink." We can only provide a rational discourse and live as an example in life, which will inspire the very small population capable of rational thought.

[KriyaYogi]

That is true Jeff.  No one can force another to do meditation or do spiritual training.  I believe Kali was waiting for me to type the previous response because yesterday night while chanting I had a major fracture of consciousness.  I felt like I was an extraterrestrial on this planet as I was chanting.  Like I was her.   When I looked at people they were like stars in the galaxy like they were a star in my brain of the galaxy.  Hard to describe, but I will continue my chanting and see what happens.  I seem to recall hearing you have had similar experiences...
-David

[Jhanananda]

David, I am glad you are getting so much out of mantra chanting, because for me it was just too tedious a mental exercise.  I much prefer keeping my mind still and in the present moment.  From there I find the remains 6 stages of samadhi blossom naturally with enough time spent in the 2nd samadhi which is characterized by a still mind.