What happens if you over meditate?

[withered_Orchid]

So I have been doing meditation for a few weeks now with the midnight express track and guided mediations I found here on the forum and I have moved from struggling to meditate for thirty minutes to doing an hour ++ .

At first I didn't realize how long I was meditating since I just put the track on a loop with media player until a sharp sound broke me out of it. Yesterday I stayed in for nearly three hours without realizing it and felt I could have unknowingly done more if my sister had not tapped me on my shoulder (she was freaked out after seeing me sit absolutely still in a chair for that long.)

I feel fine, but everything I have read says that meditating for over an hour is a bad idea but I can't get any specifics as to the effects and was hoping some one could shed some light on this.

many thanks

[Edwin]

First of all, if you don't feel any effects from it, obviously there are no negative effects for you for staying in meditation that long.

however, it seems a bit like a waste of time. We are here on this earth to experience life, and since there is no proof that meditation for a longer period of time than one hour is still benificiary, you would be better of doing something that is fun in those now wasted hours. Laughter is just as important as meditation you know !

Just a quick question:
Are you completely unaware of time during your meditation ? Do you not even know the difference between 20 minutes and 3 hours ?

[Midnight]

Well if he's enjoying the meditation, it's not time wasted. One could say meditation is part of the experience of life

Good to see you're enjoying meditation, Orchid

EDIT: There can be the risk of letting go of too much tension too fast, but if you're not feeling emotional catharsis, I wouldn't think anything is wrong with that. I could be wrong though

[Dimos]

Hello to all, this is my first post.

I started the LifeFlow program a month ago, and I must say I am absolutely
stunned about the effect it has on my meditation and it 's possibility to get me into very deep relaxation within just a few minutes.

Actually the LifeFlow program has motivated me to start meditation again on a daily basis.

In an earlier period of my life I did Zen meditation quiet intensively.
In the that period I did lots of retreats in which you sit (in meditation) for about 7 hours a day sometimes for a period of 9 days.
I never had the experience "to over meditate". Of course all sort matters from the past, like emotions, tiredness etc. came above like deep waves of an ocean. But in the meantime my mind got clearer and clearer. After an period of intensive meditation, I mostly felt much lighter and very silent in my mind for a long time.

So I wouldn 't see meditation for more than an hour a day as a waist of time, for it can be very beneficial.

Until now I haven 't had the time to find out how it is to meditate with LifeFlow for more than two hours a day.
But when time comes, I want to find out.

[withered_Orchid]

Thanks everyone for sharing their views.

Originally Posted by Edwin

Laughter is just as important as meditation you know !

Just a quick question:
Are you completely unaware of time during your meditation ? Do you not even know the difference between 20 minutes and 3 hours ?

Usually in the 30 minutes I focus on and off on the mantra and I am somewhat aware of the time but slowly the mantra just slips away and I focus only on the sound of my breath; it is around then that time really becomes a blur.

I'll be laughing soon I hope ... one step at a time

Originally Posted by Midnight

Well if he's enjoying the meditation

She is enjoying the meditation thanks

Originally Posted by Midnight

EDIT: There can be the risk of letting go of too much tension too fast, but if you're not feeling emotional catharsis, I wouldn't think anything is wrong with that. I could be wrong though

I cried the first few times with the discover meditation CDs.... but nothing since then

Originally Posted by Dimos

Hello to all, this is my first post.

I started the LifeFlow program a month ago, and I must say I am absolutely
stunned about the effect it has on my meditation and it 's possibility to get me into very deep relaxation within just a few minutes.

Actually the LifeFlow program has motivated me to start meditation again on a daily basis.

In an earlier period of my life I did Zen meditation quiet intensively.
In the that period I did lots of retreats in which you sit (in meditation) for about 7 hours a day sometimes for a period of 9 days.
I never had the experience "to over meditate". Of course all sort matters from the past, like emotions, tiredness etc. came above like deep waves of an ocean. But in the meantime my mind got clearer and clearer. After an period of intensive meditation, I mostly felt much lighter and very silent in my mind for a long time.

So I wouldn 't see meditation for more than an hour a day as a waist of time, for it can be very beneficial.

Until now I haven 't had the time to find out how it is to meditate with LifeFlow for more than two hours a day.
But when time comes, I want to find out.

Hi Dimos!
thanks for sharing your experiences. For me meditation helps to resolve and understand my emotions a lot better. I thought my emotions were all ones of hate and I bottled them appropriately (until they burst of course.) I am really enjoying experiencing all my emotions even the bad ones, because once I experience them it is so easy to let go of the hate.