Nodding in and out

[liveinlite]

I have insomnia and noticed that I get so deep into the meditaion I nod in and out while listening to track 10 also because i'm tired. Am I still getting the same benefits?. My breathing almost stops.

[bashmaki]

Liveinlite,
I'm going to take a shot at this; someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Also please chime in with alternate ideas and additions.

I do not have insomnia but have some pretty busy days sometimes. In any event, I know I don't get enough sleep some nights. Today I thought I'd meditate while the guys were taking lunch. I do this often and many times it is a wonderful time for me to meditate and have experienced very deep stages of meditation during this time; but today I fell soundly asleep.
The reason I know this is from past experience with meditation. When I woke up I could sense my body & limbs. During true meditation, in the deeper states, I always lose track of my body. I can't tell whether my hands are folded in my lap or plugging my ears.
I have been meditating for about 10 years give or take mostly all the time with a few breaks for a few weeks. I started because I suffered from severe cluster headaches and I heard that meditation could possibly help. About 6 months after I began meditating I suddenly realized I hadn't had an episode with headaches for some time. I was a believer!
I've learned to not take myself to seriously about meditation. When I fall asleep I just chalk it up to a well deserved nap. I love naps anyway !

As far as what you are getting out of LifeFlow when you fall asleep I'm not certain. I do know Michael and others claim the entrainment will continue through sleep. I believe them because I have no reason to doubt them. I'm sure Raven could explain what stage of sleep you would be getting while listening to a given CD; providing he see's this post.

On the other hand . . . hey . . .you had a well deserved nap. Did I tell you I love naps! With your insomnia problem try to be greatful for what is happening in the moment after one of these napping sessions. In time, my guess is, if you continue with the entrainment process you will realize one morning that it has been days since you suffered from insomnia and it will be all gratitude from there.

Yikes this is like a book or something!

Gus

[Edwin]

Compared to Raven's monsterposts this is nothing Gus, don't worry, I didn't nap before the end :P

I agree with what you said, and I can confirm that entrainment will continue during sleep, but the level of sleep might be altered by the level of entrainment that LifeFlow has.
If you sleep and reach the delta brainwave state, it might be prompted to go back to Beta if you are listening to LF10, so your nap won't be as relaxing as it should.

BTW my insomnia disappeared in about 3-4 weeks after starting to meditate, and this was before I had LifeFlow.

[liveinlite]

Thanks for the encouragement and for spending the time to communicate your thoughts and feelings. It was very helpful and i'm hoping, through meditation, to have less anxiety and a wonderful nights sleep.

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by liveinlite

Thanks for the encouragement and for spending the time to communicate your thoughts and feelings. It was very helpful and i'm hoping, through meditation, to have less anxiety and a wonderful nights sleep.

Been thinking your problem over a bit, and suddenly thought this:

According to our biorythem, we have moments of the day when we are more awake and alert.

Usually we will meditate during breaks, or in the morning or evening, but since we have these breaks on the moments when we are more likely to be tired, we will have a better chance of falling asleep during meditation. Researchers have demonstrated that man used to have "siesta's" during certain parts of the day, because they are still in our biorythem today. That's why people get woozy after a meal, even today.

If you were to try to have your meditation moments on your most active moments of the day, you might get more meditation and less nap time

Is your insomnia stress based btw ?

[NovelT]

"but the level of sleep might be altered by the level of entrainment that LifeFlow has"

Well I was thinking the reverse of this. That the level of entrainment might be altered by sleep...but I guess either way -

[Imed]

Also, just wondering, do you lie down when you meditate? I find when I lie down to meditate, I have a very hard time staying conscious, and therefore, when I meditate, I usually try to sit in a chair where I can stay conscious (as staying conscious is the goal of meditation).

However, I do use the fact that lifeflow makes me sleepy when I lie down to my advantage, by using it to help me fall asleep. I will put some headphones on and listen to lifeflow until I am just about to pass out, then I will turn off lifeflow, put the headphones down, and enjoy a wonderful relaxing sleep.

That is just what I do. Hopefully something that I said here might be able to help you in some way, shape or form.

Good luck meditating, or sleeping, or both depending on what you want to do at the time

Love,
Eric

[bashmaki]

Eric,
I rarely listen to LifeFlow while meditating. I always listen to it while falling asleep and sometimes in the afternoon. I listen to it with and without headphones. Early on, when I first came to LifeFlow I listened to the CD's while meditating but soon realized meditation was much deeper without the CD's. I listen to them for the entrainment value religiously though. I was so left brained when I arrived here it was a pitty.
I sit up while meditating always. I used to try to lie down but invariably fell asleep. I've recently changed my meditation practice to try to find a solid way to keep from zoning out while meditating also. I would get into kicks where I'd come out of meditation and not know whether I'd been sleeping or dreaming or what. I'd taken some pointers from Michaels instruction that made it a more solid experience but lately I've been trying the vipissana (insight) method and am showing some improvement regularly.

The book dealing with this type of meditation is called Mindfulness; In Plain English ( there is a thread about it on the forum). I think if one has meditated for a time one can recognize the description of some of the common problems associated with meditation and how to deal with them.
Living in the rural mid-western USA I've never had the opportunity to spend any time with a teacher. This book is probably the best instruction manual for meditation I've seen yet. It covers, extensively, many of the problems an active meditator is faced with in various stages of meditation.

gus