How do I control tiredness and drowsiness during meditation?
I recommend you meditate when you’ve had a decent sleep and during a time when you’re feeling alert. I do it as soon as I wake up, when I am feeling most alert. Definitely not right before bedtime or lying down.
I find a lot of meditation music and even some guided meditations make me feel too relaxed also, so it is sometimes better to focus on just your breathing. I do sitting meditation and rarely get sleepy.
Either way, even falling asleep is better than no meditation.
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I meditate 2 hours before going to sleep, there is less noise pollution during the night.
What you can also do is stretch before meditating, I find it extremely helpful especially when I feel tired but mostly, I just ignore it.
If you want some insight on how to achieve full-body relaxation you can PM me.
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Since the point of meditation is to bring the body into the state between wake and sleep (ie. The theta state)…getting tired during meditation is not the bug…it’s the feature. The goal isn’t to avoid those feelings of tiredness, but to embrace it just long enough for you to perform your ritual and not fall asleep. The fact that you’re getting so relaxed that you feel tired means that you’re getting the hang of it
To control it so that you don’t nod off completely, try chanting a mantra over and over such as “alash tad alash tal ashtu” or rocking your body back and forth
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Train your mind to know that it is separate from the body.
Immerse in dissociation so that your physical sensations do not dictate how your mind performs/behaves.
Remove the identification with the body. Identify as the mind within a vehicle meant to serve the mind.
This helps because it makes your mind control the body and not respond to it.
Some ways to train your mind:
-fasting. Teach yourself that you dictate hunger, not the physical discomfort meant to make you eat
-doing the opposite of your urge(self control)
-heavy focus meditation. Practice holding an image in your mind without using words.
In other words discipline the mind
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Splash cold water on your face before beginning your meditations.
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You know today I twas in light theta at work for I twas so tired to be so sure I wouldn’t doze off & get into trouble I rocked my rocking chair from left to left, then I physically start hearing one of my favorite Lunar songs about the moon that goes by the title, daughter of the moon, I then hear: silver lights, which tis one of the lyrics so yeah being tired tis part of the theta state trance mind awake body resting
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Yogis use uncomfortable postures.
Neville Goddard likes chairs. But not too cozy
I used to like using a bathtub that was full, so I’d drown slightly and startle awake. Could be dangerous, I suppose. Just a legal FYI. I specifically did this near sleep, incidentally, so I could extend the natural hypnagogic state. The time when reality is basically ovulating.
You can also lie down flat on your back, no pillow. Unless you’re from an Asian culture where you sleep like this, anyway, then I reckon it won’t work
Use bare feet and bare head. Often warm feet or head can lull you to sleep
Keep temperature in room or house slightly uncomfortable, but not a temp range that tends to induce sleep. This is usually a bit nippy for many people, but ymmv — I’ve seen a few people who use warmer temps to do this, too (just not many)