I had a bad headache last night, so after dinner, I went home and lay in bed on my back (I usually sleep on my side). My arms naturally fell perpendicular to my body with my palms facing up towards the ceiling. I put a lavender eye patch over my eyes to block out any light. My headache actually got worse, but I had an interesting experience; my body felt very heavy and light at the same time. No thoughts were running through my mind, but my body was very present. I took a yoga class where the teacher started out with us sitting with our eyes closed and imagining our spine connecting to the core of the Earth. It was a similar feeling last night when I was lying in bed - my back was heavy in the sense it was connecting to the bed, yet my body felt light. I was in an interesting meditative state.
I always thought of meditation as having to be in a sitting posting with your legs crossed in front of you.
Moral of the story, try this again when I don't have a headache.
It might be more traditional to meditate in a seated position but I never found that to be particularly comfortable. I have gone to group meditations and done that, only to have my leg fall asleep. The best meditation I do is at home in sivasana or corpse pose. There's no law that says you have to be sitting. They only recommend that because you can tend to fall asleep if you are prone.
I know the Buddha described four noble postures: sitting, lying down, standing, and walking. I think it's possible to meditate lying down as well. In fact, that is exactly what I do before I go to sleep; it's possible to still the mind in that position.
The only caveat, of course, is that you could get tired and fall asleep. In general, I'd recommend trying to meditate in a variety of positions--i.e., be mindful and aware of what's going on, no matter what you are doing or what your posture is. Sometimes, I get too sluggish when I'm lying down to be mindful and aware. It all depends on where you are in the moment and what you feel is appropriate.
This is a great reminder that we can spend a little bit of time meditating in bed just before going to sleep. You can't deny that free time. It'll also help us wind down and be relaxed before rest-time. Thanks for the post. I hope your headache is gone.
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I had a bad headache last night, so after dinner, I went home and lay in bed on my back (I usually sleep on my side). My arms naturally fell perpendicular to my body with my palms facing up towards the ceiling. I put a lavender eye patch over my eyes to block out any light. My headache actually got worse, but I had an interesting experience; my body felt very heavy and light at the same time. No thoughts were running through my mind, but my body was very present. I took a yoga class where the teacher started out with us sitting with our eyes closed and imagining our spine connecting to the core of the Earth. It was a similar feeling last night when I was lying in bed - my back was heavy in the sense it was connecting to the bed, yet my body felt light. I was in an interesting meditative state.
I always thought of meditation as having to be in a sitting posting with your legs crossed in front of you.
Moral of the story, try this again when I don't have a headache.