Is there such a thing as too much meditation?

[Gareth]

I was just browsing some good, old topics to link to on Twitter, when I came across this one:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3576&p=6456&hilit=negative#p6456

It's mentioned a little bit in this topic, it got me thinking: can there be such a thing as too much meditation? I can't really see it to be honest. These days, I spend nearly all day, every day bringing my mind back when it goes away. If this is not meditation, then it is something very close to it. The more meditation that I do, usually means more ability to stay present. I can't see any problem with this.

Life is to be lived, and we can't be meditating all the time; I understand this. What do you all think?

[JonW]

Didn't we have one guy on here who claimed to regularly meditate for ten hours a day?
I often wonder whether he takes a break for a sandwich and for other "urgencies"...

[MelliOBrien]

There is no risk of ever practicing to much meditation if we use the word meditation to mean basically the same thing as mindfulness. Being mindful while living our daily lives would only bring benefits. More awareness, clarity, energy, compassion and joy.

The formal practice of mindfulness (commonly referred to as meditation) does have some general effects that one should be aware of though. Clearly on a physical level there is a burden (this is coming from someone trying to rehab her back after to many years of sitting at the computer!)

But also on a mental level something to be aware of is that you can become too internalised. In our society most people are too externalised - that is, they have to much attention focused 'out there' all the time and almost no body awareness or awareness of their emotional state. This creates imbalance, stress, lack of self awareness and reduced ability for self care.

But a meditator who's going at it all day every day will also experience the opposite sense of being very internalised. That means, hyper aware of whats going on in the inner world and a bit disconnected from the outer. This can make it difficult to engage in every day activities 'fully there' and can make the person feel disconnected and disengaged from the world and other people.

Often one feels very calm in this state but to use the colloquial term often used by the swami's i know - you feel a little 'spiritually stoned'. This also creates imbalance because a person may not take care of their needs and the needs of others close to them.

Once a heavy meditator, i went through a period of being to internalised and it is not a healthy state. My friends and family let me know i was out of balance and i took steps to find balance again.

I aim, as best I can to always be mindful in daily life and still practice formally (usually an hour or so a day) and feel very engaged with the world and with myself now.

Mindful living helps us to be in touch with the full spectrum of our experience and have a natural healthy balance between internalization and externalization.

[Gareth]

That's a wonderful post Melli; I've never really thought about it in this way.

Having always been a very social animal, I think the chances of me becoming too internalised are probably quite small.

[MelliOBrien]

Ha ha ha -yes it's very true that some people are much more prone to being internalised. But anyone who properly 'grounds' again after meditation, even long periods should be totally fine.

Externalisation - that just means that after a meditation practice you take time to connect with your body, the day (sounds sights and smells etc) and you really choose to consciously connect with the world again and go about your day.

I don't think many people in todays world would have a problem with it though - with the world demanding so much attention and engagement we're all plenty externalized!

[Cheesus]

My dad used to do research with forest monks in Sri Lanka, and he said he would sometimes meet some Westerners who were a bit tweaked from the isolation of it all. I think this supports Melli's idea.

Also, I think you can go through periods of rough spots where you might have a lot of negative energies surfacing. The more your practice, the faster it happens. Obviously it is a positive thing overall and can be met with equanimity and love, however if taken unawares it might cause some derailment. I have faced this a number of times.