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In a first 10 day vipassana meditation course I did almost continuous intensive meditation for 7 days ,I felt a strange calmness such that I could almost not feel the weight of my body , this feeling lasted till 2-3 days and then I stopped doing it, So what is that feeling called and is it common after meditation? Also after I resumed the meditation then I could not get back the same feeling (nor was I seeking for it).

Crab Bucket
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Bodhi
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    Don't worry what it's called; don't cling to these experiences; keep going :) – Andriy Volkov Jul 01 '14 at 11:33
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    @Andrei, http://meta.buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/61/answers-vs-advice – tkp Jul 01 '14 at 23:15
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    @Tommy thanks, I'm on a fence about this. On one hand I see the danger of trolling. One the other hand, as an "advanced" student, I can't just let people hang themselves on their mind's rope. Even though I have not "crossed the stream" myself, I more or less know which direction is not right, so when someone asks a question that I know is not useful (comparing to hundred other questions they should ask, but are not asking!) - I just can't help but offer my "advice" for what its worth. One way in which I will agree with your point and take it, is in providing a more elaborate advice than I did – Andriy Volkov Jul 01 '14 at 23:35
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    @Andrei, I understand, and if I was advanced I'd maybe be tempted in the same way. I think the problem is mostly one of receptivity. If someone hasn't asked for advice they're unlikely to be in a place to take it. It's Transactional Analysis. By offering advice to someone who hasn't asked, you risk moving into a "Parent" role and pushing them into a "Child" one. The result is offense is easily taken. Also, in this case there's not enough evidence to say that Bodhi was worrying about it or clinging to it. He just asked what it was. He said explicitly that he wasn't seeking the calmness. – tkp Jul 02 '14 at 00:30
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    I suppose this is not the best place to get into polemics about a third person :) Next time I feel a tangential reply will be helpful, I will make sure it is spelled out enough that it does not look like trolling nor gets the person into defensive. – Andriy Volkov Jul 02 '14 at 00:48

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The sensation of the body 'feeling heavy', very relaxed, 'numb' or almost as if it's disappearing is quite normal. When there is nothing new happening, sort of, when bodily sensations don't change, the mind 'loses interest' and kind of deactivates those sense inputs. This can be beneficial for focusing on the mind experience, since there are no longer as many body sensations impinging on the attention.

Going looking for the same sensations again can get you stuck instead of moving forward, so it sounds like a good idea not to seek it, as you mention. More likely, you may experience different types of calmness and other experiences, when you let go and are not chasing an experience you've had, previously.

The calmness you are referring to, sounds like samadhi - a deep calmness brought about by "single pointedness of mind". In deepest samadhi, absorption is so complete that all sense of "self" disappears, and subject and object are completely absorbed into each other. However, there are many kinds and levels of samadhi.

Wikipedia: Samadhi

FullPeace.org
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  • great answer , I always seeked a scientific explanation of these feelings and got it:"loses interest' and kind of deactivates those sense inputs. This can be beneficial for focusing on the mind experience, since there are no longer as many body sensations impinging on the attention." – Bodhi Jul 01 '14 at 09:10
  • samadhi means like death right? so could this be harmful if continued? – Bodhi Jul 01 '14 at 09:11
  • from wiki :I guess it is Asamprajñata is a step forward from savikalpa. According to Patañjali,[10] asamprajñata is a higher awareness state with absence of gross awareness.[12] – Bodhi Jul 01 '14 at 09:14
  • Not a scholar using technical lingo, more inclined to describe things as down to earth as possible. I added a link to Wikipedia describing Samadhi. – FullPeace.org Jul 01 '14 at 09:14
  • yes this term "absence of gross awareness" is the closest thing, do you know about it? – Bodhi Jul 01 '14 at 09:15
  • Too much to write in a comment. ;-) I would refer to reading about the Jhanas, where the body "disappears" from attention and the experience is of increasingly refined states of mind. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/gunaratana/wheel351.html – FullPeace.org Jul 01 '14 at 09:19
  • have you also experienced this? – Bodhi Jul 01 '14 at 09:21
  • Great answer, thank you. I especially found the explanation about the deep calmness useful and the fact you mention that if one does not seek the feeling of calmness one previous had, then one might experience new different levels of calmness. Its so easy to get attached to the feeling of calmness so one must really be aware when that is about to happen and remind oneself that this too is impermanent. –  Apr 26 '15 at 11:07
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(Disclaimer: Take this answer as a -means- to explore further and -not- as a definitive answer since the range of descriptions of meditative experiences varies quite a bit from person to person.)

1. What is that feeling called?

From what you are describing, I would say it is the ease (Sukha) that comes from a rapturous (Pīti) meditative experience.

2. Is it common after meditation?

Yes, I would say it is common and advised by the Buddha to keep developing it. (You may want to see Jhāna for more information.)

Unrul3r
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If it is accompanied by tingling limbs, tingling lips or minor headache it can be a sign of hyperventilation.

It can also be a feeling associated with detachment and depersonalization. Here is a scientific study, albeit with only 6 participants, that confirms meditation can induce depersonalization. It talks about treatment for depersonalization but personally I do not consider it a bad thing and instead part of the meditation experience.

Here is a .pdf that is more in depth: The Circumplex Structure of Depersonalization/Derealization

user70
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  • great so this is not a supernatural exp but something which can be explained by science and hence possibly induced.
    • – Bodhi Jul 01 '14 at 09:24
  • and yes there was tingling of lips \body which was marketed as "Dhara pravah" – Bodhi Jul 01 '14 at 09:33
  • this tingling sensation is marketed as "energy currents" is it correct to say so? – Bodhi Jul 01 '14 at 17:35
  • @Bodhi I'm not entirely sure what to say about that from a Buddhist perspective. According to my understanding of science the tingling sensation is a sign that a person is expelling too much C02, too quickly. As a benefit, it can offer the individual a chance to explore altered states of mind. On the other hand, it can make the person pass out, have seizures and cause the muscles in their arms to contract and freeze their hands in a claw shape for a few hours. Although, the seizures and clawing are in extreme cases. In any case, voluntary hyperventilation is utilized in spiritual exercises. – user70 Jul 01 '14 at 18:48