Back pain when meditating

Mindfulness Meditation
#1

Hey Everyone!

I have been having a hard time while meditating. I have Fibromyalgia and while meditating my upper back begins to hurt tremendously. I have tried using some pillows but it doesn’t seem to help. I don’t like using a chair even though it does help a little with the pain.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe the pillows were not at a good height or maybe their are some tricks someone knows of?

I really need to meditate but the pain is keeping me from going deeper into practice.

Thank You!

#2

I have read in a recent book about TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) that people
were cured of back pain by cauterization of an acupuncture point in the ear.

If you want more info, the book is available to read on-line.

#3

We wouldn’t push ourselves into Hanumanasana if we weren’t ready for splits. We wouldn’t push ourselves into any yoga pose we weren’t ready for (at least I would hope not). Yet we push ourselves into the, “Sit up straight…” pose when we’re trying to meditate, before our body is ready for it. And we spend the first X years of our meditation practice just trying to be comfortable.

Sit however your body is ready to sit. I don’t care if you’re hunched over, in a chair, or whatever. Sit comfortably.

#4

I agree with that, you shouldn’t push your back straight when it hurts or doesn’t feel good. I think it’s worse than slumping a little. You can always use props like blankets, cushions, meditation benches to make asanas more comfortable. But on the side, I would do some yoga to prepare for padmasana. Even if you never reach padmasana, padmasana preparation will help you sit better. I recommend Mark Horner’s online course: http://www.pranamaya.com/online-courses/how-to-grow-a-lotus.html

#5

Ahimsa/nonviolence should be taken into account. I know that some people especially some Buddhists claim that one should “deal with it” and that pain tolerance increases with a good practice, but in my opinion it is not good on long term even more for modern householders with an active life and many responsibilities. We should think of Yoga as a lifelong practice, so we have to listen to our body wisely as we just have one. Meditation is first a state of mind, even if straight seated postures are often advised as they help to induce a relaxed and alert state of awareness, they are not mandatory. It is better to be comfortable and concentrated in a chair or even in a bed than suffering more and more day after day in an idealized seated posture. An individual yoga practice with a therapeutic objective could then help to relieve back pain, a yoga teacher with skills in yogatherapy could help.

Philippe

#6

Thanks everyone! These are all great comments. I will try different things while meditating to see if my back feels better.

Oak333: What is the name of the book? It sounds interesting.

Thanks!

#7

I use to have the same problem my lower and upper back would hurt. It is part of the process just keep practicing yoga asanas and work into longer and longer meditations gradually

try doing some core strengthening asanas they will give your lower back more support which will give more support for upper back. Also practice the bandas holding the stomach in to give more support.

then try allot of shoulder opening practices, upper back pain is caused by the shoulders being hunched forward because the pectoral muscles are to tight.

and also just doing more meditation you should be able to feel this yourself with more practice

#8

[QUOTE=handsofeye;62991]then try allot of shoulder opening practices, upper back pain is OCCASIONALLY caused by the shoulders being hunched forward because the pectoral muscles are to tight.[/QUOTE]
Fixed that for you.

#9

Are you in lotus? Have you tried sitting against a wall?

#10

No I haven’t tried sitting against a wall but that sounds like it might help. I will try that next time. I haven’t noticed a difference with the pain in whatever way my legs are. For some reason I feel unbalanced so maybe I’m tensing my back because of that. So sitting against a wall might help me feel more stable.

#11

Hello Danika,

I have several thoughts to share.

The first is a direct suggestion on the pain in meditation. You’ve not mentioned how long you are sitting or in what way(s) so it’s difficult to make fine rather than gross adjustments.

Generally speaking what I would suggest is a gentle practice (asana) beforehand in order to prepare your body for the sitting you are doing AND perhaps shortening your time in meditation until you ferret out the back pain issue.

Continuing to speak generally, the mind erects many obstacles when one attempts meditation. It is its way of resisting the retraining from its perceived position as master to its rightful place as servant. Well rested people become tired and nod off, pains emerge in knees, neck, back or ankles, thoughts crop up ever so frequently, and the flesh starts to crawl or itch. Almost without exception this stuff is all “stuff” to distract from the work.

It has been consistently worthwhile in my own practices and those I’ve taught and witnessed to consider this at every turn and effort to work through it as best one can. However it should not cross into the realm of “toughing it out”.

Work to alleviate the back pain on the physical level, consider this might be an obstacle to the depth you seek and deserve in your practice, and use your meditation skills to remove whatever blockage might be popping up for your attention (in the back or elsewhere).

gordon

#12

I either sit in lotus or sit in easy pose. The pain starts after only a couple minutes and is pretty intense. I’ve done long practices then meditated and I think it helped a little but non of my practices were based on trying to help my back as I know it. I will try more poses to help with the pain relief before meditation.

I will try to work though it and focus on my breath. It seems to help when I focus on my breath when my body hurts during other daily life things.

Thanks!

#13

Danika,

That is one of the obstacles that is to be overcome when practicing meditation. Because unless your body has become prepared for meditation, there is going to be some physical discomfort. There are two ways to deal with this. One way is to practicing meditation, even if it hurts. If remain consistent in practice and manage to see beyond your likes and dislikes, then your body will adapt and strengthen over time. Because even if you are just sitting with your spinal cord erect, that in itself strengthens the spinal cord over time. Much of the physical discomfort in the back is because of this - that ones spinal cord has not been strengthened to the point where one can sit erect for a long stretch of time.

The other method to solve this problem is through the practice of asanas. One of the functions of using asanas and other more physical techniques as preparation for meditation is to help the development of both the spinal cord and the subtle energies which are flowing through the spinal cord. As far as strengthening of the spinal cord is concerned, there are a number of asanas for this such as chakrasana, dhanurasana, sarvangasana, matsyasana, and bhujangasana. With consistent practice of such methods, the spinal cord as well as the muscles of the upper and lower back become strengthened in such a way - that once you start practicing sitting meditation, you will be able to sit for hours without experiencing much physical discomfort.

#14

a very good technique I have been using and have gotten allot better at doing a daily meditation is standing meditation. Its not taught in yoga as far as I know its qi-gong chi or prana energy work same thing different name from different countries

stand feet shoulder width apart knees slightly bent feet as flat on the ground as possible and the whole idea is to sink as low to the ground by relaxing your body and being comfortable

bring your arms slightly bent relaxed and trying to use little to no muscle as possible hold them away from your body at your 2 inches below your navel or your dan tien or chakra point whatever you want to call it. Hold for 5 minutes breathing through the nose expanding the belly for inhale relaxing the belly for exhales. very important breath through the belly not the chest this will take tension off the back and shoulders

then hold the hands at chest level for 5 minutes then at eye level for 5 minutes then back to your lower navel for 5 minutes 20 minutes in total

I have used this and it really has helped me allot more than lotus position my back would hurt and my legs would fall asleep and meditation was not fun this technique has helped me tremendously it will give you a better idea of body awareness because you are tensing muscles you dont even know your tensing allot of the times and through muscle fatique this posture forces you to relax and use as little muscle power as possible

i have had tremendous energy feelings doing this posture that I have never not even close to with the lotus position

enjoy and dont take it to seriously its all for fun and relaxation

it takes time to learn this so dont expect it to be perfect within 2 minutes

#15

Being in meditation while standing, that too has been well known in the yogic sciences. There have been ascetics who have remained standing in a state of samadhi for weeks, months, or years. To such ascetics, having a certain mastery over the body is of tremendous importance to them - so such austerities like standing, or standing on leg for years, or holding up one arm for years, and turning all of this into a meditative process - has been well known in yoga. I can assure you - almost any method which you can mention, it has already been discovered in the East centuries before, they have exhausted almost every possibility as to the different methods of inner exploration.