Posture and concentration

I have always had better concentration (for mindfulness activities such as meditation and trauma recovery work) while sitting than while lying down.

This morning was illustrative. I was lying in bed next to my partner with my hand on his torso. I noticed great tension in my right chest--the kind of tension that, if I am seated, usually yields (these days) to gentle attention. Usually, if I am seated and undisturbed, I can ask the tension to speak and listen to its words ("I am terrified that if I move my hand, mother will be angry and leave"), and the tension will soften and eventually dissolve. This morning, while lying down, my mind felt foggy and lazy. Only with great effort could I apply the attention necessary for this process to happen, and even then the process was weak and slow, perhaps less than 10% as powerful as it would have been had I been seated. This weak process was unsatisfying and I soon quit.

It occurred to me to be deeply grateful for the concentration I do have while seated. Probably there are people whose seated concentration is similar to the concentration I have while lying down. This brings up some questions. How does my concentration ability now compare to what it was before I'd begun meditating 12 years ago? What improved my concentration? Has it gradually improved over the years, or did it make a gigantic leap with the specialized concentration training I received from Tina and Stephen, and with the 6 weeks of dedicated concentration practice I did at the Forest Refuge in 2011? Are there people who are struggling in their efforts to do psychotherapeutic practices, such as inner child work and trauma recovery work, due to lack of concentration--and would they do well to train in concentration? What ways are there to improve concentration besides the meditation practices that have worked for me? How can I train to have better concentration while lying down? Why is concentration generally weaker while lying down?

With gratitude for concentration and for the benefits that have come my way due to concentration.