Date: 04/26/2025 04/27/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Sitting Meditation
Mental and Physical Changes Before and After Zen Meditation
Zen meditation deeply affects both body and mind. It brings clear shifts in physical relaxation, emotional regulation, and mental clarity. Understanding these changes helps practitioners enter meditation more confidently and progress steadily.
1. Before Meditation: A State of Tension, Restlessness, and Instability
1. The body is usually tense
Daily stress causes tight shoulders, shallow breathing, and difficulty relaxing.
2. The mind easily gets pulled by external stimuli
Thoughts move among worries, plans, memories, and emotions.
3. Emotional fluctuations are common
Restlessness, impatience, or anxiety often appear before sitting.
2. Changes During Meditation: Natural Transformation From Coarse to Subtle
1. Breath shifts from heavy to gentle
As awareness stabilizes, the breath becomes softer and smoother.
2. Physical relaxation deepens
Muscles loosen, posture stabilizes, and the body becomes grounded.
3. Thoughts gradually decrease
They still appear but become slower and less intrusive.
3. Mental Stability: Signs of Entering the First Stage of Concentration
1. The mind stops chasing thoughts
Awareness returns easily to the breath or anchor point.
2. Clarity increases
The mind becomes brighter, sharper, and more alert.
3. Inner calm emerges
A quiet, serene state arises, unaffected by external noise.
4. Deep Physical Shifts: Unified Relaxation of Body and Mind
1. Breath becomes extremely subtle
This reflects deep relaxation and mental steadiness.
2. The body feels “merged” with the ground
Tension dissolves, and the body feels anchored yet light.
3. Pain softens or disappears
Awareness and relaxation naturally transform discomfort.
5. Emotional Transformation: From Tension to Softness
1. Emotional waves calm down
Agitation and anxiety fade into gentleness and stability.
2. Compassion and softness arise
A calm mind naturally generates kindness and spaciousness.
3. Reduced attachment to problems
Thoughts lose their grip, allowing emotions to ease.
6. After Meditation: Clarity, Stability, and Ease
1. Improved mental clarity
Decisions become clearer, thinking more organized.
2. Greater physical relaxation
Muscles loosen, and breathing becomes effortless.
3. Emotional grounding and steadiness
The mind reacts less and responds more wisely.
Conclusion
Zen meditation leads the practitioner from chaos to clarity, tension to relaxation, and restlessness to inner peace.
These transformations arise naturally through awareness, relaxation, and allowing the mind to settle.
Through consistent practice, meditation becomes a path returning body and mind to their natural state of harmony and ease.
