Why does my body move spontaneously during meditation?
I have seen this question asked in a few reddit threads and a couple of times & I have seen it underneath a random youtube video about yoga or meditation. What would cause the body to move spontaneously while meditating?
While there are a multitude of the responses to this question online I have noticed that many meditation gurus and spiritual teachers will tell the querent that if you experience these movements to stop them and get back to the task at hand whether that be focusing on your mantra during meditation or trying to calm the mind.
I would have to disagree as just over a year ago I started to experience these spontaneous movements during some of the deepest meditation I have ever entered into in my life. Instead of being afraid and fighting against them I allowed them. I have been allowing them for over a year and the only thing that has happened to me is that I have ... become more deeply healed. I have also become a much better singer, I have learned thousands of mantras and I have flexibility and strength beyond my wildest imagination. My face shape has changed and though this one is definitely subjective, I feel like I look younger today than I did a year ago.
So what are these movements and why do I allow them?
I can't say with 100% authority like some scientist that I know what they are, but I can tell you from my personal experience.
When a person enters into a state where they are able to experience these spontaneous movements they have entered into a state of yoga. You can use this term from Hinduism to describe this state if you'd like. However, christians have a term for this too, which is called Union with God. Yoga means union with God so they are both describing the same phenomena.
In order to enter into a state of yoga you have to have an empty mind and be detached from any emotional phenomena. That would mean that any fear or doubt would not be present at the moment of experiencing the phenomena. Even excitement would not be present. If you were to get excited, proud, fearful, doubtful or untrusting while these spontaneous movements were happening, they would simply stop.
So if you happen to be experiencing spontaneous movements during meditation but your body and mind are not empty, then you are likely not experiencing yoga.
Spontaneous movements during yoga also feel incredibly gentle. They will be in alignment with the breath and never harm you unless of course you become fearful or untrusting while your body is moving causing it to abruptly stop in a position that isn't comfortable. Real, natural, true yoga requires complete trust, faith and surrender.
Some people call these spontaneous and involuntary movements kriya. Kriyas can come in many forms. Since we are just describing the body moving on its own this can look like a lot of things, I have put the yogic term in parantheses- changing in breathing (pranayama), changes in breath retention (khumbaka and rechaka), tensing of the body (bhanda), change in where the eyes gaze (drishti), the hand moving on its own (mudra), singing, chanting or speaking (mantra, samagana ghandarva), dancing, blissful absorption (samadhi).
Obviously some of this phenomena would seem a bit crazy to be happening and is a point of concern for many. In the majority of cases I am also concerned, but a key to knowing if what you're experiencing is true yoga or something sinister, is something I already mentioned above. True yoga requires 100% trust, faith and surrender. You can not be fearful and experience true yoga. Yes, generally in life you can have fears from time to time and that does not stop one from becoming a yogi, but in the moment of yoga and in the experience of yoga you must have an empty vessel (body + mind) and that must be empty of all thought and emotions including fear. There are other criteria as well. I go way deeper into all of this in my Natural Meditation Course if you want to check that out!
So, if a person is experiencing this phenomena, but they are coming from a place of fear or desperation, etc it may be a false spirit that mimics God. False spirits will harm the body and mind whereas true yoga has nothing but a healing effect on the body and mind and will give you actual physical results. Your body will become healthier, you will become free of disease and/or heal more quickly** & you will develop the potential of your body- for me this has related to developing a much stronger and in my opinion, beautiful singing voice. If you are being harmed by spontaneous movements or becoming ill this is NOT yoga.
Yoga will also be extremely gentle as mentioned. Only ever once in a while while in a state of yoga do I experience something a bit intense like my entire spine cracking like a chiropractor has me on his table. However, before anything of this sort might occur I am given a sense about it. Almost as if someone is whispering in my ear "OK this might be a little intense, get ready." Or... "this might hurt a little bit but hang in there and keep going, because it will be fine if you hang in there." In this way a really tight muscle might get squeezed for a few good minutes before its released into a beautifully relaxed state. I am used to it by now and never once in an entire year of natural yoga have I been harmed. Only healed!
There may be some scientific evidence to support these spontaneous movements as well. It seems that even though I had been meditating 23 years before experiencing true yoga that it wasn't just meditation and the grace of God that led me to it, it may have also been a healthier nervous system.
For example up until 2 years ago I had been living a life of chaos. It wasn't until I bought my house in the prairie that I really felt my body and mind relax. Before that I had been living in Costa Rica fighting daily against breaking vehicles, noise, mold, rats, dust, gun & machete wielding neighbors, etc. Before that I was struggling in cities to build a business and make ends meet. At the time of buying my house I had some financial security, it was peaceful for once and I was able to eat the most nutritious of foods thanks to local farmers, foraging and my own garden. I also had some solitude. I hadn't lived alone in years and there I was in a big house with space all to myself. I could finally breath! I think all of these details about that particular time in my life speak to a moment where my nervous system was finally relaxed.
If I were a scientist and wanted to study this further I would look at these kriyas and check to see how they may be a result of the nervous system being in a relaxed state for once. Once the nervous system is relaxed and the mind is relaxed I think a key is turned and this healing system of yoga begins. I believe that kriyas are our body's natural way of attempting to bring our whole being (body, mind and soul) into balance which is equanimity, peace and ultimately bliss. Humans are meant to feel good, but we can't FEEL good if our bodies aren't feeling good. Feeling is not mental it is physical.
And so, these kriyas gently restore the human body to its ultimate potential and what I am learning through allowing these kriyas through my own being is that the human potential is so much wilder than I could have ever imagined. The songs I sing, the dances I dance, the headstands I end up in... never in a million years would I think I would be able to do these things. My shoulder injury from surfing is healing slowly, slowly, my teeth are straightening and when I sing it vibrates the room like some ancient organ. I do not deserve any credit for this... all glory goes to the higher power that I allow to flow through me. There is no greater gift than this, at least for me, in this lifetime.
And so I hope that there are those out there who are fearless and even brave enough to allow the natural healing mechanism of the human body- which is yoga- to run its course. It is not easy to dive into such a deep state of surrender, but I promise you it's worth it. I gently guide my clients into a state of yoga through my one on one coaching. If this is of interest to you please email me hi@nicolebrenny.com today and we can set up a call to see if you're ready for this type of work.
Have you experienced kriya? Share anything you'd like in the comments below. I would love to meet others who understand and live in yoga.
**HUGE DISCLAIMER. I cannot make claims about health and healing and I am not a doctor. I am only speaking anecdotally about my experience.