What Does Meditation Feel Like? Here’s What You Need to Know

Many people wonder, especially the ones who are just starting with their meditation journey, if what they are doing is working or not.

Because of our booming technology, we are too accustomed to believing that we can have instant gratification in everything that we do. But that is not applicable to meditation.

In mediation, you practice the art of breathing and calming your mind. When meditating, you might find yourself getting distracted by your thoughts with your hopes, worries, and to-do lists, but this is completely normal.

In time, when you constantly practice the art of breathing, you will experience the feeling of peace and completeness.

In this article, we will discuss what does meditation feel like, how does it feel when you’re doing it, what you should feel after meditation, and how you would know if you’re doing it correctly.

What Does Meditation Feel Like?

There’s no single feeling that you should experience when you’re meditation. Since meditation can differ from one person to another, there shouldn’t be a single emotion that everyone should experience when doing this activity.

Nevertheless, when you’re in the state of meditation, you should feel in control of your thoughts (even if it’s tempting you to wander around).

Even when you see someone expressionless’ meditation, that person may be experiencing a whirlwind of feelings inside them.

In a single session of meditation, you may experience complete calmness, happiness, desire, restlessness, rage, frustration, wistfulness, and vastness. 

Of course, what you’ll feel the most will depend on the type of meditation that you’re doing.

Here are most common feelings during meditation:

 1. Frustration

Frustration is the most common feeling that you will experience especially if you’re starting or in the middle of practicing your meditation.

In this feeling, you may think that what you’re doing is pointless, that what you’re doing is unproductive, you’re failing at it, or that you don’t know what you’re doing. This is completely normal.

Even advanced meditators experience this every once in a while in their journey to clearing their minds.

During this feeling of frustration, you may also experience restlessness with your thoughts and body, boredom, and tiredness.

This is where most beginner meditators start to quit, but it’s important to remember to notice these feelings without taking any judgment because you can incorporate them in your meditation.

2. Vastness

One of the best feelings that you may experience when you’re meditation is when your mind becomes still, you don’t think of anything, and it seems like your mind has expanded into an empty field. Clearness and vastness. 

During meditation, you may think about your mind as a room filled with thoughts that you need to declutter. Practicing meditation will allow you to train your mind to declutter these thoughts one by one.

In certain instances, you will slide into a “meditative state” where everything starts to declutter into its own and will leave you with an empty room. This room suddenly expounds into a clear blue sky and stays there.

Some people call this “clarity” because it only leaves you with your consciousness where your thoughts, perceptions, judgement, and ideas cloud the mind. 

3. Calmness

One of the most favorite feelings of meditators is a sense of calmness. In fact, this is one of the reasons why many people keep coming back to meditating.

The calmness that many people describe is peaceful and deep which makes them feel like time is slowing down while they are breathing.

Inside the calmness is a feeling of bliss where all your thoughts seem to slow down while you’re inhaling and exhaling.

At the end of this calmness, there’s a feeling of satisfaction that tends to linger on even after your meditation.

Many meditators explain that, when they go for week-long meditations, they experience a sense of calmness longer which can last for a couple of months. 

How Do You Feel During Meditation?

During meditation, it may seem like both your body and mind are in a race. Many beginners and novice meditators say that, at the beginning of each session, they experience random aches, tingling, and scratching in a certain part of their bodies.

During these times, you may think of scratching, standing up, and even giving up on your meditation. This is a completely normal feeling.

After a couple of minutes, you may experience a sense of tiredness where your body feels heavy and you get tempted to sleep.

This is one of the most difficult parts of the session because practicing to keep your mind calm may lead you to sleep. Many people get frustrated during this time, but it’s important to continue with your meditation.

Continually practicing meditation, you will feel moments of calmness where your body feels light, flexible, and supple. You’ll feel a mellow warmth and peacefulness.

At the height of your “meditative state”, your body will feel completely relaxed, free from sleepiness, and free from all the previous tensions you’ve felt.

What Does Meditation Feel Like After?

The end goal of meditation is not to feel any specific feeling. There are no right and wrong answers to what meditation feels like after doing it.

Whether you’re not feeling anything specific, you’re feeling calmer, more relaxed, or light, the important thing is that you embrace this feeling and continue practicing observing your conscience.

You don’t have to fabricate any feeling at all. It’s vital that you notice that either you’re feeling positive or negative after meditating. If your mind starts wandering, notice it. Watch how you breathe.

Notice how your body reacts and its sensations. Whatever you’re feeling, do not correct it, just notice it.

How Do You Know You Are Meditating?

When you’re beginning your journey of meditation, here are some signs that you’re doing it correctly:

1. When you’re still

The simplest sign to know that you’re meditating correctly is when your body is still. If you’re shifting around your seat or bed, fiddling with your hands, or moving around, then you should try your best to be still.

Imagine yourself as a stone or a tree where you don’t move at all. 

2. Being present

Once your body is still, the next sign that you want to achieve is to be present with yourself. Some focus on their breathing, other people have chants, and other people take a mental inventory of where they are and their bodies.

While doing this, it’s important to ensure that your body is not feeling any tension. It should be easy and light. 

3. No reaction

Although it’s almost impossible to have no thoughts at all while you’re meditating, having your mind quiet is an incredible feeling.

The goal is to empty your mind, accept and notice the thoughts that redirect your mind through your session. Allow your thoughts to pass through your mind and not dwell on them. 

4. Have awareness

One of the most crucial parts of meditating is having total awareness of your body and the world around you.

During deep meditation when your body is still, you don’t have any reaction, and being present, you may feel that the world around you with at its focus.

You may hear a sound that you haven’t heard before, smell something that you didn’t notice before, and anything else.

5. Time flies 

The final sign that you want to achieve when you’re meditating is when your mind is at peace. It should feel like, when you’re meditating, it would feel like time flies faster like when you’re on vacation.

You should stay in the moment, be present with your body and energy, and feel that your meditation skills improve every time that you do it.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a novice or advanced meditator, it’s important to achieve your end goal and that is to experience the fullness and clarity of your mind.

When meditating, you should keep your body still, let your mind rest, and focus on your breathing or your body.

Remember that there’s no exact feeling that you should achieve. Let all your thoughts pass through your mind, notice them and continue with your breathing.