Changes in proportions during meditation

Can someone explain why I sometimes feel my body and surroundings shifting during meditation? Like, I suddenly feel massive and elongated, or objects around me seem weirdly distant, or my head feels miles away from my feet... what's going on?

Joseph Ortiz26 said:Can someone explain why, when I'm meditating, I sometimes get this weird sensation where my body proportions feel totally off? Like, I suddenly feel massive and stretched out, or objects around me seem way too far away, or my head feels miles from my feet... stuff like that?

You're feeling your pranic body (the astral one, basically), or some Sahasrara activity.
Out-of-body experiences aren't usually like what we see in movies where you just float up and look at the ceiling—mostly because we're so heavily tethered to our physical bodies. Instead, it manifests as a shift in your center of gravity within your consciousness.

It’s pretty common to feel like your palms are huge (like bear paws) or that your head is oversized.

Or you might just feel this sense of lightness, like when you're doing exercises that activate the Vishuddhi.

Don't forget to keep up with your physical movements and Pranayama.

Try Trataka if those sensations are tripping you out (that's candle gazing). I can easily shoot you some instructions via DM.

👋

Sophia Jones61 said:I can easily send you the instructions via PM.

👋

:-)
What we’re seeing here is that classic syndrome that hits people who spend way too much time in Canada (or just hang out with Canadians all the time)—the sentence structure is totally Canadian, though a local would actually say "Lahko ti pošaljem..." which, if you were translating it properly, wouldn't mean "It's easy for me to send..." but rather "I can send you..." It actually caught me off guard once back when I was spending more time over there, and people used to laugh at me, claiming I was speaking half-American/half-Canadian or whatever. Man, John... uh, Peter, man, R...

:-))

P.S. No hard feelings!

P.P.S. - As for that whole meditation phenomenon thing, that happens to me too and honestly, I find it pretty hilarious. Sometimes I get this weird sensation like I'm floating right under the ceiling, back pressed against it, looking down at everything while simultaneously feeling like I'm just sitting there meditating. Other times, my internal perspective shifts from being behind my eyes down toward the Anahata area, and so on.

Benjamin Diaz71 said::-)
This is a textbook case of the syndrome you get when you spend way too much time in Canada (or just hang out with Canadians too often)—the sentence structure gets all Canadian. They’d say something like "Lahko ti pošaljem...", which doesn't mean "It's easy for me to send you..." in a literal sense, but rather "I can send it to you..." It actually hit me once when I was spending more time over there; my friends used to laugh at me because I sounded like I was speaking half-English, half-Canadian. Like, geez, John... hey, Peter, hey, R...

:-))

P.S. No hard feelings!

P.P.S. - As for that meditation phenomenon, I get the exact same thing and honestly, it’s pretty fun. Sometimes I feel like I'm floating right under the ceiling, back pressed against it, looking down while simultaneously sitting in meditation. Other times, my internal perspective shifts from being behind my eyes down to the Anahata area, and so on.

Look at you, Mr. Pure! 😬

And don't go dropping any identity hints here—how are we supposed to fight against adharmichara if everyone recognizes us? 😁

When I sit down at my computer, I pull my socks up over my face. Unfortunately, I don't have nylon ones, just these white athletic socks, which kind of cuts off my circulation, so I end up having similar effects to you. 🙂

But honestly, people who spent their youth puffing themselves up anyway should probably take these astral phenomena less seriously. 🙂

Is it interesting? Yeah, it is. 😁

Joseph Ortiz26 said:Can anyone explain why, during meditation, I sometimes feel like my body proportions—and even the space around me—are shifting? Like, I suddenly feel incredibly tall and stretched out, or objects seem weirdly far away, or my head feels miles from my feet... stuff like that?

I get that too—though it doesn't happen to me all that often. Honestly, I love it.😍 When I open my eyes right after, everything looks like I'm staring up from the bottom of a well.👍, hugs to my sister 😘

btw Sophia Jones61, you've got an amazing yoga instructor. 😉

Sophia Jones61 said:It’s pretty common to feel like you have massive hands—like bear paws—or even just a large head.

👋

Honestly, I'm so glad you actually know your stuff. I used to try asking people about the things I was experiencing, but man—nobody had a clue, and they just looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Since nobody else gets it, I'll just stick with my best godfather 😍 😍 😍 ... old friend, we've been at this for years now. I'm coming to your yoga sessions no matter what! 😉

Joseph Ortiz26 said:Can someone explain why, during meditation, I sometimes get this weird sensation that my body proportions are shifting? Like, I suddenly feel incredibly tall and stretched out, or objects around me seem strangely far away, or my head feels miles from my feet... kind of a tripping sensation, if you will?

Look, Joseph Ortiz26, just ignore those side effects and keep at it—assuming, of course, that you’ve been initiated and are actually following some structured spiritual path. Meditation basically clears out the mental "clutter," so you end up dealing with all sorts of sensations, some pleasant and some... well, less than ideal. A true yogini wouldn't give these things a second thought; she'd just stay focused on the core practice... even if it costs her everything, or so the Hatha Yoga Pradipika suggests.

Joseph Ortiz26 said:Can someone help me make sense of something? During meditation, I sometimes get this weird sensation where my body proportions seem to shift. It’s like I’m becoming incredibly tall and elongated, or suddenly everything around me feels unnaturally far away—sometimes even feeling like my head is miles from my feet. Has anyone else experienced this?

What kind of meditation technique are you practicing?

creative said:What kind of meditation technique do you use?

A type of Buddhist meditation—just focusing on my breath at the point right below the nose (where the air enters and leaves the nostrils).

Joseph Ortiz26 said:One type of Buddhist meditation—it’s just focusing on your own breath at that spot right under your nose (you know, where the air enters and leaves the nostrils).

I mean, who would've thought? 😉 👍 😍

goldeneagle2 said:Look, Joseph Ortiz26, just ignore those side effects and keep going with your meditation—assuming, of course, you’ve actually been initiated and are following a structured spiritual practice. Meditation clears out all those mental "clutter" layers, so you might run into some beautiful or totally gnarly feelings and experiences. A true yogini like you shouldn't get distracted by them; just stick to your core practice... even if it costs you everything, or so the Hathatha Yoga Pradipika would say.

I have to agree there, even if I'm not exactly a fanatic. No one should be that hardcore about it. 😉

As for initiation, maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. In my book, that uncertainty is just part of the journey.

🙏

Joseph Ortiz26 said:One type of Buddhist meditation involves just focusing on your breath at a specific spot right under the nose—basically where the air hits as it goes in and out of your nostrils.

Mmm, sounds pretty chill 😍

And honestly, that’s exactly why you’re getting those effects you mentioned; it's all tied to the breathing.
If you were focusing on the heart instead, it would feel different—way more emotional and deep.
Focusing on the forehead, on the other hand, usually brings that mental clarity and stuff like that...

But the big thing is keeping your eyes relaxed and your posture upright. Everything else is just fine-tuning...

😉

edit: hey, just try focusing on the spot where the breath enters the head one day—not the tip of the nose, but the bridge/base of the nose, just for kicks—and let me know how it goes. 😉

Sophia Jones61 said:Mmm, sounds sweet 😍

And that’s exactly why you’re feeling those effects—it’s tied so closely to the breath.
If you focused on the heart, it would be different... deeper emotionally.
Focusing on the forehead, though, brings clarity and all that...

But the main thing is keeping the eyes relaxed and the body upright. Everything else is just nuance...

😉

edit: try focusing on the spot where the breath enters the head one day. Not the tip of the nose, but the base of the nose... just as an experiment. Let me know how it goes. 😉

Focusing on the breath is the core of every Pranayama... once you do that, the So-Ham meditation follows naturally.
With Pranayama, you always have to focus on the breath/Prana... which specific point you target is secondary.

So, what you wrote isn't quite right.

She mentioned focusing just below the nose, not the tip. That’s a massive difference.
Below the nose, we focus on the entry and exit of Prana, becoming aware of the Ida and Pingale flows. But the tip of the nose is the Root Chakra. If you focus there while concentrating on the breath, you stimulate the Root Chakra.
There’s a very powerful Kriya where the breath is guided from the tip of the nose up to the third eye—that can certainly trigger Kundalini, but you'll likely experience some strange sensations first. 😉

The trick with Pranayama is that you always have to follow the breath and stay fully conscious within it. The breath is the bridge.
It’s not like "stop focusing on the breath and focus on a point instead."

What she’s doing is actually Pranayama—expanding the Prana.

If you do this regularly over a long period—say, months to a year—you really start to see the expansion of Prana and individual experiential phenomena. Contact with the astral, the collective unconscious... boundaries of time and space can shift. Intuition grows.

Ujjayi Pranayama is one of those techniques that really paves the way to Samadhi—and for me, the whole point is just following the flow of the breath... Honestly, all my sensations come from that exact thing... My only real struggle is trying to sync it up with a mantra... It’s actually easier to hit that state without one... I don't quite get why... I know mantras are great for burning through karma, but I just can't seem to dive deep into myself while using one... I'm hoping Sophia Jones61 can walk me through this...

With every Pranayama, you're following the flow more deeply.. 😁
Otherwise, it isn't really Pranayama...it’s just unconscious breathing.
By focusing on the breath, you're centering yourself on Prana and directing it...because wherever there is awareness, there is Prana.

shadowgardener12 said:Focusing on the breath is the whole point and the foundation of any Pranayama. When you actually do it right, the So-Ham meditation just kind of happens on its own.
With Pranayama, you always have to stay locked in on the breath/Prana... where exactly you're focusing is secondary.

So, what you wrote isn't really hitting the mark.

She mentioned she focuses on the spot below the nose, not the tip of the nose, and that’s a massive difference.
Below the nose, we focus on the entry and exit of Prana, becoming aware of the Ida and Pingale flows. But the tip of the nose is the Root Chakra. If you focus there while also concentrating on the breath, you'll end up stimulating the Root Chakra.
There’s this one super intense Kriya where you guide the Breath from the tip of the nose up to the third eye—which obviously can trigger Kundalini, though you'll probably just deal with some weird side effects first.😉

The trick is that with Pranayama, you always have to follow the Breath and be fully conscious within it, because the Breath is the bridge.
It's not like, "Okay, stop focusing on the breath and just stare at a specific point instead." That's not how it works.

What she’s doing is actual Pranayama—expanding the Prana.

If you do this consistently over a long period (like months or even a year), you start seeing the actual manifestation and expansion of Prana. You'll hit those individual experiential phenomena—contact with the astral plane, the collective unconscious, shifting boundaries of time and space, and your intuition just spikes.

Anyway, now think about why I suggested that to her in the first place.

because you clearly don't get what we're actually talking about, and you've already mixed up your apples and oranges 😁

boldsailor2 said:Look, Ujjayi Pranayama is one of those techniques that actually leads you toward Samadhi, and the whole point is just following the breath flow... all my sensations are tied directly to that. My only issue is that I'm having a hard time syncing it up with a mantra. It’s way easier to hit that state without a mantra... I don't get it. The mantra is great for burning through karma, but I can't seem to dive deep into myself while using it. I'm hoping Sophia Jones61 can clear this up for me.

The Guru-mantra is longer and works heavily on the mental level—basically clearing out karma (those old patterns and forms). It’s like what Satyanand says about the brain being like a messy web of burnt-out channels and stuff like that.

But once you hit a meditative state or Samadhi, the mind isn't really doing anything crucial anymore. Consciousness sits above it, so the mind is mostly just resting (not saying it shuts off entirely). In that state, repeating a mantra will basically "kick" the mind back into gear, which pulls our consciousness back "up." It’s like trying to do yoga poses when you're mid-meditation; you activate physical processes, or someone starts bothering you, and suddenly your consciousness latches onto those distractions and the meditation breaks.

That’s why, in that state, there's usually a Bija-mantra involved, which is just a single thought or idea that gives the mind absolutely nothing to chew on. It just *is*, period.

And that Bija-mantra pulls consciousness even deeper and intensifies the meditation.

Anyway, that's just how I see it.

shadowgardener12 said:you clearly don't get what this is even about—plus you're mixing apples and oranges😁

Well, I actually think apples and oranges make a pretty great combo...😍

FW190 said:The guru-mantra is long—and it really hits you on a mental level—so think of it as clearing out karma (those old patterns and structures). It’s just like how Satyanand describes the brain being like a sponge with burnt-out channels and all that.

When you hit that deep meditative state or samadhi, the mind basically stops doing anything crucial—consciousness is sitting above it, so the mind just rests (I wouldn't say it shuts off, though). In that state, repeating the mantra will "jumpstart" the mind, which then pulls our consciousness back down. It's like when you're doing yoga poses and suddenly activate physical processes mid-meditation—if you move or get distracted, your consciousness latches onto those sensations and the meditation breaks.

That’s why there’s usually a bija-mantra involved—it’s just a single thought or idea that gives the mind nothing to chew on. It simply *is*, period.

And that bija-mantra pulls consciousness even deeper and intensifies the meditation.

Anyway, that’s just my take on it.

Well, that’s my own realization—the mantra brings my mind right to the surface, and it feels like this constant bubbling that keeps me from diving deeper. But I guess that's because I don't realize it's working on a different level... I really want to build on the state I've experienced, but I'm missing that bija-mantra... man, I would love to sit down and talk this through with the guru...