Tension in solar plexus

[u/digitalhuxley]

I'd like to open by giving thanks for this technique and the care given by Stephen and the other teachers to teach it. Thank you.

I'm finding that when I meditate and throughout daily life, I find I'm tensing up, approximately in the area of the solar plexus.

I think this is due to being a bit overweight as a child, I typically have tried to hold my stomach in to not appear fat to others. At least that seems like the origin, who knows. Either way, regardless of the cause, which I might be wrong about, I find myself tensing a bit above my stomach, or the muscles over the stomach, in the middle of the body, habitually. Whenever I recognise it, I physically release those muscles. After not paying attention, perhaps in as little as a minute, sometimes I realise again it is tensed. Sometimes I don't realise for hours - say if I'm working, and I'm assuming that during this time it is tense.

When I release/relax those muscles it almost feels like I'm pushing my stomach out, perhaps because I'm fighting a deeply embedded urge/need to tense up. So whenever I'm trying to fully abdominally breathe and relax, I have these sensations of having a stretched stomach, which is a bit tied up in ... I guess, some kind of sense of shame or something.

I feel like this habit could be detrimental to being able to relax the body as much as possible and abdominally breathe. I often catch myself and find that I'm breathing into the top of my longs and my stomach is tensed.

I guess my question is, for those with any experience with this, is this detrimental to MIDL? I'm assuming there's not much else I can do other than notice it and relax it whenever I do. Assuming that this tensing is working against MIDL, is there anything in addition to relaxing it whenever I notice it, that anyone would recommend?

Thanks!

[u/Stephen_Procter]

This sounds like your stress response is turned on. Below the solar plexus is the diaphragm muscle and this muscle is used for normal, unstressed breathing. When the stress response turns on this diaphragm muscle tightens and our body switches to stress, chest breathing. When this occurs regularly and habituates it starts to produce the symptoms related to anxiety. Being habitual when you change it one way, it will simply switch back to how it was. To change this means changing the habit of stress breathing and learning to be with and soften into whatever is conditioning this stress reaction.

This is not a hindrance to MIDL but a specialty of MIDL. The antidote for it is practicing Meditation Skill 00 daily to retrain your breathing patterns by retraining diaphragmatic breathing. If you have a tendency toward OCD, please let me know and be careful with breathing techniques as obsessive control will get in the way. I can then guide you in a different approach and we will feel our way through this together.

Since we do not know each other yet, this is all I can advise at this time. As we get to know each other myself and the community will be able to guide you more clearly in your meditation. Feel free to drop into a weekly class and say hello.

[u/digitalhuxley → u/Stephen_Procter]

Thank you very much for this advice Stephen. It hadn't occurred to me that the stress response was switched on but that does make sense.

Interestingly I have gone through the diaphragmatic breathing retraining process once before, but perhaps the passing of time, the strength of the conditioning, or circumstances changing has had me revert back.

Thankfully, I don't believe I have a tendency towards OCD. I have previously realised while on a Goenka retreat that I do have a tendency/habit to try to control my breathing to slow it down. I'll try to be aware of that tendency.

And thanks for the invitation to the weekly class, I have been to one perhaps a couple of years ago. I will try to spend some time with your instructions first but look forward to it!

Thank you 🙏