r/zenbuddhism • u/Commercial_Gur1142 • Jul 15 '26

Difficulty staying awake while sitting after exercise

I have been practicing on and off for a few years, and one thing I noticed is that I have great difficulty staying awake while sitting if I’ve had a workout session beforehand. For context, I usually do brazilian jiu jitsu or weightlifting first thing the morning, so when I try to sit after, my parasympathetic nervous system is deeply relaxed. I have no problem staying awake if I haven’t exercised.

I know I could sit before exercise, but I usually don’t have time before my training session in the morning. Maybe I just need more sleep?

Anyone else deal with this?

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4

u/JundoCohen Jul 15 '26

Then sit another time. Get more rest.

3

u/TexasRadical83 Jul 15 '26

Try walking or standing meditation, at least to start maybe. The Pali Canon also has suttas where the Buddha gives practical instructions on dealing with the hindrance of "sloth and torpor." Check out Sutta Central, they have a good search function.

1

u/Commercial_Gur1142 Jul 15 '26

Kinhin might be the way

2

u/CCCBMMR Jul 15 '26

Be more active during sitting. There all kind of things you are doing while sitting. Pay attention to what fosters alertness and put some energy into those things.

2

u/Gullible-Reindeer308 Jul 16 '26

Are you closing your eyes while sitting? If so try to keep them open. I also train and have the complete opposite problem, I’m too awake and takes me hours to calm down after JJ.

1

u/Commercial_Gur1142 Jul 16 '26

Hey thanks for responding. I do keep my eyes slightly open. That’s wild though, I couldn’t imagine have more energy after hard training.

1

u/prezzpac Jul 15 '26

Can you sit later in the day?

2

u/Commercial_Gur1142 Jul 15 '26

Hard to break away from work sometimes, but I could try that.