The real reason why meditation makes you fall asleep

6 o'clock in the morning. A group of people tries to stay awake whilst staring at a point of light. A teacher, sitting on a "gaddhi" has her eyes wide open, staring at every individual for at least a minute.

To stay awake the first five minutes wasn't a big problem. But I knew the gimlet eye of the teacher would come back. I desperately tried not to sleep and focus on a point of light. I tried to imagine how the dimension of "parandham" would feel, how eternity looked like ... Tried not to think about anything else. This immediately made me fall asleep.

After 30 minutes I woke op when the lights went on. It seemed I wasn't the only one who had fallen asleep. The teacher told us there were several reasons:

- one has too many waste thoughts
- one has negative thoughts
- one is very impure and has sexual thoughts and/or desires
- one does not have enough "Yoga" with the Supreme Soul
- one is under the influence of Kaliyug (bad) energy from others
- one has eaten too much (sugar)

Surprisingly lack of sleep could never be a reason. Sleeping was a failure.

Many, many years later, I now read about this study: meditating can be very tiresome in itself. So, for everyone who thinks there might be some value in another point of view:

Quoted from the Daily Mail.

A study has shown that just as thinking burns energy - so does blocking a thought. The researchers who carried out the study say trying to clear your mind and think of nothing is asking to 'stopping a truck on a downhill slope'. The findings also shed light on why it's so hard to meditate, and why it's tricky to silence those annoying songs that play over and over again in your head.

Dr Daniela Calvetti, a mathematician and co-author of the brain study at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, said: 'Maybe this explains why it is so tiring to relax and think about nothing.' Rather than opening up a brain to study how thinking - and not thinking - burns up energy, the researchers developed a computer model to mimic how the brain converts energy into thoughts.

the real reason is it is boring

the real reason is it is boring

This is a deep spiritual thought for the day

I think it is a very poignant question for BK and ex-BKs to ask and really get answers. Of course, the Brahma Kumaris leaders offer kindergarten level responses.

It always amazes me how for a so called University with so much money, medical facilities even, and doctors and science, they produce zero science about what they do. Why not just test people and see what is going on in their heads? Whether they would publish true findings though is another doubt.

Occam's razor is a principle often used in science which implies "the simplest explanation is usually the correct one". Simple logic or scientific procedure would look at the statement and examine how true it was; if any "anomalies", that is glaring discrepancy or deviation to the proposed rule existed.

Now look at the Brahma Kumaris' excuses ... you fall asleep in meditation because you are "very impure and have sexual thoughts and desires". Now, examining any adolescent and most males quickly proves that they have a huge capacity for sexual thoughts and desires over prolonged periods of time, never mind to say acting on them for long periods of time. So how do they explain that? If it was true, men would fall asleep whilst looking at pornography ... and I am fairly sure they don't.

What is the real reason why meditation makes you fall asleep? I don't know. Yes, it is boring and the mind probably just switches off to save itself from agony. It is close to or a form of hypnotism. Perhaps the brainwave lengths are very similar to sleep. Yes, "surrendered BKs" are sleep deprived and so it is no wonder. Yes, meditation rooms are too warm and comfortable. More study required.

Have a cold shower at 4am and turn down the central, or go out for a run, and I promise I can cure your falling asleep at Amrit Vela.

Falling asleep at Amrit Vela

It is one of the yukti of making you guilty ... BK rules are impractical and tough to apply ... so one fails and remains in guilty consciousness of not obeying the Shrimat which is responsible for stopping heaven to come and stopping poor Bhagat souls to go to mukti ...

YOU ARE FOUNDATION SO YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE ...

I have been thinking a lot about this today. I know nothing about why but I know that, despite claiming "not to be Bhakti", the Brahma Kumaris beat and cajole a whole lot more new Bhakti (blind faith, superstition, false religion) into you.

In BKism, the "evil spirits" of religion becoming the "evil spirits of vices" are almost the same. But, hell, who knows ... perhaps in Brahma Kumarism one really is having one's energy drained out of you by vampirical "spirits"? It is as rational the proposals they offer.

I did a websearch and it seems falling asleep in meditation is neither unique nor new to the BKWSU and many take a highly practical approach to dealing with it, e.g. Zen where the master will whack you with a stick on the shoulders to refresh your mind quickly.

The first page that jumped out was this article from a George A. Boyd. I am not selling him but he also offers courses into more traditional or real Raja Yoga.

How to stay awake ...

Many beginning meditators find themselves falling asleep when they attempt to meditate. This commonly is because they have not learned to tease out the inner alert focus of meditation from the relaxation response that occurs prior to sleep.

When we compare the journey through the Conscious, Subconscious, Metaconscious, and Superconscious bands of the mind for sleep, meditation and hypnosis, we find common themes of relaxation of the body, withdrawal of energy from the external senses, and focus within on inner imagery.

What I actually found interesting about it was the similarity between what and how the Brahma Kumaris now teach as meditation ... and hypnosis. I am thinking especially of those tapes pioneer by Sister Jayanti, Denise and others.

Attention to induction stimulus; hypnotist's voice, a shiny object, etc - in BKism both voice and the trance light)

Heightened awareness of induction stimulus, with withdrawal of energy from other senses - in BKism exactly, almost verbatim

Relaxation of the body with concentration on the sound of the hypnotist's voice giving suggestions - in BKism exactly, almost verbatim


Beginning of transference phenomenon in therapy and hypnosis; focusing on the feelings evoked by the hypnotherapist - in BKism, check! Swop "Brahma Kumari" for "hypnotherapist"


Focusing on the visual images or auditory suggestions of the hypnotist - - in BKism, check!

Moving into an identity state suggested by the hypnotherapist - in BKism, check!"

Deepening trance state of awareness, deepening absorption in the images suggested by the hypnotist - in BKism, check!"

Going down to suggested levels of the time track as directed by the hypnotherapist

Focusing on suggestions to receive guidance or direction from the Subconscious mind, interacting at a suggested hypnotic band - in BKism, very possibly"

Deep hypnotic trance, able to go to other times and locations, deep "guided meditations" done to music may take you down into this level - in BKism, for a lucky few perhaps, one or two peak experience for the rest"

Responding to suggestions to take the viewpoint of a detached witness and comment on an issue - in BKism, check!"

Responding to suggestions to deeply empathize with another, to feel love for them, or to forgive them - in BKism, perhaps, e.g. World Meditiation Day, remembrance for Dadis etc. More a Buddhist or Christian thing, I'd say"

Responding to suggestions of empowerment or inner strength; interaction with subpersonalities or evocative images - in BKism, check!"

Responding to suggestions to interact with archetypal images of the Superconscious mind - in BKism, very possibly - The alternative requiring the acceptance of psychic realities including other disembodied non-human spirit beings, and the interaction with them"

I think that is one to be one of the best summaries of what is going on in Brahma Kumari Raja Yoga and that it requires only a very fine tuning to fit.