Why Do I Feel Tired After Meditating? Causes and What to Do

Meditation is total relaxation and rejuvenation, so a sitting that ends in tiredness has a cause worth finding. The cause lies in one of four places: the way the body or mind was held, the energy a deep practice spends, the people and places around, or a tiredness that was already there. Each has a plain remedy, and rest comes first.

Is Meditation Supposed to Leave You Tired?

A sitting is meant to leave the body relaxed and the mind rejuvenated, never drained, and it also builds a quality of awareness. With regular practice at the Ajna chakra, which a Guru's grace initiates, one does not tire or wear down easily, and half an hour of rest brings full energy back even after long hours of work. Tiredness afterwards therefore points to something in the way the sitting was done, or in the surroundings, that can be set right.

Can Straining the Body or Mind Leave You Tired?

It can, because a sitting held rigidly works the body instead of resting it. Stiffness through the whole body shows it. As HH Guruji Sundar puts it, "Meditation is relaxation. Probably you are meditating rigidly." Other strains have probable causes of their own: eye pain from straining the eyes, a pained spine from sitting too erect and cramps from staying in one position for long, while numb legs come mostly from poor blood circulation. When any of these appears, pause to relax, change the position of the legs and body, and return to the sitting once the strain has eased.

The mind has its own form of strain. A beginner forces the eyelids shut and pushes the eyes upward, believing this to be meditation, and the mind, bored by the force, stirs up one disturbance after another. Concentration is not the effort of meditation but a by-product of it, so hold the sitting in a relaxed manner.

Does an Intense Practice Use Up Energy?

A deeper practice draws more energy, and hunger is likely to grow with it. Feeling inactive after a sitting means the energy at the base has been exhausted. Meditate in Mooladhara for 15 minutes, then pause to relax.

After a sitting that leaves you hyperactive, put the surplus energy into service at Jeeva Samadhis, temples, churches and other religious places, and pray for the wellbeing of yourself and of the people around you.

Can People and Places Drain a Meditator?

A deepening practice at the Ajna chakra makes a meditator a source of help for many people, and a pitfall follows: people running on ordinary, low energy absorb the reserve that has built up, which leaves one very tired. With constant practice, one also becomes receptive to the space and people around and can pick up a headache from them. Meditating, or pausing to relax, clears it.

Crowded places sap the energy sooner, and meditating in a hospital, at a death ceremony, in a cemetery or in any place where negative energy is felt drains it faster still. Around non-meditative people, while visiting the old or the sick in hospital and at a death ceremony, one initiated into the chakras should keep awareness at Mooladhara to preserve energy. Without that awareness, the energy is depleted, and regaining it takes more hours of meditation.

The place of the sitting matters as well. Meditate in a divine temple or a silent room, and avoid open places such as a rooftop, which may hold outside fields, positive or negative. Refrain from long hours of television, since they bring the energy levels down.

How Does a Drained Meditator Recharge?

When the energy is depleted, visit a temple, church, dargah or Jeeva Samadhi and meditate there. The chakras take in positive energy almost at once, and rejuvenation follows in mind and body. A holy place gives back what crowds and negative surroundings take.

What if the Body Was Already Tired Before the Sitting?

After a working day, the body needs rest, and the mind, which runs consciously and subconsciously all day, needs it as well. Physical stress is relieved simply by letting the body recover.

What Should a Seeker Do When Tiredness Keeps Coming?

Rest first, then sit with ease on a blanket or mattress and never on plain ground, so that the energy of the sitting is not earthed. Pause whenever strain appears, change position at intervals and choose a silent room or a divine temple. After time among crowds or in surroundings that drain, meditate at a holy place to restore the energy. Take any symptom that persists after a sitting to a Guru or guide, whether it is laziness, which is unrelated to meditation, or a tiredness that keeps returning.

Key Takeaway

Meditation relaxes and rejuvenates, so tiredness after a sitting has a cause to be found: strain in the body or mind, energy spent by intense practice, draining people or places, or a tiredness already present. Sit with ease, pause whenever strain appears, rest the body, choose a silent room or a temple, and meditate at a holy place to restore what has been drained. A seeker initiated into the chakras should also meditate in Mooladhara for 15 minutes when the energy at the base is exhausted, and take a tiredness that keeps returning to a Guru or guide. The sitting itself begins at home from the first day, while Self-realisation comes through a realised Guru's grace.

FAQs

Is it normal to feel tired after meditating? Meditation is meant to leave a person relaxed and rejuvenated, so tiredness is a sign to look at the sitting. Check strain, spent energy, draining people or places and tiredness already present first.

Why do I feel exhausted after meditation? A deep practice spends more energy, and feeling inactive afterwards means the reserve at the base has been exhausted. Pause to relax, and take a symptom that persists to a Guru or guide.

Should I stop meditating if I feel tired or strained? A pause to relax is enough, and the sitting can resume once the strain has eased. Change the position of the legs and body at intervals when stiffness, pain or cramps appear.

Can meditating too much make you tired? A deeper practice spends more energy, so hunger is likely to grow with it, and feeling inactive afterwards means the reserve at the base has been exhausted. A pause to relax comes first.

What should I do if I feel hyperactive after meditating? Put the energy into service at Jeeva Samadhis, temples, churches and other religious places, and pray for the wellbeing of yourself and the people around you.

Can people or places make me tired after meditating? A deepening practice draws many others near, and people running on ordinary, low energy absorb the reserve that has built up. Crowds sap the energy sooner, and meditating in hospitals, at death ceremonies, in cemeteries or in places with negative energy drains it faster still, so meditate in a divine temple or a silent room.

How do I recharge when I feel drained? Visit a temple, church, dargah or Jeeva Samadhi and meditate there, since the chakras take in positive energy almost at once and rejuvenation follows in mind and body.

Why do I feel lazy after meditation? Laziness is unrelated to the practice itself, and a seeker who feels it should look to a Guru or guide for assistance.