If you'd be so kind.
I want to gather some information for my own project about how people perceive their own self image.
Experiment-
- At a quite time for you when you know you're not going to be distracted for a few minutes.
- Sit in a comfortable chair and close your eyes, relax and let any internal conversations or thoughts pause.
- Imagine a cloud or a flame billowing out to fill up your body as you breath in, it fills all your limbs, centre and head and it empties out of you as you breath out.
- Carry on for as long as you can determine how you perceive the cloud or flame in relation to your actual physical body.
I'm interest to know how many people fall into the different categories in the poll
Do you image/see your physical body in the relative space-time filling up - as though your looking internally?
Do you imagine/see your physical body from the outside like you looking in or down upon it? Outside looking in?
Do you imagine/see a figure external to your physical body, like your looking at an another person or a mini figure of you? Inside looking out?
Or something else - please can you describe in the comments. thx
In doing similar meditation techniques, like picturing a glowing light flowing into my body, I can only describe it as seeing inside myself. My body shape has never been clearly defined unless I intentionally try to imagine it. I'd describe it more as a toroid or magnetic field type shape in my core. In doing your exercise, I see the flames flowing in and out at both poles and circling back round.
loganistan wrote: In doing similar meditation techniques, like picturing a glowing light flowing into my body, I can only describe it as seeing inside myself. My body shape has never been clearly defined unless I intentionally try to imagine it. I'd describe it more as a toroid or magnetic field type shape in my core. In doing your exercise, I see the flames flowing in and out at both poles and circling back round.
Thanks. Do you recall when you first started meditating if you had a different self image and through your meditation it is now located inside of you?
I started a few years ago, maybe 2014 or 15. At first I would consciously try to see an outline of my body as though I was sitting face to face with my self, but the internal view just seemed to be what my mind was comfortable with from the get go. I don't have to force that perspective.
When I tried your experiment, I could picture a white rotating orb that had spiral arms that spin while twisting around this orb. I perceived this within myself.
I picture it as looking from the outside into my body. Not necessarily like I'm fully detached but like I'm detaching a little bit to make way for said cloud/flame.
