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This other day I was meditating and I got a feeling as if I spinned around on an axis, counterclockwise wise and really fast. Later on it became more of a left>right feeling alternating feeling in short bursts, and eventually it subsided.
What is this? Is it a sign of progress?
What is this?
It's merely a feeling. Just note it, observe its characteristics and return to the primary object. If you get attached or interested in it, then note that and take it as an object. Then move back to the primary object.
In Vipassana meditation one treats every object equally.
Is it a sign of progress?
Yes, ie. if you were mindful during the processes of the object, not after or later, but while they were happening.
You noticed it proceeded in bursts, meaning its not permanent but ever-changing. You noticed that it eventually subsided meaning you saw (if you were mindful of it) that it was subject to cessation and uncontrollability.
Whether you saw these things, I cannot know, only you can know. But if you saw these characteristics, you have seen the Three Marks of Existence, which all compounded phenomena are subject to.
These types of experiences happen due to karmic or just due to the nature of conditioned existence. With this experience of any other just know that there is such feeling without any additions or subtractions to the experience like thinking or pondering, conceptualisation (trying to give it meaning), verbalization, visualization, ignoring, suppressing, etc. By adding or subtracting additional elements the above you will be clouding real nature of the experience, than putting you full effort to understand the underlying process, which also is changing much faster than you can apply any though / thinking based component to it like labeling, logical or intellectual analysis, any form of visualisation, etc. Trying to suppress it also will not work, permanently or as you would want it to, since it might bounce back with a vengeance sometime later.
The best cause of action is to put all you effort to examine it more closely, while keeping your mind clear without other additions and subtraction to see things clearly as they are, at the experiential level, and try to understand what is happening and bring you mind to a state that these experiences cannot cause emotional disturbances. If you think this is progress and sometime it stops you would be disappointed. There are the emotional databases which you should try to avoid. As you analyze you will see each cluster of sensation are made up of smaller sensation. Also when you keep examining it you will start seeing the nature of it is to arise and pass. This can be considered progress.
In these situation the progress is how much equanimity you can have, not the experience itself. If you are mentally reacting you are not making progress. If you are equanimous and analyzing it as arising and passing then you are making progress.
In the process of analysing the experience you will see that you calcifying some experiences as favorable, some as unfavorable and other as you do not care. These reaction happen due to the nature of the this experience. Also you will be one of the following sensations associated with it which can be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
These sensations are Dependently Arisen or Causality Arisen of which you do not have control over the process. When the cause disappears so does the sensation. When a new cause appears and associated sensation arises. If the sensation is pleasant and you have to part with it it is misery. Some sensations are unpleasant and miserable on their own. Neutral sensation are also in a way miserable as you cannot depend on them, i.e., they also do not last. Form this you should understand delighting on this particular experience or any other experience, or being averse will end in some form of unsatisfactoriness. This understanding also can be considered progress.
Furthermore, you will start seeing the experience and the cause are not in one's control, also they are subjected to change which one cannot influence. This experience starts and ends, and you cannot say I want more of this or less of this experience and it will happen as you wish. This also is progress.
Futher exramination you will see this experance leads to craving or the unwholesome roots of ignorance that you cannot depend on the experience when it is neutral, longing for more when it is pleasant and wanting less of it when unpleasant. These also cause unsatisfactoriness and understanding this is progress.
So progress in this case would be developing the right understanding of the experience than the experience itself.
This is completely normal. Other things that might happen are feelings of your body twisting, your face, hands, or head disappearing, your body swelling, your body contracting, etc. etc. etc. Any of the above phenomenon are nothing to be alarmed about nor do they hold much significance beyond serving as an indicator that you are just beginning to touch the edge of your bigger mind.
Yes I experienced this too while doing chakra Meditation as guided by my spiritual guru.Next day, I felt more relaxed and centred In one word-consciously aware.Just let go and call on the angels, spiritual guides for protection before during these meditations.
I have not attained the first Jhana yet so it is hard to say it is normal. I suggest you keep your eyes open when you do meditation.
