Crying During Meditation: Why Do We Cry During Meditation?

Crying during meditation
Crying during meditation

You might find yourself suddenly breaking down uncontrollably in the midst of your meditation practice. It might also perplex you to an extent that you start getting frightened but it is only a very normal experience. We are all believers in the common notion that meditation relaxes and calms our body and mind and thus when we suddenly start crying in spite of relaxing, it turns out to be a cause of worry. There are a lot of explanations regarding what crying during meditation really means.

Some people are of the opinion that crying might be the outburst of the emotional baggage that we carry, almost inevitability and invariably in all of our lives. Society always teaches us to remain within boundaries whereby we put up outward appearances to please other people and hide our real selves. As a result, unresolved emotions that trouble us or are an integral part of us, also remain suppressed, much similar to the condition of a flower stamped by a pedestrian’s shoe that can neither cry nor make a noise. However, meditation unravels us to the core, even if, for a few minutes, and that is when purging of all repressed emotions happen which causes us to break down very unpreparedly, leaving us baffled.

Why Do We Cry During Meditation?

There are a lot of positive as well as negative meanings that can be related to the act of crying during meditation. Some of them are listed below. We hope you find them helpful.

Gaining self-awareness

Crying may be an indication that you have gained self-awareness
Crying during meditation may be an indication that you have gained a high degree of self-awareness

Most of us may think that we know ourselves, especially our mind and body very well. We think that we are very well aware of our abilities and follies but more often than not, it doesn’t turn out to be so. An effective meditation leads to a lot of introspection and contemplation through which we get a deeper insight into ourselves, of who we really are and what we constantly try to conceal in the process of projecting an appearance of a person that we try to be. These realizations and embracements of the actual truth of our being can often lead to crying during meditation as it happens in a lot of cases and that’s completely normal.

Meditation acts as a stressbuster

Release of pent up stress often leads to crying
Release of pent up stress often leads to crying

The people that inhabit the modern world is often torn between a million worries on the one hand and maintaining their inner peace and calm on the other. This leads to a lot of stress and anxiety that builds up inside you and once you meditate, you might suddenly find tears rolling down your cheeks causing those pent up emotions or stress to be finally released. Daily meditation helps you do this better.

Memories or events from the past!

Crying during meditation might also be a result of painful incidents or memories of the past
Crying during meditation might also be a result of painful incidents or memories of the past

When it comes to meditation, your subconscious is in a very vulnerable state. The thoughts or memories from the past that you had so long suppressed might suddenly appear to trouble you in a weird way while you meditate. It might be a crucifying painful incident that you had tried to forget or a very strong feeling of guilt about some wrong that you did long back- all of these feelings surface during meditation and that’s when you start crying. This process should be allowed to progress naturally whereby you either clean yourself of all these burdening emotions or you come to terms with them.

Expressing Gratitude!

A feeling of Gratitude can lead to tears during meditation
A feeling of Gratitude can lead to tears during meditation

Gratitude Meditation often helps positive energy to flow through your body by shooting up serotonin levels. It encourages you to write down the things you are grateful for as well as practice gratitude visualization. As a result, you realize what are the things you are happy and grateful for. This overwhelming feeling of a deep sense of gratitude makes you cry at ties, not because of grief but because of immense joy and a feeling of being surrounded by a lot of blessings.

Heart Chakra Meditation

Crying can also occur during Heart Chakra Meditation
Crying can also occur during Heart Chakra Meditation

The heart chakra meditation is one of the very common forms of meditation where people tend to cry and that happens very organically. This particular technique helps you reorganize your heart chakra or Anahata which might be blocked due to low confidence, medical conditions or other stressful behaviours that your body experiences.

The heart chakra meditation requires you to cleanse your body and mind of all negativity by letting your heart speak all positive affirmations that you can possibly think of; you must feel every single word of these positive sentences that your heart says. After doing this, you might feel waves of love and positive energy radiating from your body. This is an indication that your heart chakra has been purified of all unwanted, negative emotions and thoughts and that is when you may start crying. Don’t worry! You are travelling from a weaker and unclear version of yourself to a brighter and more clarified version devoid of any obnoxious feeling. Allow yourself to go through the process and you’ll feel heavenly.

Overwhelming Happiness

Happiness can lead to crying during meditation
Happiness can lead to crying during meditation

It’s a popular notion, almost always preconceived, that crying is always due to sadness. But that does not always stand true. Sometimes, there’s too much happiness cascading through your veins and you feel out of the world happy like you do when you hear an immortal melody or meet your best friend after a decade of staying away from each other. On such occasions, it is quite natural and acceptable that you will burst into tears during meditation just because you feel a wave of happiness engulf your whole body.

Evolve’s tips for you if you find yourself crying during meditation:

  • Accept the fact that everybody can cry just like they can sit or eat or drink and that it’s not something to be shamed. If someone around you cries during meditation, try to explain to them that it’s very natural and has scientific explanations behind it
  • If it happens on a daily basis disrupting your practice very frequently, consider seeing a therapist or talking to someone to whom you can expose all your vulnerable zones and who you believe would be able to help you out
  • The catharsis that is brought in by crying during meditation is sometimes very necessary for certain people. Understand and embrace that!
  • Try tracing the thoughts or feelings that are making you cry instead of freaking out
  • Give yourself ample time. Take as much time as you need to process what’s happening

The Evolve App is now globally live. Download the Evolve App and get access to numerous journeys related to meditation and mindfulness. The app also has more than 50 audios to help you grasp meditation and related concepts along with its major advantages very easily. Download today without delay and try for free on Android and Apple.

Also Read: Can You Meditate With Your Eyes Open?

Waves of Pleasure During Meditation

How Long Does Meditation Take to Work

How To Use Meditation To Overcome Grief?