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Preparation before meditation

The preparation of meditation 

Why does the body tend to lean forward or backward during meditation?

The entry point is "relaxed concentration." What is "relaxed concentration"? It is like when you are driving a car. You cannot be too tense, but you need to be focused on the road ahead. That is "relaxed concentration."
You might say, "Why do I need to meditate when I can just drive?" However, when driving, there are usually many distractions and sudden lane changes, and even if there are no distractions, your mind will still wander. Therefore, if the road ahead is consistent and there is no noise around you, your brain will easily transition from beta waves to alpha waves and you will feel sleepy. Once you stop the car and try to sleep, the noise will prevent you from falling asleep, so you will return to beta waves, unless you are sleep-deprived or too tired.
 Meditation is similar. When you transition from Beta waves to Alpha waves, you tend to feel sleepy, but meditation is a training to develop awareness in alpha waves or even delta waves. At this point, your posture is likely to become unstable. What should you do?
 
a. Many people experience this, so please don't blame yourself. Blaming yourself will only give you a negative feeling and make it harder to make meditation a habit. Unless you are sleep-deprived or too tired, you should rest before meditating. 
b. Beginners tend to fall asleep when they enter alpha waves. At this point, you can change your breathing pattern. You can try the "fire breath" technique, exhaling rapidly through your nose with your eyes open. 
c. When you start meditating, bring awareness to your posture. Imagine a rope pulling your body up from the top of your head, as shown in the picture below. Your body will naturally follow the trajectory of the rope and stretch upward, restoring your upright posture.
 
Imagine a rope pulling your body up from the top of your head when meditating in a seated position.
 
Don't be discouraged because you have already done a great job transitioning to Alpha waves. Not everyone feels sleepy or confused when entering Alpha waves. Everyone's physical and mental condition is different every day, so feeling sleepy during the initial stages can make your posture unstable. By practicing the above three steps, you can gradually adapt to the state of Alpha waves and develop awareness, which is necessary for observation. 

Where should the tongue be placed?

The correct position is to press the tongue against the roof of the mouth, but beginners can place it naturally. Why do you need to press the tongue against the roof of the mouth? Because this action makes it easy to enter a meditative state, and there are two acupuncture points under the tongue that can promote the secretion of saliva. In Taoism, saliva is where the essence, energy, and spirit reside. Therefore, after meditating for a certain period, gently pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth can become a habit.
 
During my practice in India, Indian people told me that ancient yogis did not place their tongue on the roof of their mouth, but instead there is a small hole behind the upper palate, as shown in the picture. The goal is to train the tongue to extend back into this hole, and it is said that this practice can train yogis to enter into a meditative state while standing, walking, sitting, or lying down. This is an ancient method of yoga practice, but personally, I do not recommend harming your body. There are many other methods to enter into a meditative state during daily activities.
 

Do you need to close your eyes during meditation?

There are different opinions regarding whether you should keep your eyes half-closed or fully closed during meditation. Some people believe that the eyes are the window to the soul and a gateway for energy exchange, so they advocate for fully closing the eyes to prevent energy leakage. This is especially true in Vajrayana Buddhism, where there is a practice called "closing the black gate" that involves fully closing the eyes during meditation. Other practitioners recommend keeping the eyes half-closed to prevent falling asleep and to help maintain a meditative state while also being aware of your surroundings.
 
Personally, I believe that both methods are valid, and it ultimately depends on your personal preference and experience. When I first started meditating, I found it difficult to enter a meditative state with my eyes half-closed, but as I progressed in my practice, I found that both half-closed and fully closed eyes work for me. I also think that practicing with half-closed eyes can help train your mind to remain in a meditative state even while you are engaged in daily activities.