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Crying During Meditation Actually Means THIS

ByPaul Harrison

Today, one of my meditation students asked, “Why have I been crying during meditation? What’s going on? I thought meditation was supposed to make me relaxed and happy, but my eyes are wet.”

I explained that it is perfectly normal to cry when meditating. While there can be some significant side effects of meditation, this isn’t one of them. In fact, it’s normal if you’re using a meditation technique like Trataka (focusing your eyes on a candle). 

Little issues and questions like this are one of the main reasons why people book lessons with me, so let me explain why it happens.

Why Youre Crying During Meditation 

Eyes watering

There are many reasons why we cry when meditating. Sometimes it’s simply the fact that the eyes are dry or that they are cleaning themselves. Your eyes water when you meditate because they are simply relaxing and cleansing themselves. 

When you’re living a busy life, it’s easy for dirt and toxins to get into your eyes.

  • If you smoke, for instance, your eyes will soon fill with toxins that need to be expelled.
  • If you spend time outdoors, you may be getting various substances in your eyes. 
  • Indoors your eyes can be plagued by dust.

Normally, your eyes will cleanse themselves through blinking (NKCF.org). But various factors can interfere with this process. If you work on a computer all day as some of my students do, you will blink less than you should. This prevents your eyes from cleansing themselves until you relax—perhaps while you’re meditating, when your eyes relax enough to clean themselves. This is just one of many signs that your body is healing itself. 

So, one potential reason for your eyes watering during meditation is that they are cleaning themselves. Indeed, this is one of the reasons why meditation can improve eye-sight [1]. I personally find that my eyes water every single time I go deep in Self Inquiry, but hey, that’s fine.

Letting emotions out

Sometimes we cry during meditation because we are letting emotions out. And if you think this is the case, I recommend reading my article on meditation for emotional control.

And hey, that’s a good thing, it is a normal part of the healing process. And most of us meditators still have some healing left to do.

The Chopra Center says, “Crying indicates that within your body, mind, or spirit lives unresolved sadness and loss waiting for an opportunity to be released.”  It is normal to release your emotional distress when you meditate.

Of course it’s not always comfortable to face these emotions alone, which is one reasons why private lesson can help. Sometimes emotions feel overwhelming, but a teacher can help you to release them safely.

While you’re mindfully breathing you might become conscious of painful emotions that you have simply been closing your eyes to. I remember one time when I meditated I finally managed to forgive my father for his alcoholism. He has passed, and this was a moment of profound healing. I cried like a waterfall. And it was good.

So don’t worry.  It is totally normal, according to Lodro Rinzler [teacher of meditation in the Buddhist tradition of Shambhala].  

Crying during certain meditation techniques 

Some meditation techniques are more conducive to emotions than others.  For instance, one particular time my students and I have noticed heightened emotions is during heart chakra meditation. This is a type of meditation that is used to open Anahata, the heart chakra. It is an inherently emotional technique so it is perfectly normal to cry during it.

Tears are often good

Some people think that because they cry, they can’t meditate. 

This simply isn’t the case. Tears are really just subconscious emotions being released, and that release is important.

Sadly, modern society teaches us to suppress our feelings.

  • Friends tell you to get a grip.
  • Parents tell you to grow up.
  • The media extols the supposed superiority of the cold heart and the impenetrable mind.

On the other hand, a meditation teacher such as myself will tell you that emotions are normal and healthy.

Putting a barrier up around your emotions is rarely helpful. You can’t simply shut out your feelings. If you try to repress emotions, they will eventually bubble to the surface.  

While you’re forcing yourself to suppress your feelings, you’re putting an awful lot of stress on your muscles, particularly muscles in your neck, shoulders, face, and, yes, your eyes. You tense-up to prevent yourself from letting those tears drop. And that tension can last an exceptionally long time.

It’s not good to hold your feelings back. It’s much healthier to let them out in the right ways. And one of the best ways of working through difficult emotions is by meditating, especially if you do it with the support of a teacher like me. 

Benefits of Crying 

Studies show that crying can help to heal both the mind and body. For instance, William Frey PhD., a biochemist and expert in tears, says that crying releases stress hormones via our tears and also helps us to produce endorphins and oxytocin, which psychiatrist Dion Metzger, M.D. says improves our mood.

What To Do If You Cry During Meditation 

Here’s what I recommend to my students when crying starts to interfere too much with their meditation practice.

1: Try different techniques

  • Vipassana. This meditation will help you to understand what is happening in your mind.
  • Osho Dynamic Meditation. A powerful technique in which you truly let all your feelings come roaring out of you. It is a tremendously liberating experience.

2: Work with difficult emotions

Mindfully investigate your emotions.

  • Where is the emotion coming from?
  • What does it feel like?
  • What kind of energy do you notice?

This will help you to understand the emotion. To go further, try my guided meditation for emotional regulation.

3: Let yourself cry

Embrace your emotions, the happy and the sad, and let tears fall without shame. You’re human. Own it. 

And if you have trouble embracing your emotions, book an online meditation session with me. In a private session I will lead you through safe and healthy ways to approach your emotions. 

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