10 reasons why you experience involuntary jerks during meditation

It’s not uncommon for new and experienced meditators alike to experience involuntary jerks, twitches, or twangs during meditation. Many yogis will tell you that these are signs of a deeper meditation, while others will say they’re proof that you need to practice more. 

These little muscle spasms are called kinetic rushes because they feel like an energy rush through your body, which causes it to jerk involuntarily. 

But no matter how much you love meditating or how much you hate it, these jerks will keep coming back at some point or another. With that said here are 10 reasons why you experience involuntary jerks during meditation.

1) Tension & stress release

This is one of the top reasons why you experience involuntary jerks during meditation. 

That’s because meditation is designed to release the tension and stress that has built up in your body over time. When we start meditating, our conscious mind is supposed to focus on the present moment. 

But, if you have some unresolved issues from the past, they’ll have a tendency to creep up into your consciousness. So, the more time you spend trying to ignore the little annoying voice inside your head, the more tension and stress you’ll build up. 

That’s why you experience involuntary jerks; your body is trying to get rid of all the built-up tension and stress. The good news is that the jerks are actually a good sign that you’re making some progress.

2) Yoga and/or meditation practice is new to you

The truth is:

If you’re new to yoga and/or meditation practices, your body will take some time to get used to them. That’s because it takes a few weeks for your muscles, bones, and ligaments to adapt to new movements and positions. 

That’s why, if you’ve been practicing yoga and/or meditation for a short amount of time, you might experience involuntary jerks every now and then. 

Your body might be trying to make the necessary adaptations, which causes the jerks. But with time and practice, the jerks should go away. That’s because your body will have the time it needs to adapt to the new movements and positions.

3) Bad posture

We all know that good posture is one of the most important aspects of our health because it allows free movement and less stress on our joints.

But have you ever stopped and thought about how meditation affects posture? 

Well, it turns out that it has a big impact. Bad posture while meditating includes slouching while sitting down. If you’ve been trying to meditate without having a proper posture, you might experience involuntary jerks. 

That’s because your muscles will be tensing up as a way to fight against your bad posture. Bad posture is one of the reasons why you experience involuntary jerks during meditation. That’s because it causes uneven pressure and stress on your joints and muscles, which leads to jerks.

4) Breathing issues

Bad breathing habits are something that can affect you in any situation, whether you’re exercising, reading, or meditating. 

Bad breathing while meditating can be the cause of involuntary jerks. Bad breathing can be caused by a variety of things, such as shallow breathing, holding your breath, or incorrect posture. 

That’s why if you’ve been having issues with your breathing while meditating, you might experience kinetic rushes. 

Bad breathing is one of the reasons why you experience involuntary jerks during meditation. When your breathing is out of sync, it creates uneven pressure on your joints and muscles. That leads to jerks throughout your body.

But here is the good news:

You can deal with this issue by learning breathwork. This technique is developed by the shaman, Rudá Iandê. 

By using breathwork, you can establish a new breathing pattern that is in sync with your body. This will help to stabilize your breathing and bring back the natural rhythm of your body. 

The best part about Rudá Iandê breathwork is that there are no set positions. That’s because you basically breathe out all the bad breath, and breathe in a fresh, new breath. 

If you want to learn more about this technique, check out his genuine advice below. 

Click here to watch the free video.

5) Your body is making changes to adapt to the stress you put on it

When you put stress on your body, it has the tendency to grow stronger in order to be able to handle more stress in the future. 

The same goes for meditating. So, if you’ve been putting stress on your body by meditating, it might cause involuntary jerks throughout your body. 

According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Family Physicians, involuntary muscle contractions during meditation can be caused by low blood sugar and dehydration. 

That’s because when you meditate for a long time, your body will secrete adrenaline, which can cause your muscles to tense up. An involuntary jerk is one of the ways that your body counteracts all the stress you put on it.

6) Too much energy build-up

We’ve all heard the saying:

“The more you push something, the harder it will be pushed back.” 

That’s true with energy as well; when you push too much energy, it will push back. 

So, if you’ve been pushing too much energy during your meditations, you may experience involuntary jerks.

If a lot of energy builds up inside of you during a session, your muscles will tense up as a way to prevent that buildup from getting out. 

That’s why they shudder in order to give off excess energy. They’re basically trying to get rid of all the energy that you’re not supposed to be holding in.

7) You’re not relaxed enough

If you’ve been trying to rush through your meditation or forcing your mind to go blank, you might be tensing up and not even know it.

Think about this for a moment:

If your mind is constantly racing, you’re probably not even aware of the tension in your muscles and body. 

That’s because your brain is so busy that it doesn’t have the time to stop and think about it. Your brain has all its attention focused on racing thoughts. 

That’s why if you haven’t been relaxing during your meditations, you might experience involuntary jerks. You might be tensing up without even knowing it.

Here are some tips to help you relax during meditation:

• Breathe full, deep breaths.
• Focus on the present moment.
• Don’t rush to achieve anything during your meditations. 
• Sit in a comfortable position with a straight back and head. 

Whenever you find yourself tensing up without realizing it, take a moment to relax and let go of that tension. 

Meditation should be about serenity, not about achieving something.

8) You’re experiencing hyperventilation and anxiety

Another reason why you experience involuntary jerks during meditation could be hyperventilation and anxiety. 

When you breathe faster than usual, it creates uneven pressure in your muscles. Your body doesn’t have time to adjust to the new breathing pattern, so it keeps on jerking in order to fix this imbalance. 

This is especially true for anxiety-prone people that tend to hyperventilate often. If you’re experiencing these things, then you might experience involuntary jerks during meditation.

When you’re holding your breath while meditating, you’re basically putting a lot of stress and pressure on your body. That can lead to involuntary jerks, too.

One way to help with this is by learning deep breathing. Deep breathing calms your nerves and helps you to naturally deal with anxiety. This will also help you relax during meditation.

The best part about deep breathing is that it’s the same for everyone; there are no set positions or techniques.

9) Your posture is off

You might think that your posture is perfect, but even a slight slouch can cause involuntary jerks.

Think about this for a second:

If your spine is not straight and aligned with your body, it will create uneven pressure on your joints and muscles. That keeps on getting worse as you meditate, so eventually, you’ll experience involuntary jerks throughout your body. 

To avoid these involuntary jerks, you need to make sure that your spine is straight and aligned with your body. This will help to bring the right pressure on your joints and muscles.

When you’re feeling like your posture is off, make sure that you correct it. This way, you’ll avoid all the unnecessary movements throughout your body.

10) You’re dehydrated

Sounds pretty ironic, doesn’t it?

You sit down to meditate, and within a few minutes, all hell breaks loose. 

If you’re dehydrated, your body will not be able to release the excess energy that builds up during your sessions. So, it will react by making involuntary jerks throughout your body.

This can also cause contractions in your muscles. Your efforts at trying to relax will instead lead to more stress and tension. 

Dehydration can put a lot of stress on your body. So, you should make sure to drink enough water before every session so that you’re not dehydrated while meditating.

If that doesn’t make sense to you, think about the muscles and how they get built up when there’s not enough water inside of them. The same thing applies to your mind and overall body; it takes a lot of water to keep it all relaxed and at ease.

Final thoughts 

We’ve covered 10 reasons why you experience involuntary jerks during meditation. 

One of the keys to avoiding this is by relaxing during your session. That way, you won’t experience involuntary jerks at all. 

Also, if you notice that you’re tensing up during meditation, then take time to relax and let go of any unnecessary tension throughout your body. 

If that doesn’t work, then there are still some other ways that you can prevent involuntary jerks from happening. Personally, I like deep breathing techniques as they help me relax and focus on my meditations at the same time.

If you have any questions or thoughts, then comment down below. I’d love to hear from you!