Annoyed by nasal congestion and hyper-salivation during meditation?

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This appears to be a physical issue; that probably needs to be resolved in a physical way; such as by proper exercise, proper eating, non-consumption of intoxicants, herbal detoxification medicine, acupuncture, etc. For example, if you could run five kilometers this nasal problem probably would not occur.

Pornography was also mentioned in another topic. Pornography can contribute to this because watching the secretion of fluids in p**nography (such as when a women performs oral sex on a man) will naturally cause the watcher's own body to secrete similar fluids (as the woman); similar to how watching a man's body aroused in p**nography will stimulate the watcher's body to be aroused.

Whatever the mind fixates, the watcher will also "become". Pornography is deliberately designed using Freudian principles of phallic, oral & anal arousal to trap men into a self (male) fixation. Pornography is not primarily the watching of naked women but the watching of men having sex.

Both posts on this forum are indicative of an unhealthy lifestyle. The benefit of doing the Vipassana Retreat is it had you become personally & intimately conscious of these problems & therefore it provided you with an insight & opportunity to change your life for the better.

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Did you tell the assistant teacher about your problem?

I've attended a few 10-day Vipassana courses and even though my symptoms perhaps weren't as acute as yours, I've also had problems with the blocked nose and saliva in my mouth. Almost every time I attended the course I asked the assistant teacher what I should do with the excess saliva in my mouth, and they all consistently answered that I may swallow it as often as I wish. I suggest you ask that question yourself next time you attend the course, but it seems that the simplest solution is to swallow the saliva and return to observing sensations.

As for the problem with nasal congestion, I don't know any good solution for that, perhaps a physical/medical solution is needed here. Note, however, that during Ānāpānasati you're supposed to breath through your nostrils, but it's apparently not so crucial during Vipassanā, and you can resort to breathing though your mouth, if there's no other option. Again, this is what an assistant teacher told me, but you should ask this question yourself.

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I was developing aversion towards it which totally defeats the purpose of Vipassana.

The purpose of Vipassana is to gain insight. Is there any way you can gain insight into the workings of your experience through your newfound aversion? You can observe any experience to gain insight into the truth, but looking into suffering is particularly helpful. Moments of suffering house so much delusion, they are information treasures!

Wishing your physical condition to go away is a manifestation of fundimental aversion. Next time you are meditating, I encourage you to ask yourself these questions.

  1. What makes up your desire to have your condition go away?
  2. How often is the desire/suffering being felt by you?
  3. What physical and mental sensations occur that show you your desire is absolute/a need?
  4. What part of you is your condition harming?

The beautiful thing about being dissatisfied is that although it is painful, it is an insight jumping in front of your face, ready to occur!

Best of luck to you and I hope you find what you are looking for!

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