Question: Sometimes in the morning after meditation, I fall into a doze, not a sound sleep. But it doesn't seem to be a conscious meditation. Is this good?

Sri Chinmoy: Unfortunately, it is not a good thing. It is not sleep and at the same time you are not fully awakened. So after you meditate, try to be absolutely dynamic. It means you will not allow sleepiness to enter into you. Before you meditate, try to breathe in a few long breaths and make your whole body energetic. Your dynamic energy will help you enter into meditation. Unfortunately, many disciples don’t get enough inspiration to energise them for aspiration. Some days you get inspiration all at once. Other days you don’t get any inspiration at all. If the fire is already burning inside, you don’t have to do anything. But when there is no fire, what do you do? The best thing is to breathe in, or you can jog a little. Make yourself feel that you are entering into the battlefield where you have to fight against ignorance, doubt, imperfection and death.

It is always better for the aspirants not to meditate while lying down. At least in your case, the time has not come for you to meditate while lying. After you have meditated three or four hours and you want to have a relaxed feeling, you can lie down. But there are some who think that when they lie down, they get abundant inspiration. I wish to tell them that they are only fooling themselves. If you don’t want to keep your back erect, no harm, but you have to sit up and be fully alert during your meditation. If it is possible, in the morning before you start meditation, take a small quantity of hot juice or milk, something liquid and hot, before you enter into meditation. Then your whole system will be attuned to the divine energy. That divine energy will take you to the proper plane of meditation in your inner consciousness.