Q. My day-to-day practice is mindfulness of the breath and body, with the attention placed on the hara. In addition, I try to keep my attention in my belly as I move about during the day -with, of course, varying degrees of success. For some reason, I have a slight but steady sensation just above the bridge of my nose, between my eyebrows. It feels as though it is just below the surface of my skin, but does not seem to respond to massage or any sort of physical manipulation. I’ve had this for about a year. It seems to be connected with mediation, as it first appeared last summer during a 10-day vipassana retreat, and seems to intensify somewhat when I am meditating more often. It is not painful, just a small sensation like static electricity, with a faint pulse. It is always there.

A. This is a common experience and really should be nothing to worry about. It is about gathering energy from concentration that backs up in the psychic channels, due to impurities. It is an experience I am familiar with. If you continue to retain your awareness and emotional energy (see next answer) in the hara, and learn to live in your body, you will be keeping yourself in balance. This way it should not get worse as you learn to live with it.