How do you stay awake during meditation?

Staying awake has never really been a problem for me. I usually meditate to calm myself down, anyway, so I'm not normally in a sleepy state of mind during my practice. I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you directly. However, I know that Eaknath Easwaran addresses this problem in his book How to Meditate. Maybe you could look there!

I have been meditating since I was in high school. At first it was more challenging and some days it still is. Like most things you become better at it as you go. To stay awake maybe do it when you are not tired. I like to do it first thing because I'm a morning person. Whenever you are most alert throughout the day that's when I'd practice. Tell your brain and body you are going to meditate for x amount of time and it is to (fill in your reasoning). Just communicating this to yourself will help. Guided meditation, counting your breath, or being completely mindful of the moment could help. Best of luck!

Focusing on the breath. Actively deeper breathing. Focusing on every sense and if I do fall asleep my body obviously needs it and it always feels better than an ordinary nights sleep

I have dozed off during a meditation and I take it as my body telling me sleep is the most important thing. I still wake refreshed when my timer goes off and I continue to work the next time on my meditation.

I sit up and meditate, also the time of day makes a difference. If I fall asleep then I just take it as an indicator that I need more or better sleep.

I am stake away during meditation with the help of this app's meditation alarm and my mind also say me to do meditation and also have to study in morning so I have to do meditation.

I start by making sure I'm sitting up. I sit against the wall with my pillow behind my back so I don't get distracted by the cold. As I breathe, I count to 6. This mental counting helps me guide my thoughts back to breathing as my mind starts to wander.

I focus on what the instructions are.
I focus on the breath.
I focus on “noting” when my mind wanders into regrets or stories predicting future conversations or test results, or relationships.
I have started to become successful at noting and then letting go.
I assure myself that I am smart and if I am listing things I need to do that I will recall them again and get them done in time.
I will write them on my to do list tomorrow and releases.
I have been using the calm app since August so almost 6 months and I can notice a difference in me already!

Meditation has to be done on some object. Never to be done on void. May you do that with eyes open or closed. For eyes open, you could start trying candle meditation. This helps you to keep your mind active, keeping it away from other thoughts which lead us to sleep. For eyes closed you could meditate on deity. That helps you have an object to look at in your mind and thus keeping it active.

I don't sleep while meditating because I sit in lotus position on the floor. I would jerk myself awake sometimes if I start sleeping and falling towards the back. The best is to keep my eyes half opened if I am not too tired.

I make sure to sit up with a straight back. It's an active sit rather than a relaxed or reclined sit. It's harder to fall asleep that way.

I try concentrate in my respiratiom process. Is evident that I (and all humans) can't have a state of total empty mind, we have a complex neurological sistem that never stop, thats the reason for the first atempt we don't feel very well and useless on the meditation art, but if we comcentrate on our respiration, we will do better with practice, patience and time.

Being new to it helps! I find myself wondering constantly, "Am I doing it? How about now? Is my mind empty?". To bring focus, I start with focussing on the inside of my lips and tongue, those places which feel cool when you're drawing breath into your lungs, and warm when you exhale. This is the only way I've found to start focussing all the way through a breath. If I concentrate too much on my tummy or diaphragm, I end up pushing and tensing. But if I gently feel the cool and the warm, I get into a rhythm which keeps me awake.

I usually meditate after I have taken a 30mins nap, that way I'm already more refreshed and don't feel sleepy while I meditate.

You focus on your mind, body and breathing during meditation.
If you're unable to stay awake you're either doing an extremely relaxing meditation, oryou are not concentrating on the meditation going on and instead of not only letting your mind wander, you are actually going a step further and letting your mind excuse itself from the exercise.
During the meditation, always be aware of what is going on and fully connect to your mind and body. Do not let your mind wander to the point where you have no control over it!
You must remember that you are in control of your functions and not the other way around! Hope this helps!

Drinking coffee or black/green tea is recommended before meditating.

I often use meditation and breathing exercises to send me off to sleep. I'm usually asleep after two minutes and the mediation video carries on playing for a while. I realise that this kind of misses the point of meditation – being present in the moment and focusing inwards – you can't really do these things while you're asleep! But for a couple minutes I feel total peace and serenity, so I will continue to do this. However, I am trying to start meditating at other times too. Meditating sat upright in a comfortable distortion, on a cushion on the floor could really help for example. Hard to fall asleep when you're sat up!

Sometimes I do sometimes I don't. With the present I focus on that and do short 10 minutes. Long meditations I do choose to sleep.

That's a very good question I usually do my meditating at night before I go to bed that way it helps me fall asleep every now and then I'll do a morning 1 to help wake me up at start my day but more often than not I do in the evenings for I go to sleep

I started by keeping it really short until I got more used to it— 5 minutes at first, and even 1 minute on a night I was particularly tired. I also don’t put it last in my routine, so I have other steps to do before going to bed, and I haven’t completely wound down yet.

Don't just try to focus on breath all the time sometimes it's ok to let your mind wonder and the best thing to do to stay awake is to sit in with your back straight and not lie down

Sometimes I do. Meditation during the day normally if it's future dreaming, for my sub conscious mind I fall asleep to it.

By paying close attention to breathing, noting thoughts and returning to the breath, and sitting up with my doing tall and body relaxed