Meditative Concentration Benefits the Physical Body

Question: When contemplating that the body is not me and not mine, the body becomes very soft during meditation—even the bones feel as if they have softened. Does this affect the body's physical strength?

Answer: All meditative concentration (samādhi) states are beneficial to the physical body; one need only look at the physical bodies of devas to know this. Especially the physical bodies of the devas of the form realm are incomparably wondrous, and even the physical bodies of the devas of the desire realm are far stronger than the human body. The reason lies in the differences in meditative concentration and merit. With regular meditation, when the manas's energy channels are unobstructed, the body will feel light, at ease, and comfortable, with the whole body supple and soft; however, one's strength is not necessarily reduced. When the energy channels are well cleared, one's strength may even increase, and the body becomes healthy, robust, and vigorous.