Have an attitude adjustment: once you’ve understood the benefits of meditation in improving your daily life, you will see that it is as necessary as eating and sleeping. You certainly make time to eat to nourish your body. What are you doing to nourish your mind? Meditation is food for your mind. It helps you think better, and improves your effectiveness in dealing with your problems. Look, if you don’t eat lunch, toward the afternoon you will run out of energy, right? Similarly, meditate, and you will charge up your mind so that it does not run out of energy when you need it most.
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Start with small steps. Do Chan for 15 minutes, once a day for three days straight; then stop. On the fourth day, you will probably notice a sharp drop in your mental sharpness and physical energy. You will then want to be a member of the Chan club, too.

The vital thing is that you should not look forward to that pleasure during meditation, because your pleasure-seeking mind will lead you astray.
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In fact, when you meditate without any expectations, without any pretensions, that is when you get the most pleasure and fulfillment out of it. Why? Because your seeking mind limits your potential. Don’t forsake the unlimited for the limited.

This raises your pain threshold and your concetration power. If you only train yourself with two-minute increments, you won’t get hurt.
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Of course, you should consult with your doctor if necessary. However, you should really trust your Good Knowing Adviser’s instructions and not worry too much.

Answer:
That is normal. When you experience enough pain, your body releases natural painkillers called endorphins. That gives the beginner that “great feeling.” As your pain threshold increases with your skill, your body no longer has to fight the pain, so it no longer releases the endorphins.

I urge you to NOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO THAT GOOD FEELING. It is a form of attachment. It is unwarranted, and impedes your progress. As your gongfu increases, you will no longer have pain, and at the same time you will experience greater enjoyment, and a greater sense of well-being. When that happens, enjoy it for what it is and then let it go. Just keep it up, and you will understand.

​You can try a form of walking meditation as an alternate choice of exercise. Walk at least three times a week, each time for about half an hour. If possible, try to walk before 10 a.m., before the sun is too hot. The sunlight provides excellent yang energy for you. Walk leisurely, and keep your head clear by using the Vajra Sword Contemplation Method.

​One of my students had back pain, but valiantly continued to come to our weekly Pure Land assemblies. It’s not easy, because our supervised sits at these kind of sessions last for over forty minutes (although we do not sit for a full hour, this is still a reasonably long period). She would only tell me about the pain afterward. I was impressed with her tenacity and taught her a personalized technique to handle her pain. She tried it and it worked. Success has its price.

I also had another student, who at one time was bed-ridden for months with back pain. She tried Western and Eastern medicine for years. When she came to the temple, she could move about and function normally but had constant pain. After a few months of practice, she said that her posture improved, and her back no longer hurt.
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My general answer is that meditation, under a competent Good Knowing Adviser, can resolve the back pain issue.

​They also have a hard time using the breath-counting technique. Maybe that is why you have had little success teaching your Hinayana techniques.

I think we both agree that meditation can be beneficial to children. But it should not be forced upon them.
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There are some children who are naturally inclined to excel in meditation. They are, however, few and far between. You can have them visualize something they like, or recite something. You could make it fun to meditate by setting concrete goals that bring them rewards. Furthermore, you should insist on training them to sit in full-lotus. They respond well to recitation methods.
Children are at their best when they can imitate. Teach them by sitting with them. Become their role model.