Meditation: kooky or cool?
There’s lots of benefits to quieting the mind through meditation.
For some meditation involves getting into strange positions and chanting or humming mantras and stuff. For others, it is simply clearing the mind of thoughts. Thoughts have emotions (many negative) attached to them, so you start with them.
Here’ s one method you can try:
Clear your mind of all thoughts, then start at 24 and count down to 1.
If at any time in the countdown, a thought enters your mind…you have to start over. I challenge you to try it, it isn’t as easy as you might think.
“All of man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.” -Pascal
If you make it to 1 you are considered to be in an Alpha state, which is the relaxed state of brainwave activity that is associated with the greatest problem solving ability.
Many report that solutions to problems come effortlessly while in the Alpha state, and there are studies that back this up.
You can also use binaural beats to entrain the brain and ‘force’ it into different brainwave patterns (Alpha, Theta, Beta). I personally use binaural beats to help get myself into the meditative state.
Professor Jack Pettigrew of the University of Queensland, Australia, ran comparative studies between Catholic nuns and Tibetan monks and found that the left frontal lobes of each lit up, supporting his theory that prayer and meditation use the same mechanisms and happiness is “generated” by the left frontal lobe.
Can’t hurt to try it,
Carl
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RevRon | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
Carl,
One of the reasons many westerners have difficulty with meditation is that most meditation techniques insist that the practitioner engage in some activity which is completely alien to his or her normal way of approaching life. It might be assuming a contorted physical posture (asana), repetition of a mantra which might be profoundly meaningful in its native tongue, but sounds like gibberish elsewhere, or enforcing one’s concentration on one object, to the complete exclusion of all others.
In the years I taught meditation classes at a large Unity church and at different esoteric centers (and even one methodist church!), I strove to simplify the process by introducing attendees to a very simplistic approach to a form of meditation called shikan taza (just sitting). The basic technique involves assuming a comfortable position (lying flat on the back, sitting in a chair with feet flat on the floor and hands resting on thighs, etc.), closing our eyes, and becoming aware of – but not attempting to control – the rhythm of breathing. Rather than attempting to put aside all the “internal dialog” that rushes in when we seek inner silence, all thoughts, smells, and other sensory input is allowed to flow sans restraint or judgment. After a time, the input begins to meld together into a body of “mental white noise.”
By not struggling with our bodies & minds, we cease giving power to stimuli that had distracted us. It takes a bit of practice, but by suspending both effort and judgment, we naturally flow into that same wonderful place we knew well as children, yet abandoned in our journey to adulthood. And if anyone spots us, we look like we’re lost in thought, rather than attempting to emulate a pretzel! The benefits are significant, even if limited by our remembering how to truly relax while awake.
Namaste
Laura (1 comments.) | Oct 14, 2009 | Reply
100 years ago it was much more common for people to meditate and pray. We’ve lost a lot of that to our detriment.
I liked your idea of counting down from 24 to 1. I’ve never tried it, but I think I will.
Thanks,
Laura
Kelly @ Zen Alarm Clocks (1 comments.) | Oct 18, 2009 | Reply
Carl,
I think that meditation should be a part of everyone’s life as much as sleep or eating. I think that people have a lot of confusion about what meditation really is. It doesn’t have to be this big production every day with candles and music. Even quieting your mind a few minutes a day in the morning and evening will work wonders for you.