Other Meditation Techniques

I think of the word meditation as a group word such as sports or birds. If you were an alien just landing from Orion you might ask me to explain sports to you. Because I like soccer, I’ll take you to a live game and then we’ll kick a ball around a park field. If, however, I liked in-line bowling, I’d take you to a bowling alley. Both are very different experiences, but at their core have similar aims of getting exercise, experiencing play and competition, socializing, learning team interaction etc.

In a similar way meditation comes in hundreds of different forms and techniques. I provide TQT as the simplest and most effective way to make daily meditation a habit. It is a demystified version.

Doing the same thing all the time, however, can be boring. I like to add other forms of connection in my life. I include a few here to help you down this particular rabbit hole, but I suggest you just start searching and your RAS will find what works best for you.

I regularly use the ‘Ahhh’ meditation while walking alone. The nighttime meditation, and many versions of it, are also useful to me. Don’t be fooled by all the one size fits all claims. Go search and find your own vibrational matches.

A night time meditation technique for seeking solutions:

“Certain questions, however, come with a force that compels an answer. They are like the mystic knocking on the door of the temple; they demand the giving of more light, for they come not from the brain-mind, but from the soul striving to understand the light flowing into it from the perennial fountains of divinity. Ask and ye shall receive; knock — and knock aright — and it shall be opened unto you. If the appeal is strong and impersonal enough, the very gods in heaven will respond. If the individual is very much in earnest, the answer will come to him from within, from the only initiator that any neophyte ever has.

Meditation is a positive attitude of mind, a state of consciousness rather than a system or a time period of intensive brain-mind thinking. One should be positive in attitude, but quietly so; positive as the mountain of granite, and as serene and peaceful, avoiding the disturbing influences of the ever-active and feverish mentality. And, above everything else, impersonal. Meditation in the better sense is the bending of the consciousness, and the raising of the mind to the plane where intuition guides, and where some noble idea or aspiration is native, and the holding of the consciousness in thought there. But one can meditate also on evil things and, alas, many do just this.

It is possible so to meditate before falling asleep that one’s soul ascends to the gods, and is refreshed and strengthened by its confabulations with those divine beings. But it is likewise possible to brood before sleep comes so that when the bonds of wakefulness are broken, and the brain-mind is silenced, the soul is dragged downwards, and is thus degraded and weakened. One should never sleep until one has sincerely forgiven all injuries done unto him. This is very important not only as an ennobling practice, but as a much-needed protection. Fill the heart with thoughts of love and compassion for all, and the mind with some lofty idea and dwell on it calmly, with the higher, impersonal brooding that is effortless and still, and then there will be a rest of all the senses, and quiet in the mind.

One reason for the need of strict impersonality, without the slightest thought of any destructive or morally offensive element intruding into the heart, such as hate, anger, fear or revenge, or any other of the horrid progeny of the lower self, is that when sleep steals over the body and the ordinary brain-mind consciousness drops away, the soul now released automatically follows the direction last given to it. Thus the practice of calming the mind before retiring can elevate the soul.”

The technique then is to lie in bed before falling asleep and make sure that your last conscious thoughts are not just positive, but full of grace. Forgive anyone who you think ever did you harm. Forgive yourself for any mistakes you think you may have made. Then imagine your biggest, most fulfilling, balanced lifestyle dream as if it has already occurred.

For instance, your company has made a huge impact in people’s lives and is valued highly on the stock market. As a personal reward for your achievement you take your family and all your close friends by private jet for a two-week vacation on Necker Island. Something simple like that. Imagine the air and the sugary sand, and the amazing views and food and service and how wonderful it feels to be financially free at the same time. Then drift to sleep.

When you wake make sure the first thing you think is something like ‘I am ***** and I am a hugely successful ******* with a net worth of at least *********** which I use for the highest good of all.’

Or something equally inspiring for you. No matter how you feel upon waking, do a quick affirmation as soon as you open your eyes.

Wayne Dyer claimed the ‘Ahh’ meditation technique as his own, and I enjoy listening to his gravelly voice (see youtube). It was not his own, however, as these are ancient ideas. Below is a free youtube video that neatly explains the technique. Like Wayne Dyer, I like to speak my affirmations and Intentions (see later) after a few tones.

Meditation is an integral part of many cultures and presents itself in various forms within the different religions of the world. Judaism’s version of meditation is the Kabbalah and hitbodedut, where meditators contemplate on the different names of God. A short video clip below is easy listening.

In Islam, meditation comes in the form of Tafakkur, where one reflects on goodness and evil, and the lessons from the creation of Allah.

Buddhists perform meditation as a means to achieve enlightenment, and their meditation has varying styles which include Zen, Tibetan, and Theravadan.

Sometimes it is just calming to listen to tones from any philosophy or religion. Sound can be a great source of creation. You may or may not like it, but I include it to show just how varied are the sources of inspiration.

Speaking of sound, here is an interesting clip of the power of sound frequency.

A great companion to have during meditation is a singing bowl, the nature of which is similar to that of a bell. We were recently gifted one and are enjoying the new experience. My point in bringing this up is not to sell the virtue of singing bowls, but to show that meditation should be a fun practice with many exciting new techniques just as sport should mean trying many different versions. A lot of people are put off meditation because it is portrayed as complicated or hard or needs groups and teaching. It does not. It is as fun as kicking a ball around a field and no single technique is superior over others.

Singing bowls are known as “standing bells” due to their bowl-like shape. Singing bowls are typically crafted from copper or tin. They are commonly used in Eastern meditation and relaxation practices but have also become popular in the West. They are also known by a variety of names such as resting bowls, prayer bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, Himalayan bowls, Buddhist bowls, and rin gong, among others.

The sound is produced either by striking the bowl or by running a mallet around the rim, and it is believed that the sound emitted possesses healing properties. It is also believed by some that singing bowls create the sound of “void,” which is the music of the universe.

With the explanation :Leland was a guest on one of our VLS-E weekly meetings. He tells an inspiring story of a near death experience after which he was told by doctors that he was paralyzed for life. A chance encounter with a yogi changed his mentality and through pure breath-work he regained full motor function. Now as a trained neuroscientist and psychologist he leads us through a full breath-work practice that will greatly enhance your Intentions.

Meditation is so easy and so beneficial it should be a no-brainer for everyone. I do, however, get emails from people who say they don’t have time, they’re too busy, they can’t focus, it is too cold, they have to get up so early already… etc.

There are no excuses. Your life is at stake. Get up. Do it.

Please share any and all of the techniques you like.

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