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Meditation
Made Easy
By
Mark Certo
In my experience teaching and researching meditation, many people
have wanted to know what meditation is, how it can be helpful
and how it is best practiced. Historically, meditation has been
the cornerstone of many religions and there are many different
styles. Transcendental meditation is designed to help one achieve
a unified state of being. There are other methods, which yield
different experiences such as: chanting, contemplation and shamanic
journeying to name a few. For centuries, westerners on the whole
have not engaged in meditation because the practice belonged to
a more eastern or aboriginal form of spirituality and was considered
too foreign. I have heard a variety of fears come up regarding
trance-like or meditative states. However, in recent years, people
who had shied away from meditation in the past have grown more
curious. One reason for this growing interest is the scientific
research showing the many health benefits of a continued meditation
practice.
Spiritual origins aside, clinical research data shows that meditation
is beneficial to the body and mind. It is shown to reduce cortisol
levels, which is a secretion of the adrenal glands triggered by
stress. It promotes physical relaxation and relieves insomnia.
There is data to support that meditation reduces the risk of hypertension.
There are psychological perqs as well, like gaining control over
subconscious habit patterns and coping with depression and anxiety.
Why does meditation work so well for these purposes? One possible
answer is that people who meditate spend a good deal of time in
an altered state of consciousness.
The term “altered states of consciousness” is an interesting
one. The term categorizes any human experience residing outside
of the norm of being either conscious or unconscious. However,
the space between these two extremes is really quite large and
encompasses a wide spectrum of experiences. In an altered state,
your body is asleep (or deeply relaxed) and you are conscious
when you would ordinarily be asleep. Suffice to say, altered states
are unique states of consciousness and can be transformative to
the person experiencing them. Meditation falls under the heading
of altered state because of the deep physical relaxation and the
unusual experience of walking through your own subconscious world.
Research into altered states of consciousness has provided an
open window to anyone wishing to experience them. It is through
understanding the mechanism of consciousness, that it can be measured
and affected. Because of this understanding, beneficial meditative
states are easily accessible to everyone reading this article.
For over forty years now, researchers have been able to monitor
brainwave activity through Electroencephalographs. EEG brainwave
measurements have been correlated to specific states of consciousness.
These correlations have proven very useful in understanding consciousness.
Like everything electrical, brainwaves are measured in cycles
per second (cps) or Hertz (hz). Depending on whose book you read,
brainwaves range from .5hz to 40hz. This range of movement has
been broken down into four discreet categories: Beta, Alpha, Theta,
and Delta. Each of these has an experience attached to it. Beta
for instance is the “normal waking consciousness,”
while Delta indicates unconscious deep sleep. Theta and alpha
brainwave dominance are indicative of altered states. It is through
this research, that I have actually been able to stimulate the
brain to respond with the same patterns seen in deep meditation.
This is achieved through the use of specific sound patterns called
binaural beats.
Binaural beats are a phenomena created naturally by the brain,
when two similar sounds are introduced at the same time. Because
the sounds are similar but not exact, there is a phase cancellation
effect that takes place, resulting in an oscillation or beat.
Binaural beats can be specifically targeted to vibrate at the
same frequencies naturally produced in the brain. Through the
years, I have been able to use binaural beats to stimulate brainwaves
into the same regions that are produced when the experience is
that of wakefulness, sleep, or altered states of consciousness.
Imagine putting on a set of headphones and being able to move
into deep meditative states even if you have never meditated before.
The use of binaural beat stimulus has provided a safe, effective
means of reaching altered states to many thousands of people worldwide.
It has been used in hospitals and sleep clinics to induce a restful,
recuperative state. It has been recommended by medical doctors,
psychiatrists and psychologists to help bring the body and mind
back into balance. Even the US military has used this technology
to help soldiers train more efficiently. Binaural beats are an
effective means of altering consciousness naturally and without
side effects.
This technology is basically a 21st century version of a very
old concept. The truth is that the ancients have known about the
effects of sound on consciousness for millennia. In essence, the
premise is the same. Sound definitely has an effect on consciousness.
One proof of this is the effect music has on our mood. Unlike
music however, the effect of binaural beat stimulus is predictable
and repeatable. If you have always wanted to gain some of the
many benefits of meditation but have had trouble meditating...
binaural beats are truly meditation made easy!
Mark
Certo is a recording engineer who has been involved in researching
the effects of sound on consciousness since 1988. He teaches people
to meditate through The Tranquility Training Method.
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Mind
