How to define some different Meditation Procedures

Meditation has long been a component part of human practice, going in the past perhaps as far as 5,000 years or even more. Recent advances in the scientific measurement of brain activity have validated many of the ancient claims regarding the important things about meditation. Physicians, trainers and many more have long recognized the usefulness of meditation in endorsing health, a positive mindset and an approach of calm. The science and art of meditation happens to be in a phase of renaissance, with new meditation techniques being developed to further enhance the practical benefits.

Sandy MacGregor, founder of CALM Meditation, has taught thousands of people meditation methods through his books, CDs and DVDs.  Using successful  meditation procedures has far-reaching benefits to health, tranquillity, relationships with others, manifesting goals, reducing your weight and many other areas of life that people often battle against.

Sandy has been teaching his meditation techniques since 1989. He has personally used the practices from his books and CDs to drop 49 pounds (22 kgs) of excess weight. Using these meditation procedures his son helped to save his own leg from amputation and handle asthma. Sandy also used it to transmute hatred, anger and revenge into acceptance, love and forgiveness while coping with the murder of his three children.

CALM utilizes the most advanced, scientific and up-to-date methods available in easy-to-follow books, CDs, DVDs and direct downloads to your computer.

It is a misconception to think that to meditate perfectly one has to sit in specific, often very difficult, postures and positions or hold your hands in a special way.  It is far more simple than that – in fact there are no rules. Equally it is a misconception to think that you must ‘drop the mind’ or ‘think nothing’. Indeed how could Sandy’s son saved his leg from amputation or Sandy lose 49 lbs or change hatred, anger and revenge to acceptance, love and forgiveness by thinking ‘nothing’. You can’t! You definitely can think something using CALM’s meditation methods.

There are other meditation techniques, some involving having to clear the mind, specific auditory elements like chanting, intoning a mantra or even singing. Some other techniques use visual cues like mandalas, colours, shapes or light forms. Learning to regulate the breath and quieten and relax the body are essential components of almost all forms of meditation.  The meditation procedures CALM uses incorporate guided imagery and visualization  with relaxing background music.

Meditation techniques involving Active Meditation are wonderful for dealing with:

•         Coping with pain and physical healing

•         Developing inner peacefulness and spiritual harmony

•         Taking care of anger

•         Taking care of sleep issues

•         Cutting out depression

•         Effectively coping with negative emotions like worry, fear or resentment

•         Enhancing creativity and inventiveness

•         Losing excess bodyweight

•         Establishing self worth and confidence

•         Coping with unhealthy habits like smoking

We have four different brainwave states.

The Beta state is our day-to-day waking state of consciousness. This is the state where we are multi-tasking (e.g., driving a car, listening to the radio, making plans for work) and the state in which we take on stress. We can think of up to 9 things at a time in the Beta brainwave state

The Alpha state is the relaxed focused state; we think of only one thing at a time in this state and we release stress in this state. It is the same state as day dreaming or staring or when you’re working with a hobby and time just flies by.

The Theta brainwave state is the meditation state in which your mind is extremely acute and you may or may not have awareness of your body. The dream state is the same; however in the dream state you do not have conscious control. Theta is the state where you can use your conscious mind to direct and establish new neural pathways in your memory. It generally takes about four to seven minutes to get to Theta state.

The Delta state is deep sleep. This state of brainwave activity does not involve thinking at all. Delta is reached by first going through Alpha, then Theta and finally into deep dreamless sleep.

We can all sleep (some just find it more difficult to get to sleep than others) so this means we can all get to the Theta or meditation state. Effective meditation techniques involve bringing the mind into the Theta state easily, having conscious control and reaching a relaxed state of awareness.