"MEDITATION CHAPTER 4"

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AUDIO MEDITATIONS

We will now concentrate on our hearing. Noise is a very peculiar thing, and believe it or not no two people hear the exact same thing. This is because noise, like everything else, is a matter of perspective. We react to noise according to our life experiences. There are noises that we find pleasant and relaxing, some are irritating and seem to grate on our nerves, and other noises are what we call white noise. White noise is noise that is always around, usually in the background and rarely paid attention to.

They are noises that we become accustomed to over the years and tend to ignore. For example, when my children were babies I made sure that I made a lot of noise while they slept. I wanted them to get used to noise (since my family was not quiet) so that they could sleep through anything. I would vacuum, play the television or stereo, whatever happened to be going on so that they would become accustomed to noise. As a result I could take them anywhere and when it came time for their nap they would sleep through any sounds. In fact, if things got too quiet they would wake up quicker than if they heard noise.

On the other hand take a child that has been put to sleep in a quiet room all of their lives and try running the vacuum. Same noise, different conditioning.

All that I am trying to say is that noise is completely subjective, according to what your experiences are. I have explained all of this for a purpose (which I will get to in just a minute). As adults we are used to this kind of noise all the time; a train in the distance, traffic a half/mile away, horns honking, sirens in the distance, a dog barking, the dishwasher running, stereo on low....the list goes on and on, but I think you get my drift.

Now for this first meditation we are going to start listening to the white noise and unlayering the sounds that are with us most of the time.

Get into your meditation position. Relax, take in three deep breaths and let them out slowly, listening to the sound it makes. Now, start listening to the room around you. Pick out subtle noises, the loudest first and then work your way down. By the time you are done you should be able to hear the clock ticking in the next room.

Do this slowly and methodically. Once you have recognized the noise, don't bother labeling it, just move on to the next. You will be surprised at just how much noise goes on around you all the time, yet you are unaware of consciously.

MUSIC MEDITATION

This one is very relaxing and you will have to fight off the urge to go to sleep. For this meditation you will need to find some good meditation music. There is plenty out there. Make sure that whatever you get has no words (unless it is soft chanting in the background). You want to get something mellow and relaxing. Sounds from a waterfall, nature sounds are all good. Personally I like the Nikei tapes/cd's. I find his music to be very much in tune with nature and my vibrations. You will want to find something that is in tune with your vibrations. This is not as difficult as it sounds. If you put it on and find yourself getting nervous or agitated, dump it and try something else. If you put it on and find yourself tapping your foot, you have something too fast and not in line with this exercise. Try finding a piece that you don't have memorized, and is not easily memorized. You want to truly hear it, not from memory, but from the tape.

As I say, this is a good time for this meditation because there are many, many, many tapes out there just for meditation. Stay away from the tapes with talking on them. This is not a creative visualization exercise, but one for your hearing.

Put the tape/cd on and get in your meditation position. Make sure you have closed other loud noises out. Listen to the music and concentrate on nothing but the music.

TALKING MEDITATION

This meditation will help you learn to concentrate while listening to the human voice. The voice has many purposes. Sometimes just listening to someone can put you in such a relaxing state that you want to fall asleep (of course, there are times when what they are saying is boring and puts you to sleep, but that is not what we are looking for here).

I took some private classes in hynosis, as the subject has always fascinated me. In these classes one of the main thing I learned to use was my voice. Some people think that a monotone voice is needed to hypnotize people, when in actuality it is just the opposite. You want to make sure that your voice does not sound flat or monotone. You want it to be lilting, so that it will keep the mind interested and paying attention. Self-hypnosis is a good way to learn to meditate, as it teaches you concentration (we will go into this in another chapter).

The reason I am explaining all of this now stems from the following meditation. I want you to understand these things when you look for an audio tape. You can either get a tape that is specifically made for meditation and talks you through it. If you do this make sure that it is not a creative visualization meditation where you are expected to create your own meditation. For this particular meditation what you are concentrating on is the sound of the person's voice, rather than what they are saying in particular. You will hear what they are saying, but you will be surprised at what else you will hear.

You see when we truly listen to people it is sometimes hard to hear their words, because they do not match the intonation in their voice, or their true meaning.

You might want to simply buy an audio tape at your local bookstore. There are many out there now. Whatever you get, make sure that it is mellow. You don't want the story line to be so exciting that you get caught up in the moment and forget what you are supposed to be concentrating on.

For this meditation go to your usual meditation position. Put on the tape/cd and lay back and relax. Take three deep breaths and let them out slowly. Now listen to the tape. I mean really listen. Do not concentrate on what the person is saying, as much as you are concentrating on the sound of their voice. Hear the highs and lows and concentrate on "hearing" what they are saying through their voice, rather than through their words.

NATURE MEDITATION

For this meditation you will want to go to a park, zoo, campground, mountains, lake, wherever you can get away to that won't be too inconvenient. What you are looking for is an area that is loaded with the sounds of nature. It might just be a drive to the country, this does not have to be extravagant or expensive. It does not have to require time off from work.

What you are looking for here is an area where you won't be bothered, where you can lay back and just listen to what is going on around you. If you find a place of real solitude you will actually be able to hear the earth and feel it. Everything in nature makes sounds. It is just a matter of taking the time to listen and clearing your mind long enough to hear.

Find your spot and get comfortable in your meditation position. Let your breath in and out three times and then simply start listening. You will be surprised at what you hear. You can actually hear the tree branches move, leaves rustle, crickets chirp, birds sing, frogs sing and a myriad of other noises that you either took for granted or never truly heard before.

As always, hear the sound, log it in your memory and move on. Don't take time to analyze it, or find its source. Just accept it for what it is and move on to the next one.

SILENCE MEDITATION

For this meditation you need to get into a room where there is virtually no noise. You should be able to almost hear the beating of your own heart. The point is that silence has a sound too, it is just more intrinsic and takes much more concentration to hear.

A great place to do this meditation is in a pool floating on your back. There is virtually no sound when you have your head in the water.

If all of this seems impossible and too inconvenient, do not dispair, there is an alternative. Go into the quietest room you can and get into your meditation position. As you start to meditate obliterate each sound, one at a time, until you are only hearing the sound of silence.

Basically, what you are doing with this meditation is concentrating on the sound that silence makes, and believe me there is one there. It is different for each person, but it is still there.

MANTRA MEDITATION

A mantra originally comes from the hindu . In Hinduism it is a hymn or portion of text, esp.from the Veda, chanted or intoned as an incantation or prayer.

This is generally chanted out loud where it can be heard. You can pick any mantra you want. Different religious sects actually give out individual mantras. However, you can pick a mantra or make one up to suit your personal taste. Whatever it is, it should be short and easy to say. You don't want to get caught up in having to remember a paragraph long mantra.

It can be as simple as ahhhmmmm... or as complex as the lord's prayer. It should be chanted. If you chant in a sing/song method, rather than monotone you will find it easier to concentrate. When I say sing/song method I mean allowing your voice to fluctuate up and down with each syllable. If you are doing a one syllable mantra, such as ahhhmmm.., this can be done by changing your tone with each new ahhhmmm. Go up, go down, go to the middle and then start again.

You are going to get in your meditation position for this and you are going to listen to the chanting as you are doing it. Concentrate on the sounds that you are making. Clear your mind of everything but the sound.

CHANTING

For this meditation you will be listening to a tape or cd, whichever you are set up for. This goes along with the same concept as the mantra meditation. However, instead of actually chanting the mantra yourself you are going to listen to others chant.

For this meditation I recommend a tape that has nothing but chanting on it. You can pick these up at just about any store that sells music. It is best to get one that doesn't have music accompanying it, but if you find one you like that has music make sure that the music is in the background. In other words, you want to make sure that you are not concentrating on the music, but rather on the chanting.

It is not important that you understand what the chanting says. In fact, it might be better that you don't. For the purpose of the meditation what you are listening to are the voices and concentrating on the sound, rather than the meaning. I find personally that I like two types of chanting. One is done by a group of monks and it is called chant. I also like to listen to native american tapes where there is chanting and drumming going on.

Get into your meditation position. Put on the tape/cd and concentrate on the chanting. When people first do this it tends to take you into another world, so to speak. You can almost be totally carried away to where the chanting is taking you. For the purpose of this meditation, don't allow that to happen. This is not the purpose of the meditation. The purpose is focus and concentration. Listen, don't question or put it into categories, just let it happen. Be in the present and listen. As in all meditation if thoughts start to come in, slowly and systematically clear them out and go back to your focus, which is the chanting.