The Meditation Blog

It seems that the effectiveness of creating some form of binaural beat technology was discovered on a practical level long before modern technology. The traditional Tibetan “Tingsha” cymbals or bells were slightly off pitch of one other to create form of sound wave prominent only when both bells sounded. These are commonly used in various meditation retreats in the US to announce the beginning of a meditative practice or to create a sacred space with sound. As with many of these technologies, test the bells first to make sure they provide a relaxing and positive experience for you as an individual. They are a highly portable means of producing a clear sound that many find conducive to meditative practice.

For a less technological version of entrainment, several different musical products are available which allow you the choice of brainwave state. The Brainwave Suite is one example of this music based system. This four CD volume allows the choice of alpha, theta, delta, or an alpha/theta mix. Another choice of this type is the “Five Directions” CD set. Any of these types of music requires headphones, as the binaural technology cannot be processed by the brain when the sounds are played by speakers.

Over the course of time, sometimes months to years, meditative practice allows the diligent student the ability to remain consciously aware at different rates of brainwave activity than that of waking state [beta]. It has also been observed that various types of drumming, from tribal to raves, provide a rapid access to trance states based upon the rhythm combined with overpowering volume of sound. In some manner these sounds alter brainwave state through a process usually referred to as entrainment. Once a particular brainwave state is achieved in this manner, it becomes easier to access the state without necessarily having to use the technology again.

For the individual wishing to experience a more solitary experience of binaural beats than tribal drumming, there are several options, ranging from CDs to light-sound machines. Robert Monroe studied the ability of sounds provided at slightly different pitches to cause an entrainment of brainwaves which related to the difference between the sound frequencies in each ear.

As one example of this technology, LoopLogic515 created by Christopher Olive and Michael Landgraf is a simple CD which has high quality sound to provide binaural beat technology. This is likely one of the least expensive means to use binaural beats in meditative experience. A stereo headset is required for the CD to work properly, and noise canceling helps remove external distractions. Also important for this particular item is the ability for your CD player to repeat a single track nearly indefinitely. Each track provides binaural entrainment to the brainwave frequency equal to the number of the track, but since each track is only two minutes in duration, it is necessary to repeat the track in order to have time for an adequate meditation session. The CD is definitely not designed to play from beginning to end, rather you select the brainwave rate and use that throughout a single session. Entrainment rates range from 1hz to 37hz on this CD.

This is a practice designed both as a meditative practice and as a means of further developing the faculty of concentration.

Place a lit candle at approximately eye level and darken the room appropriately. Find a comfortable position and focus complete concentration on the candle flame.

If you keep your eyes open, you mind observe a sensation of merging with the flame. If you close your eyes, focus upon the after-image in your mind and try to maintain that image as a visualization exercise.

After some practice with these basic exercises, you may wish to extend the visualization with eyes closed of the flame of light growing and encompassing your body. This can be imagined as purifying and as protective.

Back in undergraduate school, I had the opportunity to take a class in Transcendental Meditation [TM], over a weekend during my freshman year. The concept that a simple practice could have potentially profound effects on both the physiology and psychology of a person was a stunning idea back then. The weekend progressed with lessons, audio tapes of the founder, and eventually the private revealing of the secret mantra alleged to be somehow specially chosen for me. A fellow classmate and I faithfully met each morning for the rest of the academic year and spent the twenty minutes in silent meditation. We figured that if we practiced together it would increase our likelihood of making the practice regular. I noticed throughout the year that I generally felt more relaxed and found the practice useful.

An equally profound realization crystalized later in the year, however, when attending a class led by the priest of our local Episcopal Church. He had described this as a course which would demonstrate a different form of prayer, called contemplative prayer, distinctly different from the more recognized prayer of petition common in church services. The Reverend at least provided some information that this earlier form of prayer had been quite central to the practice of early Christianity. As that weekend class continued, it became rapidly clear that the actual practice of contemplative prayer was in virtually every way identical to that of TM. The focus of contemplative prayer was a short phrase silently repeated, a mantra, but one in English.

What was special about this practice of quiet mental repetition? How or why did traditions so disparate as Hinduism and Christianity feature a practice identical except in the phrase of repetition itself. What kinds of benefits might accrue from such a practice? Does science have any information to bear on such an esoteric topic? What exactly is meditation, and what is the range of meditative practice? I hope we can explore these questions and more together.