The Brain Yoga Manual of Mantra of Mantra Meditation: Transcend to Better Health Anytime, Anywhere in 12 Minutes.
C. Richard Hulquist, M. D.
“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance
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Gramercy Park Publishing Company 5042 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite #15141 Los Angeles, CA 90036
Copyright 2009 by C. Richard Hulquist Design and cover art by Bill Sampson and C. Richard Hulquist
ISBN‐13: 978‐0‐9831284‐0‐3 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and/or critical articles. Grateful acknowledgment to Time and Today’s Health for reprinted photos. All rights reserved.
Printed in the U. S. A.
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Gramercy Park Publishing Company 5042 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite #15141 Los Angeles, CA 90036
Copyright 2009 by C. Richard Hulquist Design and cover art by Bill Sampson and C. Richard Hulquist
ISBN‐13: 978‐0‐9831284‐0‐3 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and/or critical articles. Grateful acknowledgment to Time and Today’s Health for reprinted photos. All rights reserved.
Printed in the U. S. A.
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Contents 1. Brain
Yoga: Yoga: What & Why
2. Brain
Yoga’s New Features
3.
Your Mantra
4.
How to Do Brain Do Brain Yoga
5.
1st Phase: Getting Centered
6.
2nd Phase: Mantra Brain Wave
7.
3rd Phase: Transcending Transcending
8.
Reentry
9.
Questions/Answers
10. 11.
Diagram of the Technique About the Author Author
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Brain Yoga Meditation: What & Why & Why What is Brain Yoga Meditation? It’s a new, friendlier way to do classical mantra transcendent meditation (T M) without all of its usual baggage.
What is a mantra? It is a private, even mystical phrase, word, or group of syllables repeated to your self during meditation.
What does ”transcendent” mean? Literally it means, “going beyond the usual limits.”
So what is this transcendent method? method? It comes from the early Hindus who learned how to use the mantra method in order o rder to transcend, or to go beyond this world, and an d Brain Yoga has made it practical for people like you and me.
How does Yoga fit in here? There are many kinds of ancient “yoga.” T M stems from one of the earliest schools of yoga, the ancient Hindu Mantra Yoga, which developed mantra meditation; m editation; so Brain so Brain Yoga truly is “yoga for the brain.” s ome How can I learn T M from a real real guru? You can go to Asia, but some Asian “gurus” also have been teaching T M here and in Europe. Their ways often are related to Eastern religions involving a change from our Western life style and they are often costly.
Is mantra meditation hard hard to learn? It’s not easy by the usual methods. The various people that are pictured on the next page appear to be doing very little, but they are performing a dynamic exercise, clearing their minds of thoughts. It requires a specialized procedure that usually needs lots of time, patience, and money. 4
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What’s so different about Brain Yoga? It easily bypasses all of the stiff, outdated and alien rules. This makes learning T M not only faster but also fun. And there are no fees or tuition! Brain Yoga has six new design features to make T M vastly more practical for daily use. Now anyone can learn to transcend the friendly Brain Yoga way.
But can I do it? Find Out! Try out this exercise.
EXERCISE Close your eyes and breathe deeply as you push down on your feet, tense up your thighs, hands, and buttocks; hold for a count of 10 but keep breathing. Relax and feel a wave from your feet up to your stomach and back down.
This is a glimpse of just one of the “feedback” routines all set to help you do T M the friendly Brain Yoga way. It’s shortcut to the centering process. When you start to feel these gut reactions you will have a good time learning T M this new way.
Why 12 minutes? It’s enough time for a novice to learn using this system and it helps keep up the momentum of daily practice. Even veteran meditators find they take advantage of T M much more with Brain Yoga’s rapid and easy access.
Can I do it longer? Yes! 12 minutes is only to make it a practical learning program. You may use these same instructions for longer learning sessions, like 20 or 30 minutes, which are fine but only if you can keep it up daily. Brain Yoga feels so good you don’t want to quit, and after learning it you can use it as long as you want whenever you have the time.
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Do I have to use Noise? You get to use noise for convenience and effectiveness. I know it seems contrary! We’ll discuss later how noise helps and how to use it.
I’m too busy. Why do T M? It’s famously empowers your life with serenity, peace of mind, and potency. But T M also improves your health. I know of several medical patients helped by T M, and medical science now widely accepts that T M helps to relieve not only anxiety and fatigue but also: √ Depression √ Addiction √ Hypertension √ Heart Disease √ Obesity, and √ Other Disorders
We’ll look at this briefly again later, and research references may be requested through my website at www.BrainYogaTM.com.
Is transcend a new word just for meditation? No, it’s old. It comes from the Latin trans, "to go out of,” plus scandere, “to climb out of or across to.” This gives us: to go or climb to somewhere else. So the term, “transcendent meditation,” means to take yourself beyond, or outside yourself, by subduing your thoughts with a special mantra process.
Is Brain Yoga a trance? No, it is wakeful process, but Brain Yoga leads to an out of body experience.
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Are T M and TM TM the same? No. They both refer to the transcendent type of mantra meditation, but TM™ is the trademark of a specific, commercial school of transcendental meditation, not to be confused with Brain Yoga.
Don’t some people meditate without a mantra? Yes. The mantra aids T M greatly, but non-mantra schools use other focusing tools such as these: Breath: Focusing on (or counting) deep, slow breaths. Visual: Seeing certain images in your mind. Sensory: Letting sensati ons such as tingling or heaviness dominate your thinking. Sounds: Listening to outside sounds, often bells or a waterfall.
Why doesn’t Brain Yoga use these other ideas? It does! A big plus of Brain Yoga is that it uses all of the above in addition to the mantra. The mantra is the critical factor, but Brain Yoga easily blends in these other devices to give it another cutting edge for success.
Now let’s see about those new features so we can put them to work.
•••••••
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Brain Yoga’s New Features Brain Yoga has six new design features (see box) to make T M vastly more practical for daily use. Now anyone can learn to transcend the friendly Brain Yoga way. The New Features of Brain Yoga : 1st Feature: Using Recycled Noise. 2nd Feature: Enlisting your Other Brain. 3rd Feature: Using Feelings to enable T M. 4th Feature: Learning with fun Exercises. 5th Feature: Recruiting your Center. 6th Feature: Using Key Words to gain focus.
1st Feature: Using Recycled Noise. This is a big breakthrough in making T M a realistic part of your day. Meditation is an exercise in not thinking, not an easy thing because our unruly brains tend to jump around to many thoughts. Here is a new and very important fact: Your mind is the main obstacle to meditation, not noise. You’re going to put noise to your advantage now by letting it remind you to get back to your mantra listening, the basis of T M.
What kind of noise? Not expected or pleasant sounds like talk or music that interests you. Accidental noises are best to remind your restless brain that it’s thinking again. Good noises are those from streets, households, neighborhoods, crowds and traffic. Recorded sounds aren’t random and haven't worked well so far but I’m working on that.
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Crack a window open for 12 minutes or sit in a parked car. It's worth the effort to find some random sounds. Strict privacy isn't needed and some intrusion won't hurt. You’ll get over feeling shy about it.
2nd Feature: Enlisting your Other Brain to help. What other brain? It’s a less known but critical part of your brainpower. Your total brain is divided into:
1) a voluntary or thinking part, and 2) an involuntary, non-thinking part, sometimes called the other brain.
The hard part of any meditation style is to control the thinking of your voluntary brain; your non-thinking, other brain will help you to do that, and you can enlist its help by simply letting it feel good. The other brain is mostly ignored by us but it ‘s very willing to help out if we give it a little attention and that’s very easy to do.
The “other brain” or Autonomic Nervous System in this diagram is all of the parts below the upper, wavy area of the brain, and on down through the spinal cord, plus its attached vital networks shown in front of the body (a couple of areas are mixtures of the two systems).
•••••••
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You needn’t understand this picture, but simply know that you can enlist all of this system to help you, simply by doing some ordinary things. For example, you can activate a key spot in this system, called your “center” (soon to be explained) by just breathing deeply.
I know the other brain looks complex, but it’s easy to use it for Brain Yoga!
So, how do I use my other brain? You can't talk directly to your other brain but you can recruit its help with these every-day actions: Breathing, hearing, seeing and feeling. (These also are the other focus tools we talked about earlier). These actions are simple: 1) Deep, slow breathing is the most basic of these natural acts and becomes even more potent with what I call the breath-pause, meaning to breathe in deeply and pause briefly. 2) You will hear your mantra and also hear outside noises. 3) You will see in your mind’s eye some of the actions going on inside your body. 4) The feelings that help T M are explained in the following new feature. 11
3rd Feature: Using Feelings. The feelings are like relaxation waves that you might not have felt before, but you will find them easy and very useful. You will feel them in four areas: first in your legs and hands; then in your abdomen to arouse your center; then in your upper body; and in your head. The first three sensations are blended to reach “full centering,” a very pleasant condition. The last feeling is a forehead rush that is used with your mantra to transfer the centering state to your brain; this triggers activity in a special part of your brain that allows transcendence. You’ll learn about it a bit later.
4th Feature: New Exercises to identify the feelings. Feelings Exercises: • Lower body wave feedback (you’ve tried it out) • Center (stomach) feedback • Upper body wave feedback • Mantra brain wave feedback
These are bio-feedbacks, like games, that quickly show you the feelings. Feedbacks are natural body reactions that are fun and easy to do after a couple of tries. These little workouts move you more swiftly to the point where you will transcend. You briefly tried out one of them on page 2. They will appear in side boxes and you’ll learn each one when needed.
What if all of this sounds a little weird ? Just give me 12 minutes a day for two or three weeks. The six steps may seem unusual because they are original, but they work. Veteran meditators would have learned much easier had they just known about the noise asset or using the other brain. T M has been “hard” because it hasn’t had these shortcuts. Give Brain Yoga a try. I know it’s going to help you. 12
5th Feature: How to use your Center. What is my Center ? It is the Celiac (or solar) Plexus located deep inside the abdomen near the spinal cord (note label at the top of next diagram). It’s a vital part of your other brain, a complex nerve center lying underneath the stomach. You can stimulate it by moving your diaphragm with deep breaths.
Do I have to learn anatomy? No! This following picture is just to show you that your center really does exist in your body, but you only need a rough idea of its location. Brain Yoga will soon show you how easy it is to use your center.
Anatomy of the abdomen: View beneath some of the main organs. From wwwBartley’s.com
Your center has been called the pit of the stomach. It's often used to start up relaxation, like taking some deep breaths to calm down just before a speech. Note in the next figure where you feel your center; it is near the center of your abdomen a little bit above your navel. 13
Your center may feel muted if you’ve not tried it out, but it likes to be used, and you can coax it into action with one of the exercises that you’ll learn.
6th Feature: Key Words. My subjects and I have learned that the guidance words, center and relax, are more helpful than your mantra in the early phase of meditation. Your brain really needs simple instructions about what to do, and these two easy words will help it. Using the power of the mantra is better reserved for the last two phases
•••••••
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Your Mantra
A mantra is a special word or phrase that helps you to transcend. Priests or gurus chose it and charged for it in former times, and commercial meditation people still want your money for a mantra, but you aren't joining an Eastern faith or a cult, so you won't have to pay one of those people to get a mantra.
How do I get one? Choosing your own mantra is proving to be highly effective. Since your mantra is very personal and private it's good for you to try out or one or more for yourself, either from a list or by using any word you like. You don’t have a religious need to buy a mantra, and selecting your own mantra lends it a unique identity. A mantra from a guru or priest can be long, but I think using one or two short words will work better for you. The following list of mantras might help you.
You need not spend a lot of time on your choice as you can change it later. Your mantra will gradually acquire its own aura from the good feelings it sets off. You don’t need your mantra until Phase Two, so there is some time to think about it.
Mantra Examples are listed alphabetically on the next page. Many of the Eastern ones are Sanskrit words.
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Western
Eastern
Abba
Aadhi
Adonai
Amma
Akbar
Anbu
Allah
Arul
Ava
Aruk
Baruch
Aulum
Christ
Aum (ouwm) Ohm
Christi
Barukh
Christo
Cahm
Credo
Eenba
Dios
Eenna
Eleison
Gandhi
Eternal
Hare (ha-ray)
Ever
Hamsoh
Gloria
Homsha
Glory
Humm (Hoom)
God
Jai
Heal
Kaar
Holy
Kali
Jesu
Kama
Kyrie
Karsh
Lord
Krishna, Krish
Love
Lahm
Magna
Laus
Marantha
Mara
Mercy
Maranantha
Missa
Meena
One
Metti
Oneness
Namah Namaha
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Western Psalm
Eastern Nilu
Peace
Nim
One
Metti
Oneness
Namah Namaha
Psalm
Nilu
Peace
Nim
Renew
Olam
Sacre
Paas
Sacred
Paraa
Sahra
Rama, Ram
Sari
Ram Nam
Seer
Rahim
Serene
Reen
Shalom
Sabthi
Soul
Sahm
Spirit
Seela
Spiritu
Shanti
Thee
Sharim (Shreem)
Theou
Shiyama
Thou
Shodha, Shodhana
Truth
Shree
Unitas
Tama, Tam
Unity
Tanni
Unos
Thaar
Veritas
Theer
Water
Thon
World
Twan
Yaweh (Yah-way)
Unma
Yes
Vee
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How To Do Brain Yoga Brain Yoga is divided into 3 parts or phases:
1. X Get centeredX 2. X Shift centerX
3. X TranscendX And these are divided into 6 short steps to make it even easier, like this:
The 6 Steps to Transcendence
(1)
Lower body wave to your center
(2)
Center Focus
(3)
Upper body wave to full centering
(4)
Mantra brain wave
(3 Phases)
Get Centered X
X
Shift Center X
X
(5) Mantra escape
Transcend X
X
(6) Mind Levitation
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In short, Brain Yoga lets you focus the relaxation of your entire body onto your center, then shift that center focus to a special part of your brain so it can transcend.
Brain Yoga applies two special functions of medical science that are very useful for us: Sequential Relaxation, and Recruitment. But you won’t learn about them because you’ll be using them without knowing it! If some of the words sound odd at first, they are describing actions new to you, but each step is quite easy .
Novices learning Brain Yoga have asked some good questions and the following instructions include a few of them in italics. Most questions are found later in
the Q/A section and you may look back there for an answer anytime you have a question.
•••••••
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The 1st phase: Getting Centered Here is the posture for all steps: Sit in a chair, or anywhere with good back support, feet flat on the floor, hands folded in your lap. In this phase you will be using two of the body feedback waves that smooth your path to T M. Before you Lower Body EXERCISE
start the 1st step, do the lower
Close your eyes and breathe
body wave exercise.
deeply as you push down your feet,
Look below at the lower body
and tense your thighs, hands, and
wave diagram and repeat the
buttocks; hold for a count of 10 and
exercise to get the feel of the
keep breathing. Relax and feel the
lower body wave that you will
release response like a wave from your feet up to your stomach and
use in step 1. This wave energy aids the centering of your body.
back down.
Step 1: The Lower Body Wave Use a simple trigger motion (instead of the exercise) as follows to get the lower body wave sensation started. Here are the instructions to begin Step 1: • Wiggle your toes slightly to start the wave feeling up your legs and hands to your stomach as you breathe in deeply; let the wave fall back down as you breathe out.
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Practice this a bit. Repeat the wave exercise as needed to recall the sensation. You’ll soon be able to start the wave with just the toe trigger motion.
Look again at your center in the figure at left. Now, try out the center exercise; breathe deeply twice, and
do this exercise:
Center EXERCISE Breathe in and hold your breath while tensing up your stomach muscles tightly; hold it for a few seconds (10 if you can), relax and notice the feeling in your stomach – it’s actually your center that you feel. Close your eyes and repeat this a several more times to get more familiar with the release feeling in the center of your abdomen (it’s your center lying just beneath your stomach). Next, let’s combine your center feeling with the body wave to complete Step 1 like this: • Relax, eyes closed, wiggle toes to start the wave up; breathe in deeply and say “center” to feel and “see” your stomach (center) attracting the wave up to it. • Repeat the above, and as you breathe out say to yourself “lax” (for relax) as the wave goes down making your hands and feet feel heavy. This is all of Step 1, the longest one; all the steps are easier from now on. Work on Step 1 until you more easily feel your center. This step empowers your center by letting it feel good with the help of : (1) breathing deeply, (2) seeing your center, (3) hearing key word instructions, (4) feeling a trigger motion plus feeling the waves. When you get Step 1, you have nailed the problem zone where most dropouts occur in the old styles of T M. 21
Why do I need to use these trivial seeming words, center and relax ? These are the Key Words of the 6th Feature. Your mind is so jumbled with thoughts that it needs constant, plain reminders about what to do. These simple words keep the brain focused on its task, and are helpful even for regular T M users (many don’t know and struggle without them). Repeat the words on the breaths in and out as slow or fast as you like, e.g., relax, lax, lax, or just laaax once, whatever seems good. You also may shorten center to “cen” if you like. Each new step always includes what you learned in the prior steps. How long it takes to learn will vary with each person for many normal reasons. You can try moving on anytime and just move back a step if you get off track.
When and where should I meditate? Use any place that has some random noise where you won’t be disturbed. For learning, it’s ideal to use a routine time and place as much as possible. Later on, this system will easily let you meditate in a variety of places, conditions, postures (e.g, lying down), at various times, and in public.
How do I get ready to meditate? Get the new step in mind before each session, then do a setup, which is always as follows:
No phone. Arrange for minimal disturbance. Put a note on the door if needed.
Arrange for random noise; maybe open the window a crack or go outdoors or sit in a car.
Sit in a seat or chair, your back well supported (sit anywhere, but a chair good for now).
Set the timer for 12 minutes.
Take a deep breath, pause, and let it out slowly. Do it again. 22
You’re ready for Step 2, which is shorter; in fact, from now on it’s all down hill!
Step 2. Center Focus This step makes useful changes in breathing and in key words. Get into the Step 1 pattern before adding the new items. • Pause for a moment at the end of a deep breath in before letting it out. This breath-pause intensifies the effect on your center. Repeat a few times. • Next, leave out the toe wiggle, say “cen” and visualize your stomach pulling the wave up; accent your center with the deep breath-pause. • When the center feeling grows good, you don’t like to leave it, so just stay focused at your center saying cen as you feel the wave drop back down. • Omit "lax" and use only "cen" as the key word (just as your center is the key to T M). Move on when these things feel natural. When you sense the release feeling in your stomach at the end of a breath-cycle, you are well on the way to total centering.
Why am I sometimes just saying, but not hearing the word cen? Half of your mind is on a thought. It’s common so don’t fret, just smile at your crafty brain when you catch it thinking; it just believes it’s helping. Treating your other brain to the good vibes of our features gives it the power to gradually subdue the thoughts of your fired-up mind. You’re about ready to wrap up the big first phase and are getting close now to complete centering--a splendid event. 23
Step 3: Upper Body Wave, Full Centration. This step uses the feedback for the upper body. To learn the sensation for the upper body, do this funny upper body wave exercise: Upper Body EXERCISE Tighten stomach, shoulders, neck and jaws (like Frankenstein !) for 10 seconds, keep breathing, eyes closed; release and feel the wave from your jaw, head, and neck down to your stomach.
Look at the new wave pattern below and repeat the exercise workout a few times before we start the step instruction. Repeat the exercise anytime as needed to recall the wave sensation. Here are the directions for the upper body wave – start your lower body first and then add this.
• Move your fingers slightly, say center, breathe deeply to pull a wave down to your center from your throat and chest. The waves often free up tenseness that wasn’t evident to you. • Be aware also of your relaxed, heavy lower body, but keep focused at your center--the waves are just side events. • Picture these waves and your center in your mind as you feel them. Drop back to the previous step any time you’re not sure. There is no rush. • Let the pull-down wave include the back of your shoulders and neck, often a big tension hold out. 24
• Last, include the top of your scalp. When you get it all combined your whole body is unified and focused on your center. Combining these flows is new to you. Repeat this daily. You may need to repeat blending a bit until the parts stay unified easier. It’s great when you can reach full centering with a kind of glow at your center, maybe a tingle in your scalp, and the heavy sensation in your feet. All kinds of thoughts may still occur—routine ones, bad ones, and even happy thoughts that are hard to let go—but being centered makes it easier to just casually observe and ignore passing thoughts.
Congratulations for reaching complete centration! It is an “equipoise” event, a poised balance of the body and mind that few people ever know. It is the highest level of some meditation styles. You will start reaching it more quickly. To me, it feels like my breathing and my body waves start a little engine at my center that soon takes me to full centration. Have you chosen your mantra? You’ll want it soon.
What if the timer goes off just as I'm catching on? This will happen and the trick is not to get upset about it. You can feel a little frustrated but it doesn’t do any harm. You may skip forward now to the Reentry section to learn more about this. Then come back here.
The first phase is the longest. You’re now halfway through the full plan!
•••••••
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The 2nd Phase: Mantra Brain Wave I like it already; do I really need to go on? After learning the pleasure of centering, some people are tempted not to bother learning more. It’s okay to stay at that level. Centration is a powerful tool that transcenders often use by its self in some situations. But the second phase has only one step and it’s really a great one so I encourage to you to try it out.
Step 4. The Brain Wave. First, look at where we’re going.
Now try out the brain wave exercise.
Brain wave EXERCISE Screw up your face and forehead into a big frown, and tighten your stomach hard; keep breathing, and hold it for 10 seconds; relax and let yourself feel a wave from your center up into the top, front of your head.
It’s time to use chanting and in a bit we’ll put your mantra to work. First, do the chanting by saying cen in a low monotone as a hum or a droning. You will 26
add these new actions onto your routine: • Hear the keyword ‘center,’ or cen as a low chant; breathe deep; wiggle your toes and your fingers to pull a new wave from your center up into your brain. Your contented center may resist any change at first. Use the wave exercise again as needed. Your chant and deep breath pauses help to build the new wave feeling. • Let yourself enjoy a release feeling in your forehead that is set off by this wave. This action builds a new center focus in the brain and you can feel it along with your old center, like the two are twins. • Hear and feel the two centers at the same time . You often can feel the wave as it passes behind your eyes, and you might see lights, or your scalp may tingle—it’s okay. • When your mantra brain center starts to surpass the lower one, chant your Mantra instead of ‘cen.’ This helps your brain center take over as the main center. The lower center feels like a part of the new one. • The new center takes control and acts as a calming feedback to the rest of your body. Your stomach center still feels good but it’s no longer dominant. Repeated mantra wave action will awaken an unused brain area. A new kind of scan (an f MRI) on subjects who are doing this phase of meditation reveals rarely seen activity in this seldom-used region of the brain.
Why do I still have thoughts? Don't worry it’s normal. Free-floating thoughts won't entirely stop, but they will get subdued and less important as your mantra brain wave gets more in control. Just casually observe them, smiling at them, and go on hearing your mantra, and seeing and feeling the wave.
••••••• 27
The 3rd Phase: Transcending Why go any further ? You have already reached a level that few meditators ever know, and research indicates that there are good health benefits from it. But you will benefit even more from transcending and you’re about there. Ideally you want T M's full reward, which can link your inner being to a new level of reality; it's what has made T M endure for thousands of years, far longer than any other method.
What if I can’t do this next part ? It’s okay, but you needn’t learn any new things to find out. Once you’ve gotten this far, it will just happen if you keep on enjoying your mantra wave. Transcendence is a big word, yet it is a natural, unused event and it starts to occur after repeated mantra focusing at the brain center. Your brain has a basic desire for the escape feeling (the reason drug and alcohol abuse is so common) and the power of the brain release will lead you to a super effective form of escape, useful as successful substitution therapy for addictions, for health hazards, and for unwanted habits.
Step 5: Mantra Escape. Trying to make this happen doesn’t work, but a little patience and your brain’s innate capacity for it and allows it to occur. Want to use longer sessions now? Fine, but they don’t make up for skipped days. It is vexing to just be catching on when your 12 minutes are up, but it also happens with longer sessions (see Reentry ). You will learn to transcend by just enjoying your 12-minute sessions.
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Let’s look at escape. It comes about in two ways:
1) by Brain Free Floating and, 2) by Mantra “Echo.”
In the first one, brain floating, pictured below, your mantra seems suspended floating through and beyond your brain. It evolves as the mantra brain release grows, aided by relaxed, deep, slow breathing and breath-pauses. One student called it brain cruising. There are no instructions except to keep doing the mantra brain wave, but here is how brain floating may start: • Calmness to take over all that you hear and feel. Your mantra seems to be coasting or gliding through and beyond your head. • You know where you are and you hear sounds, but a part of you feels bodily removed from your physical state.
It feels so nice that you don’t want to change anything and there is no need to; just keep on coasting. This state is the apex sought in the main meditation of some famous transcendental schools. It is a very serene condition and research has shown it to be a very rewarding level of transcendence, so you’re at a great place with no need for anything further.
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Yet, the other route, mantra “echo” is equally good and is perhaps more often linked to the highest state, brain levitation (in the next section). This 2nd kind of escape is the mantra echo pictured below. Again, trying to make this happen usually doesn’t work so you needn’t seek this phase, but it may emerge from the floating stage, or it might even come directly, bypassing the other. In the echo stage, your mantra chant starts to escape to a place somewhere above you as a higher pitched echo. It often starts as if a channel opens into the space above you and you hear the other mantra, gradually or quite suddenly. The only directions are to keep doing the mantra brain wave, as you can’t make this happen, but here is how this stage may arise:
• Your mantra starts to move out of your head and winds up somewhere out in space (you don’t quite know where). • This effect may come and go at first. It's often like a twin of the mantra in your brain but a little higher pitched. • The outside mantra has a tranquil effect and, like the floating one, sends a calm feedback to your body. This escape is like being linked to an outside place, a peaceful place fully removed from your physical location. 30
• Should you tense up, fearing you’ll lose the echo escape, move your hands a little and note that the escape isn’t easily lost, as your brain wants this access to a tranquil, outside place.
What if escape isn’t happening for me ? Don’t think about it and just keep on enjoying the brain release of your mantra wave. It may not occur early.
Step 6: Mind Levitation (full transcendence) You did it! You’ve learned to transcend by one or both of the two stages of escape. A further stage of escape sometimes occurs, as seen below. It usually arises from the mantra echo stage. It is a displacement of your awareness to an outside place, creating an out of body experience. It may need longer sessions, as old hands sometimes don't reach this stage in a few minutes. Here is how to encourage this unusual degree of transcendence may take place:
• Read the notes, and do a careful set up. Noise is still a key need. Don’t set the timer. After you’ve reached escape, let your slow, deep breath-pauses seem to open a channel from your head into space.
• The mantra at your brain center blends with its outside twin until the outside one takes over.
• The peaceful sing of your chant out in space draws you out there to be suspended with your space mantra.
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• You are aware of noises, of thoughts passing by, but not caring either. The mantra becomes a higher pitched chant and takes you further away.
• Floating with your distant mantra hum gives you a superb feeling of lightness and oneness with the universe.
Were you able to do it? Did you get that light feeling of being suspended in the universe? It is the grand equipoise of all meditation. You may drift in and out between levitation and other levels. Yet, once you've caught a piece of it, you will reach displacement on future occasions. Congratulations! Let it enrich your life.
What if I haven't gotten to the highest level ? Do not be concerned about it. You've already learned T M and are beyond most other meditators in the world. The basic escape stages are so useful that this last degree of escape isn’t crucial, and it will likely occur anyway with time if you don’t worry about it.
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Reentry: How to Finish Your Meditation It is ideal to finish your session by a gradual return back to your actual habitat. When possible, do your reentry like this: Turn off the timer if using one. Keep your eyes closed and slowly sit up and stretch as you keep on hearing the hum of your center or your mantra, if you’re that far. Open your eyes a little, then close them. Open them more fully. Keep hearing, and feeling, the hum as you get up and slowly walk away. Take that sound and that feeling away with you and recall them at suitable times during the day to remind you that your meditative state is always waiting there for you. There are often times during learning where you don’t feel ready to stop when your timer goes off or when something else makes you stop. As I mentioned earlier, it isn't harmful if you don't let it frustrate you. This can happen with long or short learning sessions (as well as to veterans).
The key is to take along the best parts of your session, maybe jot down new insights, and know that you can apply these gains later.
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Other Levels Some Eastern religious practices think that there are even higher degrees of full transcendence. These levels are usually graded by how far into space you are carried by transcendence. They believe this is important because their main meditation goal is a religious one, and the further away they are out in space, the closer to God they must be. This concern doesn’t appear to have value for our needs and it is more fit for Eastern priests meditating many hours a day. For you to analyze your degree of displacement isn't needed and may interfere with the experience itself. It's true, though, that your mantra can carry you very far away while you are still aware and centered. It's not something you need to try for, but at times it may happen to you.
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Questions and Answers Q: Why am I thinking so much? A: It’s natural. We all do! But you get better at rerouting your thinking to just the directions and key word. Q: Why is simple breathing so important ? A: Brain Yoga is made of very basic and natural events and the most basic is deep, slow breathing. Breathing is like the ‘key card’ to your center. This next question was considered earlier, but it can’t be stressed too much. Q: Why am I sometimes just saying, but not hearing the word ? A: This happens a lot and it’s when only half of your mind is on a thought. Don’t fret, just smile when you catch your crafty brain thinking again; your mind is just trying to do its job. But you’ll get it subdued the other brain’s good vibes and with the power of your repeated mantra. Q: Am I going slower than I should ? A: No, not if you are giving it 12 minutes every day to get used to the newness of these innate abilities. Q: How do I know I’m doing it right ? A: You're likely doing fine, but if you have any doubt, compare the directions with what you’re doing -- they are simple, but clearing up a word or two can really help. The instructions are essential, and they can only be your teacher if you let them.
A mental block may curb the enjoyment of the centering and the brain wave if one’s subconscious is wary of the source or it doesn’t feel entitled to this pleasure. You can fix it if you’re just aware of it. 35
Q: Why is my progress kind of erratic? A: It happens and is no big deal. It’s like working out in a gym—it’s easier to feel the progress some days and not others; and your body may get weak later while Brain Yoga is now fine-tuning a talent that is yours for life. Q: What if I haven't gotten to the highest level ? A: Do not be concerned about it. You've already learned T M and are beyond most other meditators in the world. The basic escape stages are so useful that this last degree of it isn’t crucial, and it will likely occur anyway with time if you don’t worry about it. Q: Isn’t T M just an escape? A: It’s an escape but it’s different from all of the other kinds that just blot out reality briefly, like dreaming, or alcohol, or trances, or happy pills. Instead, with T M you stay aware of reality and you see how to deal with it in a practical, dynamic way. Q: How can T M make my health better ? A: Scientific studies show good changes in brain chemistry from doing T M. There are ongoing studies and findings from universities like Harvard, Yale and MIT showing that deep meditation can have a beneficial effect on brain fitness. Q: Are the Brain Yoga health benefits as good as other T M styles? A: Brain Yoga is too new to have absolute research confirmation of that question. But Brain Yoga’s endpoint is the same and even better than standard T M so the results must be as good or better. Q: Aren’t there other kinds of meditation? A: Yes, there are several. The two main types are the Western and the Eastern styles, and they differ a lot. Brain Yoga derives from Eastern styles. 36
The Western style usually is prayerful thinking or pondering about lessons such as scriptures. Q: Is it better for my mantra to be long or short ? A : Whatever appeals to you. Shorter may be easier, you can use word or phrase of several syllables by saying two or more syllables on the breath in and the remainder on the breath out. Q: How do I know when to progress from the lower body waves to
the upper body? A: When you can steadily feel the heaviness in your hands and feet. It’s ideal to also get the feeling of your center started. Q: What if I start to feel the upper body wave or the brain wave
before I’m ready? A: This is a time to go ahead and think! Think hard of your center while you feel and listen there. Keep the sensations of your limbs, etc. less important than your center – they can feel too good and tend to take over. Q: Is it ever okay to move on quickly to the brain wave? A : Yes, if you feel your heavy feet and tingling scalp unified with your humming center. But enjoy your centration a bit and don’t rush. Q: Why do I sometimes start to fall asleep while meditating? A: Extreme physical or mental fatigue may cause this. One student did this even when he didn’t seem tired and it seemed that he got bored with the procedure before centering could take hold. Falling asleep after either full centering or transcendence is very rare, kind of surprising considering how relaxed you are then. But centering and transcendence also are uniquely able to keep you calmly alert. 37
Q: What if I think of something very important during Brain Yoga? A: Meditation is famous for generating creative thoughts. Some people keep a pad and pencil handy to jot a note, but others wait until after the session. I put an object on the floor to remind of the idea. A true “eureka” idea will likely return again later, so it might be better to ignore all thoughts unless you realize the bathtub is overflowing! Q: Don’t cults use mantras? A: Yes, some do, and there are people who distrust all mantra use because of religious cults, such as the Hare Krishnas. Also, some Western religious leaders are concerned that the mantra method, and yoga, originated from Eastern Religions. Be assured that Brain Yoga has no ties to any organization; it is unrelated to the practice of any particular religion, and its goals are the exact opposite of cultism.
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A Diagram Summary of Brain Yoga Here’s a diagram of the 3 phases (steps numbered) of Brain Yoga starting at the bottom of the page: d
6. Mind Levitation 5. Mantra Escape
Shift Center 4. Mantra Brain Wave
Get Centered 3. Upper Body Wave to Full Centering
2. Center Focus 1. Lower Wave to Center
BEGIN HERE 39
The 4 Feelings Exercises:
1). Lower body feedback EXERCISE Close your eyes and breathe deeply as you push down your feet, tense up your thighs, hands, and buttocks; hold for a count of 10 but keep breathing. Relax and feel a wave from your feet up to your stomach and back down.
2). Center EXERCISE Breathe in and hold your breath while tensing up your stomach muscles tightly; hold it a few seconds (10 if you can), relax and feel your center (near your stomach).
Upper Body EXERCISE Tighten stomach, shoulders, neck and jaws (like Frankenstein !) for 10 seconds, keep breathing, eyes closed; release and feel the wave from your jaw, head, and neck down to your stomach.
4). The brain wave EXERCISE
Screw up your face and forehead into a big frown and tighten your stomach hard; keep breathing, and hold it for 10 seconds; relax and feel a wave from your center into the top, front of your head.
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TO SEE
Action Diagram
d
Become Displaced to Outside Yourself
Start BELOW
Hear Mantra Inside and Outside Self
Activate Brain Area
Transfer Center to Brain KeyWord Listening
Center
Sequence Relaxation
+
Mantra
BEGIN HERE!
The BRAIN YOGA
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Action Diagram
About the Author
C Richard Hulquist, M. D. is a physician who has also long been interested in meditation and in writing. He was in the general practice of medicine for three years prior to Ophthalmology postgraduate studies in London, Vienna, and New York. He served two years as a Navy doctor at sea. Articles by Dr. Hulquist about meditation have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and other local journals. He has also published a popular booklet called, “The New Cataract Technique,” telling patients in clear language what will happen to them at each step of the way during the new surgery method and how the eye operating room will look. He also has published other lay works. Dr. Hulquist has done much original research in Ophthalmology with the results published in leading medical journals. He has also presented his original work to leading medical groups such as the New York Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Ophthalmology, UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute, American Medical Association, and others.
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As a Clinical Professor at the UCLA School of Medicine Dr. Hulquist is involved in the teaching of students and young doctors at the famous Jules Stein Eye Institute in Los Angeles. He has taught surgeons who visit Los Angles from the U. S. and from around the world to learn new surgical techniques.
In the photo below, Dr. Hulquist is teaching eye surgery to Resident Doctors of the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute.
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Dr. Hulquist is a UCLA Consultant and Teacher at the Venice Family Clinic, Los Angeles, as seen in the photo below. The Venice Clinic is the largest volunteer medical clinic in the U.S.
Dr. and Mrs. Hulquist have three children and seven grandchildren. They are in involved in numerous artistic, music and church activities in and around Los Angeles. And they serve on committees and boards of various community service organizations. Dr. Hulquist especially enjoys family activities, music, reading and travel.
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This shows a younger Dr. Hulquist meditating on the Ganges River, India. It was a beautiful, quiet place that he thought would be ideal for T M but his mind often drifted to thinking rather than meditating! Few of us can find such a setting on a daily basis, and such a quiet, peaceful setting is actually not the best place to transcend, as shown by the findings in this book. Brain Yoga makes T M practical and readily available to all of us every day! 45
Endorsements for The Brain Yoga Manual of Mantra Meditation
“Dr. Hulquist’s new meditation method gives us a neat way to fit daily meditation practice into our busy lives. I congratulate him on providing another useful way for us to work for peace!” –
Debbie Robins, highly respected corporate, executive and career coach, and author of Shovel It: Kick-Ass Advice to Turn Life’s Crap into the Peace and Happiness You Deserve and Where Peace Lives.
“Dr Hulquist’s Brain Yoga Manual is a concise and stimulating read. His technique is a promising and much needed tool for improving our nation’s mental and physical health.” –
Henry Haye, M. D., former head of Psychiatric Services, Glendale, CA Adventist Hospital; Author of Med-U-Care: How to accomplish a fair and practical single payer medical insurance plan.
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