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Transcendental Mediation

Messages
24
Location
Fife, Scotland
Hi i started Transcendental Mediation and found it really helpful for my ME. It really helped. Gave me very deep rests and I could do it even if i was quite tired. Its worth a look into. The website is www.tm.org, thanks.
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
I've meditated off and on for 40 years (mostly off!), and have found it profoundly helpful for sleep issues and CNS overactivity. How has it helped you, Harris?
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
How did you learn how to meditate? Did you take a course?from books? videos?
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
Self taught. I can't ever agree with any 'school' of thought! Everybody seems to agree on one common goal of silencing the 'monkey mind.' Not saying that's THE goal, but everybody finds that important. So I figured out how to sit inside the flashes of silence between words/images, and expand them. That's still my entire practice - finding that silence and expanding it.
 

caledonia

Senior Member
I took a class several years ago.

Basically what you do is get into a relaxed position (sitting or laying down), then pay attention to the breath going in and out of your nose. Invariably your mind will wander off into other thoughts. As soon as you realize it, gently bring your attention back to your breath. It takes about 20 minutes for your body's natural relaxation response to kick in.
 
Messages
24
Location
Fife, Scotland
Hi i learnt TM at the local centre. It was easy to learn. You can find your local centre at www.tm.org. I think its better to learn from a teacher than from a book or video, it seems to work better, that way.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
So I figured out how to sit inside the flashes of silence between words/images, and expand them. That's still my entire practice - finding that silence and expanding it.

What a great description of your practice. I am going to try this myself.

My meditation, on those rare occasions I do it, usually turns into a daydream. I wonder what it would be like to focus on the silence instead of the images... hmmmm?
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
I do meditation also, and have been doing if for about 2 years now. I go to a place that runs by Donations. There have been a few different teachers/facilitators, and the newest one has said to settle your mind down. Exhale all of your breath, and then some, and breath in normally (do this 3 times). This should settle the "monkey mind".

GG
 

alice1

Senior Member
Messages
457
Location
Toronto
A great thread.
A quick fix if you don't have time to meditate..soak your feet in warm to hot water. The heat brings down the mind to your lower body which calms the mind.An old chinese remedy.
Thank you for the TM links.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I'd been meditating for many years (all different forms) and teaching it.. when I first came down with ME.

I often wonder if the kundalini stuff I did damaged my body.. Many forms of meditation nowdays give me insomina (anything which raises my energy even just a little gives me worst insomina and can give me too much neuro stimulation). And my ability to visualise if Im trying to do any form of relaxation visualisation kind of meditation is screwed up with this illness. I know its cause my brain waves are abnormal when I shut my eyes (that shows up on my EEGS.. they dont slow like they should do so I remain in wrong state and cant get into meditate state well).

Focusing on a single point or thing during meditation.. due to the concentration involved can get me PEM. Any kind of concentration thing I find hard on my head.

I did thou the other night do a healing meditation which did make me feel emotionally great, I felt so so happy. but my sleep is back to being completely screwed since then for past few days.. (getting to sleep between 6.30-9.30am since I did that meditation).
 
Messages
646
Hi i started Transcendental Mediation and found it really helpful for my ME. It really helped. Gave me very deep rests and I could do it even if i was quite tired. Its worth a look into. The website is www.tm.org, thanks.


Caveat Emptor

http://onwww.net/trancenet.org/research/chap4.shtml#4.3.2.3

Over 70% of those in our study had difficulties, statements made on tape list these difficulties mainly as being: problems with sleeping, anguish, increasing pain in the head, stomach, and back, (compare with section 6 of this chapter), problems with concentration, hallucinations, feelings of isolation, depression, over- sensitivity, and instability. It is significant that the percentage is high in each group. This shows that even the so-called easy meditation (2x20) can lead to serious problems. This is confirmed by comparing the ordinary meditators with sidhas, T.M. teachers, and governors. 70% of ordinary meditators had experienced difficulties as a result of the meditation, 82% of insiders.

IVI
 

Dufresne

almost there...
Messages
1,039
Location
Laurentians, Quebec
Many forms of meditation nowdays give me insomina (anything which raises my energy even just a little gives me worst insomina and can give me too much neuro stimulation). And my ability to visualise if Im trying to do any form of relaxation visualisation kind of meditation is screwed up with this illness.

Mindfulness meditation or TM has always brought me into an unsustainable clear-headedness. The fog lifts and for a while I even feel calm, but it becomes problematic and excitotoxic after a day or so. I think the reason our minds race, for those "tired but wired" of us, is that this mindset is actually less destructive. It's the mindset of anaerobic metabolism. It protects us from the oxidative stress of functioning at a higher (oxygenated) level.

Visualization is certainly tough with this disease. One of the symptoms of low oxygen in the brain is the inability to hold an image. Imagining a lit cigarette while holding one's breath until the image fades is an old smoking cessation technique.
 

svetoslav80

Senior Member
Messages
700
Location
Bulgaria
Just to clarify because I didn't see this info in any thread about meditation. In buddhism there are basically two types of meditation - samatha and vipassana. Samatha is more concentration than meditation - you choose an object, be it visual image, mantra or your breathe, and concentrate on it. So I guess Transcedental Meditation is just another name for mantra meditation. I don't believe that when your guru gives you a mantra it will be more good than choosing a mantra by yourself. The other type of meditation is vipassana - this is basically meditation on everything that comes in your mind - be it physical sensation, pain , psychological pain , whatever distractions you experience , thoughts, sometimes pleasant feelings as well of course. I like to do more vipassana cause it's teaching me how to accept pain.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Yes I agree with all who find meditation (in it's various forms) very helpful.