Not Having Good Experiences From / In Meditation

Meditation (including TM) should not produce vata increasing results for more than one reason:

1) A restful "activity" produces rest in the body/mind. The most important dictum in the Vedic paradigm is that you are what you experience. The experience of the transcendent can NEVER produce the experience of diversity/ dissociation, fear, jitters, (vata). The transcendental state is pure bliss and the experience of it produces bliss in the experiencer. This statement is true regardless of the "technique" one uses to access It (the state of Consciousness or samadhi).

2) There is a common experience that finds one anticipating " good results" of prior meditations and this leads to problems with the innocence of meditation --regardless of the technique. No matter how “bad” or “good” a meditation seems subjectively, let it go into the akasha. Do not judge it, do not anticipate it, do not reject it. Every meditation is “successful”  and should be regarded as such. Research shows that we are poor judges of a good meditation; that is, often when we think our meditation has been shallow or unsuccessful it has indeed been deep and beneficial.

3) Thoughts (think vata and especially emotions) are the product of stress that is being released in the body. These thoughts actually have a biochemical existence and are found throughout the body, but especially, according to Dr. Lad, in the connective tissue. Activity can release these as the heat factor transforms these molecules or/and activate them to leave their place of lodging. They become more “apparent” from the increased circulatory activity. While circulating they are “bumping into” cell membranes in the neighborhood producing stimuli/response activity. This contact is experienced as thought when awareness of the stimulus is registered in the membrane of adjoining cells. Mediation, as a form of rest, causes the same kind of experience but for a different reason. There is no heat and increased circulatory activity.  The rest promotes the natural function of the cell. But again the release of biochemical stuff that doesn't belong there is effected. This is experienced as thoughts. and dreaming.

4) These experiences of having thoughts are the principle reason for doing exercise, yoga asanas, and yoga breathing just prior to meditating. These techniques comprise an adjunct strategy for helping to quiet the mind and to settle the physiology. This promotes and enhances the transcendental experience both in meditation and in the moment-to-moment activity of life.

(C) Copyright 1998 Michael Dick All Rights Reserved www.ayurveda-florida.com