Meditation

“Meditation is the foundation of Inner Growth” - Paul Dugliss MD

…if doctors could write prescriptions to meditate today, they would.

Meditation Offerings

There are three types of meditation styles

1: Controlled Focus

Found in the tradition of Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, Qiqong, Yoga and Veanta

Method: Attention is focused on a object of meditation, one’s breath, an idea, image or an emotion.

Brain waves recorded during these practices: Gamma frequency (20-5-Hz) seen whenever concentrating or during active cognitive processing

Effect: May improve focusing abilities, eg. loving, kindness compassion

Studies (few): Advanced Buddhist Monks- 10,000 hrs of meditation…focused on loving kindness and compassion…increased those feelings and produced synchronous gamma activity in the left prefrontal cortex….indicates more powerful focus.

2. Open Monitoring

Mindfulness, Open Monitoring & Non-Judgemental Observation, common in Vipassana and Zazen

Method: Involves actively watching or actively paying attention to experiences without judging, reacting or holding on.

Brain waves recorded during this practice: Gives rise to frontal theta (4-8 Hz), an EEG pattern commonly seen during memory tasks or reflection on mental concepts.

Effect: Increases even-mindedness in daily life.

Studies (Numerous): Mindfulness practice reports better pain management and a reduction of negative thoughts/ruminations.

3. Automatic Self – Transcending

Type of Practice: TM, Heart Based Meditation & Primordial Sound (Deepak Chopra). Describes practices designed to go beyond their own mental activity, enabling the mind to spontaneously transcend the process of meditation itself.

Method: Effortless mantra based, there is no attempt to direct attention, no controlled cognitive processing.

Brain Waves: The EEG pattern of this category is frontal alpha coherence.

Effect: Induces a distinct state of relaxed inner wakefulness.

Studies (Over 600 on TM alone): Studies show that the deep rest of « transcending » calms the sympathetic nervous system and restores physiological balance, lowering high blood pressure, alleviating chronic anxiety and reducing stress hormones such as cortisol.