What does Meditation have to do with Jim Carrey?

This article explores the topic of meditation and introduces The Real Jim Carrey (scroll down and click on the video to see what I mean).

Meditation is part three of a self-planned healing program that I began experimenting with a few weeks ago to support healing from a disease called rheumatoid arthritis. To read part one on Ayurvedic medicine, click here. To read part two on energy work, click here.

Over the years, a body of research has developed to support the benefits derived from meditation. A google search uncovered information from Wikipedia that discusses the following benefits;

• stress and pain reduction
•  promotes inner well-being
•  increases brain grey matter
•  slows down brain deterioration due to ageing

A New York Times article mentions a study that shows a reduction in blood pressure for patients with coronary artery disease.

The benefits sound impressive, but what exactly is meditation?

A professor who taught a meditation course at the University of California and founder of The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999), states in his book titled,  Meditation

is a systematic technique for taking hold of and concentrating to the utmost degree our latent mental power. It consists in training the mind, especially attention and will, so that we can set forth from the surface level of consciousness and journey into the very depths.

What is the “surface level of consciousness”? Easwaran says it is in thinking we are the mind/body. We identify our selves with the endless stream of thoughts that create worry about the past, worry about the future, conflicts, judgements, preferences, drama and everything else the mind does. We think we are our thoughts and we think we are the body.

According to the enlightened individuals on the planet, we are not. In fact, both Easwaran and Eckhart Tolle say, incessant thinking depletes our vital (life) energy. In his book,  The Power of Now, Tolle states the mind is the source of misery, unhappiness and disease.

I remember when my mind was so filled with incessant thoughts that I couldn’t even hear or relate to what people were telling me.

One time, I was in a store with my son who was about five years old at the time. My son chattered away while we browsed the shelves.  A sales person stood nearby. My son asked a question. I responded. This happened again and again, all the while my son became more unruly. I got angry with him. The sales person piped in and said to me, “You’re not listening to him.”  A stunned me, stopped the incessant thinking and listened to my son.

Why would one want to “journey into the very depths” of consciousness? The answer, only those who have been there would know. Easwaran says,

Meditation dehypnotizes us and frees us from all dependencies and illusions.

In the introduction chapter of, The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle describes a feeling of deep peace, bliss and sacredness in a timeless and deathless realm. Tolle’s journey into the very depths of consciousness followed intense suffering from a life of anxiety and depression.

Jim Carrey is a huge fan of Eckhart Tolle. Mr. Carrey gave a talk at the 2009 Global Alliance For Transformational Entertainment. This four-minute excerpt titled, The Real Jim Carrey is phenomenal. It brought tears to my eyes. I want to share it with you now.

In meditation, we discover the nature of our true selves. We sit in stillness to discover that while we do have a body and mind, we are much, much more than this. We see and feel our very essence. We see and feel our own presence. We see and feel that we are One with everything. Seven billion human bodies, all the animals, vegetation, soil, rocks and gases, stars and planets all being the One eternal Life. We are Life Itself having an experience in a body/mind. Each one of us is the One and the same LIFE. Does this sound precious to you too? I know it does to me.

Disclaimer: This article and the opinions expressed therein are for informational and entertainment purposes only.

Energy Work – Airy-fairy or Not?

Today’s post is a continuation from my last blog where I mentioned a new self-planned healing program that I’ll test drive for the next three-months.

Essentially, I’ll experiment with Ayurvedic medicine, energy work and meditation to support healing from rheumatoid arthritis.

My last post introduced the ancient wisdom tradition of Ayurveda. Please visit Dr. Hebbar’s blog for more information. Today, I want to share my personal experience of energy work.

Over the last while, I had a few treatments of this so-called energy work thing. You may not believe it. I was doubtful too. My doubt lifted when I had a very profound experience. In fact, I had a couple. Before I tell you, I should give a little background about the science of energy work as I’ve learned it.

Science tells us that all things consist of electromagnetic energy fields and Dr. Valerie V. Hunt is one scientist that I’ve read who presents 25 years of scientific research in human energy fields in her book called, “Infinite Mind: Science of Human Vibrations of Consciousness“. Dr. Hunt discovered “vibration patterns during pain, disease and illness.” Her work also discusses the effect of human intent on changing vibrational energy patterns and studies the human energy field’s coherency in health and anti-coherency in illness.

Energy work, reportedly, balances the human energy field to bring coherency and the potential to restore healthy patterns.

If all of this sounds confusing or unbelievable, don’t worry, you’re not alone. I’m still scratching my head after several years of reading up on healing modalities, philosophies and thought systems that say they support a return to health. I like to keep an open mind and clear thinking about it, most of the time. The one thing I’m big on is personal experience, which brings me back to the profound experiences I want to share with you.

A few days ago, I had an energy treatment session.  As I lay flat, eyes closed,  relaxed mind and body…. 

I began to feel twitching throughout various parts of my body. Feet. Legs. Left hand. Left arm. Left shoulder. Across upper shoulder area. Right shoulder. Right arm. Right hand. Subtle at first. Quiet twitching, one then another, then another.  Twitching turned to jumping. Hand jumping off table by itself. Arm jumping too. Twitching and jumping more and more. I laughed. What strange things my body did without my control. Starting from my left arm across my back and down the right arm, limbs twitched and jumped. Laughter turned to fear. A thought came, “What if this doesn’t stop?” Leave it to the mind to always spoil things. Just when you’re having fun, a thought comes in to take it all away. I thanked this thought for its concern and told it to go away. In addition to the twitching and jumping, a feeling of coldness came. I shivered.

The session ended. The twitching and jumping stopped and warmth returned.

Another profound experience occurred a few months ago.

 I felt my body turn numb. The sensation was as if a dentist gave me an injection of freezing solution that affected my entire body, neck to toes. The numb sensation was particularly strong from my waist down to my legs. To be honest, it felt great.   A feeling of great joy began to surface, I was about to laugh, when in a snap of a finger the joy feeling changed to a feeling of crushing sadness.  Deep and intense sorrow engulfed me.  I burst into tears, sobbing and sobbing.  I couldn’t help it.  It felt as if stored up sadness released from my body.  Stifled grief from years past, released.

There are various forms and teachers of energy work. You can see one form demonstrated in the video of my last blog post, click here. Other forms that I’ve read about are taught by teachers like Richard Bartlett (Matrix Energetics) and Eric Pearl (The Reconnection) who are both trained doctors in chiropractic medicine. Another teacher is Richard Gordon (Quantum Touch).

The personal experiences I related above have sufficiently removed the doubt that energy work is airy-fairy pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking on my part. I’m a firm believer now. I’ve scheduled numerous sessions in February to see if it will help my condition. I’ll keep you posted.

Do you have an experience with energy work?

Thank you for reading the blog. Stay tuned for the next post on meditation.