Links for 112 Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques

Click on Explanation to read the details instructions for each technique.

1. Radiant One, this experience may dawn between two breaths.After breath comes in (down) and just before turning up (out) - the beneficence.
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2.As breath turns from down to up, and again as breath curves up to down -through both these turns,realize.
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3.Or, whenever in-breath and out-breath fuse,at this instant touch the energy-less,energy-filled center.
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4.Or, when breath is all out (up) and stopped of itself, or all in (down) and stopped -in such universal pause, one's small self vanishes.This is difficult only for the impure.
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5.Attention between Eyebrows, let mind be before thought.Let form fill with breath essenceto the top of the headand there shower as light.
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6.When in worldly activities, keep attention between two breaths,and so practicing, in a few days be born anew.
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7.With intangible breath in center of forehead,as this reaches the heart at the moment of sleep,have direction over dreams and over death itself.
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8.With utmost devotion,center on the two junctions of breathand know the knower.
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9.Lie down as dead.Enraged in wrath, stay so.Or stare without moving an eyelash.Or suck something and become the sucking.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 10-12

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10.While being caressed, Sweet Princess,enter the caress as everlasting life.
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11.Stop the doors of the senses when feeling the creeping of an ant.Then.
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12.When on a bed or a seat,let yourself become weightless,beyond mind.
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Introduction to Chakras : Prelude to 13th & 14th meditation techniques

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13.Or, imagine the five coloured circles of the peacock tailto be your five senses in illimitable space.Now let their beauty melt within.Similarly, at any point in space or on the wall -untill the point dissolves.Then your wish for another comes true.
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14.Place your whole attention in the nerve, delicate as the lotus thread,in the center of your spinal column.In such be transformed.
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Penetrating the inner centers : Prelude to 15th to 17th meditation techniques

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15.Closing the seven openings of the head with your hands,a space between your eyes becomes all-inclusive.
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16.Blessed One,as senses are absorbed in the Heart,reach the center of the lotus.
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17.Unminding mind, keep in the middle - until.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 18, 19, 20 & 21

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18.Look lovingly at some object.Do not go to another object.Here in the middle of the object -the blessing.

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19.Without support for feet or hands, sit only on the buttocks.Suddenly the centering.
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20.In a moving vehicle, by rhythmically swaying,experience.Or in a still vehicle,by letting yourself swing in slowing invisible circles.
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21.Pierce some part of you nectar filled formwith a pin,and gently enter the piercingand attain to the inner purity.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 22, 23 & 24

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22.Let attention be at a place where you are seeing some past happening, and even your form, having lost its present characteristics, is transformed.

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23.Feel an object before you.Feel the absence of all other objects but this one.Then leaving aside the object-feelingAnd the absence-feeling,Realize
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24.When a mood against someone or for someone arises,Do not place it on the person in question,But remain centered.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 25, 26 & 27

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25.Just as you have the impulseTo do something,Stop.

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26.When some desire comes, consider it.Then, suddenly, quit it.
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27. Roam about until exhausted and then,dropping to the ground,in this dropping be whole.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 28 & 29

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28.Suppose you are gradually being deprived of strength or of knowledge.At the instant of deprivation,transcend.
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29.Devotion frees.

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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 30, 31 & 32


30. Eyes closed,See your inner being in detail.Thus see your true nature.
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31.Look upon a bowl without seeingThe sides or the material.In a few moments become aware.
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32.See as if for the first timeA beauteous personOr an ordinary object.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 33, 34, 35 & 36

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33.Simply by looking into the blue skyBeyond the clouds,The serenity.
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34.Listen while the ultimate mystical teaching is imparted.Eyes still, without blinking,at once, become absolutely free.
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35.At the edge of a deep well look steadily into its depths until –the wondrousness.
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36.Look upon some object,Then slowly withdraw your sight from it,Then slowly withdraw your thought from it.Then.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 37 & 38

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37.Devi,Imagine Sanskrit letters in these Honey filled foci of awareness,First as letters,The more subtly as sounds,Then as most subtle feeling.Then, leaving them aside, be free.
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38.Bathe in the center of sound,As in the continuous sound of a waterfall.Or, by putting the fingers in the ears,Hear the sound of sounds.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 39, 40 & 41

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39.Intone a sound,As AUM...Slowly,As sound enters soundfulness,So do you.
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40.In the beginning and gradual refinement of the sound of any letter,Awake.
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41.While listening to stringed instruments,Hear their composite central sound;Thus omnipresence.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 42, 43 & 44

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42.Intone a sound audibly,Then less and less audiblyAs feeling deepensInto this silent harmony.
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43.With mouth slightly open,Keep mind in the middle of the tongue.Or, as breath comes silently in,Feel the sound ‘HH’.
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44.Center on the sound ‘AUM’Without any ‘A’ or ‘M’.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 45, 46 & 47

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45.Silently intone a word ending in ‘AH’.Then in the ‘HH’,Effortlessly, the spontaneity.
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46.Stopping ears by pressingAnd the rectum by contracting,Enter the sound.
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47.Enter the sound of your nameAnd, through this sound,All sounds.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 48, 49, 50, 51 & 52

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48.At the start of sexual unionKeep attentive on the fire in the beginning,And so continuing,Avoid the embers in the end.
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49.When in such embrace your senses are shaken as leaves,Enter this shaking.
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50.Even remembering union,Without the embrace,Transformation.
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51.On joyously seeing a long-absent friend,Permeate this joy.
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52.When eating or drinking,Become the taste of food or drink,And be filled.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 53, 54, 55 & 56

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53.O lotus eyed one,Sweet of touch,When singing, seeing, tasting,Be aware you are and discover theEverliving.
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54.Wherever satisfaction is found,In whatever act,Actualize this.
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55.At the point of sleep,When the sleep has not yet comeAnd the external wakefulness vanishes,At this point Being is revealed.
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56.Illusions deceive,Colors circumscribe,Even divisibles are indivisible
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 57, 58, 59 & 60

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57.In moods of extreme desireBe undisturbed.
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58.This so-called universeAppears as a juggling,A picture show.To be happy, look upon it so.
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59.O Beloved,Put attention neither on pleasure nor on pain,But between these.
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60.Objects and desiresExist in me as in others.So accepting,Let them be transformed.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 61, 62 & 63

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61.As waves come with waterAnd flames with fire,So the Universal waves with us.
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62.Wherever your mind is wandering,Internally or externally,At this very place, this.
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63.When vividly awareThrough some particular sense,Keep in the awareness.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 64 & 65

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64.At the start of sneezing, during fright,In anxiety, above a chasm, flying in battle,In extreme curiosity, at the beginning of hunger,At the end of hunger,Be uninterruptedly aware.
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65.The purity of other teachingsIs an impurity to us.In reality,Know nothing as pure or impure.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 66 & 67

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66.Be the unsame same to friend as to stranger,in honor and dishonor.
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67.Here is the sphere of change, change, change.Through change consume change.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 68 & 69

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68.As a hen mothers her chicks,mother particular knowings,particular doings,in reality.
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69.Since, in truth,Bondage and freedom are relative,These words are only for thoseTerrified with the universe.This universe is a reflection of minds.As you see many suns in water from one sun,So see bondage and liberation.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 70, 71 & 72

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70.Consider your essence as light raysFrom center to center up the vertebrae,And so rises “livingness” in you.
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71.Or in the spaces between,Feel this as lightning.
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72.Feel the cosmos as a translucent ever-living presence.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 73, 74 & 75

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73.In summer when you see the entire skyEndlessly clear,Enter such clarity.
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74.Shakti,See all space as if alreadyAbsorbed in your own headIn the brilliance.
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75.Waking, sleeping, dreaming,Know you as light.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 76 , 77 & 78

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76.In rain during a black night,Enter that blacknessAs the form of forms.
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77. When a moonless rainy nightis not present,close your eyes, see blackness.So, faults disappear forever.
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78.Whenever your attention alights,At this very point,Experience.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 79, 80 & 81

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79.Focus on fire rising through your formFrom the toes upUntil the body burns to ashesBut not you.
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80.MeditateOn the make believe worldAs burning to ashes,And become being above human.
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81.As, subjectively, letters flow into wordsand words into sentences,and as, objectively,circles flow into worldsand worlds into principles,find at last these converging in our being.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 82 & 83

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82.Feel: my thought, I-ness, internal organs – me.
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83.Before desireAnd before knowing,How can I say I am?Consider.Dissolve in the beauty.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 84 & 85

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84.Toss attachment for body aside,Realizing I am everywhere.One who is everywhere is joyous.
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85.Thinking no thingWill limited-self unlimit
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 86 & 87

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86.Suppose you contemplateSomething beyond perception,Beyond grasping,Beyond not being – you.
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87.I am existing.This is mine.This is this.O, beloved, even in such know illimitably.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 88 & 89

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88.Each thing is perceived through knowing.The self shines in space through knowing.Perceive one being as knower and known.
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89.Beloved,At this moment,Let mind, knowing, breath, form,Be included.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 90 & 91

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90.Touching eyeballs as a feather,Lightness between them opens into the heartAnd there permeates the cosmos.
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91.Kind Devi,Enter etheric presencePervading far above and below your form.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 92 & 93

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92.Put mindstuff in such inexpressible finenessAbove, below and in your heart.
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93.Consider any area of your present formAs limitlessly spacious.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 94 & 95

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94.Feel your substance,Bones, flesh, blood,Saturated with cosmic essence.
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95.Feel the fine qualities of creativityPermeating your breastsAnd assuming delicate configurations.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 96 & 97

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96.Abide in some place endlessly spacious,Clear of trees, hills, habitations.Thence comes the end of mind pressures.
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97.Consider the plenumTo be your own body of bliss.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 98 & 99

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98.In any easy positionGradually pervade an area between the armpitsInto great peace.
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99.Feel yourself as pervading all directions,Far, near
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 100 & 101

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100.The appreciation of objects and subjectsIs the same for an enlightenedAs for an unenlightened person.The former has one greatness:He remains in the subjective mood,Not lost in things.


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101.Believe omniscient, omnipotent, pervading.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 102 & 103, 104 & 105

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102.Imagine spirit simultaneouslyWithin and around youUntil the entire universe spiritualizes.
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103.With your entire consciousnessIn the very start of desire, of knowing, know.
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104.O Shakti,Each particular perception is limited,Disappearing in omnipotence.
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105.In truth forms are inseparate.Inseparate are omnipresent beingAnd your own form.Realize each as made of this consciousness.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 106, 107 & 108

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106.Feel the consciousness of each personAs your own consciousness.So, leaving aside concern for your self,Become each being.
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107.This consciousness exists as each being,And nothing else exists.
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108.This consciousness is the spirit of guidanceOf each one.Be this one.
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Introduction to Meditation techniques No. 109 & 110, 111 & 112

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109.Suppose your passive form to be an empty roomWith walls of skin – empty.


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110.Gracious One, play.The universe is an empty shellWherein your mind frolics infinitely.
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111.Sweet heartened One,Meditate on knowing and not-knowing,Existing and non-existing.Then leave both aside that you may be.
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112.Enter space, support less, eternal, still.
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Mountain Stream Relaxation Video

Youtube:Havasupai Indian Waterfall Relaxation

Take a journey to the magical blue-green waters of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, to the healing music of Darshan Ambient. These have to be some of the most breathtaking waterfalls in the world. There are three different falls in this video: Havasu, Mooney, and Navajo. It's a ten mile hike through canyon valleys to get there, and it's worth every step.

Check out the stunning photo gallery from Havasupai at http://www.dhuting.com

Self-hypnosis and Relaxation Steps

Self-Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of mind which can be defined as a heightened state of focused concentration, (trance), with the willingness to follow instructions (suggestibility).

Self-hypnosis is a technique in which you focus yourself to attain desired goals or any belief by putting positive suggestions into your subconscious mind,through relaxation.It's a state of mind in which your conscious mind is bypassed andcommunication begins with the subconscious mind.

Steps for trying out:-

• Go to a comfortable, private place and sit in any comfortable chair or couch. You may lie down on your bed if you wish.
• Close your eyes and try to rid your mind of any feelings of fear and anxiety. When you begin, you will find it difficult not to think. You may find that thoughts keep intruding. When this happens, don't try to force the thoughts out. Observe them impartially, and then let them slip away.
• Recognize the tension in your body. Beginning with your toes, imagine the tension slowly falling away from your body and vanishing. Imagine it freeing each body part one at a time starting with your toes and working its way up your body. Visualize each part of your body becoming lighter and lighter as the tension is removed. relax your toes, then your feet. Continue with your calves, thighs, hips, stomach and so on, until you've relaxed each portion, including your face and head.
• Take slow, deep breaths. When you exhale, see the tension and negativity leaving in a dark cloud. As you inhale, see the air returning as a bright force filled with life and energy.
• Appreciate the fact that you are now extremely relaxed. Imagine you are at the top of a flight of 10 stairs. Picture every detail of this scene from the top to the bottom. Tell yourself that you are going to descend the stairs, counting each step down, starting at 10. Picture each number in your mind. Imagine that each number you count is further down and one step closer to the bottom. After each number, you will feel yourself drifting further and further into deep relaxation. As you take each step, imagine the feel of the step under your feet. Keep counting and stepping down until you reach the bottom. Once you reach the bottom imagine that you are happy and relaxed.
• At this point, you should begin to address the issue you're concerned about. Speak in the present tense. Your subconcious mind does not understand negatives in speech - avoid using statements with negative connotation such as "I don't want to be tired and irritable." Instead, say, "I am calm and relaxed." Examples of positive statements "I am strong and slender," "I am successful and positive," and, if you have pain, "My back feels wonderful."
  Repeat your statement(s) to yourself as many times as you wish.
• When you are satisfied, say to yourself that you will now count upwards to 10 from 0, and when you reach the number 10, you will slowly rise back to normal consciousness and remain calm and relaxed. Proceed to count upwards, again picturing the numbers in detail.
  Once you have ascended, give yourself a few moments before opening your eyes, and take your time getting up.

Cognitive-Behavioral and Relaxation Techniques excerpt

Excerpt from National Institutes of Health Technology Assessment

Relaxation techniques are a group of behavioral therapeutic approaches that differ widely in their philosophical bases as well as in their methodologies and techniques. Their primary objective is the achievement of nondirected relaxation, rather than direct achievement of a specific therapeutic goal. They all share two basic components: (1) repetitive focus on a word, sound, prayer, phrase, body sensation, or muscular activity and (2) the adoption of a passive attitude toward intruding thoughts and a return to the focus. These techniques induce a common set of physiologic changes that result in decreased metabolic activity. Relaxation techniques may also be used in stress management (as self-regulatory techniques) and have been divided into deep and brief methods.

Deep Methods
Deep methods include autogenic training, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). Autogenic training consists of imagining a peaceful environment and comforting bodily sensations. Six basic focusing techniques are used: heaviness in the limbs, warmth in the limbs, cardiac regulation, centering on breathing, warmth in the upper abdomen, and coolness in the forehead. Meditation is a self-directed practice for relaxing the body and calming the mind. A large variety of meditation techniques are in common use; each has its own proponents. Meditation generally does not involve suggestion, autosuggestion, or trance. The goal of mindfulness meditation is development of a nonjudgmental awareness of bodily sensations and mental activities occurring in the present moment. Concentration meditation trains the person to passively attend to a bodily process, a word, and/or a stimulus. Transcendental meditation focuses on a "suitable" sound or thought (the mantra) without attempting to actually concentrate on the sound or thought. There are also many movement meditations, such as yoga and the walking meditation of Zen Buddhism. PMR focuses on reducing muscle tone in major muscle groups. Each of 15 major muscle groups is tensed and then relaxed in sequence.

Brief Methods
The brief methods, which include self-control relaxation, paced respiration, and deep breathing, generally require less time to acquire or practice and often represent abbreviated forms of a corresponding deep method. For example, self-control relaxation is an abbreviated form of PMR. Autogenic training may be abbreviated and converted to a self-control format. Paced respiration teaches patients to maintain slow breathing when anxiety threatens. Deep breathing involves taking several deep breaths, holding them for 5 seconds, and then exhaling slowly.

Hypnotic Techniques
Hypnotic techniques induce states of selective attentional focusing or diffusion combined with enhanced imagery. They are often used to induce relaxation and also may be a part of CBT. The techniques have pre- and postsuggestion components. The presuggestion component involves attentional focusing through the use of imagery, distraction, or relaxation, and has features that are similar to other relaxation techniques. Subjects focus on relaxation and passively disregard intrusive thoughts. The suggestion phase is characterized by introduction of specific goals; for example, analgesia may be specifically suggested. The postsuggestion component involves continued use of the new behavior following termination of hypnosis. Individuals vary widely in their hypnotic susceptibility and suggestibility, although the reasons for these differences are incompletely understood.

Biofeedback Techniques
BF techniques are treatment methods that use monitoring instruments of various degrees of sophistication. BF techniques provide patients with physiologic information that allows them to reliably influence psychophysiological responses of two kinds: (1) responses not ordinarily under voluntary control and (2) responses that ordinarily are easily regulated, but for which regulation has broken down. Technologies that are commonly used include electromyography (EMG BF), electroencephalography, thermometers (thermal BF), and galvanometry (electrodermal-BF). BF techniques often induce physiological responses similar to those of other relaxation techniques.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT attempts to alter patterns of negative thoughts and dysfunctional attitudes in order to foster more healthy and adaptive thoughts, emotions, and actions. These interventions share four basic components: education, skills acquisition, cognitive and behavioral rehearsal, and generalization and maintenance. Relaxation techniques are frequently included as a behavioral component in CBT programs. The specific programs used to implement the four components can vary considerably. Each of the aforementioned therapeutic modalities may be practiced individually, or they may be combined as part of multimodal approaches to manage chronic pain or insomnia.

Relaxation and Behavioral Techniques for Insomnia
Relaxation and behavioral techniques corresponding to those used for chronic pain may also be used for specific types of insomnia. Cognitive relaxation, various forms of BF, and PMR may all be used to treat insomnia. In addition, the following behavioral approaches are generally used to manage insomnia:

Sleep hygiene, which involves educating patients about behaviors that may interfere with the sleep process, with the hope that education about maladaptive behaviors will lead to behavioral modification.
Stimulus control therapy, which seeks to create and protect conditioned association between the bedroom and sleep. Activities in the bedroom are restricted to sleep and sex.
Sleep restriction therapy, in which patients provide a sleep log and are then asked to stay in bed only as long as they think they are currently sleeping. This usually leads to sleep deprivation and consolidation, which may be followed by a gradual increase in the length of time in bed.
Paradoxical intention, in which the patient is instructed not to fall asleep, with the expectation that efforts to avoid sleep will in fact induce it.

NCCAM:Meditation for Health Purposes

Introduction

Meditation for health purposes is a mind-body practice in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).a There are many types of meditation, most of which originated in ancient religious and spiritual traditions. Generally, a person who is meditating uses certain techniques, such as focusing attention (for example, on a word, an object, or the breath); a specific posture; and an open attitude toward distracting thoughts and emotions. Meditation can be practiced for various reasons--for example, with an intent to increase physical relaxation, mental calmness, and psychological balance; to cope with one or more diseases and conditions; and for overall wellness. This Backgrounder provides a general introduction to meditation and suggests some resources for finding out more.


Key Points
People practice meditation for a number of health-related purposes. Resources for published research results on meditation are listed at the end of this Backgrounder.


It is not fully known what changes occur in the body during meditation; whether they influence health; and, if so, how. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and some other components of the National Institutes of Health are sponsoring studies to find out more about meditation's effects, how it works, and what diseases and conditions it may be most helpful for.


If you are considering or using meditation or any other CAM therapy, talk to your health care provider about it. This is for your safety and a complete treatment plan.

What Meditation Is
The term meditation refers to a group of techniques, most of which started in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings, for health and wellness purposes.

In meditation, a person learns to focus his attention and suspend the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. This practice is believed to result in a state of greater physical relaxation, mental calmness, and psychological balance. Practicing meditation can change how a person relates to the flow of emotions and thoughts in the mind.

Most types of meditation have four elements in common:

A quiet location. Many meditators prefer a quiet place with as few distractions as possible. This can be particularly helpful for beginners. People who have been practicing meditation for a longer period of time sometimes develop the ability to meditate in public places, like waiting rooms or buses.


A specific, comfortable posture. Depending on the type being practiced, meditation can be done while sitting, lying down, standing, walking, or in other positions.


A focus of attention. Focusing one's attention is usually a part of meditation. For example, the meditator may focus on a mantra (a specially chosen word or set of words), an object, or the breath.


An open attitude. Having an open attitude during meditation means letting distractions come and go naturally without stopping to think about them. When distracting or wandering thoughts occur, they are not suppressed; instead, the meditator gently brings attention back to the focus. In some types of meditation, the meditator learns to observe the rising and falling of thoughts and emotions as they spontaneously occur.
Meditation is practiced both on its own and as a component of some other therapies, such as yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. This Backgrounder focuses on meditation practiced on its own.

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Meditation for Health Purposes
Meditation used as CAM is a type of mind-body medicine (one of the four domains, or areas of knowledge, in CAM). Generally, mind-body medicine focuses on:

The interactions among the brain, the rest of the body, the mind, and behavior
The ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly affect health
People use meditation for various health problems, such as:

Anxiety
Pain
Depression
Mood and self-esteem problems
Stress
Insomnia
Physical or emotional symptoms that may be associated with chronic illnesses and their treatment, such as:
Cardiovascular (heart) disease
HIV/AIDS
Cancer
Meditation is also used for overall wellness.

A large national survey on Americans' use of CAM, released in 2004, found that nearly 8 percent of the participants had used meditation specifically for health reasons during the year before the survey.

Examples of Meditation
Mindfulness meditation and the Transcendental Meditation technique (also known as TM) are two common approaches to meditation. They are also two types of meditation being studied in NCCAM-sponsored research projects.

Mindfulness meditation originated in Buddhism. It is based on the concept of being mindful, or having an increased awareness and total acceptance of the present. While meditating, the meditator is taught to bring all her attention to the sensation of the flow of the breath in and out of the body. The intent might be described as focusing attention on what is being experienced, without reacting to or judging that experience. This is seen as helping the meditator learn to experience thoughts and emotions in normal daily life with greater balance and acceptance.

TM originated in the Vedic tradition in India. It is a type of meditation that uses a mantra (a word, sound, or phrase repeated silently) to prevent distracting thoughts from entering the mind. The intent of TM might be described as allowing the mind to settle into a quieter state and the body into a state of deep rest. This is seen as ultimately leading to a state of relaxed alertness.

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Looking at How Meditation May Work
Practicing meditation has been shown to induce some changes in the body, such as changes in the body's "fight or flight" response. The system responsible for this response is the autonomic nervous system (sometimes called the involuntary nervous system). It regulates many organs and muscles, including functions such as the heartbeat, sweating, breathing, and digestion, and does so automatically.

The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts:

The sympathetic nervous system helps mobilize the body for action. When a person is under stress, it produces the fight-or-flight response: the heart rate and breathing rate go up, for example, the blood vessels narrow (restricting the flow of blood), and muscles tighten.


The parasympathetic nervous system creates what some call the "rest and digest" response. This system's responses oppose those of the sympathetic nervous system. For example, it causes the heart rate and breathing rate to slow down, the blood vessels to dilate (improving blood flow), and activity to increase in many parts of the digestive tract.


While scientists are studying whether meditation may afford meaningful health benefits, they are also looking at how it may do so. One way some types of meditation might work is by reducing activity in the sympathetic nervous system and increasing activity in the parasympathetic nervous system.

Scientific research is using sophisticated tools to learn more about what goes on in the brain and the rest of the body during meditation, and diseases or conditions for which meditation might be useful. There is still much to learn in these areas. One avenue of research is looking at whether meditation is associated with significant changes in brain function. A number of researchers believe that these changes account for many of meditation's effects.



Side Effects and Risks
Meditation is generally safe. There have been a small number of reports that intensive meditation could cause or worsen symptoms in people who have certain psychiatric problems, but this question has not been fully researched. Individuals who are aware of an underlying psychiatric disorder and want to start meditation should speak with a mental health professional before doing so.

Any person who is interested in using meditation as CAM should consider the following:

Meditation should never delay the time it takes you to see your health care provider about having a medical problem diagnosed or treated, and it should not be used as the only treatment without first consulting your provider.
It is important to discuss any CAM therapies you are considering or using (including meditation) with your provider for a complete treatment plan and your safety.
If you are interested in learning meditation, ask about the training and experience of the instructor (see also NCCAM's publication "Selecting a CAM Practitioner").
Find out whether there have been any research studies published on meditation for the health condition you are interested in (see the resources in "For More Information" below).


NCCAM-Supported Research
Some recent studies supported by NCCAM have been investigating:

The potential effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation technique to prevent and treat heart disease


Mindfulness-based stress reduction to relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and, in a different study, chronic lower back pain


What happens to the brain's activity and structures during Buddhist insight meditation (which includes mindfulness) in a study that uses a brain scan called fMRI


The long-term impact of meditation on basic emotional and cognitive functions and on mechanisms in the brain that are involved in these functions