Meditation posture, focus, etc.

Here are interesting questions on different types of meditation and their effect s, from reader John Morales: What are the differences between a meditation with a distinct aim in mind (i.e. t rying to lose weight) and a meditation which has no distinct aim, just coasting along and observing? Can one practice these two types interchangeably without th e meditator being affected or confused in the process? Do different meditation postures, including the hand postures, have different eff ects on the meditation process? I have been meditating using the seated position with my arms rested on my lap bu t I have noticed that after about five minutes my hands get numb, which bothers me. How can I avoid numbness in my hands? Is numbness in any part of the body a natur al occurrence in meditation, and should I just observe it and try not to be both ered? Or should I find a solution to that? Can I adopt the other hand positions, like resting my hands in an upward position and making my first finger and thum b touch in an O position? Aside from Mr. Morales, I also received several questions about meditation from people I met. Most of them say they have difficulty concentrating on a single to pic. They get easily distracted, etc. So the question of Mr. Morales is quite ti mely. Here are my replies to his query. I distinguish between two types of meditation depending on the objectives. The f irst is what I call passive meditation. Here, the objective may simply be relaxa tion and peace of mind. The other type is what I call active or dynamic meditation. Here the meditator h as a specific objective or purpose in mind like, as you said, losing weight, or solving a problem, or healing one s self or others, or achieving a particular busi ness or personal goal. This is the type of meditation I teach in my inner mind d evelopment seminar or workshop. In active meditation, one begins with passive meditation to reach a very relaxed mental and physical state. This may simply consist of counting downwards or foc using on one s breathing. Once full mental and physical relaxation is achieved, then he/she can begin with the active or dynamic meditation by visualizing achievement of a goal, healing one s self or others, losing weight, getting a new car, etc. Of course, one can practice these two types without any bad effect or confusion. The first is only a part of the other. Different meditation schools have different theories about the value of various postures when meditating. Some practitioners of Indian yoga and other Eastern schools of thought, like Zen and Tibetan systems of meditation, prescribe strict rules regarding postures. T hey believe that certain positions have an effect on the subtle energy circulati ng in one s body; but others do not think so. For example, Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist from Harvard Medical School, did extensive research on various forms of meditation and came up with four basic f actors to bring about the meditative state, which he called the Relaxation Respon se. He wrote a book with the same title, which sold millions of copies in the Uni ted States and abroad, based on his findings.

The four factors are: quiet environment, mental device, passive attitude and com fortable position. A quiet environment is necessary, especially if one is a beginner, to make sure he /she is not distracted. Later, he/she should be able to meditate and achieve a r elaxed state even in noisy surroundings. A mental device is any sound, object or symbol that one focuses his/her mind on so it will not wander. A mantra is an example of a mental device. And so is a word , or sound, symbol or object. A passive attitude means a letting go feeling. It is the most difficult to achieve, according to Dr. Benson, but it determines whether one succeeds in meditation or not. Once a passive attitude is developed, the telephone may ring or someone may call and the person will not respond. If he/she does, a passive attitude has not bee n achieved. The last factor is a comfortable position. Dr. Benson said it was not important to assume a lotus position if one was not used to it. If he/she insisted on doing so, he/she might only get cramps, which would distract him/her from the task. Hi s advice was to assume a position that was most comfortable for the person. Perhaps what I would advice a would-be meditator is to assume a comfortable sitt ing position with spinal column straight but not stiff, and eyes closed. That s al l. Your numbness may be caused by the fact that you may have gone lower than the al pha level of the brain waves. You may already be at the theta state, in which ca se you may indeed feel numb. The theta level is the level of deep trance. You ha ve to monitor this condition carefully. I am assuming you do not have a medical reason for being numb. Have your uric acid checked. Hope the above explanations help you.