Meditation on Brambles

Geometry

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Geometry #

Meditation is the study of the 1st person perspective using the 1st person perspective.

Schematic #

Credit: Human brain imagined by Midjourney.

Present-day theories of physics are impotent with regard to the area between here-and-now and time intervals of around 5×10⁻⁴⁴ s and lengths of around 10⁻³⁵ m (i.e., Planck scale¹). This area is a complete mystery, existing before and outside of space-time. There is no conceivable way to learn about it from the outside. Fortunately, however, this is also the domain of the 1st person perspective. This may seem like a small place to explore, but it doesn’t really have a size. Everybody always partially exists in this realm. You can experience it more vividly by hewing to the here-and-now.

Effortlessness

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A matter of method #

Preamble #

Parts of this essay were published by the PARTS & SELF magazine. You will need to be familiar with IFS terminology.

I believe one use of meditation is to facilitate unblending. I will focus on this use. I will need to be specific about the degree of blending in a given moment. For example, a Self to Parts proportion of 99:1 is almost all Self and no Parts (unblended) whereas a proportion of 1:99 is all Parts and almost no Self (blended). To calibrate our measure, suppose a mentally well person has a 1:1 proportion with roughly equal contributions from Self and Parts. In comparison, during a psychotherapy session, IFS practitioners might sustain a 6:4 or 7:3 proportion of unblending, being somewhat more in Self energy than in Parts.

Breathing

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Extended Exhale 🫁 #

Prelude #

For a long time, I was skeptical that mindful breathing would have any special effect. I mean, we all breathe all the time; it’s the most ordinary thing. What could possibly be special about it?

The Technique #

To calm yourself, exhale for a longer duration than your inhalation.¹²³

Show example

When a dog is lying down and wants to relax then she will often start her rest with two quick breaths followed by a long, slow exhale. 🐕

Withdrawal of the senses

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Withdrawal of the senses #

Patanjali section 2 verse 54: #

स्वविषयासम्प्रयोगे चित्तस्य स्वरूपानुकार इवेन्द्रियाणां प्रत्याहाः

When consciousness interiorizes by uncoupling from external objects, the senses do likewise; this is called withdrawal of the senses.

Example #

For the visual sense, close your eyes or wear a blindfold.¹

For the auditory sense, wear ear protection used by operators of loud machinery.

Foot soaking

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Foot soaking #

Place some warm water in a dishpan¹ with a handful of salt.²

Sit comfortably on a chair, put your feet in the salt water, and meditate for 5-15 minutes.

Helps address Restless Legs Syndrome and improves sleep quality.³⁴⁵

Can combine with withdrawal of the senses. In fact, with lukewarm water, foot soak could be regarded as withdrawing the feet from the touch and texture of being on a surface.

Candle treatment

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Candle treatment #

This technique was pioneered at the Sahaja Yoga Vashi Hospital in Mumbai India. It is a bit too elaborate to easily describe on a web page. A simplified version follows.

Sit cross-legged on the floor. Lift a candle holder with your right hand. Slowly maneuver the candle up and down the left side (emotional side) of your body from the lower abdomen to the shoulder.

The technique actually requires at least three candles:

Cold exposure

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Cold exposure #

I no longer use this technique because cannabiphorol is so effective.

Do foot soaking but with ice-cold water.

Don’t combine this with withdrawal of the senses because you should use all of your attention to relax your feet. Use ample ice because it’s easier to relax when the water is at a lower temperature.¹

Effective for Restless Legs Syndrome.

If your legs still feel restless, try calf raises.

Ice on the liver

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ice on the liver #

I no longer use this technique because cannabiphorol is so effective.

Don’t overdo it. Keep an undershirt between the cold pack and your body.

This is a gel pack; you can use regular ice too. If you have normal anatomy, the liver is on the right side.

Timing #

Do not attempt this treatment on an empty stomach. Immediately before sleeping works well.

Sahasrara

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sahasrara (chakra #7) #

Sahasrara is the point of connection between the universal Self and our personal Self. The founder of Sahaja Yoga Meditation claimed that she, “opened the sahasrara.” Hence, one would expect some technique for meditating on the sahasrara. Here is a mash-up of two such techniques from Sahaja Yoga.¹

Details #

Although the primary location of the sahasrara is above the head, one discovery from Sahaja Yoga is that the chakras are associated with regions on the hands (see figure). This is fortunate since it quickly becomes tiring to keep the right hand lifted above the head. Switch back and forth between the saharsara areas on the head and left hand whenever you feel fatigued.