Brainwave entrainment is a method to stimulate the brain into entering a specific state by using a pulsing sound, light, or electromagnetic field. The pulses elicit the brain’s ‘frequency following’ response, encouraging the brainwaves to align to the frequency of a given beat.
binaural beats isochronic tones | chinese meditation music
Getting into a meditative state is not easy. It is basically clearing your mind. Not many of us are able to think of “nothing” for an extended amount of time. Many people work very hard for a very long time to master it. As you read through this article you will find yourself feeling relaxed, as you learn easy meditation techniques.
1. Use a metronome. Set it at a slow beat. Then sit down, close your eyes, and focus on the space between the beats. This trains your mind to focus on empty space. This activity will put you in the optimum theta brainwave state for meditation.
2. Sit up instead of lying down. When meditating you do not want to put yourself in a position that will help you fall asleep. You want to be in a state of alertness. The best posture is to sit in a chair without leaning back, with your arms on your lap or to your sides, keeping your legs uncrossed.
3. Use guided meditation CDs or mp3s. There is nothing wrong with a little help. Some of these are very good. There are ones that actually emit sounds that can instantly put you in a meditative state.
4. Focus on your breathing. This can be used anytime. While walking, working, playing, etc… If you can master focusing on your breathe you will be in a constant state of meditation. This is an extraordinary way of living.
5. Take up yoga. Yoga is a good moving meditation. The movements can put you totally in the moment, which is actually what core aim meditation is. Plus, it is good exercise and will keep you healthy. There are no drawbacks.
6. Listen to the gaps calming music. When you listen to music, focus on the gaps in sound. When you focus on the space between notes, your mind will clear and get you to where you need to be. There something magical about empty spaces, it is basically the essence of things. Take a cup for example. What makes it valuable? Would it still be a cup if there was no empty space in it?
7. Try to meditate at the same time and place every day. Humans are creatures of habit. When you are able to reach a meditative state easily overtime, your subconscious will be accustomed to achieving it in that particular environment. Thus, it will get easier and easier.
You now know 7 easy meditation techniques. Meditation is a lifelong practice and will give you tremendous benefits. It is my hope that more people around the world will use it every day.
Brainwave entrainment is a method to stimulate the brain into entering a specific state by using a pulsing sound, light, or electromagnetic field. The pulses elicit the brain’s ‘frequency following’ response, encouraging the brainwaves to align to the frequency of a given beat.
This ‘frequency following’ response of brainwave entrainment can be seen in action with those prone to epilepsy. If a strobe flashes at their seizure frequency, the brain will ‘entrain’ to the flashing light, resulting in a seizure.
On the positive side, this same mechanism is commonly used to induce many brainwave states; such as a trance, enhanced focus, relaxation, meditation or sleep induction. The brainwave entrainment effectively pushes the entire brain into a certain state.
Brainwave entrainment works for almost everyone. It is a great way to lead your mind into states that you might usually have difficulty reaching, allowing you to experience what those states feel like.
THE HYPE
There is a lot of marketing hype around brainwave entrainment. It is sold with promises of increasing IQ, promoting weight loss, ‘mind-tripping’, enhancing creativity, concentration, inducing spiritual states and more.
While these claims are not entirely true, they are not altogether false either. In practice, the claims are based on an overly-simplistic view of how the brain and the brainwaves function.
THE RUB
People are very seldom deficient in a certain brainwave type in all areas of their brain. Usually the distribution is much spottier, with an excess in one area and a deficiency in another.
We are all different, especially when it comes to the distribution of our brainwaves. Boosting a certain brainwave state may be beneficial for one person, and emotionally uncomfortable for another. Without knowing each person’s starting position, entrainment can be rather ‘hit and miss’.
If brainwave entrainment leaves you with unwanted side-effects (see below) or discomfort, you’re probably encouraging a range of brainwaves that are already excessive in some area of your brain. The way around this is to get a brain map to see what your brain’s strengths and weaknesses are, and see what (if any) brainwaves could use some encouragement.