Desperately seeking Alpha: 'Meditation
Illuminated' by Joy Rains
WASHINGTON, November 3, 2013 – Joy
Rains, author of Meditation Illuminated, defines meditation as “a
discipline of training the mind through the practice of awareness.” She states
that the nature of the mind is to generate content, or stuff, meaning Stories,
Thoughts, Urges, Frustrations, and Feelings.
Most of us react to life and the “stuff” that’s in
it. Meditation is a way to control your stuff by learning to become aware of it.
If you can become directly aware of your stuff, you can respond to it—and to
your daily life—consciously.
Desperately seeking alpha: Beyond the monkey
brain
Think about it: Never in the history of the world
have we humans been more aware that our brains are actually electrochemical
computing devices. But never in the history of the world have so many
individuals been bombarded with so much data.
Outside stimuli produce what are termed high beta
frequencies in the brain. It’s hard to think straight if your brain is buzzing
along at 14–40 cycles per second (cps), which is what’s happening when you’re in
that state. These are your “monkey brain” moments. Trying to get something done,
make a decision, solve a problem, or learn anything? You’d be better off
swinging in trees.
All the things that fall into the general category
of cogitation simply can’t be done in beta. You need to get to alpha (7.5–14
cps), or maybe even theta (4.0–7.5 cps).
What we need is some kind of surge protector. It’s
time to conserve our circuitry by controlling our random reactions to more data
hits than we can handle. We need to stop the craziness of beta and figure out
how to think straight. That’s supposedly a simple activity, but why is it so
hard to sustain? And how do you even get there? Meditation is one
path.
The monkey brain explores
meditation
The profundity of meditation is its
simplicity. Meditation Illuminated reflects that not only in its
content, but also in its design. It’s a beautiful book that feels good in the
hand. It begins with an engaging Preface, continues with a helpful
Introduction, and concludes with an encouraging Epilogue.
Not a word is wasted, yet the writing throughout is
graceful and generous. Even the Appendix and Endnotes, which support the science
of meditation and the author’s assertions, provide solid scholarship without the
heavy burden of ivory tower intellectualism.
The book is divided into five parts. The first part
describes STUFF, while the second presents the essence of meditation and how it
works. The simple language, short sentences, and easy flow of the writing will
calm even the most hurried reader.
Rains’ writing style is deliberate without being
boring, respectful without currying favor, and hypnotic without being
controlling. Each chapter begins with a title supported by an explanatory
subtitle and ends with a brief summary and a preview of the next chapter. These
guideposts provide the reader a sense of place in the narrative, yet are neither
repetitive nor didactic.
Part 3 of the book, entitled “How to Meditate,”
introduces the selection and use of an anchor, or object of awareness, as a
resting place for one’s attention. Rains is careful to point out that we need
not abandon nor ignore thoughts and feelings while meditating. Rather, a
meditator notices and acknowledges emerging thoughts and feelings, then
redirects attention to the chosen anchor.
Thus, the continuous cycling of attention between
stuff and anchor as described in Part 3 can help make meditation far less random
and far more intentionally active than most people think it is.
One banana at a time
Once the reader has learned the basic tools and
activities of meditation, Part 4 introduces the practical application of
meditation to daily life. Part 5, the longest section of the book, introduces
twenty-one approaches to intentional meditation. Beware of the variety in these
choices if you have any inclination toward monkey brain thinking!
After reading this book and gradually learning to
say “yes” to meditation, you will want to try them all. Now. Your best bet is to
back up to the paragraph titled “Busy Mind” in Chapter 13, “Strategies for
Addressing Common ‘Obstacles’ to Meditation,” and reread the final sentence:
“The quality of your awareness is more important than the quantity of your
stuff.”
Be aware that you have just turned all twenty-one
suggestions for different types of meditation into stuff.
Select one, promise yourself the remaining twenty,
and begin.
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Fran Ponick, MA, is certified in P-ESL
(Pronouncing English as a Second Language) and provides training in business
presentations and interpersonal conversation skills for native and non-native
speakers of English. Her company, Leadership English™, offers communications
skills, training and coaching for non-native and native English speakers, as
well as award-winning writing and editorial services for businesses large and
small.
