mastering meditation for health & harmony

meditation is a proven method for 'growing younger and living longer'. the press often highlight (e.g. daily express  Sept. 17th 2013) the beneficial effects of meditation. my last blog  mentioned how most ill health is created from the stress that leads to distress, disharmony and then on to dis-ease. so, wouldn't it be wise to put a little meditation into our lives, a bit of back up to all the other ways we try to relieve the twists and turns of modern living? i know what you're thinking..."i don't have the time/patience/inclination...to sit around doing nothing" and that's fair comment. but what if you could meditate anytime, anywhere, without having to put precious time and beliefs on hold? that's what the rest of this blog is about. 

i have been privileged to have been taught meditation by many masters over the past 30 years, and there are two key meditation techniques that they all use, and that can be practiced anytime, anywhere! 

'place the tip of the tonge to the roof of the mouth' 

this is the most simple meditation technique there is, and paradoxically, the most profound! why, because it shuts up the internal dialogue (to an extent!) that prevents a peaceful mind.

this is how it goes: stick your tongue straight out of your mouth so that the tip is pointed...then retract your tongue back into your mouth, placing the pointed tip as far back as possible 

to the roof of the mouth...close the mouth and focus on the sensation at the tip of the tongue...

continue to keep the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth...what do you notice?..

can you keep the tip of the tongue gently touching the roof of the mouth or does pressure build up 

against the roof of the mouth?..does the tongue become rigid, even 'poker' rigid?..

does the root of the tongue become sore or tired?..in other words, maintain awareness 

of the meditation practice by observing the sensation of the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth...

the tongue is a muscle, so use the thoughtform "soften, relax, release tension" whilst in this practice. 

how simple is that?

so, if that is the practice, what is going on and why do it?

well, the master acupuncturist knows that every sensory organ is connected to a specific visceral organ. 

in the case of the tongue, the connection is to the heart (the nose/lung; the eyes/liver; the ears/kidneys; the skin/spleen). 

each of the visceral organs are connected to a specific energy. in the case of the heart it is the fire elemental energy. 

by touching the tip of the tongue, and by correspondence the tip of the shen/spirit, upwards towards the seat of consciousness, 

a bridge is established between the lower consciousness and the higher consciousness, between the mental plane and the spiritual plane. 

meditation is about going beyond the mental universe and meeting up with the conscious universe. 

going beyond the mind (which is where all our issues lay), going beyond the pursuit of happiness to a state of bliss.

touching the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth creates another bridge, an energy bridge in the main orbit of energy 

that fuels all the living processes in us. this energy orbit is known as the 'microcosmic orbit'

                                    

the master acupuncturist recognises this orbit as being composed of the two main energy meridians of a person - 

the Ren Mai (Sea of Yin) and the Du Mai (Sea of Yang). improving the smooth flow of energy between these polarised 

energy meridians results in a healthier, harmonised organism. bridging the gap in the energy orbit by placing the tip of the tongue 

to the roof of the mouth is probably the easiest and most efficient act that anyone could do in order to increase their health and happiness! 

it doesn't take much practice of this key meditation technique to find that the mouth begins to fill with a sweet fluid. 

we call this saliva, the yogis call it the sweet nectar of the soul, and master acupuncturists call this a 'pure fluid' (as opposed to the 'impure fluids' of the body such as urine). 

so, this is a good sign, a sign that the practice is going well.

the other automatic change that becomes very noticeable after a little practice is the rhythm of the breath...

it begins to slow down, becomes long and deep, and after reaching just 8  breaths per minute, this slowing in internal resonance has an effect on the glandular system, most noticeably stimulating  pituitary gland secretion...after reaching just 4 breaths per minute pineal glandular function is affected.  

this leads us nicely on to the second key meditation technique ...

'the breath itself!'

there are many schools of meditation, and when it comes to breathing there are a multitude 

of different breathing techniques that are recommended. but they are all unanimous in one respect...

they all emphasis how important it is to become aware of breathing!

breathing is something that is 'not of the mind' (we breathe when we are unconcious etc). 

like the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth, it acts as a bridge; 

between the material and energy dimensions, between the lower self and the higher self, between the mind and the spirit.

if all stress is 'of the mind' and is the major player in causing ill health, then being able to retreat from stress (mind) 

and enter a state of calm (no mind) can only be good for our health & happiness

here's how the breath goes:

with the tip of the tongue at the roof of the mouth (of course!), place a hand just below the navel, breathe in through the nose and feel the belly expand...as you breath out you naturally feel the belly contract beneath your hand...after a while you can take the hand away and focus on this 'belly breathing'...next, slow your breathing in so that the first part of the in breath expands the belly, the second pary expands the sides of the ribs and the final part of breathing in raises the chest...breathe out through the nose in exactly the same order 
e.g. relaxing the belly, then ribs, then chest. that's full yogic breathing! now, all that is needed is the awareness of that microcosmic orbit...so with the tongue acting as a bridge, allow the breath to circulate your awareness around the orbit thus: from the belly moving down to the perineum and then up the spine to the top of the head as you breathe in, only to fall down the spine and back to the belly as you breathe out.

how simple is that?

so, if that is the practice, what is going on and why do it?

well, the master acupuncturist knows that alchemy is the mother of physics and the father of chemistry, and that the quality and quantity of energy circulating in the  microcosmic orbit  affects the healthy functioning of the organs and glands. the twists and turns of life are reflected in the misalignments and blocks that occur along the microcosmic orbit. these resistances create tension where there was calm; affecting the mind/body/spirit/soul being. giving the microcosmic orbit a workout is like any other exercise regime. the more you practice the more you benefit!

putting these two simple but key meditation techniques together and practicing on a daily basis brings about 
immediate rewards in terms of healthy living. and these techniques can be practiced without the need for any 
ritual or even setting aside any precious time.  they can be done anytime, anywhere...and no one else need know or notice what you are doing...this is meditation in action!