Trance work, trouble breathing…

[Shawn Cameron]

Ok I have never been great shakes at meditating… the only thing that has ever worked (not that I tried a hole lot of other things once I found the one that worked) has been visualization, but as my imagination seems to have taken a turn for the worst that has become harder and harder. And really the goal at that I had always been working toward was trance work.

I have been trying a highly recommended breathing teckneek called the four part breath, where you breath out for four, hold for four breath in for four, hold for four. But as with all breathing mediations I have tried I tend to find myself concentrating so hard on my breathing that I can’t gleam any kind of knowledge or anything else from the meditation for as soon as my mind wanders it wanders to the body and the room I’m in. but more importantly unless I’m breathing normally I feel as though I run out of breath very quickly and then I think about the ache in my lungs rather then the medative/trance goal.

So two questions. Dose anyone here do any kind of trance work and how do you get into it? Feel free to go into great detail if your comfortable. And dose anyone else regularly have trouble breathing when trying those kinds of meditation?

[Graelwyn]

I used to do trance work, in the sense of trance mediumship/channeling. I got into it by accident really, as someone on a ghost hunt spotted that I was being overshadowed by spirit and realised I had Trance potential. I never did any specific breathing techniques. When in group, a specific CD was put on, usually Sacred Spirit, there was only red light and incense, and we simply focussed on relaxing and asking our guides to come closer.This always worked for me, in the sense my guide came in, but I never went into a full trance where you allow spirit to entirely take over for a time because I hated that sense of going to sleep. You are far better focussing on music, or on simply letting your body relax, than on breathing as any strong focus like that will keep you too aware to go into trance.

[staticonthewire]

Ok I have never been great shakes at meditating… the only thing that has ever worked (not that I tried a hole lot of other things once I found the one that worked) has been visualization, but as my imagination seems to have taken a turn for the worst that has become harder and harder. And really the goal at that I had always been working toward was trance work.

I have been trying a highly recommended breathing teckneek called the four part breath, where you breath out for four, hold for four breath in for four, hold for four. But as with all breathing mediations I have tried I tend to find myself concentrating so hard on my breathing that I can’t gleam any kind of knowledge or anything else from the meditation for as soon as my mind wanders it wanders to the body and the room I’m in. but more importantly unless I’m breathing normally I feel as though I run out of breath very quickly and then I think about the ache in my lungs rather then the medative/trance goal.

So two questions. Dose anyone here do any kind of trance work and how do you get into it? Feel free to go into great detail if your comfortable. And dose anyone else regularly have trouble breathing when trying those kinds of meditation?

I do use a similar breath based induction. I learned it as one part of a larger set of pranayama techniques, though, which made it perhaps easier for me to 'get it'. Plus, I learned it from a teacher, not a book, which really made it easier. You didn't mention whether you'd acquired the technique from a teacher, so I'm not sure what might be happening with you. BUT -

One thing I've noticed with folks who try to learn this from books or info on the web is that they tend to overpower themselves. They over-breathe, try to make each four count last as long as possible, and they try to make their breathing fit a count, when they should be timing their count to their breathing instead.

Also I've noticed that on the hold, a lot of book students tend to actually lock their breath down with their throat muscles, the way kids do during hold-your-breath contests, when what you want to do is leave the throat completely relaxed and hold the breath in with your diaphragm.

When you first sit down to induce trance or start meditation you should allow yourself five minutes or so to just get yourself calmed down before you start with the count. Remember that throughout the meditation your metabolism will be shifting up and down so you will want to change your rhythm at times and there's nothing wrong with that.

In terms of the wandering attention - well, that's going to happen. You can't force yourself onto a no-state, it's a contradiction in terms that will have you pretzeling up your mind if you keep going at it that way. You do not successfully kick in the doors of heaven. You sit, and you wait. When your attention wanders, calmly and without chastising yourself, bring it back and start again. Then again.

And then again.

As with anything, over time things become automatic. When you're first learning guitar you have to look at your fingers, but after awhile, things happen simply because you will them to happen. The same is true with the counting in this pranayam. If you keep up your practice, you'll find the breathing patterns will become an unconscious part of your trance work, and you'll be freed into the good stuff.

This is like practicing anything else - yoga, or guitar, or the moves in a video game. It's just practice. Give it a few weeks, and stick to your practice, and you'll find things start to happen.

I am not going to pretend that I can give you everything you need online because I can't. You should get this stuff from a good teacher. If you just picked up some breathing techniques online and you're doing it yourself, you will not progress as quickly as you could with just one or two lessons with any competent teacher. Many yoga centers offer the basics of pranayama and you could take two lessons, twenty bucks, and you'll be good for the first year or so of practice.

A final couple of notes:

First, this stuff is really powerful, it's worth the effort.

Second, this stuff is really powerful. Watch your ass.

What you're doing now is fine. Even without a guide, you can teach yourself at this level and there's little chance of injury. But some of the more advanced pranayama techniques can actually be dangerous if you're not learning from someone who's been there, and knows what to teach you. Breathing techniques that rely on concentrating chi, or that involve willfully driving chi through chakras, can be abused. Remember that pranayama is about breathing, and when you're manipulating your breath, you're really manipulating oxygen flows, particularly to your brain. You can burn yourself up, and then down. You can starve yourself, as bad as sniffing glue.

So if you go any further, don't mess around. Please do it with a teacher...

[Shawn Cameron]

Thank you for the advice, and I assure you I’m not messing around. I’m well aware of the dangerous implications amongst other things. But sadly a teacher is not an option, I’m leaving at the end of the month to move to a training center in California where I will be living in barracks and have very strict schedules. And I know what you mean by forcing it, I made that mistake in the beginning but I don’t really count, I just try to make each step even if that makes sense… I think they might be more like two and a half seconds each but like I said I don’t count, and I hold the air in my diaphragm from singing training and that is why it aches after so long, its not my throat but the lungs and diaphragm that feels like I’m depriving them of air for two long, though that might be do to my naturally shallow breathing.

But again thank you, I will take all advice so far to heart. Though I find it odd, and maybe this is another question, that I have been and can manipulate chi threw martial arts and basic minor reiki for some time now, I open my charkas balance them and such with relative (after much practice) ease and yet, maybe its just lately, I have a hard time meditating ON anything, and especially going into any kind of trance… but I ramble, again thank you.

[Shanti]

My 2 cents and my opinion based on my own work.
To meditate that deeply requires a extremely relaxed body experience.
In a sense the body needs to sleep so to speak so the mind can awaken.

Have you tried just relaxed breathing but counting each breath, 1 in, 2 out, 3 in, 4 out, etc.
You start over when you get to 10.
Usually what happens is you manage a very relaxed body state, then eventually your not counting anymore because you do go into a nice deep meditation and the mind opens up.
If at anytime you brain starts wondering, as soon as you catch it, just start the counting again. With time and practice, your brain will stop doing the drifting off to mundane stuff and stay with the breaths till the body is gone and the mind opens.

You should sit straight up and not lean on anything so the body should be well centered on itself....you don't want to actually fall asleep!;)

What you describe in your exercise sounds like it causing more physical stress than relaxation. If your distracted with the body, how is the mind even going to open?

[aluokaloo]

actually just deep breathing works best.

[Lunacie]

My 2 cents and my opinion based on my own work.
To meditate that deeply requires a extremely relaxed body experience.
In a sense the body needs to sleep so to speak so the mind can awaken.

Have you tried just relaxed breathing but counting each breath, 1 in, 2 out, 3 in, 4 out, etc.
You start over when you get to 10.
Usually what happens is you manage a very relaxed body state, then eventually your not counting anymore because you do go into a nice deep meditation and the mind opens up.
If at anytime you brain starts wondering, as soon as you catch it, just start the counting again. With time and practice, your brain will stop doing the drifting off to mundane stuff and stay with the breaths till the body is gone and the mind opens.

You should sit straight up and not lean on anything so the body should be well centered on itself....you don't want to actually fall asleep!;)

What you describe in your exercise sounds like it causing more physical stress than relaxation. If your distracted with the body, how is the mind even going to open?

This is the only technique that has worked for me in terms of sitting meditation. Active or walking meditation is more natural for me.