TYPES OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Meditation is practiced in religions of India, China and Japan, but you could find a kind of meditation in many different religions throughout the world. In the beginning the purpose of meditation was mostly religious, but when people noticed the benefits it had on health and reducing stress, it also became a non- religious practice. While I have no interest in learning about the supernatural, I have become quite interested in the psychology and health benefit behind religion and spirituality, specifically meditation. Most of my research on the subject has been done through speculation, reading, and practice with various methods. I was fascinated by what a still and concentrated mind can achieve in life so meditation became the answer to what I was seeking. Without religious or faith tradition emphasis,  the practices taught are offered for anyone who wishes to use them to enhance their own health, wellbeing and even all aspect of life overall . With classes springing up everywhere from Hospital, Community centers, holiday retreats, schools and so on, Meditation today has left the monastery and has proven to be versatile with people of all faith and cultures.

 However people respond to meditation differently. Especially in the West, with the speed of urban lifestyles, it seems a little incongruent to sit still all of the sudden. Osho, a very popular Indian master, in his life explored 100’s different types of active meditation. In his view the Western man was different not just culturally but psychologically too. For this reason he suggested that only after sometime a sitting position should be practiced, while instead a beginner should be playful, using the body movement, voice and emotion to facilitate the meditative space. In this way he implicit ally suggested that the western mind was incapable to experience peace. It is not surprising to find that active meditations are today used in psychotherapy and are widespread in rehabilitation centers too. However after Osho, (whose popularity began in the 70’s together with other pop culture eastern teachers) meditation was not longer an Eastern subject but many teachers became popular in the west too, with Vipassana and Transcendental meditation as the most popular traditions.

Vipassana however has a secular tradition, tracing it back to Gautama the Buddha, before Buddhism was a religion.  Buddha was against dogma and religion, according to Vipassana teaching the student has to find their own Dhamma (leading a moral responsible authentic life) and the meditation technique is an aid to uncover this truth that no religious teaching can provide as it comes from deep within. Vipassana is very vigorous and strict, it is taught in a retreat usually over a 10 days minimum in total silence. After the retreat the student is encouraged to practice at home on their own and self monitoring their progress by paying attention to daily life.

Transcendental meditation has been long associated with science and performance. Many are the studies carried out to establish the health benefit of this wildly popular technique. From business people to children this meditation seems to appeal to everyone. Transcendental Meditation is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice, and enriches all areas of life. The Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple, natural, effortless procedure practiced 20 minutes twice a day, sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. It is learned over a weekend and later practiced alone or in groups. For its short duration it suits modern urban life, as it can even be practiced in a crowded train on your way to work.

All of those methods discussed, despite no part of a religion, they are still part of major organizations, although their teaching is not exclusive and it is possible to learn with independent non accredited teachers. Is not the intention of this post to explore the politics of those organizations, but be advised that speculation is always possible if not unavoidable as those organizations exist in the wider context of being ultimately a business, even when their structures and ethic would suggest otherwise.

I conclude by saying that as the popular aspect of meditation grows, so are the methods on offer. Many are cds with guided meditation, visualization, relaxation and meditative therapies. Those do not require necessarily a daily habit to gain benefits, hence their popularity. In this arena many but not all are useless products, that turn out to be merely a new age toy to serve our fast-food lifestyle. On the positive side they allow the person to be creative and explore themselves without subjecting themselves to any group, organization or external form of authority. It all might begin with playing a cd, then create an area or altar in the house to meditate with a certain frequency, to then progress on finding a teacher and eventually after trial and error, commit to a suitable practice. As there are no guidelines and encouragement, procrastination usually is a more common scenario rather than progression to learn a life long habit of meditation. It is also true that only try one or two methods might not be enough to establish if a practice is worth deepening or not. So my suggestion is to practice one day at a time, assessing the benefit over a longer period is more effective way to develop judgment. Talk to other people who have been practicing that style for longer than you is more productive than talking to people practicing a different method, not because of the persuasion aspect but rather seen as a way of relating and recognition of result in daily life. Without the realization of accounting for the benefits in life, meditation remains a sterile practice and a fantasy dream like state, where the invisible world of sensations and emotions has not any grip on reality itself and can be very dangerous to continue on that path