--- In [email protected], Peter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Amen to that, brother. I actually transecend while > doing the middle rhythm of SK. Its very funny because > the mind loses all content other than the foundational > intent it had right before it transcended/stopped and > when it becomes active again it has no idea why the > body is huffing and puffing for a few moments before > memory kicks in. SK is really quite amazing. A yogic > cognition by SSRS. >
Completely different than TM's transcendental consciousness. BTW, it's obvious that the researchers on SRS techniques are well-aware that what they teach, either meditation or breathing, doesn't induce TM-like results. Otherwise, they wouldn't comment that "had researchers used a idifferent analysis they might have found something just like we did." Putting words in other researchers' mouths while acknowledging that you are doing so is the ultimate desperate attempt to reconcile unexpected findings. They also apparently revel in the idea that "bliss" is based on normal happiness mechanisms rather than a sign of an entirely different mechanism (bliss isn't blissful, except to SRS and other normal yogic meditation researchers): http://www.artoflivingresearch.org/pdf/A%20theoretical%20appraisal%20of%20yogic% 20breath.Richard%20Brown.pdf Travis and colleagues presented data showing that 11 experienced TM practitioners showed greater theta/alpha power during stages three and four sleep compared to nine short-term practitioners and 11 non-practitioners. They also had increased rapid eye movement density during REM periods.40 The subjective experience of "transcending" during meditation was marked by low breath frequency, higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia amplitudes, higher EEG alpha amplitude, and alpha coherence.41 A somewhat different analysis of the data might have also shown increased theta activity in certain circuits as was found by Aftanas and Golocheikine in 16 long-term and 1 short-term meditators using the Sahaja yoga meditation.42 Their study, using more complex spectral analysis of the EEG showed that blissful states during meditation correlated with left anterior frontal theta coherence in experienced meditators as well as coherence between anterior mid-line frontal areas (like the sensory motor cortex) and posterior association areas. These theta waves were different from the theta waves observed during normal sleep. Travis and Wallace proposed a two-phase model of TM, which is adequate to explain both findings.43 They suggested that the first phase of meditation involves shutting down orbital and basal frontal cortex activity, leading to a quieting of mind and body. The second phase maintains the quieter levels of function while the emergence of thalamocortical generators results in enhanced attention in a state of consciousness not associated with processing specific perceptual and cognitive content. In what they called their attention/intention model, alpha synchrony (I would also say theta coherence during bliss or transcendence) indicates a state of intention of the mind toward itself (the mind turning its attention to itself). Travis and Wallace propose that the prefrontal cortex initially activates the nucleus reticularis of the thalamus to inhibit specific and non-specific activity in thalamocortical circuits. To maintain and deepen the meditative state, basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits feed forward to the globus pallidus and then inhibit the mesencephalic reticular formation and the medial dorsal nuclei of the thalamus. This is relevant to the effect of Sudarshan Kriya on enhancing the ease of meditation because hyperventilation shuts off the mesencephalic reticular formation and stimulates thalamocortical circuits, which enhance meditation and wakefulness. transcendent experience can be integrated with waking, dreaming, and sleeping with long experience in meditation.45 Although there have been no direct observations of yoga masters during blissful states of ecstasy, there is one EEG study of 7 famous Chi Kung masters in China that showed an EEG alpha activity predominantly in the anterior cortical areas with the peak frequency being slower than the normal resting state. This was suggested to be a state of increased excitation and is consistent with other findings during yoga meditation and TM.46 Therefore, I would suggest that continued practice in meditation develops the ability to increase activity in the activated bands (alpha, beta, gamma) of the EEG and to increase dopamine stimulation (figure 2) through the mesolimbic reward systems (figure 1), which results in the experience of bliss. The seasoned practitioner can experience joy despite any sensory input and in any state of consciousness. Endocrine Changes with Meditation and Pranayama Endocrine changes have been associated with meditation and Sudarshan Kriya. A study of three months practice of Sudarshan Kriya resulted in significant reduction in cortisol (one measure of stress response system activation in the brain) and correlated significantly with decreased depression scores over a three-week period.47 Another study of 12 highly trained yoga meditators (average 6-1/2 years experience) compared with 11 elite runners showed an increase in CRH (corticotrophin-releasing hormone) but not endorphins after meditation. The 11 elite runners showed the same magnitude CRH release after running as the meditators, but the runners also released a beta-endorphin not found in the meditators.48 The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis is essential in the stress response and survival of mammalian species. It is abnormally overactivated during biological depression and is alternately overactivated and depleted in patients with post- traumatic stress disorder. There is data suggesting that meditation and probably hyperventilation cause release of pituitary hormones (figure1), probably through hypothalamic output mediated through vagal afferents. The 5-fold increase in vasopressin associated with meditation is significant41. There is older evidence that 49
