Lucid Sleep--A new name for an Altered State of consciousness..

  Lucid Sleep! I have newly coined this term to describe an Altered  State of Consciousness.

There are many different types of Altered States of Consciousness. Most familiar ones are the Wakeful,Dream,and Deep sleep states. Lucid Dream state is a dream state in which one experiences a Dream,while fully conscious that dreamer is Dreaming. The common Dream state is experienced without this consciousness. So Lucid dream is a different Altered State of Consciousness compared to ordinary Dream state.

The question now is, "Does a Lucid Deep Sleep state exist?"

I think the answer is YES. Then what is that?

In Yoga, Samadhi state is also known as the TURIYA--the Fourth--State, indicating it is different from the three familiar states, Wakeful, Dream, and Deep sleep.

What will it be like? In  Bhagavath Geetha Lord Krishna describes it, as experienced by a Yogi who is Awake when the world sleeps.

" Ya nisa sarvabhoothanam thasyam jagarthy samyami " (chapter 2,sloka 69.)

This gives us a clue that the Yogi's fourth state of Altered  Consciousness, is a state in which, the Deep sleep state, (normally in which consciousness that one is in Deep sleep is missing) is experienced with full consciousness that one is experiencing a Deep Sleep State.

 Thus I conclude that the TURYA or the Fourth state is just like Lucid dream state, another Altered State of Consciousness of the Deep Sleep state, in which the ful consciousness  exists, unlike the normal Deep Sleep State.

So, I suggest that we can call this LUCID DEEP SLEEP STATE.

I am not aware of anyone else already coined this word.If so my apologies for my ignorance,and credit for that person.

I hope a new wave of research will be triggered with this observation.

How Breath Control (Pranayama) relieves stress

In Sanskrit, breath control is called Pranayama, the travel of life energy. By controlling the breath,we control the lungs,which controls the heart rhythm, which through the pace maker controls the Brain rhythm.Thus one gets a handle on to the autonomic nervous system,indirectly. The Hata yoga, is aimed at getting superhuman powers through Asanas (body postures) and Pranayama.

The untapped super power within each person is locked up at the base of the spinal chord in a spot called Mooladhara. Normally the nerve pulses along the spine travel up and down through two nerve paths along the spine.Normally we have no control over this system. By employing locks called Moola bandha,and Jalandhara bandha,and employing uddiyana, these nerve pulses are made to travel along a third path in the middle of the spine,where the upward and down ward pulsed collide, producing heat,which opens the gate to release the locked energy,upward along the spine to the brain,where this produces a blocking of the pulses to the cerebral cortex,producing a thoughtless state. These techniques are kept secret,and must be practiced under the supervision of an expert teacher.Health condition is also considered for qualifying entry into this yoga.

The final  thoughtless state reached is same irrespective of the method employed for reaching there.This is the Samadhi state.While remaining in this state breathing is very shallow and minimal to keep life safe,without any activity,so that minimum burning of the metabolism takes place,there by prolong the life span. Youthful body will also be preserved.

Even without going to these extreme end, one can practice Pranayama with good benefits. There are so many varieties of Pranayama given in Hatayoga. The inhalation time,holding time and exhaling time,are different. Safest Pranayama is called Saraswatha. It involves a deep inhalation through left nostril,while the right nostril is kept closed by the right hand thumb,and without holding the breath,exhale through the right nostril(removing the thumb,and closing the left nostril with right hand ring finger).When exhalation is complete,immediately inhale through the right nostril and when complete, close the right nostril with thumb as before and exhale through left nostril(removing the ring finger). This is one pranayama. One can do as many cycles as possible,always feeling comfortable.No discomfort should be felt through out the full cycles.

The next best pranayama is to include holding of the breath after inhaling.
After inhaling as before,when lungs are full close both the nostrils,the left with the ring finger as before and the right with the thumb as before.After holding the
breath for a comfortable time,removing the thumb,exhale through the right nostril.At the end inhale through the right nostril,and close the right nostril with the thumb,while keeping the left nostril closed with ring finger.With both
nostrils closed hold the breath for a comfortable time.Then exhale through the left nostril by lifting the ring finger,while keeping the right nostril closed with the thumb.It is better to count at comfortable speed,mentally,while inhaling 4 counts,and holding for the same speed 16 counts.Then exhale for 8 counts.
Begin inhaling for 4 counts,holding for 16 counts and exhaling for 8 counts.This is one pranayama cycle. Because of the asymmetry in timing,one will feel breathless after some cycles. Stop at once.Gradually one can increase the ratio,to
8-32-16--8-32-16.The maximum is 16-64-32-16-64-32.These asymmetric pattern is rather dangerous to the heart. Therefore this asymmetric pranayama should be done under expert guidance. Safely one can do it with equal duration, 4-4-4 and,
4-4-4.and then 8-8-8 and 8-8-8. If comfortable can try 16-16-16 and 16-16-16. Beyond this is not necessary.

A note of warning: Always stop at the first sign of discomfort. Get a doctor's permission of your he health condition before starting any Pranayama or Hatayoga Asana practice is very necessary to avoid any dangerous health condition possible in these ventures. 

On Meditation

Meditation is a well known word.The dictionary meaning is "contemplation for a long period of time." Thinking about a single subject matter (with the exclusion of any other), is contemplation. It is a mental process.

What is the familiar thing called MIND? Defining the "mind" is very difficult, since it is not an organ in the body. We have to understand it as an awareness, resulting from unknown processes taking place in the body, most probably in the Brain and the nervous system.Therefore, it's attributed conveniently to the Astral body (which is only a convenient classification. Mind, intellect, and ego are grouped together as the Astral body.The causal body is the subconscious or unconscious part of  the mind, where lot of information are coded (in the physical body, stored in the brain).When activated (exact mechanism is not known) the information is felt as thoughts.Nerve firing in the brain is involved.

Roughly we can say that the abstract entity called mind is where we feel the thoughts. This does not enlighten us about the Mind, and is useful only for defining it so that we can proceed further into understanding it.

Thoughts are discrete, so they come to us one by one. Is there a gap in time, in between two thoughts? Yes.  Do we recognize the gap between two thoughts? Not usually. This is because thoughts follow each other rapidly in succession, so the gap between two thoughts is easy to miss.

The secret lies in these gaps. So, what's so great about this gap? During the gaps one is fully conscious of existing and being alive! Without any thoughts the Mind is blank.

Since body awareness is a thought about the body, during a gap, we are not conscious of the body. The Mind is still. This state is ideal because it is the state Tranquility. In Sanskrit it is called Ananda.

When you achieve Ananda, the pair of opposites, happiness-unhappiness, are non existent. This is also known as the Blissful state of existence. How can one achieve this coveted state? First we should somehow stop the nerve firing in the brain, which creates thoughts in the mind through Meditation.

While meditating in the proper way, you shouldn't feel any mental stress or worry. This requires practices as the mind wanders at first. Even while working towards reaching this state, helps reduce mental stress. Not only that, while working through this, you might experiences thoughts surfacing from your subconscious level, which carries new knowledge, flashing across your mind. This is how many scientific discoveries happened. Many great philosophers and religious prophets, have Meditated and acquired new wisdom which they have shared with others. While all these rare achievements of great ones are admired by all, can any ordinary person benefit from Meditation ?

A well established knowledge, from experiences around the world over 4000 years ago that meditation in different forms, helps reduce tension and results in a healthier mind and body.  But many meditation methods are kept secret, and are to be learned from a competent guru. These religious teachers practiced different types of meditations that they imparted to dedicated disciples over several years, and they were not suitable for everyone.

There is a wide choice in Meditation methods, and can be found in most religious practices. Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Tibet Buddhism ,Chinese Buddhism, Zen Buddhism,and their mystic variation, mystic Christianity, Jewish Kabala system, Islam Sufism,Tibet Tantric system, Hindu Tantric system, Sankhya system, etc. all have their own complex methods of meditation, tailored for the serious practitioner of the specific religion. To follow this path the guidance of a master is very essential.

We are here to examine non specialist Meditation methods which does not require a master for guidance:

Choice of place for meditation

The place for meditation should be easily accessible every day. It should be a safe place, so that mind will not wander about looking for any dangers. Well ventilated,quiet comfortable,and where no disturbance can take place.

Posture

Comfortable posture,sitting or lying down on the back,with arms close to the body,comfortably placed is chosen. The reason is, if uncomfortable,then the mind will get thoughts about the discomforts and deep meditation will not be reached.

Eyes position

It is essential to keep the eye lids closed because large regions of the brain are reserved for processing optical signals. By closing your eyes the brain gets rest.

1. When your eyes are closed, the eye balls roll upwards to focus on the mid-eye brows, or alternately the tip of the nose. No pain should be felt, also no strain on the eye muscles should be felt. If you prefer to keep your eyes open, then place a small light at eye brow level at one foot or two feet away,and keep looking at the light. Alternately, a picture can be placed at eye level and gazed at. mind should be fixed on the thought of this object. A hypnotic state will evolve, over a time. Thus whether eye is closed or open, mind is made to focus ,and fixed on a single thought only.
2. Take a few deep breaths,if possible breath through left and right nostrils alternately a few times. 
3. Then imagine any object, a flower, a letter, or a number. Simpler the object is the better. 
4. You can play a single sound in low volume and focus your thought on that sound. 
5. Keep the thought fixed on it,never let another thought enter. If that happens, bring back the first thought back,and hold to it firmly. 

By this practice, your mind will slowly but surely get the ability to focus on a single thought. There are other methods. A line from the scripture of any religion can be mentally chanted,keeping the thought fixed on it.

Whatever be the thought of Meditation Keeping the Mind fixed on a single thought, for long periods of time, the Mind will be tired and, the intensity of the thought will be diminished gradually,till it becomes feeble and disappears.The state remaining is without any thought,that is the thoughtless state.

While remaining in this state for long time, suddenly a thought can arise,as though from deep subconscious level of the Mind. This is Divination or intuitive perception. How it occurs or when it occurs, is not predictable. Divination always reveals true and useful information. However such moments are rare and usually nothing remarkable may happen or one may even doze off. But this does not matter. When you comes out of it, you experience a calm mind and happiness.

By continuing daily practice, gradually mind stops wandering aimlessly. The ability to focus the mind on a single thought becomes easy and this will help in the profession, and in any decision making. Your Mind will remain calm.This will reduce the tension if not remove it completely,with many health benefits.