Monthly Archives: March 2010

Zen meditation changes brain, lowers pain threshold

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Here’s a blurb I read in a newsletter from the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe:

Zen and Pain

The world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.
—Helen Keller

Zen meditation helps lower sensitivity to pain by thickening a part of the brain that regulates emotion and painful sensations, according to a study published recently.

University of Montreal researchers compared the grey matter thickness of 17 Zen meditators and 18 non-meditators and found evidence that practising the centuries-old discipline can reinforce a central part of the brain called the anterior cingulate. “Through training, Zen meditators appear to thicken certain areas of their cortex and this appears to underlie their lower sensitivity to pain,” lead author Joshua Grant said in a statement.

Building on an earlier study, the researchers measured thermal pain sensitivity by applying a heated plate to the calf of participants. This was followed by scanning the brains of subjects with structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The MRI results showed central brain regions that regulate emotion and pain were significantly thicker in meditators compared to non-meditators. “The often painful posture associated with Zen meditation may lead to thicker cortex and lower pain sensitivity,” Grant opined.

The study was published in a special issue of the American Psychological Association journal, Emotion.

In the previous study, the researchers recruited Zen meditators with more than 1,000 hours of practice and non-meditators and measured their respective tolerance to pain.

Several of the meditators tolerated a maximum 53°C produced by a heating plate. They appeared to further reduce their pain partly through slower breathing: 12 breaths per minute versus an average of 15 breaths for non-meditators.

“Slower breathing certainly coincided with reduced pain and may influence pain by keeping the body in a relaxed state,” Grant said in the earlier study.

Ultimately, Zen meditators experience an 18% reduction in pain sensitivity, according to the original study.

Balancing attention during meditation

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Here’s a quote from Chogyam Trungpa that I find extremely helpful in knowing how to “hold” your attention and expectations during meditation. If you are new, you might try doing these one at a time, and then find a way to give them equal balance at the same time.

In the practice of meditation, concentrating too heavily on the technique brings all kinds of mental activities, frustrations, and sexual and aggressive fantasies. So you keep just on the verge of your technique, with 25 percent of your attention. Another 25 percent is relaxing, a further 25 percent relates to making friends with oneself, and the last 25 percent connects with expectation — your mind is open to the possibility of something happening during this practice session.These four aspects of mindfulness have been referred to as the four wheels of a chariot.The ideal number of wheels we should have on our chariot is four, the four techniques of meditation: concentration, openness, awareness, and expectation. That leaves a lot of room for play. That is the approach in the buddhadharma, the Buddhist teachings. A lot of people in the lineage have practiced that way and have actually achieved a perfect state of enlightenment in one lifetime.

Like Panhala, which sends a poem each day, Ocean of Dharma sends a Trungpa quote most days. Check it out at oceanofdharma.com.

Second breakthrough

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My second big breakthrough in this year of meditating for 30 minutes each day has evolved over the past few days, and I am still integrating it. I can’t say exactly what it’s about yet because it’s a process that must unfold over time, and I don’t want to blindside anyone who’s significantly involved.

This deserves my care and attention, and that means keeping it close until I am clear how to proceed with [what I think are] everyone’s best interests in mind, as best I can.

So, I’m sorry, dear readers, that I can’t say more right now. I am looking forward to the time (hopefully in the next couple of months) when I can just blurt it out and let the world know!

This breakthrough is different from the first breakthrough, which was a shift in my point of view. This one  involves actually making some big changes in interacting with the world.

Change within followed by change without.

I feel excited! I feel a little intimidated but not scared. There are a lot of details to be worked out. Say a prayer and send loving energy if you feel so inclined.

~~~

Speaking of readers, as of today there have been 607 hits on this blog. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!

I haven’t gotten any feedback on my decision to slow down on posting. If you want to share your opinion, give feedback, ask questions, make comments, it’s pretty easy to leave a comment. I believe you can even be anonymous. I read them all, delete the ones that are obviously spam, and approve the others for posting. Pretty simple.

I’d love to hear from you, even just a hello.

People problems popping up

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Had a difficult time sleeping last night because of problems at work. Wanted to go back to sleep this morning, but my feet got me out of bed and walked me to the zafu. I needed that.

In the middle of my third month of daily meditation, people problems are popping up.

The first was about working with a health care practitioner with whom I did not have rapport. After a couple of days and some wonderfully wise words from my friend Katie (“That’s not how I experience you, Mary Ann”), I decided not to work with that practitioner. She’s probably talented and certainly well-meaning. I know what it’s like to work with health care practitioners that I trust, and I’m glad I know the difference.

Now some problems with a colleague have come to a point where I feel like I need to speak to our boss. Depending on my boss’ handling of the situation, I could decide to leave my job.

Recently I ran across this quote from Chogyam Trungpa:

Without problems, we cannot tread on the path. We should feel grateful that we are in the samsaric world, the confused world, so that we can tread the path, that we are not sterile, completely cleaned out, that the world has not been taken over by some computerized system. There’s still room for rawness and ruggedness and roughness all over the place. Good luck!

So…I will remain centered, clear about my values, compassionate to others, and ready to rock and roll with whatever comes up.

Conflict, struggle, resolution

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Squeezed in a sitting between work and a meetup tonight. I had had a difficult interaction with a colleague earlier and was in a perturbed state.

I don’t think I ever completed my body scan. My thoughts and feelings were very attracted to this incident and what it means.

Yet I could just notice that I was unusually distracted, with a lot of emotion centering around this incident, and be with those thoughts of being misunderstood, being wronged, and imaginging having a confrontation about it or just leaving my job. Noticing how much my ego wants to be on top and have everything my/its way.

Feeling compassion for my small self.

There were a few moments of being able to clear these thoughts and feelings and just be. In contrast to the agitation, those moments were precious.

I enjoyed later hearing from a friend who told me she really enjoys reading my blog because it’s been instructive for when/if she ever decides to start a daily practice. Thank you, Victoria!

Now, many hours later, I feel better, more capable of dealing with it well, of finding a positive solution, of asking the right questions.

New sensations, wondering about readers

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I’ve noticed for a couple of weeks intermittent new and pleasurable sensations running from my sacrum down the outside of my left leg. Then I felt them on my right leg.

Thoughts: Hallelujah! The chiropractic work is really working. The S2 nerve is coming back, and my GB meridian is finally opening up. Patrice will be so happy!

Generally what I’ve been noticing is feeling more sensations on the left side of my body. I feel more tingly and alive.

I also realized recently that I’ve been habitually walking with my torso slightly bent forward from the hips. That’s to avoid pain in my SI joint, which is almost gone! I’m learning to rebalance my torso on my hips.

Last night I spoke to someone who occasionally reads my blog posts on Facebook. (Hi, Dale!)  It’s gratifying to hear from readers — in person, on Facebook, on this blog. I appreciate your interest and spoken and unspoken support. I know you’re out there, those who don’t respond. That’s fine.

Sometimes this blogging is lonely. I basically am an explorer reporting back on my explorations, a journalist of sitting meditation. Although millions around the world engage in this practice, no one has been here before, because it’s my journey, my guesthouse.

I wonder if people who read this blog have been surprised by the number of issues I have with my body — with pain, recovery, frustration, ignorance, stability, confidence, and so on.

These issues for me are part and parcel of learning how to sit for 30 minutes. Sounds simple enough, huh? Yet I have been told the physical issues never go away.

So it’s about developing skill. For that, I have to pay attention. And maybe, just maybe, that’s the point.

Moving into the unknown

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It’s been a few days since I posted. I’ve been enjoying this a little break from the near-daily blogging. I usually like writing, but the sitting practice, the job, the sangha, the family and friends, the garden, shopping, eating, sleeping, relaxing, and other activities I do all take time.

I was doing too much. I have been feeling tired. I perceived something going on that I didn’t have words for.

These few days of silence have helped me realize that I’m undergoing a shift. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is happening. Not yet. Sometimes it’s good to just be silent and let it be. Let it unfold.

Something, some thought, some realization, is moving toward awareness. I sense it. I feel it. I know it in my bones. I know it means change. I feel myself surrendering, preparing for it, not knowing what it is.

What is truly important? Job? House? No.

Truth is important.

I am being shaped by this practice. I am letting go of plans. I am letting go of who I thought I was, of what seemed to give me security.

This was a scary place to me, but now I see it’s inevitable, and all I can do is surrender and allow it to unfold and appreciate the process.

Trying to find words for it. It seems to be some kind of reclaiming of myself, or claiming myself, or releasing myself, freeing myself. Moving into the unknown.

Slowing down, freaking out

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I have several topics to address. First, I am feeling behind in this busy life — with taxes, gardening, housework, projects, plans — and also spring has sprung in Austin, Texas, USA. I desire to be outdoors enjoying it when I can, because it doesn’t last very long.

So I am not going to be blogging as often for a while.

Sitting daily for 3o minutes is still a very high priority. I will probably blog at least twice a week, maybe more if so moved, but not daily like I was doing for awhile.

Peg says that the practice of meditation tends to follow a pattern of breakthrough followed by a plateau as you integrate. I imagine you all probably like to read more about the breakthroughs and aren’t all that interested in the integration part. I’m the same way.

After awhile, integrating a breakthrough becomes harder to write about. You know it is still affecting your body-mind system. You sense that it’s still happening but at a subtler level, more sporadic. I figure it’s getting down into synapses and cells and molecules and atoms. Not much to say there.

~~~

Today I saw a new health care practitioner who works with energy. My internal jury is still out, giving a technique that’s brand new to me a fair chance, so I’m not going to say too much about it yet.

She shared some information with me that was alarming. About my energy. It seems possible that it could be true. Yet something about her communication with me rubbed me the wrong way, and I haven’t been able to put my finger on it until I began having this imaginary one-sided conversation (internal rant) that lets me know one of my buttons has been pushed:

You may think  you know all about my energy system, more than I do, and perhaps you’re right. But you don’t know me. I am not broken. I’ve made 57 circles around the sun so far, and that’s a lot of life.

If your words imply that I’m broken or that only you can fix me, I’m not sure I want to work with you. I don’t like being in that position. I’ve been getting along without you all these years. I allow you to help me. Respect that.

I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt because you’re young, someone I respect recommended you, it is possible that what you say is at least partly true, and I am curious whether what you do is effective.

Just please, don’t be a drama queen, okay? You freaking out makes me feel like a freak, and you know what? I don’t need it.

I go back in two weeks. If there’s anything more to write about this, I will!

Article: autonomous sitting

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This article focuses on the physiology of sitting. It mentions challenges for meditators with steps to strengthen sitting ability.

http://www.zafu.net/whatswrong.html

I began sitting on an exercise ball at my office job about 5 years ago. I felt tired at the end of the workday because of the extra effort of holding my torso upright without support. That lasted for a week. I don’t notice it at all now.

Using an exercise ball for a chair ($13 at Target), I move more frequently. I found a stable position that works well too: I sit with my tailbone at top center, knees wide, heels tucked into the ball — so my hips are higher than my knees.

I add air once or twice a year to keep it firm.

What is this noise, a cross between a whisper and a hum?

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My zazen this morning started with a body scan that progressed well with minimal wandering of attention.

Then generally a diffuse, moving attention to my whole body.

And then my attention was drawn to that sound I hear when I meditate and at other times when I focus on it. It seems to be constantly present but something that I usually filter out.

Do others hear this? Does anyone know what this is?

I noticed that it sounds like a cross between a whisper and a hum.

I noticed that it is not a single pure tone. It is a variety of tones in the way that a piece of yarn consists of a variety of fibers twisted together.

At times I noticed energetic pressure — at the entrance to my ear canals, at the point between my eyebrows, and between my brain hemispheres.

I brought it to the foreground of my attention, in essence turning up the volume.

I let the sound fill me, permeating my body, immersing myself in a bath of sound.

Toward the end of my session (not knowing how close I was to the end of the 30 minutes), I felt some pain at the back of my hips. I brought that pain to the foreground of attention, inquiring about it, being with it, finding its center, outlining the area, noticing it shifting.

That’s it for today, folks. Thank you for reading.