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| Frequently Asked Questions A: Primordial Sound Meditation is a technique that allows us to take our awareness from the active level of the mind to quieter levels of the thinking process until eventually we slip beyond thought altogether to a level of pure silence, pure awareness. When we come out of meditation, we bring some of that silence— some of that awareness— into our everyday lives.
A: We meditate to enjoy our lives more fully. We meditate to enrich and to enhance our lives. We meditate for better emotional and physical health and to enhance creativity.
A: The Primordial Sound Meditation technique is based on the ancient Vedic traditions from India. However, this knowledge was recently revived and updated by Drs. Deepak Chopra and David Simon so that it could be easily and effectively practiced in the world today. If you were to look through the ancient texts, you would not find any reference to a technique such as Primordial Sound Meditation because this was a name that was recently given to this process by Drs. Deepak Chopra and David Simon, who felt this was the most appropriate explanation for what the technique was. However, the actual technique and the mantras used in the technique go back many thousands of years and have been tried and tested over thousands of years for their effectiveness and for the benefits that they can bring to mankind.
A: No. It is a spiritual practice because it takes our awareness to the level of our spirit, which is the same spirit that connects everything in creation, but it is not a religious practice. In fact, many people of many different religions now practice Primordial Sound Meditation without any conflict with their religious practices. Primordial Sound Meditation helps us to enrich our lives, to live our lives to the fullest extent. It enables us to enjoy whatever it is we do in our lives more fully and happily— whether that is playing sports or our relationships or our religion. We can learn to enjoy and participate in all our activities more fully by the results we gain from Primordial Sound Meditation.
A: Primordial Sound Meditation and TM and other mantra meditations have a very similar goal: to take our awareness to a very quiet level where we eventually slip beyond thought into pure silence--pure awareness. The mantras used in Primordial Sound Meditation and the method by which we select them are different from any other form of meditation, including TM. Also, the method of instruction of Primordial Sound Meditation is different from the instruction in Transcendental Meditation.
A: The word mantra means vehicle or instrument of the mind. Mantras are sounds, which take our awareness to quieter, more subtle levels. Any sound has an effect on our physiology. Mantras have soothing, nourishing effects on our physiology and also have the tendency to take our awareness within rather than having our awareness projected outwards. Mantras are a vehicle to help us on our journey of self-discovery during meditation.
A: In Primordial Sound Meditation, we choose from approximately 100 different mantras or different sounds.
A: The mantras were originally cognized some 5,000 or 6,000 years ago by the ancient Vedic seers and scholars in India.
A: Your mantra is chosen based on the sound or vibration of the Universe at the time of your birth. This is why we ask you where and when you were born, so that we can identify the particular vibration or frequency of the Universe at that time. This sound or vibration was the sound that was there when you were coming through the gap from the unmanifest into manifest creation. By incorporating that sound as part of your mantra, when you use this sound during your meditation, it has the effect of drawing your awareness back to the level of the gap, back to that unmanifest level.
A: Yes. The more precise you are with the time and location of your birth, then the more specific and precise we can be when choosing your mantra. But if you are not sure when you were born or if you have no idea when you were born, we will still be able to choose an effective mantra for you.
A: We recommend that you meditate twice a day--once in the morning and once in the late afternoon or early evening--for about 30 minutes each time.
A: Then meditate for as much time as you have available. Thirty minutes is really the recommended amount of time to give you the fastest growth of benefits, but it is better to meditate for a shorter amount of time— 10, 15, 20 minutes—than not to meditate at all. Regularity of the meditation experience is what is really important. Even though meditating less than 30 minutes will give you some benefits, 30 minutes twice a day will actually give you the maximum benefits.
A: From the first time you start to meditate, the benefits will start to grow. If you continue to meditate on a regular basis, the benefits will come at whatever speed, at whatever rate is easiest for your body to accumulate them. However, we all start at our own level, so some people progress at one speed and some people progress at another speed. If you ask how long it will take to get to the top of the New York Empire State Building, it depends on what floor you get onto the elevator. Some people get on the 10th floor and some people get on the 25th floor. So it is with meditation. We all evolve and grow at the rate, which is most comfortable and appropriate. Sometimes we notice the benefits immediately. Sometimes it is weeks or months before we really notice the changes. Sometimes it is other people who notice the changes in ourselves before we notice them. As long as you are meditating correctly on a regular basis, the benefits accrue. Back to top
A: There has been much documented research on the effects of meditation in general to show that it can have a wide range of benefits in all areas of people’s lives. Blood pressure comes down, stress is alleviated, insomnia, anxiety and a number of psychosomatic disorders disappear and get relieved. Moreover, there is increased brain waves coherence which also improves attention span, creativity, learning ability, and memory retrieval. Also the effects of meditation lasts into our activity and soon our daily activity becomes saturated and influenced by the qualities of the unified field. A recent study combining Primordial Sound Meditation and other simple lifestyle changes showed a significant improvement in the quality of people’s lives.
Q: What is the difference between Primordial Sound Meditation and self-hypnosis or visualization techniques? A: Self-hypnosis and visualization all function at the level of the mind. The mind is actively participating in these particular techniques or processes, whereas, with Primordial Sound Meditation, we allow our awareness to go beyond the mind, to slip beyond thought, to go beyond activity to the level of pure silence, pure awareness.
A: Prayer keeps us at the level of the mind, because our attention is on repeating something or asking for something, whereas Primordial Sound Meditation allows our attention to go beyond this to the level of the soul, the level of the Spirit. It has been said that, when we pray, we talk to God. When we meditate, God talks to us. With prayer, we keep active at the level of the mind. With Primordial Sound Meditation, we go to the level of the Spirit. We have direct contact with who we really are.
A: No. There are no lifestyle changes that are required with Primordial Sound Meditation. The only change or adjustment you will need to make is to allow the time to meditate regularly twice a day. Other than that, any changes in your life will come automatically and spontaneously. Some of the bad habits you have will start to drop off and other better habits will start to come into your life.
A: Not necessarily. Some people find they sleep less with meditation, but for others their sleep patterns do not change at all. Sleep gives us a level of rest to get rid of the fatigue that has accumulated during our day’s activity, whereas meditation goes to a much deeper level. Although both sleep and meditation provide us rest, the levels of rest are different. Therefore, we need regular sleep and regular meditation for a happier, healthier life.
A: This information lets us know a little bit more about you before the instruction takes place. Sometimes the person’s state of health or the medications he or she is taking will have an effect on the experiences during the meditation. It is therefore useful for us to know this information so that we may adjust the instruction in some way if it is necessary for the person’s best and most comfortable experience during instruction.
A: The purpose for this statement is as much for your own benefit as for any other reason. Meditation WILL have many benefits on your life, but it is not a substitute for regular medical attention that you might need. If you have a health problem, mental or physical, then it is important that you also consult the appropriate health care professional and take whatever directions or instructions they have for you.
A: Meditation is a natural process for restoring balance and harmony in the physiology. It helps us to remember and restore wholeness throughout our mind/body system. It helps to re-enliven the body’s own healing mechanisms. Many people have noticed dramatic improvements in their lives and dramatic changes in their health situations. However, meditation should not be looked on as a cure for any particular health problem, and you should not discontinue the advice or medication that you are currently receiving from any health care practitioner.
A: It is only when we know and understand who we really are that we can hope to understand other people. Self-love translates into the ability to love others. Therefore, meditation gives us the tools with which we can start to enjoy fuller, happier, more harmonious, long-lasting relationships.
A: The best technique is the one that works best for you. We are happy to offer Primordial Sound Meditation as a technique that can be easily learned and practiced and has proven to be effective for thousands of people over thousands of years. However, if you are already practicing another technique and feel that you are getting a lot of benefit and enjoying that technique, then we would recommend that you continue with that technique and do not feel that it is necessary for you to change and try something else at this time.
A: For his own personal growth and evolution, Dr. Chopra felt it was time to explore other avenues of health and other avenues of self-development. The programs of Transcendental Meditation and Maharishi Ayurveda are excellent programs, but they have certain limitations. Dr. Chopra felt it was time that he had the freedom to explore other avenues of health and spirituality.
A: Not really. We use the same Vedic mathematics that is used in astrological calculations to calculate the position of the moon at the time of your birth. By knowing when and where you were born, we can calculate the position of the moon at that time. The moon was used as a reference point when the sounds or the vibrations of the Universe were recorded thousands of years ago. The moon does not really play any part in the mantra that is most suitable for you. It was just a reference point the sages used to record those sounds thousands of years ago. So, although we use the same mathematics as Vedic astrology, that is as far as the connection goes.
A: No. To find out your Ayurvedic body type, it would be helpful for you to have a consultation with an Ayurvedic physician. There are tests you can do yourself. Deepak Chopra’s book Perfect Health has a test, which will give you a preliminary view of what your body type is. I will just be instructing you in meditation, giving you your mantra and telling you how to use it for meditation.
A: No. Even though the technique and the mantras were first cognized by Indian sages thousands of years ago, and the technique has been maintained for all those years in India, this does not make it an Indian technique. It is a universal technique. Just the same as the fact that Thomas Edison first discovered electricity does not make electricity American, so meditation does not belong to India anymore than anywhere else.
A: Yes. We are surrounded by Primordial Sounds. Primordial Sounds are the basic, most essential sounds of nature. The wind blowing through the trees, the waves crashing on the beach, the laughter of children are all forms of Primordial Sound. Every tradition in the world has its own Primordial Sounds — Chinese traditions, Japanese traditions. In Western cultures, Gregorian chants are forms of Primordial Sounds. There are Primordial Sounds everywhere in nature. We use these particular Primordial Sounds or mantras because they have the effect of taking our awareness within to the most essential state of our being.
A: Yes. Many times I can accomodate your needs and add another day for a certain session. Please contact me and I am sure we can make it convenient for both of us.
A: Then it would be best if you waited and learned to meditate at a later time when you do have the opportunity to come to all the sessions. It is very important when learning to meditate that we have the experience of meditation and that we have the knowledge and verification of our practice. If you take the time to follow these four simple steps of instruction now, you will have years of benefits ahead of you.
A: Within just a few months of practicing I started noticing many changes in my life. I started to feel increasingly happier and more relaxed in my day to day activities. Every day stress level at work and at home went down significantly. I started to sleep much better. I used to not be able to fall asleep easily especially on Sunday night before going to work next day. Shortly after I started meditating twice a day these sleep problems disappeared. My overall health became better. I started making healthy diet choices almost without my awareness of it. It was so funny when one day after a few months of meditating I realized that I haven't been drinking beer at night after work to calm down. You kind of notice some of these changes long after the fact. I used to argue with my wife quite a bit but now notice that we don’t hardly argue ever. I've been having some discomfort in the heart area prior to this for a few years. I notice now that it's been slowly dissipating. I used to have this pain in chest pretty much every day but now maybe once or twice a week and becoming less. Even my job. I notice that I enjoy my job a lot more, I have much more enthusiasm for every day work. My favorite change is awakening of intuition. I have been increasingly making what Deepak Chopra calls "spontaneously correct choices" no matter how big or small questions/choices arise. I feel some higher guidance at work that leads me through my life. I feel connected to God (or Universe, or Spirit, or field of pure potentiality or however you want to call It). My own life is becoming more and more meaningful every day. I'm happy to live every day and moment of my life!
A: Not at all. Being asleep or being in a trance is usually a state of restful dullness. There is very little awareness there. When we meditate, we are at a heightened state of awareness. The state of meditation is referred to as a state of restful alertness. So, when we are asleep, we are in a state of restful dullness. When we are meditating, we are in a state of restful alertness. The experience is different.
A: No. The technique that he used to refer to as the Primordial Sound technique, and he now calls the Healing Sound technique, are different. That technique was for restoring balance in specific areas of the physiology. The Primordial Sound Meditation program that we are talking about here is a technique for restoring balance throughout the whole physiology rather than just in specific areas. Primordial Sound Meditation, however, forms a basis for all these techniques. These other techniques are advanced techniques, which can perhaps be learned at some later time. But as an entry point into the whole process of evolution and better health, Primordial Sound Meditation is the first step that Dr. Chopra recommends everybody takes. Back to top
A: No. It is possible that you might experience some changes in your mood or emotion when you practice meditation, but, in general, we release these stresses and tensions in a very gradual, natural way, so there is no need to relive pleasant or unpleasant circumstances that happen in your life.
A: Not at all. In fact, when you are meditating, that is the safest place to be, because when we meditate, we get in touch with ourselves. We are spending time getting to know ourselves. It is like coming home, coming home to the safest place where we could ever be.
A: The experience of mantra meditation is pleasant and comfortable, and this allows you to continue to sit quietly for the period of time needed. When practiced regularly twice a day, meditation dissolves stress cumulatively, and with time, you experience less and less stress and nervousness. As a natural result of this lessening of stress, the mind settles down when you’re meditating and you don’t feel the need to get up and move around. The direct experience of stillness and peace takes care of those feelings of restlessness. With continued practice, anxiety plays less and less a role in a person’s life; the individual starts making better decisions about daily activities because he or she is better able to cope with stress. So, with time, one gains the possibility of becoming stress free. This means being motivated by the needs of the situation rather than one’s own stressful response to the situation. Instead of reacting to challenges as a threat, one sees challenges as an opportunity for personal and professional growth. | |
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