Meditating with Tinnitus... x

The difficulty of achieving a meditational state with tinnitus.

For many people with tinnitus, attempting to meditate is so difficult that they fail before they even get started.
‘Our inner noise disturbs us, and puts us beyond success.’
We are probably suffering, angry and hateful.

The meditative state requires slow gentle breathing, but attempting to control our breathing speed to slow it down is counterproductive, as it makes us even more tense.

I have meditated for years, and could always ‘put myself out’ in half a minute; but when tinnitus struck me severely I had to find a new method to get past the noise, and to ‘put myself out.’

I adopted an unorthodox practice,
but it truly works for me.
Very simply then:

Soften the tummy.
Loosen the diaphragm.
Encourage your diaphragm to start panting for a few seconds (say 20.)
(Exactly the way taught in anti-natal classes.)
When your oxygen level is full your breathing will automatically slow right down.
You will barely be breathing at all - just changing the air in your mouth.

With each slow out breath think the word ‘deep.’
With each in-breath think the word ‘er.’
‘Deep-er....deep-er....deep-er....deep-er’....
Drift off into a meditational doze.

With ‘no thought’ meditation there is no need to hold an image, or return to the breath, quite simply
‘enjoy the peace.’

Throughout the day - think

‘my peace runs deeper.’