Discover How Meditation Can Reduce Your Stress

"The first person I saw was a hypnotist who sat me down in front of a weird contraption which flashed the word "SLEEP" on to a screen..."

He told me to keep watching the screen but after about 5 minutes I began to wonder what the hell was going on?

He then said In a slow deep voice, "You are now in an hypnotic state and you are unable to stand up."

I thought to myself, "There must be something wrong with his machine because I don't feel any different."

As he continued to drone on in his monotonous voice I said, sheepishly, "...Excuse me...I don't think I'm hypnotised."

"Yes you are," he droned, " Your legs are like lead...your arms are like lead... your head is like..."

I then stood up.

He got so angry. And he accused me of not taking it seriously. "This is a joke," I thought, "He can't even control his own emotions." I then walked out and, needless to say, never went back.

Some time later a friend was going on holiday to Hastings, a seaside town on England's south coast, and asked me if I would like to go. We were both about 18 years old.

It was the first holiday I had been on without my family and I was excited to be going away on an adventure.

"One day, while browsing in the town centre, something caught my eye..."

It was an advertising poster on a wall which had the smiling face of a man with long white hair and a white beard.

“Try Transendental meditation in Hastings,” the poster said. The smiling man, I found out later, was the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

I didn't know much about meditation, and especially not the transcendental kind, but I knew it was supposed to be good for stress relief. But I was intrigued, even the name “transcendental” was mysterious and interesting.

“hey look at that” I said to John “I wonder what it is. Let’s go down there and see what it’s all about”.

“Naaaaaa, I’m not wasting my time going there with a bunch of hippies” said John.

Anyway, I decided to go on my own. When I got there I was greeted warmly and offered something to eat. I ate their food out of politeness but all I was really interested in was the meditation. After a while one of the members called James showed me around.

As we went around I noticed a large room with foam-rubber covering most of the floor. "What's that for?" I asked my host. "Oh that's the flying room," he said.

"The what?" I said

"It's where the advanced members practice their flying. They'll be coming in soon."

Well, this I had to see.

They came in and sat cross-legged on the foam-rubber. And after a while started jumping on their butts up and down the length of the room.

I couldn't believe what i was seeing and said with a laugh, "What are they doing?"

James got a bit upset and said impatiently, "I told you...they're practicing their flying!"

I couldn't help laughing and said, "shouldn't they be flapping their arms then?"

He got most annoyed and said I should leave.

"I also tried Kabbalah before Madonna made it fashionable..."

which was very complicated and, for me, a total waste of time.

Although I had been brought up as a Catholic, I had no interest in organized religion - I couldn't see how listening to a priest drone on and on every Sunday about something which happened thousands of years ago would be any value to me.

How someone begat someone, and he begat someone else may have been interesting to some but I needed practical solutions here and now!

"The TV show Kung Fu with David Carridine..."

was very popular at the time and, even though the character he played was a bit miserable, I loved the way he would come out with the perfect piece of wisdom at the right time, deal with every situation calmly and, if all else failed, kick someones butt halfway accross town!

Like a lot of people, I got really interested in the Oriental martial arts. I tried the Japanese arts of Aikido, Karate and Ju jitsu. Then I studied the Chinese arts of Tai Chi, Ba Gua and Kung Fu. I read about Buddhism and Taoism and practised different forms of meditation.

I could see the wisdom in these arts but there was always a piece of the puzzle missing - a tiny key which the founders of these arts knew but, for whatever reason never got transmitted down the centuries - untill a series of co-incidences would eventually lead me to that key.

"In 1992 I was learning yet another martial art in London, and my instructor decided to organise a trip to China..."

He wanted at least 10 students to join him so that he could get a good deal on flights and accomodation and he pinned a notice on the wall. If anyone wanted to go, they were to put their names at the bottom.

I signed-up immediately - the chance to go to China, the birth-place of the martial arts was too good to miss. Unfortunately, only one other person put their name down and so the trip was cancelled.

"Damn!" I thought. "I was really looking forward to visiting China,"

but I couldn't afford to go on my own and pay full-price. I had already asked my boss for time off work but now I had nowhere to go and I didn't relish the thought of staying home, twiddling my thumbs and watching TV for four weeks.

I decided to take a trip down to my local travel agent and see if they had any last-minute-deals which I could afford. It turned out that they had a cheap flight to California with car-hire thrown in. The next day I got a plane from London Heathrow Airport bound for California.

When I arrived at Los Angeles Airport, I picked-up my car and drove north along the Pacific coast highway. I'd keep driving untill I got tired or hungry and then i'd stop at little towns along the way.

One of these towns was San Luis Obispo. I pulled into a motel called the Peach Tree Inn. As I went into the reception I noticed a few small yellow books on the counter. I asked the receptionist if these books were for sale, she said "yes, it's the owner's favourite book and he always has some on display".

I picked up the one of the books; "As a Man Thinketh" was the title. I paid for it and slipped it into my pocket.

Later that evening in my room, I took out the book and began to read. I finished it in less than half an hour as it was only 72 small pages, but packed into those pages was a store-house of wisdom.

I learned later that the book's author, James Allen, was from England and had written 14 books.

"I had NEVER heard of James Allen before and I was also from England!"

For days, after reading that book, my mind was a blur. All the years of practising different arts, reading about Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity, all the different types of meditations I had learned seemed to make more sense.

I continued to drive north. I had been driving for hours, I was hungry, tired and the wipers, keeping the snow off the windscreen, were lulling me to sleep.

I didn't even know where I was!

A sign above said. "Welcome to Oregon." As soon as I could, I pulled into a small restaurant for something to eat.

After i'd finished my food and paid the bill, I noticed a wooden rack on the wall near the exit. I walked over to it and saw that it was filled with those sight-seeing leaflets for tourists. I scanned over them, looking for somewhere interesting to go when one of them seemed to jump out at me. It said, " Visit the Oregon Caves." I'd never been interested in caves before but I thought i'd give it a try.

It was snowing heavily when I got to the caves. I parked my car and walked over to the Hotel opposite, a six storey wooden lodge. Luckily, a guided tour was about to start, so I quickly paid my entrance fee and joined the other tourists following the guide down to the caves.

Once inside, it took a few seconds for my eyes to get accustomed to the dim electric lights which hung from a cable running around the walls. But then I saw the weird and wonderful shapes created by thousands of years of mineral deposits.

As we continued down, the cave opened up into a vast chamber and our guide said this was the darkest place in the world. Without warning he hit the switch to turn off the lights and we were plunged into the darkest dark imaginable. Everyone screamed and he quickly put the lights back on.

"As my eyes became accustomed to the lights again, I saw something that was unbelieveable!"

A copy of the book that I had bought in the Peach Tree Inn was floating infront of my face!

As my eyes began to fully focus, I could see that the book wasn't floating in mid-air but was poking out of the top of a back-pack worn by a man who I guessed to be about 40, although his hair had gone prematurely grey. This couldn't be just a coincidence.

We all filed out of the cave and made our way to the lodge for something warm to drink. Sittng in front of a roaring log fire was the grey-haired man. I plopped into the chair next to him and said, "I see that you like As A Man Thinketh."
He turned to me, "have you read it?" He said, smiling.
"Yes" I said "I read it for the first time a couple of days ago."

He told me his name was Ben and that he had read it many times. In fact he had read all of James allen's books and many more besides. He lived in Oregon and invited me to visit him at his home. I promised I would meet him before I made my way back to Los Angeles.

Two days later, I pulled into the snow-covered drive to Ben's large, Victorian house, parked the car, trudged up to the front door and rang the bell. It was opened by a man who, judging by the resemblance, I took to be Ben's brother.

I introduced myself and he invited me in. "My dad'll be here in a minute," he said, although why he thought I might want to see his dad was a mystery to me.

A few minutes later Ben appeared. "There's a guy here to see you dad," said the man who'd let me in.

"Dad?" I said looking more than slightly confused. Ben laughed and said this happens all the time. Ben was in fact not about 40 but in his 70's!

He showed me into his library where he had a collection of about 2000 books and invited me to sit in one of four leather armchairs arranged in a semi-circle in front of a roaring fireplace. He could talk for hours on any subject - from western medicine to accupuncture, from psychology to religion, from homeopathy to quantum mechanics.

"I listened to him talk late into the night - soaking up the knowledge when suddenly he stopped..."

He looked at me strangely for a moment as if trying to decide on something. Then he said. "Of all the things I've learned on my time on this Earth, do you want to know the one thing that is greater than them all?"
"yes," I said
"...the one thing that leads to all other things,"
"Yes," I said
"...the one thing that all the great teachers and masters throughout the ages have eventually discovered."
"YES!" I said
"well allright then!" he said.

He then walked over to his massive book shelf and took out an old leather folder, opened it and removed a single piece of paper and handed it to me.

"What's this? I said.
" This is It!" he said
"This is it?"
"Yes," he said, "this is IT!"

"The paper was a hand written manuscript, sealed in a transparent plastic cover and was about 12 inches by 10 inches..."

It was divided into two parts. On the left was writing in a language which I didn't recognise and on the right was English which I guessed was the translation.

As I read, it became clear that this was a description of some kind of mental exercise although I hadn't come accross it before.

"It's a meditation," i said, "probably buddhist."
"No." He said, "it's not buddhist, although I can see why you'd think that.
"Well obviously it's a meditation technique," I said.
"No!" He said. "Not 'A' meditation technique..'The' meditation technique."

He flipped open the leather folder, slipped the manuscript back inside, snapped it shut and handed it to me. "Here...try it out...let me know what you think. You're welcome to spend the night we've plenty of room."

Later that evening, in one of Ben's spare rooms, I decided to try the meditation technique. I quickly read the instructions. "This seems almost too simple!" I thought, but then I remembered a quote by Johann Goethe - "Nothing is true but that which is simple."

I sat in a chair which was in the room, closed my eyes, took a deep breath and did exactly as the instructions said. After a few minutes my hands started to get warm. I now know that this was an indication that healing energy was starting to flow. Then my breathing changed - it got slower and deeper - another sign that the technique was working.

Scenes from my past started to appear in my mind's eye. Memories which I hadn't thought of in years popped up. Things which I had completely forgotten revealed themselves. I continued for about 30 minutes then I opened my eyes.

The room seemed different, as if someone had turned-up the colour. I had a shower, got changed and went to bed.

"That night, I had one of the most profound experiences of my life..."

I woke up at about 1am, but when I closed my eyes It was as though I was floating in a sea of golden light. All around me I could see this golden brightness. I had never had that experience before and I have never had it since.

When I awoke the next day, I felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted off me. I felt completely relaxed, completely, at ease and completely happy. There was no trace of stress, aggression, anger, resentment or anxiety in me at all!

Later, when I spoke to Ben about what had happened, he said I had been extremely fortunate. It can take years to get to that stage and some people never get there. But he warned me that the feeling would wear off - no one can live in that state for very long.

I asked him if he had taught many people. But he said only the members of his own family and a few deserving individuals, like me, who'd crossed his path.
"There are people who need this information," I said "You should start a class - get members."

"I'm not interested in being put on a pedestal like some kind of Guru, " he said.

"Well..write a book then - under a false name."

"It would be a pretty short book don't ya think," he said with a smile.

"...Tell ya what," he laughed, "you write the book and I'll take ten percent!"

He then continued in a more serious tone. "Practice the technique every day, take your time - even years, become a master of it - become a master of yourself and then write your book, but write it in your own words, using your own experiences.

I thought for a minute and asked if I could borrow the manuscript - maybe take a photocopy. He said that I didn't need it. "Once you know it, it's yours - the words don't matter."

"The words don't matter...of course they matter!" I thought. "how could a man who owns 2000 books say that the words dont matter?"

I asked him if I could copy it by hand. The English translation wouldn't take too long and if I took my time I was sure I could eventually make a faithful representation of the strange language.

Without saying a word he stood up, strode over to the bookshelf and took out the leather folder, flipped it open and removed the manuscript. I turned in my chair to look at him.

"If you really want it," he said, "catch!" He then threw it at me.

It flew toward me like a frisbee, went over my shoulder and
straight into the fire!

Ileapt from the chair and dived toward the fireplace. It was too late - the plastic cover had already burst into flames and in a few seconds all that was left was a curl af ash. I tried to lift it out with my finger-tips but it fell to the hearth and broke into a thousand pieces.

I turned to look at Ben. He was halfway to the door. He faced me and said, "I told you...the words don't matter!" And with that, he left.

The next morning at breakfast, Ben tried to explain his actions. I still couldn't quite understand it but, he said, in time I would. I wanted to stay longer but I had a plane to catch. We said our goodbyes and I left and headed back to Los Angeles and then on to London.

I did what Ben had suggested. I practiced the
Meditation Technique, which I now call
"The Power of Stillness Technique,"
every day for many years and
I discovered...

            • You'll gain a natural confidence and anxiety will be a thing of the past

            • Once you"ve mastered the technique, you'll instantly be able to relax -
               without resorting to medication

            • You'll be able to decrease muscle tension and headaches easily

            • Caffiene in coffee, tea and cola can raise your stress levels for up to 12 hours
                and is addictive - but don't go "cold turkey" of you'll get the mother of all headaches

            • Low vitamin D may cause depression. The best way to boost your levels?...get
            some sun. In the winter take cod liver oil.

            • You'll naturally gain the ability to remain calm in any situation - even if everyone else is
               going crazy!

            • Your emotional reactions burns-up your life force. You'll discover how not to
            over-react and your energy levels will shoot through the roof!

            • Stress has been proven to use up vitamin C, many of the B vitamins and minerals such as
               calcium may also be lost. Reduce your stress and coughs and colds will be a distant memory!

I waited untill I felt the time was right to put it down in print

That time is now!

" Reduce Your Stress by up to 90% in 7 Days or Less..."

"Discover How to Meditate, Relax
& Unwind Naturally Through a
Powerful Meditation Technique
You Can Easily Master With Only a
Few Minutes of Practice Each Day"

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" Reduce Your Stress by up to 90% in 7 Days or Less..."

"Discover How to Meditate, Relax & Unwind Naturally Through a Powerful Meditation Technique You Can Easily Master With Only a Few Minutes of Practice Each Day"

"Discover How to Meditate, Relax
& Unwind Naturally Through a
Powerful Meditation Technique
You Can Easily Master With Only a
Few Minutes of Practice Each Day"