Life flow and Discover meditation

[alex5908]

I'm newbie. They say one should not overdo meditation. In Discover Meditation there are 3 durations for meditation- for 5, then for 10 and for 20 minutes. But one level of LifeFlow lasts 60 minutes. So now it's not clear what I should do while listening to LifeFlow. Shall I meditate for 20 minutes and then just listen to LifeFlow without meditating?
If I insert or superimpose the jingle of the bell in LifeFlow after 5 or 10 or 20 minutes, shall I lose the quality or features (properties) of LifeFlow (binaural beats, etc.)? I will use Audicity for editing.

[GilesC]

Originally Posted by alex5908

I'm newbie. They say one should not overdo meditation. In Discover Meditation there are 3 durations for meditation- for 5, then for 10 and for 20 minutes. But one level of LifeFlow lasts 60 minutes. So now it's not clear what I should do while listening to LifeFlow. Shall I meditate for 20 minutes and then just listen to LifeFlow without meditating?
If I insert or superimpose the jingle of the bell in LifeFlow after 5 or 10 or 20 minutes, shall I lose the quality or features (properties) of LifeFlow (binaural beats, etc.)? I will use Audicity for editing.

Hi Alex,

When learning meditation, it's common for people to start by practicing just 5 or 10 minutes at a time and then as you become more used to it the time extends, usually to about 20 minutes.

With Lifeflow, the downloaded tracks are 40 minutes and the purchased CD's are 60 minutes (not sure why the difference). Meditating for 40 minutes is more than sufficient, although some longer practiced meditators will do a full hour. As you say, it's not good to over meditate, so you should do what is comfortable for you and I wouldn't expect anybody new to meditation to be doing it for more than 40 minutes. Just because the CD is 60 minutes long doesn't mean you have to do the full 60 minutes. The relevant beats are available from the start of the tracks to the end of the tracks and you need approximately 8 minutes of listening before they become effective, so doing e.g. 20 minutes meditation gives you around 12 minutes of effective brain entrainment.

I wouldn't consider superimposing one track on top of the other (I assume you mean using some computer software or something?) for a couple of reasons. Reason 1: You are likely to corrupt the effects of the brain entrainment in the Lifeflow track unless the software is very professional, and Reason 2: I think by adulterating the tracks this is actually in breach of Michaels rights on the track and therefore legally a no-no.

If you need some sort of timer to stop your meditation after 20 minutes, 30 minutes or whatever length of time you need, then you could use some alarm clock (or an alarm on your phone or watch; something not too loud to startle you) or you could have a second CD player playing the discover meditation track at the same time as the Lifeflow track.

Often, with meditation practice, you come to intuitively know when you've reached the desired time, especially if you state your desire before meditating, so it's not always necessary to have an alarm of any kind.

Hugs

Giles

[Itlandm]

There are indeed all manner of things that go beep-beep these days, if anything it is hard enough to avoid some of them going off during meditation! But yes, downloadable timers for computers, or small cheap electronic beepers will do.

As for altering the track, if you simply make a copy and cut it to a suitable length, that would constitute fair use as long as it is for your private use. Unless you actually fall asleep you will certainly notice when the track ends. (Actually I notice it even if I fall asleep, but your sleep may vary.) I know some people also put the 3 minute pause and gratitude music after the LifeFlow track.

The 8 minutes to entrain is a rather conservative estimate. When you get used to a track, you entrain faster and faster, until you pretty much slip into it as soon as you start, typically after a month or two. (It may take longer time with the later levels, it seems, but that may be just my opinion.)

[alex5908]

I am confused even more now. What is the primary material- Discover Mediatation or LifeFlow? What is secondary (auxilliary)?
As per you two guys I should alter LifeFlow to match with Discover Meditation.
I thought LifeFlow is the main CD and Discover Mediatation is secondary.
Then why is Discover Mediation free and why should I pay SO much money for LifeFlow if it is not the main thing to do (LifeFlow)?!

[Grey]

Originally Posted by alex5908

I am confused even more now. What is the primary material- Discover Mediatation or LifeFlow? What is secondary (auxilliary)?
As per you two guys I should alter LifeFlow to match with Discover Meditation.
I thought LifeFlow is the main CD and Discover Mediatation is secondary.
Then why is Discover Mediation free and why should I pay SO much money for LifeFlow if it is not the main thing to do (LifeFlow)?!

meditation (Discover Meditation technique) is not entrainment (LifeFlow tracks) and entrainment is not meditation. you sound unclear on the difference or the relationship between them. this thread explains it.

Principles of Meditation & Entrainment

[GilesC]

Originally Posted by alex5908

I am confused even more now. What is the primary material- Discover Mediatation or LifeFlow? What is secondary (auxilliary)?
As per you two guys I should alter LifeFlow to match with Discover Meditation.
I thought LifeFlow is the main CD and Discover Mediatation is secondary.
Then why is Discover Mediation free and why should I pay SO much money for LifeFlow if it is not the main thing to do (LifeFlow)?!

Grey has already provided you with a wonderful link, but to summarise...

Primarily we learn meditation. This helps us to still the mind, become more present and generally give us an all round better life. Meditation can be done alone and requires nothing else.

Lifeflow is brain entrainment technology. It contains sounds that assist the brain in becoming more balanced and this can have a very beneficial impact on our lives too. To get the most out of Lifeflow it is best used with the mind as still as possible, and therefore meditating whilst using Lifeflow is recommended, although not necessary as you would still get some benefit from it without meditating.

For Lifeflow to start to take effect on the brain, as we said before, takes around 8 minutes (this varies depending on the person and the stage they are at, but that's the figure Michael quotes as a starter), so to get any real benefit from Lifeflow (with or without meditation) you want to be using it for more than 8 minutes.

Now, if you're not used to meditating, jumping straight in and doing 40 or 60 minutes of meditation is likely to be daunting and seem like hard work. So, practicing with meditation for a while before doing any Lifeflow is usually a good idea. Once you are happy to meditate for, say 10 minutes or more, you can start using the Lifeflow tracks alongside the meditation and you'll be receiving some benefit from them. You don't have to do the full Lifeflow track, but it does extend to the 40/60 minutes for those who wish to meditate for that long. Obviously, the longer you meditate and use Lifeflow for, the better... Up To A Point. That point will depend on the individual, how long they've practiced meditation for and what lifestyle they have. There really shouldn't be any real need to meditate beyond 60 minutes in a session and that would be consider a long meditation by many long term meditators.

There are some people out there who choose to spend extended periods meditating and to be honest there are a few things to consider... 1) there's no solid evidence to say that this is really more beneficial than regular short meditations 2) there's no solid evidence to say that it won't have a detrimental effect rather than beneficial and 3) The true benefits of meditation are seen in our lives when we are not meditating, so if you're spending all your time meditating then you are not going to see the benefits (so what is your purpose for meditating in the first place?)

Michael offers the meditation course for free because it's the key to helping ourselves in our lives. Lifeflow adds to that if you want, but you could simply stick with meditation of that is what you choose. There is a bit of a loop in that the entrainment caused by Lifeflow can assist you to reach a meditative state more easily and deeply.

Hugs

Giles

[alex5908]

Thank you very to everybody for your advice and info. Now it's more or less clear to me. Thanks again.
If anybody wants to share his/her experience in this post, you're mostly welcome.