I went to a meditation group on Tuesday evening. It was led by my friend, Alice. She's been trained in the practice called Mind Sound Technology.

Basically, the meditation consists of chanting sounds out loud while focusing on a certain part of the body (the right or left eye, the third eye, the navel, the heart, or the mouth). There are four sequences that you do. The first sequence is supposed to help with intelligence and energy, the second helps with knowledge and doing well at work or school, the third sequence helps with non-violence and peaceful behavior, and the fourth helps with courage and eliminating fear.

I walked into the room, not having any idea what to expect. I didn't know what kind of meditation it would be. The room had a dark feeling. The walls were made of cement and it had a sort of institutional feel. I sat in a chair across the circle from Alice. We got started and went into the first sequence of the meditation. As I slowly opened my eyes when it was done, the energy in the room had completely changed and I could feel and see it. The room seemed brighter and more spacious. It was very calm and peaceful.

We went through the three other sequences. I really enjoy chanting sounds out loud. And when you're with a group of people, the sounds all come together and create wonderful vibrations. During the third sequence, I could feel the energy of our combined voices pushing against one another, each voice adding its own strength, creating a ball of energy in the middle of our circle. During the fourth sequence, it was like each of our voices danced around each other, stepping aside to sure each voice had its own space.

People shared their stories of how long they had been doing the meditations and the sorts of effects they had noticed in their lives. It was very interesting. These meditations are starting to be used with children in schools and researchers are documenting the effects that the meditations are having.

I've been practicing the meditation each night since Tuedsay, on my own, and already I can say that there are some shifts. I do notice myself taking more risks than I might normally (compliments of the fourth sequence). For example, yesterday I received an email from the founder of the 29 Day Giving Challenge. She had sent out a plea for help because the challenge is really beginning to take off and she has more work than she can handle on her own. My first response was that I wanted to offer my help. But I immediately brushed that thought aside. I was afraid to offer my help. What if it took too much of my time? What if I didn't know how to do some of the things that needed to get done? I'm not sure I want to interact with people...that means putting myself out there. I clicked the archive button and moved on with my day.

An hour later, I retrieved the email and sent a response saying that I would be happy to help. I stated which items I thought I'd be best at helping with. I told her how many hours I'd be able to put into it each week. And I offered the idea of breaking up some of the responsibilities among a few people (the original email had said she needed one person). So I offered help, but made sure to be clear about what exactly I could give. It felt good. And next week, I'll become part of the Welcoming Committee, where I will have to put myself out there. And I think that even though it's a little scary...it's good for me.

I'll be curious to see what other effects I notice over time as I continue this daily mind sound meditation.