THERE are basically two types of meditation and they are diametrically opposed to each other.

One is passive and the other dynamic. One attempts to still the mind while the other follows the vagaries of the mind and the thoughts that go with it.

Most people are familiar with passive meditation. However, the concept of dynamic meditation -- called "image streaming" by researcher and educator, Win Wenger, is less well known.

As discussed last week, this is a type of medication that Einstein may have used. Except that he described it as "vague play" with "signs", "images", and other elements, both "visual" and "muscular".

"This combinatory play," he wrote, "seems to be the essential feature in productive thought".
Win Wenger's project of the last 25 years has been to develop techniques and mental exercises, based in part on Einstein's methods. These work in the short term and seem to develop the mind's permanent powers.

The Image Streaming technique that Win Wenger developed opens the mind to a flow of symbolic imagery as potent as that of any dream.

However, unlike dreaming, you can practise image streaming while wide awake. Best of all, you can do it virtually any time, anywhere.

Ten minutes of image streaming per day will suffice to induce profound, positive change in your life.

Here are some simple rules and then you and your loved ones can get started.

The first "commandment" of image streaming is to describe the images that come to you aloud. For better effects, have someone listen or use a tape recorder.

The second "commandment" is to use all five senses. Be as descriptive as you can. This seems to increase intelligence. This works very well with kids.

The third "commandment" is surely to "use the present tense". Describe as it happens. The faster you do it the better. It is a "live telecast".

The impact on the brain and consciousness is phenomenal.

Even if the image has already vanished from sight, you should never say, "I saw such-and-such," in your description. Always phrase it, "I see such-and-such", or "I am looking now at such-and-such".

The idea here is to "connect" all the different parts of your brain at once.

Through speech and imagination, an image streamer talks, listens, sees, smells, tastes, feels, analyses, reflects, wonders, creates and generates mental imagery all at the same time.

This unusual combination of activities spans harmonises many opposing "poles" of the brain. After all, intelligence is all about increasing the usage of the many and diverse parts of the brain.

Over the past 15 years, the quest to achieve balance between the brain's analytical left hemisphere and its creative, pattern-sensing right hemisphere has become a fad.

Describing the brain as divided merely between left and right has been overplayed and unduly simplified. Important functions are just as likely to be separated between top and bottom or front and back.

But any activity that links opposite sides, or "poles", of the brain contributes toward the brain's balance and increases its resources. Image streaming is one of many possible "Pole-Bridging" exercises.

The value of image streaming was given some unexpected confirmation in a preliminary experiment at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn, in 1988.

Physics professor Dr Charles P. Reinert asked 79 of his first year students to compare the effect of two mental exercises on IQ. Half the students used the Whimbey Method, a standard programme that uses word problems to build analytical skills.

For each hour of study, these students' IQ scores gained .4 of a point. The other group used image streaming -- they gained more than twice that, or .9 points.

Some people -- about 30 per cent of the population -- have difficulty with visualising with their eyes closed.

Imagery comes more easily in a relaxed, but alert, state. A simple method for attaining this state is "Velvety-Smooth Breathing".

Close your eyes and keep them closed for the next 10 minutes. Don't look for any images. You'll just aggravate yourself if you can't find them.

Focus instead on your breathing. Breathe in and out so smoothly that there is no pause between the "in" breath and the "out" breath. It is just one, long continuous, flowing b-r-e-a-t-h, like a slow, sensuous sigh.

Let it stroke you, as you might stroke a smooth piece of velvet. Then, with your eyes closed, try describing a familiar person or object in great detail: your mother, your child, or your spouse. Then describe the Taj Mahal or another interesting building.

Now, having read the instructions for Velvety-Smooth Breathing, please actually try the technique before moving on.

Like passive meditation, image streaming is also very relaxing.

It also improves the mood and state of mind. It also seems to improve sleep and state of health.

Datuk Dr Rajen M. is a pharmacist with a doctorate in holistic medicine. Email him at health@po.jaring.my