Meditative replay of troubling life events and transformation in practitioners of yoga and meditation: a pilot study

Abstract

Several views of meditation indicate that when either suppressed or repressed material surfaces during meditation, the individual is able to cope with it better. Research on meditation has demonstrated that it helps individuals to overcome stress and transforms them into better persons. However, only a handful of studies have focused on collecting data of actual meditative experiences from practitioners. In this study, meditative experiences of the practitioners of yoga and meditation were collected by means of semi-structured interviews pertaining to the meditative replay of troubling life events. Four long-term meditators (age range, 24–52 years; meditation experience range, 8–12 years) of Yoga Consciousness Trust, India, constituted the final sample (out of 15 subjects) in this pilot study. Thematic analysis revealed that meditative replay of episodes in which material related to the past surfaced helped practitioners to overcome negative feelings and emotions and to clarify cognitions.

Keywords:

• meditation
• yoga
• meditative replay
• transformation
• life events

Notes

1. According to this information processing model of emotions, people do not completely experience the emotions for either very pleasant or very unpleasant events of their life immediately. This is especially true if they have a demanding task on which they are forced to pay attention. So, they momentarily store the half-experienced emotional event in their memories (memory pouches), which they later bring out and re-experience the emotions. That is when emotional cudding is taking place.

2. This tradition follows the classical Raja Yoga. The practitioners are trained in three parts of raja yoga: viz. taraka yoga, sankya yoga and amanska yoga. Kundalini yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga and mantra yoga are the integral processes that are also practiced. Vedanta is taught with emphasis on practical application.

3. While beginners start at the initial steps of Taraka yoga or asthanga yoga, once the practitioner is able to do pratyahara, they are blessed with a spiritual experience called Dharana. The Guru separates the inner chaitanya and helps the practitioner perceive it at the eyebrow centre. In kundalini yoga terms, kundalini is awakened at the ajna chakra. During meditation, focus is on chaitanya.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

K. Suneetha

Dr K. Suneetha is an MA and a PhD in Psychology, Andhra University. She is a yoga and meditation practitioner who is trained under the guidance of H.H. Yogacharya Raparthi Rama Rao. She received national and international fellowships/projects from UGC, ICPR, PA (USA), Department of Culture, DST and ICSSR. Her specializations are adolescent studies, counselling, yoga and spirituality.