Entering the Zone II
In Entering the Zone I we said that the Zone is a state of mind. That being the case, all we need to do to enter the Zone is define what that state of mind is and then take steps to induce it deliberately.
The state of mind which is the Zone is typically marked by at least one of the following:
- Brain waves slowing to a sustained Alpha rhythm
- A regular breathing pattern
- A strong inner feeling of energy
- A strong sense of alertness and of being ‘alive’
Now we can induce all of these traits quite easily, and once the traits have been induced then the Zone will have been entered. Before we go on to explain exactly how these traits should be induced, let us mention something rather interesting in passing…
The ongoing craze for dance music, whether it be called acid house, jungle, speed jungle or whatever else, is really a craze for an altered state of consciousness. If you forget the drug culture which is often associated with the dance music scene then you will find that the music alone is geared to helping its listeners achieve a change in their state of awareness.
Dance music of this nature features a number of Shamanic consciousness-changing features which mystics have used for centuries, namely:
- A repetitive rhythm.
- A sustained back-beat which encourages the speeding-up or slowing-down of brain wave activity.
- Stereophonic ‘sweeping’ from left to right and vice versa which helps to synchronise both sides of the brain and achieve ‘whole brain consciousness’.
Younger readers who enjoy listening to dance music may wish to use it to help achieve various states of consciousness. This can usually be achieved by listening to a track several times in succession and allowing the music to simply ‘sweep over’ you. Don’t think about anything in great detail, just allow the music to take you to the state it was intended to take you to.
This brief excursion into the world of modern dance music actually leads us nicely back to discussion of normal induction of the state of awareness known as the Zone. This is because rhythm is all-important in entering any altered state of consciousness and rhythm which induces a state of alpha brain-waves can usually be relied upon to take us into the Zone.
In the next few parts of this series we will present two different methods for entering the Zone based on the knowledge that rhythm influences brain patterns. Experiment using both methods and see which works best for you…
