Posted by John S. Davis on March 22, 1999 at 09:52:37:
Hi,
Since my post 'solution which works for me' I have great success at releasing the tension and dissipating the headaches throught Zen meditation without even taking an aspirin. Several days I woke with a mild to moderate CH that would usually quickly become severe and overwhelm me, but over 5 minutes of meditation it dissipares and is gone. I have seen several posts telling of similar methods of acheiving similar results; I advocate Zen meditation as highly effective.
Since my CH episode may soon be completely over and my interest in it will probably dwindle, I am going to tell you what Zen meditation is and why I believe it works so well so anyone interested can explore this.
Zen meditation or 'Zazen' involves nothing more than paying attention and being aware. It is a usual practice for a beginner to count their breath, the counting itself develops awareness of the breath and the body. Awareness is as simple as it sounds, yet it is both unexplainable and very powerful.
The practice of Zazen involves some very specific sitting postures. The best is what is called the 'full lotus' postion. It is difficult for us because Americans are used to sitting in chairs, I can't do it. Their is also a 'half lotus' and others according to the flexibility of the sitter. The sitting position was developed over thousands of years and it is very important. The sitting posture provides the body with the ability to let go of the body muscles while it provides the mind with the ability to be alert. The combination of these is important in the practice of Zen and I believe they are both essential ingredients in relieving the tension leading to a CH.
Another important aspect of Zen but not essential for relief of CH is finding a teacher, a teacher leads a student through the various stages of increased awareness.
Good books on the subject that can be found in most bookstores and Amazon:
Zen Mind, Beginners Mind
Shunryu Suzuki
One of the founders of American Zen, this book describes the nuts and bolts of meditation as well as the philosophy behind Zen.
Nothing Special
Charlotte Joko Beck
One of Suzuki's students, very good book.
The Three Pillars of Zen
Roshi Philip Kapleau
Represents another school of Zen, nuts and bolts of meditation, very good book.
John S. Davis
davisj@orlando.veridian.com