Meditation
or Yoga: Yoga meditation is holistic. Yoga comes from
"yuj" which means "to join," to bring together the aspects
of yourself that were never divided in the first place. Yoga meditation systematically
brings your awareness inward, through all the level of your being. so as to
experience the eternal centre of consciousness, by whatever name you choose to
call it.
Remembering
the simplicity: It is extremely useful to often
remember the simplicity of the process, in that there are only a few major
levels to be systematically encountered and transcended. While it may not be easy,
the frequent remembering that the process is also simple can be very
inspiring.
At the time of meditation:
World:-
- First, be aware of the external world, however broad that may be for you: universe, galaxy, earth, country, city, home.
- Be aware of the world in a peaceful, contemplative way.
- Reflect on the nature of your relationship with that external world, cultivating and meditating on attitudes of lovingness, compassion, goodwill and acceptance.
- Dialogue with yourself, such as: "What do I want, at the highest level? What is that one, highest goal that is the guide for my decisions in life? Who am I? What do I need to let go of, or cease doing? What do I need to do more of, or start doing? How will I do these things? When?
- Gradually bring your attention closer from the vast, external world, to the closer world of your daily life, finally coming to the space your body is occupying.
- After some time, let go of awareness of the external world, turning attention inward, so as to systematically move through the layers of senses, body, breath, and mind to the center of consciousness.
- Next, after letting go of the external world, become aware of the individual senses and means of expression indriyas, exploring your sensory awareness. More or Indriyas
- First, be aware of your ability to move, but that you are not moving; of grasping, but that you are letting go; of speaking, but of no longer forming any words (the karmendriyas)
- Maintain mindfulness that these are the exporters of actions into the external world.
- Then, systematically be aware of five senses of smell, taste, seeing, touching, hearing (the jnanendriyas).
- Maintain mindfulness that those senses are the importers of information and insights from the external world.
- Then, close the temple doors called senses, and bring your attention inward, so that you can explore within, through the levels of body, breath, mind, and beyond.
- Next, after
making peace with the world and exploring your senses, explore the body
internally through a variety of methods of inner surveying.
(more on methods of surveying) - Survey the body from head to toe and toe to head. Do this systematically; so that the path you follow each time is similar, though the experience may be different.
- However you experience the body is okay: parts, systems, sensations.
- Do this as if you are really curious to explore within. Be an interior researcher.
- Remain mindful of only the body--not breath, nor mind--only body.
- Then, shift awareness still more inward to the breath, then to the mind, and then to the silence beyond, finally leading to the center of consciousness.
- Next, after exploring the world, senses, and body, allow your breath to be smooth, slow, calm and serene through a variety of energizing, balancing and centering breath practices. (More on breath techniques)
- Explore the breath as if you are really curious, as if you are a professional interior researcher.
- First, be aware of breath at the diaphragm, eliminating jerks and pauses, and making breath steady, smooth, and comfortably slow.
- Then, do invigorating breathing practices, pranayama, along with locks, within your comfortable capacity.
- Then, breath as though exhaling down from the top of the head to the base of the spine. Inhale as though inhaling up from the base of the spine to the top of the head.
- Then, bring attention to breath at the bridge of the nostrils, feeling the touch of the air as it flows. Feel the touch of the flow.
- Remain mindful of only the breath--not body, nor mind--only breath.
- Then there is a process like forgetting you are breathing, as attention goes deeper or more inward, beyond the breath to the mind itself, and to silence.
- Next, after exploring the world, senses, body, and breath, you begin to allow the conscious mind to still itself.
- First, be aware of the process of mind, while continuing to focus on the breath at the nostrils. Become a witness to the inner functioning of the mind. (more on functions of mind)
- Allow the streams of thoughts to flow naturally, without interruption, yet remaining focused. (more on inviting thoughts)
- Next, allow your attention to rest either in the heart or the eyebrow center, following your own predisposition. In the heart, it is a palm-sized space, and in the eyebrow center, it is a tiny circle.
- Keep attention in that space, not allowing it to wander either to the left or right, or up or down.
- Then, bring your attention to your chosen object of meditation (inside that space), whether a seen, heard, or felt object; whether gross, subtle, or beyond. For example, it may be a point of light, an inner sound, a visualized object or a mantra. (more on meditation objects)
- Remain aware of only this inner focus--not body, nor senses, nor breath, nor the streams of the mind--only this one space and object.
- Allow the natural insights of the subtler mental processes and insights to emerge, and to flow through the field of mind.
- Continue to allow thoughts to flow, cultivating two skills: remaining focused in the space, while at the same time letting go of the thought patterns.
- Then, after the conscious mind is no longer a distraction or disturbance, the unconscious and latent aspects of mind are allowed to come forward, are examined, and then allowed to let go. Mind is not stopped or suppressed, but rather is gone beyond, into silence. (more on functions of mind: more on witnessing)
- Next, after systematically examining and letting go of the world, senses, body, breath, and mind, you gradually come to a place of deep Stillness and Silence.
- As meditation deepens, either watch into the space for the invisible source of all light, or listen into the space for the silent source of all sound.
- Gradually, experience the convergence of practices of meditation, contemplation, prayer and mantra. (more on convergence)
- Allow the inner peace or spiritual truth to come forward, experiencing the heights of Samadhi and Turiya, the fourth state, beyond waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. (more on Samadhi: more on Turiya)
- At some point, experience the awakening of Kundalini, and its rising to Sahasrara, the crown chakra. (more on kundalini rising to the crown)
- Eventually, allow the meditations to converge on that innermost point (Bindu) out of which mind, time, space and causation have emerged. (more on bindu)
- When finished with your meditation, bring outward, into your external world and daily life whatever depth of stillness and silence you have touched. Allow that to guide and balance daily life, being ever mindful of the higher realities within.
- Resolve to often return to that place of Stillness and Silence in meditation.
In your meditation today....
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May your body be still and comfortable....
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May your head, neck and trunk be aligned....
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May your breath be smooth, slow, serene,
and with no pauses.... |
May the flow of thoughts in your mind
not disturb you.... |
May your meditation today bring you peace,
happiness and bliss.... |
