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Steps in the Method
I give here a systematic point-to-point method of starting the practice. Anyone
at any age can begin the younger the better. On the other had, it is never too
late in life. Starting even during a terminal illness will be helpful, and may
prolong life, or at least it will impart peace. The practice should be done
at least once a day, for whatever length of time is available.
It is not in the length of the period
of sitting that success lies, but in intensifying the awareness, which comes
gradually. One may also practice it at other times of the day, when one is tired
and needs a quick recovery of energy, when one gets angry or frustrated and
wants to be gentler, when one is busy and is consequently tense and needs to
relax so one can be more effective. One may do it waiting at an airport, a railway
station, or in a car when someone else is driving. There is no restriction and
no limit. No harm can ever come from this practice.
In the Raja Yoga meditation system, as
taught by the Himalayan yogis, what follows are the steps of meditation. They
constitute the foundation. The reader’s ego may want to say: “I
have been practicing meditation for a decade to two, I want something more advance,
I do no need elementary lessons.” This attitude is incorrect.
Many aspirants practice blanking the
mind, or holding the breath like an athlete, but they have not learnt the correct
method of breathing. In our system we check everyone on the following points,
and only when these foundations have been properly laid do we go any further.
The steps in the method are:
1. Diaphragmatic and uniform breathing.
2. Correct posture, with a straight spine, and no feeling of discomfort in the
legs, back or the neck. One should be able to maintain such correct and straight
position of the spine without encountering discomfort.
3. Shithili-karana or systematic relaxation. One should maintain total relaxation
of neuro-muscular system throughout a meditation session.
4. Awareness of breathing. It has some subtler modes that one learns gradually.
5. Using a mantra or a sacred word from whichever spiritual tradition:
a. Initially a sound that flows easily with the breath, such as the word Soham.
b. After such a step has been mastered, a mantra-diksha (initiation into mantra)
is given and more advanced methods of refined japa (mental remembrance of the
mantra) are gradually introduced.
Let us go into the details of these steps.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
The chief organ controlling the breathing process in out body is the diaphragm,
a muscle just underneath the ribs, separating the chest cavity from the abdomen.
Ideally, the diaphragm contracts so that we may inhale fully even into the lower
lungs. The diaphragm relaxes to push against the lower lungs so that the exhalation
from this part of the lungs may be complete. A child at birth breathes diaphragmatically,
but later forgets this natural process. One has to re-train himself to breathe
correctly.
In deep and correct breathing, no pressure
should be felt in the lungs, and no tension should develop. Breathing should
be relaxed, so that a feeling of rejuvenation can be experience.
Diaphragmatic breathing is taught in
a. Makara-asana, the crocodile position, lying on one’s stomach, and is
practiced further in
b. Shava-asana, corps position, as well as in sitting and standing positions.
To learn the practice, lie on the stomach.
Heels touching; toes apart; or in whatever way the legs feel relaxed. Place
the right palm down over the back of the left hand, and rest the forehead on
the hands. The neck is not to be bent sideways. Let the shoulders relax.
Bring your awareness to the breathing
process. In this position, it is not possible to do chest breathing. Observe
the flow of the breath. Observe the gentle rise and fall of the stomach and
the navel area with the smooth flow of the breath.
Let there be no jerks, no breaks, in
you breathing. Let it flow like a smooth stream. Let it slow down. Observe the
gentle flow, along with the rise and fall of the stomach and the naval area.
Take note of the breathing process. Resolve to breathe in this way at all times.
After doing this practice for 5 to 15
minutes, turn over on you back in the Shavasana position. Continue to breathe
and observe the process of the diaphragm relaxing and contracting (the rise
and fall of the stomach and the navel area).
Place your left palm on the chest, right
palm on the stomach. Not movement should be felt under the left palm; the right
palm should feel the rise and fall smoothly, without a jerk, without a break.
Let uniform breathing develop, the length
of the inhalation and the exhalation being equal. When this practice has been
mastered, one graduates to 2:1 breathing (where exhalation is twice as long
as inhalation), but not right now.
When one breathes only diaphragmatically
at all times, it is considered that the practice has been mastered.
Correct Posture
It is most important that you spine should
be straight for sitting in meditation and ideally at all other times.
Unfortunately, all chairs, sofas, modern
beds, seats in cars and aero planes are designed to force people to breath incorrectly
by making them sit in positions with convoluted spine.
One often sees people sitting in prayer,
in kathas and satsangs, with their spine looking sadly like a bent bow. This
a. prevents correct and full breathing, causing short breaths, reducing the
life span;
b. generates or worsens many diseases like asthma and heart problems
c. it also adversely affects the entire neural system whose central flow is
in the spine.
A straight spine is not a straight line.
» It is a slightly S-shaped curve.
» Convex at the lower third part (lumbar vertebrae 1 to 5)
» Concave at the middle-third part (thoracic vertebrae 2 to 12);
» Convex at the upper part of the back (cervical vertebrae 5 to thoracic vertebra
1);
» Straight at the neck (cervical vertebrae 1 to 4).
It should be learnt under expert guidance.
But a few hints here will be helpful. One need not try to sit in the advanced
postures like siddhasana and padmasana, especially if age, physical problems,
or lack of habit prevents one from doing so. Sitting in a chair or sitting in
a comfortable cross-legged position will do quite nicely.
Unfortunately, when people sit in the
cross-legged positions, the center of gravity makes them bend their backs. The
answer to that is a simple one.
Fold a blanket and make it into a neat
and firm cushion. It is not to serve as your seat, not like a rug to sit on.
Place it only under the hips, with legs or knees on the floor. This will uplift
the hips from the ground. Straighten you self. If there is discomfort anywhere
in the back or the neck, you need to experiment with the height of the cushion
under the hips; you need to reduce or increase the number of folds in the blanket.
Experiment for a few days till you obtain the optimum comfort. Resolve always
to sit in this position.
It sitting on the floor is very difficult;
you may sit in mitrasana-on the edge of hard chair, with feet on the ground.
But do sit with the spine straight. Form this habit. Let it become your natural
position at all times. You will notice psychological changes in yourself, such
as heightened awareness, intentness, self-confidence without unnecessary pride
and effectiveness in life.
Having sat in the correct posture, continue
breathing diaphragmatically, with mental observation of the flow, and of the
gentle rise and fall of the stomach and the navel area, with no feeling of pressure
in the chest. If there is tension, the breathing is incorrect.
Systematic Relaxation
Shithili-karana, after diaphragmatic breathing, is the second step practiced
in shavasana. There are numerous progressively complex mental exercises done
in shavasana, which finally lead to yoga-nidra, and to the entry into the subtle
body.
Let us learn here basic methodical relaxation.
Lie in shavasana, with feet apart, arms separate from the body, alongside the
body, palms up. Continue breathing diaphragmatically. Now, take a mental inventory
of our body in following sequence, asking each part of the body to relax as
it is brought to mind.
Forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nostrils, cheeks,
jaw and the corners of your mouth, chin, neck, neck joint, shoulders, shoulder
joints, upper arms; elbows, lower arms, writs, hands, fingers, fingertips. Fingertips,
hands, wrists, lower arms, elbows, upper arms, shoulder joints, shoulders, chest,
heart area, stomach, navel, abdomen, pelvis, thigh joints, thighs, knees, calf
muscles, ankles, feet and toes.
Now in the reverse order up the body
Toes, feet, ankles, claves, knees, thighs, thigh joints, pelvis, abdomen, navel,
stomach, heart area, chest, shoulders, shoulder joints, upper arms, elbows,
lower arms, wrists, hands, fingers, fingertips. Fingertips, fingers, hands,
wrists, lower arms, elbows, upper arms, shoulder joints, shoulders, neck joint,
neck, chin, jaw, corners of you mouth, cheeks, nostrils, eyebrows, eyes, forehead.
Remember this sequence. Go over the body
in this order; relax each of these parts in this sequence. Let them go limp.
For example, the hands should become like the hands of a bay. If you do not
succeed in relaxing them at first, or you have been so tense that you have forgotten
what is like for a muscle to but relaxed, you may use a different method of
relaxation called tension/relaxation, which is also done in shavasana.
The exact sequence for practicing this
relaxation exercise follows. When tensing, tense from the fingers or toes upward.
Try to avoid sympathetically tensing muscles other than the ones you are working
with. Between segments, pause and relax for 2 breaths. After completing the
entire sequence, rest for 10 relaxed breaths.
- Tense and relax the right leg -- left
leg – right leg – left leg.
- Tense and relax both legs simultaneously. Repeat.
- Tense and relax the right leg and arm – left leg and arm – right
leg and arm – left leg and arm.
- Tense and relax the right arm – left arm – right arm – left
arm: then both arms simultaneously. Repeat.
- Tense and relax all the limbs simultaneously. Repeat.
After completing either the body sequence
relaxation or the tension/relaxation, continue breathing diaphragmatically,
with the observation as described before. Lie in this way for a few minutes,
then sit up for meditation. Do remember to sit with
a. hips elevated on a folded blanket and
b. with the spine straight.
Again, quickly scan the body for any
sigh of tension that might have developed in the process of changing the position.
Relax. Re-establish diaphragmatic breathing.
Breathe awareness
Let you breathe flow, smoothly and evenly, with no jerks, no break in the middle
of the breath, no break between the breaths, no sound, no gasping. Taila-dharavat,
like a smooth stream of oil being poured. Become aware of the flow. No break
in the awareness.
Feel the flow and touch of the breath
in the nostrils. Continue to do so, without jerk, without interruption. The
awareness of inhalation should immediately merge into the awareness of exhalation
and vice versa. The awareness of the exhalation is especially important.
If the mind wanders off, because of its
usual habit that has been given to it over many lifetimes, straighten you spine
again; relax quickly again; re-establish diaphragmatic breathing; continue with
the awareness of the flow and touch of the breath in the nostrils.
Mantra or Sacred Word
To begin with, use soham, some prefer to say hamso and call it the hamsa-mantra.
Exhaling, mentally remember the word ham. Inhaling, mentally remember the word
so. It means “I am That”. Those in a different religious tradition
may use the word prescribed by their tradition, but it should be properly learnt
from someone who knows meditation according to that tradition. Those in the
Himalayan Tradition are trained to teach according to each person’s religious
(or atheist) background.
Let there be no interruptions in breath
awareness, nor in the awareness of the flow of the word as a thought. Observe
how the breath, the word and the mind are flowing together as a single stream.
Slowly, lengthen the time – not
how long you sit – but how many seconds you manage to maintain awareness
of the flow of that stream without interruption. Too much effort is self-defeating.
One cannot fall asleep by making determined effort; no can one enter a meditative
state by fighting oneself. Let it flow; let it happen. Don’t do meditation.
Observe and experience.
Mantra-diksha
The next step is to seek out someone to give you the first initiation, or mantra-diksha,
which is often referred to as a personal mantra. After the mantra initiation,
one may be led to methods of meditation individually appropriate for the aspirant.
Both a mantra and a meditation mode are assigned according to the individuals’
samskaras, imprints in the unconscious gathered over many lifetimes; spiritual
needs, and his or her adhikara, level of qualification. There are many different
ways of refining the mantra experience through various koshas, sheaths within
personality, all the way to final silence. The ajapa state also occurs through
the guru’s grace in which the mental remembrance of, listening to, the
mantra ceases to be an act and becomes an experience occurring naturally, of
its own accord.
One may be taught to proceed on the path
of internal sound (naada) or light (jyoti) and to go on the path of the kundalini
(a yoga channeling energies). One may be assigned a particular chakra, center
of consciousness, to meditate on from time to time, but the entry into such
a meditation occurs only when the initiator mentally touches the disciple’s
particular chakra.
In the chakra, one may be assigned a
visualization on a certain diagram or other object, or the presence of an ishta
devata, one’s favorite or chosen form of the deity, for example Jesus
or Mary for Christians, Buddha for the Buddhists, and so on. At this time, the
aspirant will also be taught how to merge his mantra with the energy of the
given chakra and how to penetrate through its central point (hindu-vedhana).
The secrets of these practices are taught in specific Tantras but understood
only in the live guru-disciple relationship. The Himalayan Tradition means transmission
of consciousness in a direct preceptor-student mutual presence.
Sequential Steps in Learning to Breathe
Diaphragmatically
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing in Crocodile
Position.
To learn to breathe correctly and to
learn to relax by using the correct way of breathing, lie on your stomach, cross
your arms, or put one hand on the other, and rest your forehead on the arms,
or on the hand; not bending your neck.
You toes touching, your heels apart,
and ankles practically flat on the ground. You shoulders flat. You armpits practically
touching the ground.
Bring you attention away from all other
places and be aware of only the place where you are lying down.
Be aware of only the space that your
body is occupying from ead to toe.
Now become aware of the flow of your
breath. Observe the flow of you breath, as though you breath is flowing through
you whole body from top to toes and toes to top. Breathe gently, slowly, smoothly;
no jerk in you breathing; no break n your breathing. Exhale all you tensions
and stress; inhale a felling of fullness, relaxation, peace and purity.
Now bring you attention to the gentle
rise and fall of you stomach and the navel area. Observe how that area gently
lifts form the ground as you exhale; how it gently touches the ground as you
inhale.
Observe that movement with the gentle
rhythm of you breathing. A hit is known as diaphragmatic breathing. Now break,
no jerks.
Continue to observe the rise and fall
of the stomach and navel area, with the gently rhythm of your breathing; observe
which muscles are moving to constitute that movement and by observing that,
learn to breathe correctly. So that you may always breathe in this manner. You
may lie in this position as long as you normally wish. Continue to breathe in
this way, taking note of how the movement occurs along with your breathing.
2. In Corpse Position
Now, gently roll over and lie on your back with you feet apart, arms separate
from the body, along side the body, back of the hand resting on the ground.
Let your entire body relax and again,
continue to breathe as you were breathing in the crocodile position.
Observe the gentle rise and fall of the
stomach and navel area.
Observe how that area gently relaxes
and slightly inflates as you inhale; how it slightly contracts as you exhale.
Place you left palm in the center of
you bosom. Place you right palm on you stomach between the sternum and the navel-continue
to breathe as before.
Observe that there is no movement under
the left palm on the chest. The movement should be felt only under the right
palm only.
As you exhale and inhale, gently observe
the flow of you breath. No jerks in you breathing; no break.
You may lie in this position, observing
the flow of your breath, 10-20 minutes two or three times a day for complete
relaxation.
One way to quickly relax you body and
you mind is this way we will go trough together.
Do this practice for five minutes, or
even less or more as convenient at any time, wherever you are, sitting on a
sofa, on an office chair, in a bus, in a meeting, or alone.
Either of the two exercises, or both
in sequence, 10-20 minutes two or three times
a day, will change the texture and tone of you life in many ways.
Three Minute Relaxation for the Very
Busy
Bring you attention only to the place where you are sitting.
Be aware of only the space that you body
is occupying from head to toe.
Be aware of only this moment in time.
Very quickly, relax your forehead.
Relax the eyebrows and eyes.
Relax you nostrils.
Relax you cheeks, jaw, and corners of
you mouth.
Relax you chin, neck and shoulders.
Relax all the way down to the fingertips.
Relax from you fingertips to your shoulders.
Relax you chest, stomach, navel and abdomen.
Relax you chest, stomach, navel and abdomen.
Relax you thighs, calves, feet and toes.
Again relax all the organs from the toes
upwards and bring you awareness to you breathing.
Observe that, feel the flow the touch
of you breath in your nostrils.
Exhaling, count in your mind ooonnne,
inhaling twooo, exhaling threee, inhaling foouurr, exhaling fiiive; inhaling
fiiiive, exhaling foouurr, inhaling threeee, exhaling twoooo, inhaling oooonnee;
continue to count you breaths on through five and five through one. Feel the
flow and the touch of you breath in you nostrils, breathing slowly, gently smoothly.
No break in you breathing; no break in
you counting, one to five and five to one. Maintain the count.
Feel the flow and the touch of the breath in the nostrils, and continue the
practice as long as you wish, and do as frequently as you like.
Without breaking the count, gently open
your eyes.
One Minute Meditation with So-ham Mantra
Simply be aware of yourself from head
to toe.
Draw around yourself, as it were, three circles of light.
Resolve that the mind shall not cross these three circles, not will any intruding
thoughts and impressions enter from outside.
Remaining aware of yourself from head to toe, in just a few exhalations, relax
all you limbs.
You inhalation is for the purpose of exhalation,. So you inhale so that you
may be able to exhale.
In each exhalation progressively relax you entire body.
Now resolve that for the next one minute there will be no other thoughts except
the awareness of the path of your breath from the navel to the nostrils, nostrils
to the navel; only feel the breath flow on this path. Maintaining the resolve.
Now feel the flow and the touch of you breath in your active nostril; but first
resolve that for one minute there will be no intruding thought, only the feel
of the flow of the breath in you active nostril.
Now resolve that for one minute there will be no intruding thought except the
feel of the breath in you passive nostril.
Resolve that for one minute there will be no other thought except the feel of
the breath in you two nostrils.
Now with you breath, exhale thinking the word haaammm, inhaling the word sooo.
Resolve that for the next two minutes there will be no other thought except
the feel of the breath in both nostrils, inhaling with soooo, exhaling with
haaaammm.
Maintain that resolve so that no break occurs between the exhalations and the
inhalations. Resolve for an additional two minutes that as you feel the breath
and the word, you observe how the mind and the word are flowing together as
a single stream, the mind stream itself becoming the word and the breath; maintaining
the resolve for two minutes. Now eliminate all dualities of the left and the
right; come to the sushumna breath. Mentally feel the spot where the nose bridges
ends and the upper lip begins. Mentally feel the spot between the eyebrows.
Inhale as though you were inhaling from the spot in front of the nose bridge,
a subtle energy flowing to the spot between the eyebrows; exhaling the same
way.
Maintain the same stream of the mind, word, and the energy flow.
This flow between the two spots in known as sushumna breath.
Resolve that for one minute there will be no other thought only the feel of
the flow of the stream in the sushumna channel.
Now using the center between the eyebrows as the gateway, enter the chamber
of you mind and resolve for a quarter minute, half a minute, there will be no
exterior thought, only the utter silence; as though you mind becomes a lake
of silence, absolutely still, without a ripple.
Resolve and maintain the enjoyment of such stillness and silence for a half
a minute. Now from that lake of silence, come again through the gateway between
the eyebrows; and resolve for one minute to be only in the sushumna breathe.
Maintain the same stream, without the intrusion of any other thought.
Now continue in silence. Only a single ripple arising in the silent stillness
of the lake of the mind, and that is the mantra so-ham in the breath.
Every two-three minutes, five minutes, renew the resolve to permit no other
exterior thought.
If you have difficulty with that, you may practice the entire process that you
have just gone through, in repeat segments and steps described here.
Sit as long as you wish.
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