Meditation and Its Practice
“You are a citizen of two worlds, the world within and the world without”
To be a successful person you will need to understand how to build a bridge
between these two worlds
You will need to rest the entirety of your mind, and for that you should learn a
new way of knowing yourself. That method of inner knowing is called
meditation
The method he taught follows the approach of first focusing on the body, next
the breath, then the senses, and finally the mind
“Do not meditate for the purpose of dwelling on the unconscious mind. Do it
to form a channel for the presence of the Atman-the indwelling Self of all, do
not brood”
Atman, the inner dweller
Blissful inner state called Samadhi
Chapter One
In meditation you are awake and alert, but not focused on the external world.
Neither you are asleep, dreaming, or fantasizing. Instead, your mind is clear,
relaxed, and inwardly focused
Meditation is simply a quiet, effortless, one-pointed focus of attention and
awareness
Trying to make the mind empty is impossible anyways, in meditation we
allow the mind to focus on one subtle element or object, which leads the
attention further inward
Sounds which are used to concentrate the mind in meditation are called
mantras
Good meditation teachers recognize and respect the universality of meditation
and do not foster self-serving or cultish distinctions about their techniques
It is true that the whole of the body is in the mind, but the whole of the mind is
not in the body
In meditation, you do not make any attempt to give the mind a direct
suggestion or to control the mind. You simply observe the mind and let it
become quiet and calm, allowing your mantra to lead you deeper within,
exploring and experiencing the deeper levels of your being
Meditation does not belong to any culture or religion of the world, but is a
pure and simple method of exploring the inner dimensions of life and finally
establishing oneself in one’s own essential nature
In order to meditate, you will need to learn:
°How to relax the body
°How to sit in a comfortable, steady position for meditation
°How to make your breathing process serene
°How to calmly witness the objects traveling in the train of your mind
°How to inspect the quality of your thoughts and learn to promote those which
are positive and helpful to your growth
How to remain centered and undisturbed in any situation, whether you judge it
to be bad or good
Chapter Two
The most important and most often overlooked step in meditation is that of
preparation
Physical problems or discomforts can certainly create barriers or distractions
in your meditation
A clear, quiet place is all you need for meditation
It can be done any time, night or day, but traditionally the best times-when the
environment is most conducive to meditation-are said to be early morning and
late evening
Preparation
First step: cleansing
Second step: stretching (yoga)
Third step: relaxation (Shavasana / Corpse pose)
Fourth step: calming the mind and nervous system (breathing)
Fifth step: sitting in meditation
Four “Primitive Fountains”
°Food
Fresh, simple, natural food that is nutritious and easy to digest
The atmosphere for eating food should be pleasant and joyous
Food should always be taken at least four hours before meditation, sex, or
sleep
°Sex
°Sleep
Too little and too much can make you feel disrupted in your meditation
°Self-preservation
Each of these urges needs to be skillfully managed if our meditation is to
progress
Chapter Three
The requirements for a good meditation posture are that it be still, steady,
relaxed, and comfortable
There is only one important prerequisite for a good meditation posture-it must
allow you to keep the head, neck, and trunk of the body aligned so that you
can breathe freely and diaphragmatically
Eyes gently closed
All breathing is done through the nostrils
Poses
°Friendship pose (maitri asana)
°The easy pose (sukhasana)
°The auspicious pose (swastikasana)
°The thunderbolt pose (Zen sitting position)
°The accomplished pose (siddhasana)
°The lotus pose (taught as an exercise rather than being used for actual
meditation)
In the beginning you can lean against a wall for back support, but it is not
good to remain dependent on an external support
Trying to sit in a position for which one is unprepared can result in injuries
due to pulled muscles or ligaments
Chapter Four
Thinking is a different process than meditating
The less you fight with yourself or force yourself to meditate, the more you
will relax and reach greater stillness
Because of mental processes, many meditative traditions seek to quiet and
focus the mind by allowing it to concentrate on one object or stimulus at a
time. Thus, the goal is not to make the mind empty, but rather to quiet the
mind by giving it a single focus
Concentration in this context simply means focused attention
Mantra is a powerful tool-a compact prayer. Constant prayer creates
awareness, and constant awareness leads to self-realization
A mantra has an effect because of its qualities of vibration and sound rather
than because of its literal meaning
Students begin by using the natural and universal sound so hum
Mentally hear the “so” with the inhalation, and “hum, during the exhalation.
Sit quietly and let the sound repeat itself with each breath, allowing the flow
of breath to remain serene
You will note that other thoughts do enter your mind, and your awareness will
shift to other issues. When this occurs, allow yourself to “witness” or non-
judge-mentally observe the associations in the mind, and then gently bring
your awareness back to so hum
Thoughts will continue to arise, but most will dissipate if you witness them in
a neutral way, without creating an internal conflict
We cannot simply equate sitting for longer periods with meaningful progress.
Sometimes we may sit for a long time, but our mind is scattered, distracted,
and anything but peaceful
As meditation progresses, there should be a deepening sense of quiet and
stillness. No dramatic phenomena are required
The meditator is an interior researcher whose findings help bring out levels of
creative intelligence which can be useful in the external world
Chapter Five
Science of Pranayama, which helps the student regulate the motion of the
lungs
Without such regulation, the respiratory system, heart, brain, and ANS do not
function in a coordinated way
Prana means “the first unit of energy”
Our breath reflects the state of our mind at all times
Four irregularities in the breath:
°Shallowness of breath
°Jerks in the breath
°Noisy breathing
°Extended pauses between inhalation and exhalation
The mind moves first, then the body moves, and the more the body moves, the
more the mind is dissipated
When you breathe evenly and diaphragmatically, breathing becomes more
efficient; you will breathe more slowly because each breath carries more air
and life-force
At the conclusion of the smooth exhalation, you begin another inhalation
Eliminating this unconscious tendency to pause or hold the breath is an
important goal. The entire breathing process should be smooth and natural,
without any breathlessness, gasping, or feeling of being forced
Noisy breath means either that you are using force to breathe or that there is
some obstruction or congestion in your respiratory passages
If you are breathing diaphragmatically, you will not feel much movement in
the chest
Nadis are subtler coordinates of the physical nerves. There are thousands of
nadis, three of which play a particularly important role: sushumna, ida and
pingala
Sushumna is the central channel, and corresponds to the physical spinal
column. The other two nadis, ida, and pingala are associated respectively with
the left and right sides of the central column
Ida terminates in the left nostril, and pingala in the right
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Nadi shodhanam
Choose a pattern (variation) of breathing
At intermediate levels Nadi shodhanam can be done for three rounds
culminating with three breaths to recover the natural internal rhythm of
breathing
Chapter Six
°Learn to sit at the same time every day, and allow this to become a habit
°Develop a good sitting posture for meditation
°When you begin to sit in meditation, you should not try to sit for a long time.
To start, 15 to 20 minutes will be sufficient
°Every third day you can expand your practice by 3 minutes
°Discomfort is not a good sign; massage your toes, legs, and thighs when you
get up from your meditation seat
°If you find that a certain part of the body has any aches or pain, gently ask
your mind to go to that spot to heal the ache
All sadhanas (spiritual practices, techniques, and disciplines) are actually
meant to train the mind
Anything within the domain of the mind can be healed by the mind, once we
know our deeper nature
Four distinct functions of the mind:
°Manas
The lower mind, through which we interact with the external world and take in
sensory impressions and data. Mana has a tendency to doubt and question
°Buddhi
The higher aspect of the mind, the doorway to inner wisdom. Has the capacity
to decide, judge and make cognitive discriminations and differentiations. It
can determine the wiser of two courses of action, if it functions clearly and if
manas will accept its guidance
°Ahamkara
Is the sense of “I-ness,” the individual ego, which feels itself to be a distinct,
separate entity. Provides our sense of identity, but also creates feelings of
separation, pain, and alienation
°Chitta
It’s the memory bank which stores our impressions and experiences. While it
can be useful, chitta can also cause difficulties if it is not coordinated with the
other functions
Self-healing is one of the natural physical capabilities of every person’s mind
When both nostrils flow freely, it means that you are inhaling and exhaling
through both nostrils simultaneously, which is the sign of sushumna
awakening
The first month is devoted to posture and inhalation and exhalation
The second month is devoted to breathing techniques
After some time you can start focusing on the bridge of your nose while
meditating, the center between the two nostrils, morning and evening, and
could achieve sushumna, practice should be for two to three months Kriya
To be afraid to try to examine your thought process is a serious mistake to
make
You should examine all your fears, and then you will find that most of them
are imaginary and irrational
The final step of meditation is to remain in silence
A method that is comprehensive and leads to the removal of all barriers to the
experience of one’s innermost being is the best method
Sankalpa Shakti (Power of will)
There is a teacher within everyone, and that is their own conscience. If we
ignore our inner teacher, then a teacher outside will be of no use to us
