"When we can make the mind calm and quiet, we will feel that a new creation is dawning inside us. When the mind is vacant and tranquil and our whole existence becomes an empty vessel, our inner being can invoke infinite peace, light and bliss to enter into the vessel and fill it.
This is MEDITATION.�?/FONT>
What is Meditation?
Meditation is our attempt to discover our inner self, a place beyond the usual workings of the intellectual mind. When we experience real meditation we become aware of the infinite within and our own unexpected wealth of divine qualities like peace and inner joy. Many people may have had glimpses of meditation unconsciously. For example whilst walking through nature and being awed by its beauty and magnitude. Others may have been moved by sublime music. At such moments our mind becomes still and we feel a sense there is something greater beyond our usual perceptions. As mysteriously as it came, such experiences may leave, giving only a fleeting glimpse of a feeling that is hard to describe. Meditation is an attempt to make such experiences permanent and also deepen and expand our own consciousness.
People may take up meditation for a variety of reasons which could just be curiosity, a desire for more relaxation, peace of mind, or help in sleeping. Others may take to meditation from a feeling of disenchantment with the outer life. If practised with sincerity and regularity, meditation can give us relaxation and peace of mind but it can also offer more than we ever expected. Through meditation we can expedite our soul’s inner journey and we can become more aware of our own spiritual dimension.
"Meditation is absolutely necessary for those who want to have a better and more fulfilling life. If you feel that you are satisfied with what you have and what you are then you need not enter into the field of meditation. But if you feel that there is a barren desert deep inside your heart, then meditation is the answer. Meditation will give you inner joy and peace of mind."
To begin meditation we need to learn the art of concentration. Here concentration is different to mental concentration. Concentration for meditation means the ability to be aware of only one thing at a time. We need to keep the mind one pointed and focused only on our meditation exercise. If you try sitting still for 5 minutes and observe your own thoughts you will realise how difficult this is at first. However spiritual teachers who have mastered the art of meditation have offered a variety of techniques to help control the mind. If practised these can change the inherent tendency of the mind to wander and we can enter to silent meditation.
Meditation has significant benefits, these do not materialise in one or two sessions, they are slowly accumulated over time as we deepen our own meditation practise. These benefits will include a more focused and calm mind, greater dynamism and better sleep. In addition we will find ourselves less worried by minor irritants because we can more easily detach ourselves from these negative thoughts.
Some people associate meditation with the Kundalini energies, and psychic powers, however these are really like diversions on the path. The real goal of meditation is peace of mind and positive changes to our inner life.
To start meditation is very easy. Just take 5 or 10 minutes somewhere quiet. Begin by focusing on your breathing and let your thoughts drift away, if thoughts come pay no attention to them. Next try to feel yourself diving deep within away from the mind. If you like you can visualise a beautiful garden or vast ocean. Then for 10 minutes try to hold this awareness with one pointed concentration. If external noises come do not let them distract you, they will always be there. Just concentrate on your breathing. Even if this first experience is not fruitful keep persevering for with each try we will be able to add to our capacity and gradually learn the art of meditation.
Normally, thoughts are flowing through our mind every second, and it is not possible to stay at one point for any length of time, not to speak of remaining without any thought. Therefore, the first step in meditation is concentration. In concentration we learn to direct all our attention onto one particular point and to forget everything else.
Meditation exercises are the second step. While we fix our attention on something very small while we concentrate, in meditation we start with something small and then we expand into all directions. Often certain imaginations and pictures are used for meditation exercises.
In Mantra-meditation we repeat certain syllables again and again, until the vibration of the mantra, its deeper meaning comes slowly to the fore.
Apart from such exercises there are many little things that help if we do them right: What we eat has an influence, how we dress, where and with whom we meditate, what we do before and after meditation, what music we listen to and so on.
Posture during Meditation
When meditating, it is important to keep the spine straight and erect, and to keep the body relaxed. If the body is stiff, the divine and fulfilling qualities that are flowing in and through it during meditation will not be received. The body should not be uncomfortable, either. While you are meditating, your inner being will spontaneously take you to a comfortable position, and then it is up to you to maintain it. The main advantage of the lotus position is that it helps keep the spinal cord straight and erect. But it is not comfortable for most people. So the lotus position is not at all necessary for proper meditation. Many people meditate very well while seated in a chair.
Some people do physical exercises and postures. These exercises, called Hatha Yoga, relax the body and bring peace of mind for a short period. If someone is physically very restless and cannot stay still for more than a second, then these exercises will definitely help. But Hatha Yoga is not at all necessary. There are many aspirants who can just sit and make their minds calm and quiet without doing any Hatha Yoga.
It is not at all advisable to meditate while lying down, even for those who have been meditating for several years. Those who try to meditate while lying down will enter into the world of sleep or into a kind of inner drift or doze. Furthermore, while you are lying down, your breathing is not as satisfactory as it is when you are in a sitting position, since it is not conscious or controlled. Proper breathing is very important in meditation.
Breathing Exercises
1. Breathing into the heart centre
Please breathe in and hold your breath for a couple of seconds, and feel that you are holding the breath, which is life-energy, in your heart centre. This will help you to develop your inner meditation capacity.
2. Becoming aware of the breath
When you sit down to meditate, try to breathe in as slowly and quietly as possible, so that if somebody placed a tiny thread in front of your nose it would not move at all. And when you breathe out, try to breathe out even more slowly than you breathed in. If possible, leave a short pause between the end of your exhalation and the beginning of your inhalation. If you can, hold your breath for a few seconds. But if that is difficult, do not do it. Never do anything that will make you physically uncomfortable during meditation.
3 Breathing in peace and joy
The first thing that you have to think of when practising breathing techniques is purity. When you breathe in, if you can feel that the breath is coming directly from God, from Purity itself, then your breath can easily be purified. Then, each time you breathe in, try to feel that you are bringing infinite peace into your body. The opposite of peace is restlessness. When you breathe out, try to feel that you are expelling the restlessness within you and also the restlessness that you see all around you. When you breathe this way, you will find restlessness leaving you. After practising this a few times, please try to feel that you are breathing in power from the universe, and when you exhale, feel that all your fear is coming out of your body. After doing this a few times, try to feel that you are breathing in infinite joy and breathing out sorrow, suffering and melancholy.
4. Cosmic energy
Feel that you are breathing in not air but cosmic energy. Feel that tremendous cosmic energy is entering into you with each breath, and that you are going to use it to purify your body, vital, mind and heart. Feel that there is not a single place in your being that is not being occupied by the flow of cosmic energy. It is flowing like a river inside you, washing and purifying your entire being. Then, when you breathe out, feel that you are breathing out all the rubbish inside you—all your undivine thoughts, obscure ideas and impure actions. Anything inside your system that you call undivine, anything that you do not want to claim as your own, feel that you are exhaling.
This is not the traditional yogic pranayama, which is more complicated and systematised, but it is a most effective spiritual method of breathing. If you practise this method of breathing, you will soon see the results. In the beginning you will have to use your imagination, but after a while you will see and feel that it is not imagination at all but reality. You are consciously breathing in the energy which is flowing all around you, purifying yourself and emptying yourself of everything undivine. If you can breathe this way for five minutes every day, you will be able to make very fast progress. But it has to be done in a very conscious way, not mechanically.
5. Total breathing
When you reach a more advanced stage, you can try to feel that your breath is coming in and going out through every part of your body—through your heart, through your eyes, through your nose and even through your pores. Right now you can breathe only through your nose or your mouth, but a time will come when you will be able to breathe through every part of your body. Spiritual Masters can breathe even with their nose and mouth closed. When you have perfected this spiritual breathing, all your impurity and ignorance will be replaced by God's light, peace and power.
Imagine that you can see your breath entering your nose and slipping slowly and silently down into your lungs. Feel your breath is filling your chest cavity, energising your entire body. Keep your awareness in the centre of your chest. Imagine that you are in the centre of your own chest. Observe your breath coming in and bring with it all its positive energy. Then watch as your breath is exhaled carrying away negative feelings and emotions and even thoughts. Try to stay centred in your chest all the way through this exercise - keep your awareness in the centre of your chest.
Key points of exercise
* Feel your awareness is in the centre of your chest.
* Observe your breathing in a relaxed and detached way.
* Do not force your breathing.
Purpose of this exercise.
To slow, calm and relax your breathing �?this in turn helps to calm and quieten the mind, to prepare yourself for meditation. It is important that our breathing is calm and relaxed before we attempt to focus on the next level which is single pointed concentration. We need to spend a few minutes “letting go�?of our hectic outer activities and the impact they have on our mental state. A breathing exercise is perfect for this.
There are many different breathing exercises, this particular one also serves to help us become aware of a more subtle space within ourselves �?the centre of the chest houses the Heart centre. The Heart centre is a sweet and peaceful space which we will use in subsequent meditation exercise.
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