Meditation
Since we have gone through Meditation 101 I thought you might like to learn a bit more of the Practice of Meditation and since we are all big boys and girls in this camp I thought you might like to hear what Meditation is and what it is for in a higher level speak than in the previous blogs...baby steps for all, including us!
We practice these 14 points of yoga as set down by Swami Vishnudevananda. There are extra steps involved than in our blog So you want to meditate...well you can't and here is why. If this blog is too much to grasp at the moment we have a kinder more gently version in our blog Why do we Meditate...Will it make me high? Either way the important thing to remember is to practice and to practice meditation daily!
Here we go...
THE 14 POINTS OF MEDITATION
1. Regularity of time, place and practice are important. Regularity conditions the mind to slowdown its activities and chatter (see #9).2. The most effective times are early dawn and dusk, when the atmosphere is charged with
special Spiritual and Natural Force. Don't let what I just said freak you out. Dawn is when the world is just beginning to stir and at Dawn is when it is getting settled. These are perfect times when thought vibrations are low. You are more apt to have a concentrated meditation full of just your own thoughts rather than your entire neighborhood. We want to alleviate as much Monkey Chatter as we can. If it is not feasible to sit for meditation at these times, choose an hour
when you are not involved with daily activities, and a time when the mind is apt to be calm.
3. Try to have a separate room for meditation. As meditation is repeated, the powerful vibrations set up will be connected to the area; an atmosphere of peace and purity will be felt.
4. When sitting, face North or East in order to take advantage of favorable magnetic vibrations. Sit in a steady, comfortable, cross-legged position with spine and neck straight but not tense.
5. Before beginning, command the mind to be quiet for a specific length of time. Forget the past, present and future. This is such a major and helpful step, you will notice as you practice that the mind will begin to repond...daily practice is required!
6. Consciously regulate the breath. Begin with five minutes of deep abdominal yogic breathing to bring oxygen to the brain. Then slow it down to an imperceptible rate.
How to Breath a Full Yogic Breathe
7. Keep the breathing rhythmical, inhale for three seconds and exhale for three seconds.
Regulation of breath also regulates the flow of Prana, our vital energy.
8. Allow the mind to wander at first. It will jump around, but will eventually become concentrated, along with the concentration of Prana. Just don't follow at thought too far down the rabbit hole Alice.
9. Don't force the mind to be still, as this will set in motion additional brain waves, hindering meditation. No need to create more ripples in the pond.
10. Select a focal point on which the mind may rest. For people who are intellectual by nature, this may be the Ajna Chakra., the point between the eyebrows. For more emotional people, use the Anahata or Heart Chakra. Never change this focal point. Even when the mind gets bored and insists that you are doing something wrong and that you must change the focal point.
11. Focus on a neutral or uplifting object, holding the image in the place of concentration. If usinga Mantra, repeat it mentally, and co-ordinate repetition with the breath. If you don't have apersonalized Manta, use Om. Although mental repetition is stronger, the mantra may berepeated aloud if one becomes drowsy. Never change the Mantra. Even when the mind gets bored and insists that you are again doing something wrong and that you must change it at once.
12. Repetition will lead to pure thought, in which sound vibration merges with thought vibration, without awareness of meaning. Vocal repetition progresses through mental repetition to telepathic language, and from there to pure thought. Pretty deep huh!
13. With practice, duality disappears and Samadhi, or the Superconscious State, is reached practice practice practice, this takes a long time. Be patient and practice daily.
14. In Samadhi one rests in the state of bliss in which the Knower, the Knowledge, and the
Known become one. This is the Superconcious state reached by mystics of all faiths and
persuasions.
The biggest obstacle I faced when beginning to meditate is being patient with myself and gently guiding my Monkey mind back to task. I will tell you this...you are NOT wasting precious meditation time if you gently remind the mind to repeat the mantra or to redirect a thought. In the beginning stages of meditation this is what it is all about. You are getting to know your own mind instead of the thoughts you have had programmed. You are getting the junk out of the way and clearing a direct path to your true Self.
Like what you are reading? Leave us a comment or question. We have a direct link to a really cool Swami and can get answers for you. Why? Because we can and we also want everyone to find liberation and freedom...we want all to attain the Self. It is how we are meant to be.
We love you!
Toulousse
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