crash course on meditation

Meditation-Dhyana Yoga

Crash Course on

Meditation (Dhyana Yoga) A Practical Manual

Dedicated to

Sri Rama Bhaktaagresara, Bhakta jana paripaala, Aashrita jana vatsala

Sri Anjaneya Swamy By

Bhakta Paramaanuvu Sudhakar V.Rao MD.

Abridged from a previous 7-day course authored and hosted by The Author .

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Preface In 2009, at the request requ est of a few friends, I gave a crash course on Meditation consisting of seven sessions at my home. The course included power point presentations, practical lessons and demonstrations. Every session was followed by e-mail communication to all participants of what was covered. In 2010, at the request of the AAPI and its President, the well-known patron of arts and a scholar, Dr. Veeraiah Choudary Perni, the e-mail texts were combined into a book form with some modifications and additions. The book was published with a presentation at the AAPI meeting. The book was also uploaded to Internet for free download. Due to increasing number nu mber of requests from readers, it was decided to bring out a second edition with more details. My dear dea r friend, Sri Ramakrishna Kajuth, a certified yoga instructor himself, offered several editorial suggestions for this second edition and here it is. I hope the readers will find this second edition useful, readable and practical. Any constructive suggestions to improve the book will be appreciated.

My grateful thanks to: Dr.Subhadra Rao, who puts up with m y idiosyncrasies and odd timings, day in and day out and is my first listener, reader and critic; Sri Ramakrishna Kajuth who is a dear friend and a scholar for his editorial suggestions; AAPI and Drs. Veeraiah Choudary Perni and Lakshmi Perni for making this publication possible. Sudhakar V.Rao, MD.


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Getting Started: Meditation, also known as Dhyana yoga is best achieved in eight steps. These eight steps described by Sage Patanjali constitute Ashtanga yoga. They are considered as the eight rungs of the ladder to reach the pinnacle of meditation called Samadhi. The eight limbs as described in the Yoga sutras (aphorisms) of Patanjali ar e: 1) Yamas (universal morality towards self,) 2) Niyamas (morality towards others), 3) Asanas (physical yoga poses), 4) Pranayama (control of prana through breath), 5) Pratyahara (control of senses), 6) Dharana (concentration and stillness), 7) Dhyana (meditation), and 8)Samadhi (enlightenment). The Yamas and Niyamas are a way of behavior modification, necessary for success in meditation.

The Five Yamas are : Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (Truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (Celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-covetousness).

The Six Niyamas (universal morality towards towards others) are: Shaucha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapa (Austerity), Swaadhyaaya (selfeducation), and Iswara Pranidhaana (meditation on the Divine).

Session 1:Preparation. The first step is to decide the exact place and time for meditation in your own homes. Fix a place, fix a time and stick to it! This is the first step for success in meditation.

Setting up the atmosphere: Light up a diya or a candle. If you wish, you can choose a picture of your ishta devata (favorite form God) or any picture as the object on which to meditate. This helps concentration.

1.Tuning Oneself for Meditation : Sit down and relax all the muscles starting from head all the way down the feet. Close your eyes and breathe deep and slow. Inhale slowly, hold the breath for a few moments and exhale slowly. There are various methods described to do this. I would recommend that you inhale slowly, hold your breath as long as you comfortably can, and then exhale slowly. The terms used in Sanskrit are: Pooraka Poorak a meaning inhalation Kumbhaka, meaning holding the breath in and filling up your lungs with inspired air; a ir; Kumbhaka, your lungs as long as you can comfortably, and Rechaka, Rechaka, meaning exhaling slowly. This is done with both nostrils open. So this is different from the pranayama that you will do later. The idea is to oxygenate your blood so that you feel relaxed and light. Do this about five times concentrating on the breathing. Let all the muscles relax. You will feel and hear your heart beat slow down. I want to stress stress once again, again, this is different from from the pranayama pranayama that you will will do later. later.


2.Stretching Exercises: Now that your body and mind are relaxed, you should stand up and do some stretching exercises to warm up the muscles. Start with stretching the lower limbs holding on to a chair or some support. Then put your hands on your hips. Bring your feet together and gently rotate on your lumbar spine towards right right and left. Next, gently bend down with stretched hands and try to touch your feet. Important Important caution: If you have dizzy spells or high blood pressure, do not look up. Try to look down and do this gently. It might be a good idea to have some one watch you in the beginning. Do not push yourself to the point of pain. Do only as much as you can comfortably. comfor tably. The idea is to stretch the muscles. Gradually you will be able to increase the stretching. The key is persistence persistence and sticking sticking to the routine. routine. The idea is to be conscious of your entire body and especially the spine. A check up by your physician may be a good idea.

3. Do the Surya Namaskars (Salutation to Sun): Surya Namaskara, like most asanas, should be done on empty stomach. Therefore some recommend a gap of at least two hours after eating and before performing the namaskara. It is generally practiced in the morning before breakfast or in evening. Again be careful not to hurt yourself. In the beginning just do only one or two cycles. See the picture below. Caution: Do not overstretch, especially in the second step when you bend backwards with arms outstretched and palms held together: Again if you suffer from dizzy spells or high blood pressure, it is advisable to have some one watch you and help you.

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4. Sit down and relax. If you can sit in padmasana (lotus pose), it is good. Otherwise just sit up with spine straight, so that the Kundalini Shakti (power) will travel upwards easily. Keep the neck straight. str aight. Start breathing slowly in and out.

5.Find the frequency of the "Om" (!) or the sound given to you by a Guru. You can find this frequency by the sound you hear when you close your ears, eyes, nostrils and mouth. You will hear the sound of blood flow in a particular frequency. Chant Om/sound in that frequency with closed eyes and try to concentrate in between the eyebrows. Five to ten times is fine. You can do more if you have the time. Make sure your chant arises deep from the belly button and stretches as long as you can do so comfortably. The sound of “Om” when chanted with peaceful mind increases your sense of tranquility.

6.Do the Pranayama. The breathing exercise you did in the beginning was only for preparation. Although it had the three components of pranayama, it was done with both nostrils open. In this exercise, with relaxed mind and closed eyes, you close the right nostril and slowly breathe in through left nostril. Then hold the breath and close both nostrils as long as you can do so comfortably. Next, close the right nostril and open the left nostril simultaneously and breathe out slowly. This is one cycle of pranayama consisting of Pooraka (breathing (breathing in), kumbhaka kumbhaka (holding (holding the breath breath with both nostrils closed) and rechaka (breathing out slowly by . ) Next, repeat opening the opposite nostril ) repeat the cycle cycle starting with left nostril . Breathe in through left nostril and exhale through right nostril. The number of cycles recommended differs. Some have recommended 14 cycles; two for warm up and rest with the right measure measure of breathing and timing. You will feel warmth in the lower back and you will also perspire some. This is normal and this means your you r pranayama is Relaxing all the successful. If not you may have to work at it. Relaxing muscles and keeping up the spine straight while paying attention to t o breathing is the secret!

7.Think of a word or a mantra and start repeating in low tone or whisper 108 times or mantra from longer. This is called Japa. It is recommended you get a suitable mantra your teacher .

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Try to focus your attention between the eyebrows where the Aajna chakra is located. The Mantra recited out loudly or mentally, elevates us to a telepathic state and beyond, which is transcendental. Mantra recitation harnesses the mind’s energy and directs it to become one-pointed and focused. There are four kinds of Japa or Meditation: 1.Vaikhari: reciting mantra aloud. 2.Upaamsu: whispering or humming. 3.Maanasika: the mental repetition of the mantra. 4.Likhita: when mantra is written 108 times or in multiples of 108 times. Beginners should use chanting in low tone (Vaikhari type). As a rule the practitioner receives a Mantra from a Guru (a spiritually liberated individual ). Beware of impostors who charge you enormous enormous with sublime thoughts ).

amounts of money or ask favors!!) It is important to adhere to one one mantra. Do not keep changing this.

Japa is an exact science. For this purpose, one can use a mala, a string of prayer beads like a rosary. It consists of 108 beads. You may use one with only 54 beads, but I recommend one with 108 beads. be ads. Using one with 108 beads is easier and marks the end of one cycle of repetition. This will increase the stage of Dharana (one-pointed concentration of mind)

8.As you increase dharana you will automatically stop whispering. You will utter the mantra or the word mentally, while your concentration is in between the eyebrows and your eyes are closed. The muscles are relaxed and the heart rate slows down.

9.Then you will enter the stage of dhyana (meditation).


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Session 2: Asana The seven sessions are meant to give us an insight into the eight steps of Patanjali Yoga. A recapitulation of the eight steps might be relevant here: Yamas (universal morality towards self,) Niyamas (morality towards others), Asanas (physical yoga poses), Pranayama (control of prana through breath), Pratyahara (control of senses), Dharana (concentration and stillness), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (enlightenment). The first class was an overview so that you could have something to practice and be steady on the path of Dhyana yoga or meditation.

Remember, sticking to the routine and commitment is the secret of success. Please note: As discussed in the first session, the practice of the yamas and niyamas is very important for success of meditation. Without regular conscious attention paid to

the ethical observances, little real spiritual advancement will come from one's yoga practice. There are many individuals, even well-known yogis, who have attained the mystical heights of Samadhi, but yet have fallen from grace due to lack of observance of one or more of the yamas or niyamas. Regular review of them and how they they practically apply in one's life is worth daily perusal. One strategy is that at the end of the day, take stock of all of your actions and compare them to the desired ends that a more conscious and disciplined approach to any of the yamas or niyamas may have yielded. In fact, regular regular study of the the yamas and and niyamas niyamas is perhaps perhaps one of the most neglected neglected areas areas of contemporary yoga / meditation training today and perhaps the most important prerequisite. prerequisite.

Aasana: After being in practice of yamas and niyamas, the asana or the posture is the third step. It is the third rung on the ladder of practice of yoga. Asana also means a seat and this is appropriate because you have to sit before going into meditation. The muscles are all relaxed and if you stand, you tend to fall and if you lie down, you tend to sleep. A proper Meditation is asana helps you to be conscious and yet be in meditation. Remember, Meditation heightened choiceless awareness where one is totally open to the mediating influence of the Divine. Asana is the initial step in Yoga, whereby the bodily structure is set in unison with the cosmos. . Most important step in asana is to sit comfortably. There should not be any discomfort, pain or tightness of muscles. But there are some minimum requirements, although there are some allowances.

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ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING :

1.You should not sit on the bare ground, because the earth is a conductor of electricity and the energy liberated during meditation may dissipate, and this may become a reason for the temptation to discontinue your sadhana or practice. A non-conductor of electricity is good material to spread on the ground. In olden days a dry grass mat was used, called


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the Kusa Asana over which a deerskin, and a cloth, both non-conductors of electricity, were spread. You don’t have to spend a lot of of money buying these. An ordinary thick piece of cloth or cotton mattress will suffice. 2.The Gita prescribes that the seat should not be too high or too low. You may fall down if the seat is very v ery high, and if it is too low, there is the likelihood of insects and reptiles creeping into the seat. 3.The spine, too, should be kept straight. It should be at right angles to the base. One should not be leaning against any support or be bending forward. The reason is that if the spine is straight the nerves get relaxed and the whole body feels to be in equilibrium. The flow of Prana through the nerves is smoothened. There is a free movement of energy in the body when the whole system is in a state of relaxation. This also helps the Kundalini Shakti travel upwards through the Sushumna nadi easily. 4.When you sit down, the legs could be positioned in one of three or four ways. These are Padma-Asana, Siddha-Asana, Swastika-Asana and Sukha-Asana. The following pictures illustrate the posture and the accompanying text will explain how to correctly sit in the posture. Choose the one most comfortable for you.

Sukhasana.

Padmasana.

Siddhasana

Swastikasana.

Sukhasana : means “a pleasant pose”. Sit with spine and neck straight with knees flexed and legs crossed. The hands are on the knees, with index finger and thumb touching each other. This is called Gnana mudra. Padmasana : means “lotus pose”. Sit in sukhasana. Then, place one foot, then the other, atop the opposite thigh. The heel should be as close to the abdomen as possible with the sole facing upward. Both knees are in contact with the ground, and the pelvis is tilted slightly forward. A cushion or mat may be used to provide support. Siddhasana: means “perfect pose”. From a seated position, bring one heel is to the opposite groin. Then bring the opposite ankle and place it over the first leg with the toes and heel of the second foot resting in the fold made between the thigh and calf c alf of the first leg beneath it. The spine is held erect. Then, keep hands in gnana mudra. Swastikasana: Sit down on the floor. Stretch out your legs in front. Hold the ankle of the right foot and place it in between left thigh and knee. Likewise put the left foot in between


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right thigh and knee. Keep your neck, head and back erect. Put the palms on the corresponding knees and arrange your fingers in gnana mudra. What if you have trouble with the knees ? You can then sit on a wooden chair with a flat cushion and a straight back . In the beginning you may rest your spine on the back of the chair but not lean on it. The back of the chair should be straight and not curve backwards.

The purpose of a fixed Asana is to enable e nable the mind to slowly forget that there is a body at all. The body will attract attention, somehow. But the mind cannot, in meditation, afford to remain conscious of the body. body. You will gradually lose sensation of the limbs. You forget that you are seated, that you have a body or limbs. The first sign of successful practice in Asana is a sense of levitation . But this takes time time and depends on how often often you practice sitting in the pose daily. The Prana is so harmonious that it does not create sensation in the body. It is disharmony that creates sensations of things. When the highest harmony is reached, there will be no external sensation.

With extremities locked; with thumb tips approximated against the tips of index fingers, and rest of three fingers stretched out, in gnana mudra, with spine straight; head, neck and spine in one line, and at right angles to the base of the body; the Asana is perfect. The Asana should be effortless . If you have trouble with asana, sit in the pose and then take long deep breaths and relax all the muscles while contemplating on the object of meditation, your ishta devata (beloved form of God.) Close your eyes and concentrate between the eyebrows. This technique invariably works well. This is my trick and has helped me immensely in the beginning stages of dhyana several years ago. Choose the seat facing east or north. As we learned in the earlier class the magnetic forces of earth, according to Vaastu help the body immensely. The correct time to do this is early morning. Ideal time is between 4 -5 am. This is called “Brahmi “ Brahmi muhoorta and is supposed to be most auspicious. The room temperature should be comfortable, not too hot or too cold. There should be no other noises or distractions. Do not use a timer. Close the door of the room. When you sit in the proper pose, with a calm mind, there is harmonious flow of the Prana through the nerve-channels. You are at the gates of meditation. While in Yama and Niyama you are in preparation, in Asana the gates of Reality are reached, though they are yet to be opened. The soul is there ready to meet the Sovereign of the universe. This is the first step in actual Yoga.

Session 3:Pranayama In this session, we will learn about Pr!"!y!ma:( "extension of the life force".) The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, Prana meaning life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and "ay!ma", meaning extending or drawing out. The oft seen translation translation “control of life force” is incorrect. Because the Sanskrit word is Ayama, not yama.


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The practice of Asana and Pranayama go together. There are different types of Pranayama. We need to learn only one method, which is easy and beneficial towards achieving our goal of learning meditation. Prana or the vital energy acts as the medium between the mind and the body. It pervades the entire physical system and is subtler than the body but grosser than the mind. It can act but cannot think. The body without this energy is in the th e state of tamas (laziness, mode of ignorance igno rance or darkness) and needs the energy to become active. active. Being the medium between mind and body, it is restless like the mind. Prana is always in state of Rajas (mode of passion). Controlling Prana therefore helps in controlling the mind and puts the body at ease. For practical meditation, we need not know all the details of the 5 kinds of Prana .

Here are the t he practical steps you can follow to establish a basic pranayama procedure. procedure . After the initial preparation of relaxing the muscles and sitting in the asana you learnt, once again, clear your mind of all thoughts and tensions. Take slow deep breaths relaxing all the muscles, starting from head and neck all the way down to the toes. Your posture posture should be steady which is best accomplished in a seated position either in a comfortable comfor table asana asa na or sitting sit ting in a straight-backed straight-ba cked chair. c hair. You must free your mind from emotions. Your breathing should be natural and calm. The breathing should be mild, so that it does not produce any sound. Concentrate your mind on o n breathing. breat hing. One should should not sit for for Pranayama Pranayama in in an unhappy mood because a grieved mind creates unrhythmic breathing. No Pranayama should be practiced when one is hungry or tired. When everything is calm, then one may start the Pranayama. Be seated in one of the asanas you are comfortable with hands hand s in gnana mudra, relaxing the shoulders, arms, forearms and hands.

Gnyana Mudra.

In the initial few minutes, just breathe breathe regularly and slowly, with intention of slowing down your rate of breathing There should There should be no retention of the


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breath, but only deep inhalation and exhalation. Concentrate on breathing slow. The Prana has first to be brought to accept the conditions that are going to be imposed on it, and hence any attempt to practice retention should be avoided. The next stage is going through the three phases of Pranayama . These are: Pooraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka. Pooraka is the intake of air as much as you can comfortably by deep inhalation. . The next stage is Kumbhaka, retaining the air in the lungs as long as you can without becoming uncomfortable and without a sense of suffocation. . The third stage is Rechaka or slowly exhaling out.

Here is how it is done: 1.Exhale with a slow and deep breath . 2.Close the right nostril with the right thumb . 3.Inhale slowly through the left nostril. 4.Close both the nostrils with the thumb and finger. 5.Hold the breath as long as you can. 6.Then release the right thumb from the right nostril, and exhale very slowly through the right nostril. 7.Then, reverse the process commencing with inhalation through the right nostril. This is one cycle of Pranayama .

The proportion of inhalation, retention and exhalation is supposed to be 4:16:8 . If you take four seconds to inhale, you take 16 seconds to retain, and 8 seconds to exhale . . There should be no haste in increasing the time of retention. Whether you are comfortable during retention or not is the test for the duration of retention . There should be no feeling of suffocation in retention or headache or tightness in chest etc. The rule applicable to Asana is valid to Pranayama, also. They both should be Sthira and Sukha, (easy and comfortable,) without strain or pain of any kind. They both should be slow and gradual in progress. The length of pranayama should be increased gradually over time as you become more adept. Pranayama is not to be done on heavy stomach. It is better done before food, on empty but not hungry stomach. No ssound ound should be produced during inhalation inhalati on and exhalation. As explained earlier, sitting, facing the East or the North is beneficial . There are certain signs, which indicate one's success in Pranayama. These signs cannot be seen in persons pe rsons who practice the technique for a short while, or are inconsistent or do it with skepticism. A luster in the body and an d face, new energy, unusual strength that cannot be easily diminished by fatigue, and absence of heaviness in the body, are some of the indications of progress in Pranayama


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Session 4: Pratyahara. This is an important component of ashtanga yoga. This deals with control of senses, which are like tentacles of consciousness. They run in different directions trying to see, hear, and feel everything around you. This practice deals with withdrawing those tentacles, like a tortoise withdrawing its limbs into its shell.

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much is written about this subject except in Sanskrit slokas of Patanjali etc. Most teachers do not like to talk about it and most students of yoga do not like to hear about it. This is because it is in deed difficult to explain. Another metaphor will help us understand pratyahara. The senses are said to follow the mind in the same way as bees follow the queen bee. Wherever she goes, they will follow. Similarly if the mind truly goes inward, the senses will go inward racing behind. Mastering the control of senses allows one to achieve the ability to see in subtle and the subtlest layers of multidimensional space, as well as to exit from the material body bo dy into them and settle in them, accustoming oneself to their subtlety, tenderness, and purity. Controlling senses means gaining mastery over the senses: Our senses seem to drag us around in the external world, whether pursuing material objects, food or circumstances related to professional, social, or economic life. Through routine practice of pratyahara at daily meditation time, we gradually gain positive control over the mind preventing it from being drawn obsessively towards all those objects and related thoughts.

Pratyahara (Prati+Ahara) (Prati+Ahara) means withdrawal withdrawal of food. The food or ahara in yogic thought is considered at three levels. Physical food nourishing the body, impressions nourishing mind and associations; and people nourishing the soul. Withdrawal or pratyahara pratyah ara can therefore be withdrawal withd rawal of wrong foods, fo ods, wrong wron g impressions impressi ons and wrong associations, with simultaneous access to right food, impressions and associations. The pratyahara for practical purposes can be of four types: 1)Indriya pratyahara=control of senses, 2)Prana pratyahara=control of prana (breathing) 3)Karma pratyahara=control of action 4)Mano pratyahara=control of mind.


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Among these, control of senses (Indriya pratyahara) is most important and this is the aspect we do not like to hear about. Consider the following two points: 1.The problem is that senses are like untrained children, having their own will, which is largely instinctual in nature. They tell the mind what to do. If we do d o not discipline them, they dominate us with their endless demands. We are so accustomed to ongoing sensory activity that we do not know how to keep our minds quiet. We have become hostages of the world of senses and its allurements and we have forgotten the higher goals of life. "# $%&& '()*% +,-*(./() 012/1-(# $,&/ ,3 1& &133(- 3-,' &(.&,-4 ,5(-2,%)6 /7( -(&12/ ,3 0,.&/%./ 8,'8%-)'(./ 3-,' 9:6 -%)*,6 0,';1/(-&6 .(<&;%;(-&6 '%=%>*.(& %.) 8,,?&++ 4,1 .%'( */@ A1- 0,''(-0*%2 &,0*(/4 31.0/*,.& 84 &/*'12%/*.= ,1- *./(-(&/ /7-,1=7 &(.&(&# B( %-( 0,.&/%./24 0,.3-,./() <*/7 8-*=7/ 0,2,-&6 2,1) .,*&(&6 %.) )-%'%/*0 &(.&%/*,.&# B( 7%5( 8((. -%*&() *. (5(-4 &,-/ ,3 &(.&,-4 *.)12=(.0( %.) */ *& /7( '%*. 3,-' ,3 (./(-/%*.'(./ *. ,1- &,0*(/4# The first steps one can take towards pratyahara may be found in the earlier limbs studied in this course. To do this, first step is the proper posture and breath. Sense withdrawal, pratyahara, rests on the solid foundation of steady, comfortable meditation posture and smooth, deep, quiet breathing. Without these two steps, sense withdrawal becomes a battle. With posture and breath regulated, pratyahara comes much more naturally. We talked about the control of mind and senses and although we all know this to be most important, we do not try to practice it. We tend to indulge ourselves.

Indriya Pratyahara (Control of senses): This involves intake of right impressions, sensory withdrawal and creation of positive impressions. Intake of Right impressions : We care about food and the company we keep. But we are not normally that careful about what we take in as impressions. We accept what wh at we see in mass media, allow people and characters on TV we normally do not allow in our houses in real life. Strong sensations dull the mind and make us insensitive, careless or even violent. Just as junk food makes the body toxic, junk impressions make the mind toxic. WE cannot ignore the role of sensory impressions in make u s who we are.

Trying to meditate without controlling our impressions pits our subconscious against us and prevents development of inner peace and clarity. impressions. Sensory withdrawal: We have a choice. Simplest way is to cut off the impressions. Just as the body benefits by fasting from food, mind benefits by fasting from impressions. This can be simple as sitting in meditation, c losing eyes or going to a retreat where there is no sensory bombardment by the media. A good way is yoni mudra-closing mudra-closing eyes and ears with fingers and allowing attention and energy en ergy to move within. This is done for short periods of time, immediately after pranayama. Laya yoga is a technique to be learnt. It involves techniques of meditation meditation that cause the energy or Prana to move in certain ways, to awaken the Kundalini, the coiled up energy at the base of the spine. Laya yoga channelizes the energy forces in the Kundalini instead of

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merely controlling the mind. It is important that the Kun dalini is activated through performance of asanas, practice of pranayama and making a conscious effort to guide this awakened energy in the spine and allowing it to immerse in the crown chakra .

But for now, I would suggest that you stick to the simple postures that we covered. Once you stick to a comfortable posture, the next step is to practice withdrawing the senses from material surroundings. This is not easy and is not clearly explained in many texts. I shall try to explain this in a simple way how to do this. The key to this problem lies in taking a positive approach to the senses rather than a negative approach. If you are trying not to hear a noise, you are in effect, fixating on it. The harder you try not to hear it, the louder it becomes. What ever you pay attention to becomes brighter, louder, more intense. The solution is to pay attention to the subtlest sound/sight. /sensation. I recommend you begin the practice of sense withdrawal by focusing on sounds. With eyes closed, covered, or lights turned out, listen to all the sounds in your environment. Of all the sounds you can hear, choose to focus on the most subtle. As you improve your ability to focus your mind, the most subtle sound will become louder, and louder. Then ask yourself, is there a subtler sound beneath the one you are focusing on. Shift your attention to this new sound until it becomes louder. This is the most important aspect of this practice...Try to block the louder sounds. . Let them come and go. They are of no consequence. Stay focused on the subtlest. An example of this is comparing the auscultation of a sick child’s chest for diagnosis of a heart murmur. How do you, a physician, do this in a crying restless, wheezing sick child along with parents asking different questions, and other kids crying in the room? What you do is auscultate for a long time, trying to separate the breathing, crying and other sounds from the chest and the examining room. Then you concentrate on heartbeat and the first and the second sound. As a last step, you concentrate on the murmur and the timing, the intensity of first and second sound, the pitch, the conduction etc. In other words, the sounds from the chest of a crying sick child are like a symphony or orchestra. By concentrating on other orchestra, you can distinguish the different musical sounds from different musical instruments. Similar is the case in pratyahara. You block all other sounds and go deeper and deeper. As you step back further and further along this chain of sounds you eventually hear your own breathing, beneath that perhaps your heart, beneath that... eventually you are hearing imaginable sounds, sounds of consciousness. Of all of these imaginable sounds, which is the subtlest? Focus on that. Eventually they say that you hear the sound of creation. The echo left over from the big bang, and when asked what does that sound like the sages would reply AAAUUUMMM.... AAAUUUMMM.... AAAUUUMMM.

Meditation-Dhyana Yoga Other practical techniques we covered were Shambhavi mudra and Yoni mudra and some other physical postures we learnt.

Yoni Mudra Focusing on uniform impressions is another way to cleanse the mind. Gazing at the ocean or blue sky, or image of favorite deity are examples. Creating positive impressions impressions can be done by meditating on natural objects like a flower or a tree or temple or going on a pilgrimage. Creating inner impressions is done by visualization of a deity or a guru or a beautiful beautifu l scene. The merit of these simple postures is that they provide you with clarity of mind almost immediately and you do feel getting your senses under control. You should practice these whenever you have time, durin g the day even for a few seconds or minutes.

Prana Pratyahara: (Control of breathing): Pranayama best accomplishes this. Some have recommended that one should gather prana from toes upwards to the head.

Karma Pratyahara: This is based on the fact that because desires are endless leading to unhappiness when unfulfilled, happiness consists in not needing anything from the external world.

Mano Pratyahara consists in consciously withdrawing attention from unwholesome impressions.

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Session 5:Dharana This is the sixth branch of Ashtanga yoga. Dharana is learning to focus our attention in one direction. This is not the forced concentration like trying to solve a difficult mathematics problem; rather dharana is a form of receptive concentration. This should therefore be not stressful Once you master this technique of concentration, you find that you move through society and its problems easily. You will feel that the world is at your command and you are not subjugated by any influence.

Dharana brings about the capacity to control the mind instead of the mind controlling you. Dharana, (from the Sanskrit root dhri, meaning to hold, to keep fixed, to direct towards, to confer) consists of different techniques for developing one-pointed concentration . The methods of Dharana and Pratyahara are outwardly very similar , with a subtle difference. In Pratyhara the attention is focused through the senses but the energy is drawn inward into the mind. In Dharana, the energy is focused on various objects, which can be external or internal. There are several methods of improving your concentration or dharana. The following is a brief list.

Shambhavi Mudra:

Technique: • Take a comfortable sitting posture with back straight and hands on knees. Close your eyes for a short time and then open your eyes and look forward at a fixed point, then look upward as high as possible without moving the head. • Now, focus both eyes at eyebrow centre and concentrate. Try to suspend the thought process and meditate on Ajna chakra. It is important that the eyes converge towards eyebrow centre. If this is done in a correct manner, you will see two curved images of the eyebrow centre merging with each other at the top of the nose and forming a solid V-shaped point. *Repeat Om, Om, Om with the awareness of sound vibration at the eyebrow eyeb row centre. Each Om should be produced in a soft voice with total awareness at the eyebrow centre. Each Om should be one or two seconds in duration, immediately followed by the next. Practice for three to five minutes. • Make sure that you do not strain eyes. Practice only as long as you do not feel discomfort. If you feel discomfort, relax your eyes for few seco nds and continue the practice again.


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Shambhavi Mudra

Internal Awareness: •

•

•

Now close your eyes but the inner gaze should remain at the eyebrow centre. Began to chant the 'Om' more slowly, with full awareness of sound vibration in the eyebrow centre. Imagine that the sound of Om is being emitted from the eyebrow centre itself. Increase the duration of Om effortlessly, making it long an d continuous. Refill your lungs by breathing through nose and start next Om. Your body should remain still. Practice for five minutes.

Yoni Mudra: See above

Concentration: On a Yantra (a sacred drawing on a metal plate) Image concentration: External: (a deity, guru, mountain, tree or other natural object.) Internal: (on an internal point of focus, like a chakra, light, sound or a concept.


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Traataka (candle gazing),

Essentially there are five steps in Dharana: 1) Decide on what to concentrate. 2) Exclude al other thoughts from mind. 3) Gather only those thoughts relevant to the object of concentration. 4) Start focusing your mind. 5) Do not keep changing the object of concentration, because the object is irrelevant as long you like it! These are the steps we take in doing a pooja or praying. WE decide what kind of pooja. Then we avoid all other unnecessary items. Thirdly we gather all the necessary items for the pooja. Then in the fourth step we sit down and do the pooja. This is the reason I stress that you must prepare everything before sitting down for the pooja/worship . Once you sit down, there should not be any need for getting up again until the pooja is completed. Let not your attention be distracted. Concentrate only on the pooja/worship.

In summary we learnt a simpler method of practicing/achieving dharana. . The steps are as follows : 1) Prepare the body by initial exercises and relaxation and the Asana. 2) Next prepare the mind by the technique of pratyahara we learnt. 3) Do the Pranayama about five times or more depending on when you feel totally relaxed and tranquil. 4) Repeat the sound "Aum" or any sound called “ the manthra” given to you by your guru/teacher with closed eyes. Picture your ishta devata or God or the Mooladhara chakra while chanting. The Sound must start coming out of the throat, arising from deep down


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inside the stomach. Chant this in "your” pitch. You learnt how find your own frequency and pitch. The number of times you say "aum" or the manthra varies from person to person. 5) Then let Aum or the sound reverberate in your mind and keep silently repeating Aum/or the manthra while continuing your concentration .

For starting, chanting Aum is fine. But later when you are ready or get initiated, you can change it. Today it was a short introductory practice, but this needs re-inforcement and practice. We will plan on organizing get-togethers at regular intervals in future for this reinforcement. Practice this technique every day. The whole process should not take more than half an hour of your time. Do it regularly at a given time, preferably in the morning after your morning bath before Sunrise (Brahma muhurtham ). If not choose a time in the evening when you cannot be disturbed by any external influence.

Session 6:Dhyana. Dhyana is uninterrupted meditation without an o bject. The intention of meditation is heightened awareness and oneness with the universe. What is the difference between concentration and meditation? If there is awarene ss of distraction, you are only concentrating and not meditating. The calm achieved in meditation spills over into all aspects of your life. The entire Eight sections of the Patanjali system are also sometimes referred to as Dhyana, or the meditative path, although strictly speaking, only the last four limbs constitute meditation, viz., Pratyahara, Dhyana, Dharana, and Sam!dhi. The preceding steps are only to prepare the body and mind for meditation. When you fine-tune your concentration and become more aware of the nature of reality you perceive that the world is unreal. The mind becomes clearer. Unhappiness and fear, even the fear of death, vanishes. This is the ultimate goal of Yoga. Meditation becomes your tool to see things clearly and perceive reality beyond the illusions that cloud your mind. .

Session 7:Samadhi This is the last session in a short course cou rse on Meditation. We will talk about the last rung in the ladder to ascent of meditation, called Samadhi. A lot is written about this eighth branch of Ashtanga yoga. But since we just completed only an introductory course and learnt a few basic techniques of meditation, we are quite far from the goal of achieving this supreme state of union with the Ultimate Reality. But it is not impossible to reach that goal with practice and faith. Patanjali sutras are quite elaborate and several commentaries are available on this subject. I would urge you not to get confused. Rather continue to practice the techniques you learnt and you will know when you are ready to go into this supreme state of heightened awareness, where you become one with the object of meditation, that is Supreme Self. But here is a brief account of the last rung in the ladder of mediation, Samadhi. This is only for your information.


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Samadhi is the ability to become one with the True Self and merge into the object of Meditation. In this state of mind, the perceiver and the object of perception unite through the very act of perception----a true unity of all thought and action. This is the acme of all yogic endeavors---the ultimate “yoga” or the connection between the individual and the Brahman, the Universal Soul! When you reach that ecstatic stage, there is unlimited bliss. This has been called “Sat-Chit-Ananda”. It has been described as several trillion fold of joy you experience when you recover from sickness. You have the light of knowledge and you know everything. You have attained Moksha or liberation. I talked about moksha and its description from Yoga VaasishTam (Gnaana VaasishTam).

Patanjali in his 195 19 5 sutras or aphorisms has dealt with this subject in great detail and goes on to distinguish different types of Samadhi. We should not concern ourselves with these details at this stage of learning. Besides the two main types of Samadhi, viz., Savikalpa Samadhi and nirvikalpa Samadhi, there are the following types being mentioned only for completion: -Samprajnata Samadhi or distinguished contemplation -Asamprajnata Samadhi or non-distinguished contemplation. -Savitarka Samadhi or deliberated absorption and -Nirvitarka Samadhi or non-deliberated absorption -Savichara Samadhi or reflective meditation and -Nirvichaara Samadhi or non-reflective meditation, -Sabeeja Samadhi, where the mind continues to carry seeds of earthly impressions and -Nirbeeja Samadhi, where each seed of earthly impressions have been erased. Some degree of behavior modification is needed to be successful in meditation. It becomes easier if you at least cultivate and stick to the following principles of life:

By cultivating attitudes of: *Friendliness towards the happy, *Compassion for the unhappy, *Delight in the virtuous and *Disregard towards the wicked, The mind retains its undisturbed calmness. ! May God Bless You All!!

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crash course on meditation

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