Saying of Swami Sivananda

 

• Man is the master of his own destiny. You yourself make, by the power of your thought, your destiny. You can undo it if you like. All faculties, energies and powers are latent in you. Unfold them, and become free and great.
  
  
• Do not grumble, therefore, of bad environments. Create your own mental world and environments. That man who tries to evolve or grow in adverse environments will be a very strong man indeed. Nothing can shake him. He will be of a sterner stuff. He will have strong nerves.
  
  
• Thoughts of depression, failure, weakness, darkness, doubts, fear, etc., are negative thoughts. Cultivate positive thoughts of strength, confidence, courage, cheerfulness. The negative thoughts will disappear.
  
  
• “A Yogi should always avoid fear, anger, laziness, too much sleep or waking and too much food and fasting. If the above rule he well and strictly practiced each day, spiritual wisdom will arise of itself in three months without doubt. In four months, he sees the Devatas; in five months, he knows (or becomes) Brahmanishtha; and in six months, he attains Kaivalya at will. There is no doubt.” Amritananda-Upanishad.
  
  
  SECRET OF CONSERVING ENERGY
  If you want to enjoy sound health and peace of mind, give up indulging in useless and wasteful activities. You should discriminate and analyse each action thus: "Is this necessary for me to achieve the goal of life?" Restrain the mind. The mind will revolt as you have been giving it too long a rope. You should find out intelligent methods of weaning it away from its wanton ways. You can conserve much physical and mental energy by avoiding unnecessary idle gossip and aimless wandering. Once you cultivate a healthy habit of engaging your body and mind in useful activities, you will find that you are more peaceful and healthier, and have more time for daily Sadhana.
  
  
• Worry does great harm to the astral body and the mind. Energy is wasted by this worry-habit. Nothing is gained by worrying. It causes inflammation of the astral body and drains the vitality of man. It should be eradicated by the practice of cheerfulness, vigilant introspection and keeping the mind fully occupied.

• Mental purity is more important. Physical purity is also needed. With the establishment of internal mental purity, cheerfulness of mind, one-pointed mind, conquest of Indriyas and fitness for the realization of the Self are obtained.
• Develop virtues like generosity, forgiveness and love. Mere Yogic Kriyas alone will not help you much. Do self-analysis daily and eradicate your faults and evil, slavish habits. Rectify your defects such as selfishness, pride, jealousy and hatred. You must cultivate a compassionate and loving heart first. At all times you must share what you have with others and practice selfless service. Then only will you get purity of heart.
  
  
• Patanjali enumerates the following nine obstacles: Disease, languor, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, mistaken notion (false knowledge), tossing of mind and instability to remain in the state of Samadhi. He prescribes practice of concentration on one subject (Eka-Tattvabhyasa) to overcome them. This will give the aspirant steadiness and real inner strength. He further advocates the practice of friendship between equals, mercy towards inferiors, complacency towards superiors and indifference towards wicked people. This practice will generate peace of mind or composure and will destroy hatred, jealousy, etc. A new life will dawn in him, when he practices these virtues. Perseverance is needed. It is the key-note to success in Yoga.

• Destroy random thinking. Take a subject and think of its different aspects and bearing. When you think so on one subject, never allow any other thought to enter the conscious mind. Withdraw the mind again to the subject on hand.

• Think clearly. Clarify your ideas again and again. Introspect in solitude. Purify your thoughts to a considerable degree. Silence the thoughts.

  Don’t allow the mind to bubble. Let one thought-wave rise and settle down calmly. Then allow another thought to enter. Drive off all extraneous thoughts that have no connection with the subject-matter you are handling at the present moment.

• Keep a balanced mind always. This is a very important thing. It is, no doubt, a difficult practice, but you will have to do it, if you wish to succeed in concentration. Keeping the balance of mind in pleasure and in pain, in heat and in cold, in gain and in loss, in success and in failure, in praise and in censure, in respect and in disrespect, is real wisdom. This is very trying indeed, but if you are able to do this, you are a mighty potentate on earth. You are fit to be adored. You are the most wealthy man, though you are clad in loin-cloth, though you have nothing to eat. You are very strong, though you have a dilapidated physical frame. Worldly people lose their balance even for trifling things. They get irritated and lose their temper quickly. Energy is wasted when one loses his temper. Those who want to develop balance of mind should develop discrimination and practice celibacy and concentration. Those who waste their semen get irritated very frequently. 
  
  

• Dear child! Unfold the occult powers hidden within you by understanding and realising the powers of the mind. Close your eyes. Slowly concentrate. You can see distant objects, hear distant sounds, send messages to any part of, not only, this world but to other planets as well, heal persons thousands of miles off from you, and move about to distant places in no time. Believe in the powers of the mind. Interest, attention, will, faith and concentration will bring the desired fruit. Remember that mind is born of the Atman through His Maya (illusory Power).

  Cosmic mind is universal mind. Cosmic mind is the sum total of all individual minds. Cosmic mind is Hiranyagarbha or Isvara or Karya Brahman. Man’s mind is only a fragment of the universal mind. Learn to merge your little mind in the Cosmic mind and get Omniscience and experience Cosmic Consciousness.
  
  SELF ANALYSIS

• Keep daily spiritual diary and practise self-analysis (self-examination) at night. Note down how many good actions you have done, what mistakes you have committed during the course of the day. In the morning resolve: "I will not yield to anger today. I will practise celibacy today. I will speak truth today." OM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgV_DnmXiHE&t=147s)

•  Think of the mistakes you hove committed during the course of the day, just before retiring to bed (sell-analysis). Keep daily diary and self-correction register. Do not brood over past mistakes.

  Think of the mistakes you have committed during the course of the day just before retiring to bed (self-analysis). Keep a daily spiritual diary and self-correction register. Do not brood over past mistakes. Once you correct yourself the necessity of brooding goes away.

  In the evening, after having done the day’s work, sit for fifteen or twenty minutes and recollect what actions you had engaged in from morning till evening. Recollect what you did, how you did it, why you did it. Ask the question, “Why?” What was your ultimate object in performing every action? Was it only to help someone else? Was it only to fulfil your duties, to discharge your obligations, to obey orders, or was there something else also? What was your inner feeling when you engaged in each action? This kind of recollection and self-analysis is known as introspection. Daily introspection is very necessary for the spiritual seeker. For this purpose, set apart a certain time in the evening, sit and review the whole day’s activities and try to go into its inner contents.

• Develop Individuality: Resist Suggestions

• Do not be easily influenced by the suggestions of others. Have your own sense of individuality. A strong suggestion, though it does not influence the subject immediately, will operate in due course. It will never go in vain.

• We all live in a world of suggestions. Our character is daily modified unconsciously by association with others.

  We unconsciously imitate the actions of those whom we admire. We daily absorb the suggestions of those with whom we come in daily contact. We are acted upon by these suggestions. A man of weak mind yields to the suggestions of a man of strong mind.

  The servant is always under the influence of the suggestions of his master. The wife is under the influence of the suggestions of her husband. The patient is under the influence of the suggestions of the doctor. The student is under the influence of the teacher.

  
  Overcome Depression - 
  

• Be cheerful and happy. Away with depression and gloom. There is nothing more infectious than depression. A depressed and gloomy man can radiate only unpleasant and morbid vibrations all around; he cannot radiate joy, peace and love. Therefore never come out of your room, if you are depressed and gloomy lest you should spread the contagion all around you. Live only to be a blessing to others. Radiate joy, love and peace.

• Drive the feeling of depression and bloom at once by enquiry, singing divine songs, prayers, chanting of OM, Pranayama a brisk walk in the open air, thinking of the opposite quality viz., the feeling of joy. Try to be happy in all states and radiate joy only towards all around you.
  
  

  Techniques Of Thought-Control

  The following are some of the auto-suggestions for controlling your thoughts: (1) I shall not think of anything. (2) I shall get peace, if I do not think of anything. (3) My will is growing strong. I can control my thoughts. (4) I will get perfect peace when I am thoughtless. I eagerly long for that thoughtless state.

Will Power - 

• With strong feeling, repeat mentally: “My will is powerful, pure and irresistible. OM OM OM. I can do everything through my will. OM OM OM. I have an invincible will. OM OM OM.”
• Unruffled state of the mind, poise, cheerfulness, inner strength, capacity to turn out difficult works, success in all undertakings, power to influence people, a magnetic and dynamic personality, magnetic aura on the face, sparkling eyes, steady gaze, powerful voice, magnanimous gait, unyielding nature, fearlessness, etc., are some of the signs or symptoms that indicate that one’s will is growing.

Asana

• Yoga aims at developing, will-power. A man of strong and dynamic will-power will always sit upright and walk with his chest thrown in front of his head; but a weak-willed person will change his posture often and often, while sitting or standing, will walk in a zigzag fashion, betraying infirmity and want of resolution of mind in every step. The practice of Asanas is of vital importance, and though the practice may be found to be painful and troublesome at the outset, when once the habit of sitting on one Asana for a considerable length of time is formed, you will feel a peculiar thrill and pleasure while seated there, and you will not like to change the pose on any account.
• According to Patanjali Maharshi, posture is that which is firm and comfortable.

Prana

• Prana is the universal principle of energy or force. It is vital force. Prana is all-pervading. It may be either in a static or dynamic state. It is found in all forms, from the lowest to the highest, from the ant to the elephant, from the unicellular amoeba to a man, from the elementary form of plant life to the developed form of animal life. It is Prana that shines in your eyes. It is through the power of Prana that the ear hears, the eye sees, the skin feels, the tongue tastes, the nose smells, the brain and the intellect perform their respective functions. 
• Prana is expended by thinking, willing, acting, moving, talking, writing and so on. A strong and healthy man has an abundance of Prana or nerve-force or vitality. The Prana is supplied by food, water, air, solar energy, etc. The supply of Prana is received by the nervous system. The Prana is absorbed in breathing. The excess of Prana is stored up in the brain and nerve-centres. When the seminal energy is sublimated, it supplies abundance of Prana to the system.

• A Yogi stores up enough and more of Prana by regular practice of Pranayama just as the storage battery stores up electricity. That Yogi who has in his store an amazingly large supply of Prana radiates strength and vitality all around. He is a big power-house. Those who come in contact with him imbibe Prana from him, and get strength, vigour, vitality and exhilaration of spirits. Just as oil flows from one vessel to another, Prana also actually flows steadily from a developed Yogi towards weak persons. This can be seen actually by the Yogi who has developed his inner Yogic vision.

  If you can control Prana, you can control all the force of the universe, physical and mental. 

  
  

• If you can control the breath or Prana, the mind is also easily controlled. He who has controlled his mind has also controlled his breath. If the one is suspended, the other also gets suspended. If the mind and the Prana are both controlled, you get liberation from the round of births and deaths and attain Immortality.

  There is intimate connection between mind, Prana and semen. If you can control your seminal energy, you can also control your mind and Prana.

• If the breath is unsteady, the mind also is unsteady. If the breath is steady and calm, the mind is also steady and calm. A Yogi gets longevity of life by the practice of Pranayama. Therefore the practice of Pranayama is indispensable requisite. 

Pranayama - 

• Patanjali Maharshi defines Pranayama as follows: “Regulation of breath or the control of Prana is the stoppage of inhalation and exhalation, which follows after securing that steadiness of posture or seat.” But you need not wait for practicing Pranayama till you get full mastery over the posture. You can practice Asana and Pranayama side by side. In course of time you will acquire perfection in both. Pranayama can be practiced while sitting in the chair also by sitting erect.
  
  

• The practice of concentration and Pranayama are interdependent. If you practice Pranayama, you will have concentration. Natural Pranayama follows the practice of concentration. A Hatha Yogi practices Pranayama and then controls the mind. He rises from a lower to a higher level; whereas a Raja Yogi practices concentration and thus controls Prana. He comes down from a higher level. They both meet on a common platform in the end. There are different practices for different temperaments. For some the practice of Pranayama is easier to start with, for others the practice of concentration.

  There is neither rhythm nor harmony in the breathing of worldly-minded persons. A Yogi practices regulation of breath to establish harmony. When the breath is regulated, when there is harmony, the breath will be moving within the nostrils. The fruit of regulation of breath is Kumbhaka.

Concentration

 Concentration is the sixth step in the Yogic ladder.

You must evince good interest in the practice of concentration. Then only your whole attention will be directed towards the object upon which you wish to concentrate. There can be really no concentration without a remarkable degree of interest and attention shown by the practitioner. You must therefore, know what these two words mean.

Attention is steady application of the mind. It is focussing of consciousness on some chosen object. Through attention you can develop your mental faculties and capacities. Where there is attention, there is also concentration. Attention should be cultivated gradually. It is not a special process. It is the whole mental process in one of its aspects.

Perception always involves attention. To perceive is to attend. Through attention you get a clear and distinct knowledge of objects. The entire energy is focussed on the object towards which attention is directed. Full and complete information is gained. During attention all the dissipated rays of the mind are collected. There is effort or struggle in attention. Through attention a deeper impression of anything is made in the mind. If you have good attention, you can attend to the matter in hand exclusively. An attentive man has very good memory. He is very vigilant and circumspect. He is nimble and alert.

Napoleon, Gladstone, Arjuna and Jnanadeva had all wonderful powers of attention. They could fix their minds on any object. All scientists and occultists possess attention to a remarkable degree. They cultivate it by patience, regular and systematic practice. A judge and a surgeon can get positive success in their respective professions only if they are endowed with the power of attention to a high degree.

When you do any work, plunge yourself in it. Forget yourself. Lose the self. Concentrate upon the work. Shut out all other thoughts. When you do one thing, do not think of any other thing. When you study one book, do not think of any other book. Fix the mind there steadily like the arrow-maker who had no consciousness of his surroundings 

• Daily self-analysis and self-examination is another indispensable practice. Then only you can obviate your detects and grow rapidly in concentration. What does a gardener do? He watches the young plants carefully removes the weeds daily, puts a strong fence round them and waters them daily at the proper time; and so they grow nicely and yield fruits quickly. Even so you should find out your defects by introspection and self-analysis and eradicate them through suitable methods. If one method fails, you should take recourse to another. The practice demands patience, perseverance, leech-like tenacity, application, iron will, subtle intellect and courage. But the reward is invaluable. It is Immortality, Supreme Peace and Infinite Bliss!
  
  

• You should try to possess a serene mind. You should practice serenity every moment of your Yogic career. If your mind is restless, you cannot make an iota of progress in concentration. Therefore, the first and foremost thing that you should possess by all means is serenity of mind. Silent meditation in the morning, renunciation of desires, suitable diet, discipline of the senses and observance of the vow of silence daily for about at least an hour will produce serenity.
  
  

• As soon as you wake up in the morning, pray fervently to the Lord, sing His Names, and meditate upon Him with all your heart from 4 to 6. Then make a firm determination: “I will observe celibacy today. I will speak the truth today. I will not hurt the feelings of others today. I will not lose my temper today.” Watch your mind. Be resolute. You will surely succeed that day. Then continue the vow for the whole week. You will gain strength. Your will-power will develop. 
  Then continue the vow for the whole month. Even if you commit some mistakes in the beginning; you need not be unnecessarily alarmed. Mistakes are your best teachers. You will not commit the same mistakes again. If you are earnest and sincere, the Lord will shower His Grace upon you. The Lord will give you strength to face the difficulties and troubles in the daily battle of life.

• If you are careless, if you are irregular in concentration, if your dispassion (Vairagva) wanes, if you give up the practice for some days on account of laziness, the adverse forces will take you away from the true path of Yoga. You will be stranded. It will be difficult for you to rise up again to the original height. Therefore be regular in concentration.
  
  

• Concentration is purely a mental process (for full particulars vide my book “Sure Ways for success in Life and God-realisation”).It needs an inward turning of the mind. It is not a muscular exercise. There should be no undue strain on the brain. You should not fight and wrestle with the mind violently.

  Sit in a comfortable pose. Relax all the muscles of the body. There should neither be muscular nor emotional nor nervous nor mental strain. Keep a tight hold on the mental faculties. Still the mind. Silence the bubbling thoughts. Calm the emotions. Put a brake on the thought-process. Do not pay any attention to the intruding thoughts. Give the suggestion to the mind: “I do not care whether they are there or not.” In other words, be indifferent. The intruding thoughts will quit the mental factory soon. They will not cause any trouble. This is the secret of mental discipline. Improvement in concentration will be visible only little by little. Do not be discouraged on any account. Be regular in your practice. Stop not the practice even for a single day.
  
  

• Celibacy, Pranayama, reduction of wants and activities, renunciation of objects, solitude, silence, discipline of the senses, annihilation of lust and greed, control of anger, non-mixing with undesirable persons, giving up of newspaper-reading-habit and visiting cinemas–all these pave a long way in increasing the power of concentration.
  
  

• Even if the mind runs out during concentration, do not bother. Let it run. Slowly bring it to your object of concentration. In the beginning the mind may run 50 times, two years of practice will reduce the number to 20; another three years of continued and persistent practice will reduce the number to nil. The mind then will be completely fixed in the Divine consciousness. Then it will not run out even if you try to bring it out. This is the practical experience of those who have gained complete mastery over their minds.

Meditation - 

• Watch your mind always very carefully. Be vigilant. Be on the alert. Do not allow waves of irritability, jealousy, anger, hatred, lust, to rise from the mind. These dark waves and worldly thoughts are enemies of meditation, peace and wisdom.
• If you get easily offended even for trifling things, know that you cannot make any progress in Yoga and meditation. You should, hence, cultivate amiable, loving nature and adaptability. Some aspirants easily get offended, if their defects and vices are pointed out. They become indignant and begin to fight with the person who shows the defects. They think that the person is concocting them out of jealousy and hatred. This is bad. Others can very easily detect your defects. If you have no life of introspection, if your mind is of outgoing tendencies, how can you find out your own defects? Your self-conceit veils and blurs your mental vision. If you, therefore, want to grow in spirituality and Yoga, you must admit your defects, when they are pointed out by others. You must endeavour to eradicate them and must be really grateful to the man for pointing out your defects.  

•  If the Yogic student who practices meditation is gloomy, depressed and weak, surely there is some error in his Sadhana somewhere. True meditation makes the aspirant strong, cheerful and healthy. If the aspirants themselves are gloomy and peevish, how are they going to impart joy, peace and strength to others?

  You will have to master every step in Yoga. Do not take up any higher step before completely mastering the lower step. Gradually ascend the successive stages boldly and cheerfully. This is the right royal road to perfection in Yoga.

RHYTHMICAL BREATHING

The breathing of worldly people is irregular. In exhalation the breath goes out 16 digits, and in inhalation only 12 digits, thus losing 4 clear digits of breath in every act of inspiration and expiration. Now just imagine how much Prana is wasted every day by you at this rate! If you can inhale 16 digits of Prana as in exhalation, everything is all right. There is absolutely no loss then. You will have rhythmical breathing. The Kundalini will be roused. Moreover, by practicing this exercise and making it part and parcel of your daily life, you will enjoy perfect rest, a rest that you have never known or enjoyed even in your deep sleep.

The one striking feature of rhythmical breathing is that the time-unit is the same both in inhalation and exhalation. This is done in the following manner: Inhale till you mentally count 6 OMs and exhale till you count mentally 6 OMs. This is breathing in and out in a measured and harmonious manner. This kind of breathing will harmonise the whole system.

There is another variety in rhythmical breathing. You inhale through both the nostrils till you mentally count 4 OMs, retain the breath till you count 8 OMs and exhale through both the nostrils till you count 4 OMs. Then retain the breath outside (external Kumbhaka) till you count 8 OMs. These four processes constitute one Pranayama.

Do this as many times as your strength and capacity would allow. Gradually increase the duration of inhalation and exhalation till you count 16 OMs. There is no hurry. Enjoy every breath you inhale and exhale. Enjoy also the retention of breath. Pay good attention to the rhythm throughout. Feel the rhythm throughout your system. By slow and gradual practice with zeal and enthusiasm, you will attain perfection. Weep not! Grieve not! You are nearing the goal now, my child!

Dear child! Take sole refuge in Pranayama. Be interested in the practice of Kumbhaka alone, if the mind is solely turned towards Pranayama. The Bhagavad-Gita says: “Pranayama-parayanah–solely absorbed in the control of breathing.” Take due precautions at every step. The practice of Kumbhaka produces tremendous heat in the body and thereby the Kundalini is roused and sent upwards along the Sushumna to the crown of the head.

Before I begin to deal with the various Pranayama exercises, I propose to give some preliminary instructions, which would enable you to practice them without any difficulty and attain quick success in Yoga. The following are the most important:–

(1) All the instructions given in the last lesson hold good here also. You will have to use your common-sense and discretion throughout the practice of Yoga.

(2) The rule of celibacy will ensure quicker and better results. Those who cannot observe this rule very strictly for one reason or another, should be very, very moderate in copulation.

(3) Be regular and systematic in your practices.

(4) A small cup of milk or fruit-juice can be taken with much advantage before the commencement of the practice, and another cup of milk and some light tiffin half an hour after the practice.

(5) Do not miss your practice even a single day except when you are seriously ailing from some disease.

(6) To start with, do mild Pranayama with Puraka and Rechaka only for a month. A rigid Pranayama-practitioner should abstain from all solid food. You can practice Pranayama while walking also. This will suit some busy persons who have not much time to spare.

(7) Practise the various exercises prescribed below one by one, step by step. Never be in a hurry. Never go beyond your capacity. Do not take up the higher exercise before completely mastering the previous one. This is the master-key to achieve success in Pranayama.

(8) There should be a feeling of joy and exhilaration after the Pranayama is over.

(9) Do not twist the facial muscles while doing Kumbhaka.

(10) Do not take bath for at least half an hour after the Pranayama exercises are over.

(11) Avoid as much as you can too much talking, eating, sleeping, mixing with friends and all exertion.

(12) Do not expect fruit after doing Pranayama for 2 or 3 minutes only for a few days. At least you must practice for 15 minutes daily in the beginning for some months.

(13) Success in Pranayama can be gauged by the duration of Kumbhaka. By slow and steady practice you will be able to retain the breath for at least 5 minutes. Real concentration of mind ensues when the breath is suspended.

(14) If you want rapid progress in Pranayama, you must have four sittings daily, at 4 a.m., at midday, at 4 p.m., and at midnight. You must do 4×80=320 Kumbhakas altogether.

(15) As there is always some drowsiness and laziness when you get up from bed, do a few Kumbhakas just to drive off the drowsiness and to make yourself fit for meditation.

In the first stage of Pranayama you will have perspiration of the body. You will experience a tremor of the body in the second stage. In the third stage levitation manifests. In the final stage the Prana goes to the Brahmarandhra (the Hole of Brahma) at the top of the head. Sometimes the practitioner may jump like a frog. When you perspire, do not use a towel to wipe off the perspiration. Rub it well on the body itself with your hands. This will give firmness and lightness to the constitution. 

Questions & Answers on Meditation with Swami Satchidananda

 src: https://integralyogamagazine.org/questions-answers-on-meditation-with-swami-satchidananda/

Question: What is the difference between meditating on something like a mantra and meditating on nothing at all, that is, on no particular mantra, thought or phrase? Will there be different results?

Swami Satchidananda: No. But you have to teach me, how to meditate on nothing. I don’t know who asked this question, but I’d like to learn from that person how to meditate on “nothing.” How would you meditate on nothing? You simply sit there: “I’m meditating on nothing, I’m meditating on nothing.” Is this how such a meditation would go? See? You’re meditating on nothing. Unfortunately, you can’t meditate on nothing. You cannot meditate on nothing, because the mind has to be stuck on at least one thing.

We’re meditating on many things at the same time in our daily lives. That’s why none of this “meditating on nothing” bears good results. Because our concentration is dissipated, the meditation loses its power. If you meditate on one thing, that object of meditation gets all the power of the mind. So, if you meditate on one thing at a time, you can get whatever you want. To quote the ancient South Indian scripture, the Thirukkural, “Whatever you want, you will get if your want is so powerful, so concentrated and with your totality of the mind.” Sure, the mind has that kind of power, it can create anything. It can give you anything. But you have to want whatever it is powerfully, strongly,  deeply, collectively and without any dissipation. Then, the next point is that you should decide what you want.

As an example, you can meditate on a monkey. What will you get? You’ll get monkey. As you think, so you become. Think deeply on monkey, you become monkey. Think deeply on hatred, you become hatred. So, if you’re going to practice and think deeply and get what you want, you should know what to think about to make you comfortable and happy. That’s the next point. Therefore, select what you’re going to think about. It’s for this reason that we say to think of a mantra. That mantra has two purposes: one purpose is to make your mind strong, clear and collected; the next one is that when you concentrate on the mantra for a long time, it slowly dissolves and you’re no longer repeating the mantra. Finally, even that goes away, and your mind becomes still.

This means that your mantra, with your mind, is collected to one point, to one thought at the cost of all other thoughts. Your final goal is to make the mind “thoughtless,” but you start with that one mantra, and then the mantra brings you the real benefit: it slowly dissolves. That is to say, the mind becomes thoughtless, free of disturbances. We can call that mantra a catalytic agent, something like soap. Why do you use soap? You use it to get out all the dirt from a cloth, right? What is soap, after all? Soap is also a dirt; it’s good-looking,  good-smelling “dirt” that’s been given a good name like “Palmolive, Dial, Ivory” and this and that. You buy that soap like you “buy” your mantra.

Apply the soap to the dirt, and when the soap gets mixed together with all the dirt, how does it get mixed up? All the dirt, when it sees new dirt coming in, in the form of soap, gathers to welcome the new dirt. “Oh! Where are you from? How are you? What’s your name?” The dirt that’s already there receives the new dirt called soap. The laundryman knows the right moment, and he dips the cloth in the water and then takes it out. The cloth comes out of the water free of all the dirt, and the new dirt that we call soap, stays in the water. When you pick up your laundry, do you say, “No, no, no. I paid for this dirt, so it should remain in the cloth.”? No, because it has served its purpose. In the same way, your mantra is soap. Apply that soap well, so that all the dirt gets involved in the mantra; and, then, they all leave you completely free.

That’s why you use a mantra. You cannot meditate on nothing. Even meditating on nothing is a mantra: “Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.” Anything is a mantra. Mantra need not be only Hari OM, Ram, this and that. Anything can be a mantra. Actually, there were mantras like that.

Once upon a time, a saintly person saw a hunter in the jungle, and he saw him going around and killing animals. The saint felt pity on the hunter, and said to him, “Why are you unnecessarily killing all those animals? God will not forgive you. But if you repeat God’s mantra, the name, it will save you from all these sins.

“I don’t know anything about mantras or anything like that.”

“What kind of sound do you know?” asked the saint.

Just at that time, a pig ran by.

“I can make a sound of the pig. Here: Hrmmm!” cried the hunter.

The saint replied, “Okay, that is your mantra.” This sound became a Hrim mantra.

Another saint, with another hunter, wanted to give him the mantra of “Ram. Rama, Rama, Rama.”

The hunter said, “I don’t know any ‘Rama’“

“Okay, what is that over there?” asked the saint, pointing to a tree.

“Well, that’s a mara.” (Mara means “tree.”)

“Okay, repeat ‘Mara, mara, mara.’”

So, the hunter began repeating “Mara, mara, mara, mara, mara, mara, marama . . . Rama.”

We can use any trick to give one thing as an object to focus on so that the mind will dwell on that alone. Why? Because you can’t meditate on nothing. Stick to one thing, and that will take you to nothing. That’s why, something is better than nothing. Then, ultimately, nothing is better than everything.

Question: What should we do about intruding thoughts and desires during meditation?

Swami Satchidananda: One way is to treat the thoughts as an unwanted visitor. To give you an example, you’re in your room, and you’re doing something intensely. All of a sudden, somebody walks in without any appointment. You look at him through the corner of your eye and realize that this is not the time to see him. How will you deal with him? There are three ways to deal with this intruder. One way is to respond immediately: “Why do you come without an appointment? Get out!” If you do this, he won’t go out happily. Instead, you’ll make an enemy. He might bang the door behind him and even stand outside and shout. You can’t force him out. That would be a terrible thing to do. Likewise, don’t try to force intruding thoughts out of your meditation. You’ll only create tension.

The second way is: you know he’s there and you don’t even look at him. You seem to be very busy, deeply involved in something. Even if he calls to you, your ears don’t hear him. He’ll wait and wait, eventually coming to this realization: “I see that he is very busy; I’ll come again.” Then, he’ll walk out.

On the other hand if he becomes adamant and ends up taxing your patience, then you say, “All right. Yes, sir? What can I do for you?” Here, you use the third method: analysis. Let’s examine the third method within the meditative situation. You’re sitting and meditating and a desire to eat or to go to the cinema comes into your mind. If you can’t ignore or avoid that thought, take it and analyze it: “All right, you want to take me to the cinema? Fine; how many films have you seen all these days? With what benefit? What is going to be different about this one over the others? What will benefit me more, the cinema or this meditation?” Analyze, question the desire, and educate the desire itself.

“Well, I doubt that I’ll get much benefit from the cinema.”

“Okay. Then why can’t you wait? I’ll certainly oblige you later. Let me finish meditating. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the cinema.”

Give in a little. Don’t be adamant. It’s necessary to give in a little, but not always. Treat your mind like a child who is naughty and wants this and that. Use your intelligence. Don’t just give in to everything.

Pranayama: The Breath of Life - Swami Satchidananda

 

Pranayama: The Breath of Life

July 29, 2015

http://swamisatchidananda.org/pranayama-breath-life/ – By Swami Satchidananda

For breath is the life of beings and so is called “the life of all.” —Taittiriya Upanishad, 11.2

Prana is the vital force that makes up the entire cosmos; it is the Parashakti or cosmic power. When we breathe, in addition to the oxygen, we also take in a lot of prana. The oxygen gets diffused in the lungs and then gets into the bloodstream, while the prana goes throughout the body. It enters into every area—physical, vital, and mental. Every cell of our body vibrates with new life. We get prana from food, from the sun and from the air we breathe. We can live for many weeks without food, days without water, minutes without air, but not even for a fraction of a second without prana.

Pranayama is the regulation of the prana, or life force. Breath is the external manifestation of the prana. By regulating the breath, we can gain mastery over the prana within and without. When we gain mastery over the prana, we have mastery over the inner nature, too, because it is the prana that creates all the movements in an individual—physical and mental. We try to control the inner nature, because it is the nature’s movement that causes a lot of disturbance in the system and makes it impossible for the Light within to shine in its true, original way. The body is the microcosm and the universe outside is the macrocosm. So by the regular practice of pranayama, we are able not only to control and direct the prana that functions within us, but the universal prana as well.

Yogic Breathing
With proper pranayama we begin to use the entire lungs. We can take in much more than our normal quota of oxygen and prana. It can be measured in laboratory tests. In a normal breath, we inhale five hundred cubic centimeters of air, and then breathe out the same. After an exhalation, the lungs are almost empty, but still there is residual air in the lungs. After we breathe out our normal five hundred cubic centimeters, if we pull the abdomen in slightly, we can exhale some more air, which has been measured as sixteen hundred cubic centimeters.

After this type of full exhalation, if we begin to inhale, we first breathe in the air that we squeezed out (i.e., sixteen hundred cubic centimeters). Then we inhale our normal five hundred. Then after that, we can inhale some additional air. If we inhale more deeply, we can take in another sixteen hundred cubic centimeters. So after a complete squeezing out on the exhalation, we can inhale thirty-seven hundred cubic centimeters. Instead of our usual five hundred cubic centimeters—more than seven times as much as in a normal breath. In every breath we can take in seven times more air, more oxygen, and more prana if we do the pranayama regularly.

Benefits of Pranayama
During pranayama we are literally drinking in gallons and gallons of vitality and immunity. We supercharge the blood with extra oxygen. When we retain the breath, we literally inject more oxygen into the bloodstream. Oxygen is life, so that means we are enriching our blood with the life-force. And not only do we take in more oxygen, but along with the air we take in more prana. Every cell of the body vibrates with new life. At that point no virus can even think of coming near. As soon as it comes near, we burn it out. That is the beauty of pranayama. Oxygen is a great panacea; prana is the best tonic—the best medicine for all kinds of poisons and viruses. Proper breathing can heal.

Pranayama also purifies the nervous system and eliminates toxins from the body and blood. It produces lightness of body, alertness of mind, good appetite, proper digestion and sound sleep. It helps in curing asthma and other respiratory disorders. With proper breathing, we can eliminate excess mucus which causes most hay fever and sinus discomfort. Pranayama can be used to bring heat to the body when it is cold or to cool it off when there is too much heat. We can exhilarate the blood circulation and stimulate the entire body quickly.

The quickest way to regenerate forces during the work day is through proper relaxation and deep breathing. Pranayama will even help improve athletic performance, because it charges the body with extra energy and builds stamina and endurance. It can help vocalists, because it expands the chest and lung capacity. For those who wish to lose weight, pranayama can help reduce physical food consumption. You won’t feel like overeating, because you get all the nourishment you need from the prana itself. For those who are trying to stop smoking, pranayama is the ideal practice. It helps eliminate toxins from the system, reduces the craving for nicotine, and revitalizes the lungs and body by the increased intake of oxygen.

Pranic Healing Visualization
Adepts and highly evolved yogis have observed that the breath reflects the condition of the mind and it is a very accurate gauge of one’s mental state. When agitated, for example, our breathing will be very shallow and quick. In the face of fear we often breathe heavily or even hold the breath. When sad or depressed, there will be a deep, sighing breath. It was discovered that by changing the breathing patterns, the mind was also affected and changed. We can direct your prana with our thoughts. The breath and the mind are so intertwined that wherever one goes, the other follows. By sending our thoughts to an affected area, we send our prana. That is the secret behind self-healing.

When you do the deep breathing, feel that you are inhaling a lot of prana, a lot of vital energy. Hold your breath for a few seconds, while thinking that the prana is going directly to the place that aches and is building it up by removing the dead or diseased cells and tension. Then when you exhale, feel that you are throwing out all of the illness. You can feel that with the inhalation fresh energy comes in, and with the exhalation the collected toxins are thrown out. By doing this, you may be able to cure many of the aches and pains in the body, as well as long-standing illnesses. Prana has that power.

You can create your own imagery. Choose whatever feels comfortable. Visualization is a form of meditation, because whatever you visualize, your entire mind will focus on. You can achieve tremendous things with visualization. As you do your pranayama practice you can visualize light or energy. It can be energy from the sun, the stars, the moon, the ocean or from God. The energy can be in the form of light or air or cool water. Feel that you are inhaling energy or light, and feel that flooding into your system. Feel the healing vibrations—healing energy flowing in and through your body and mind as you breathe deeply. You can visualize light or energy in the form of streams of water or the ocean, flowing in and out cleansing every part of the system. Feel the water come in through your head as you inhale, and then visualize the energy going directly to the needed areas. As you exhale see the toxins or any negativity all being collected and washing out. See the water washing in and washing out. See light and prana being infused and your entire system built up. Then as you exhale, imagine that all the unwanted things are being flushed out. As you inhale and exhale, your entire system is being charged with new energy.

Another visualization you can try is to imagine a divine being, your favorite saint or your own Higher Self. Visualize the image of that divine being standing in front of you, blessing you. From their palms, energy is pouring toward you. As you inhale, draw in that energy and allow that divine blessing to infiltrate every cell of your system, and then while you exhale feel gratitude and thankfulness. Feel the flow of divine energy throughout your system. Feel you are surrounded by all the great saints and sages; they are gazing at you and showering their energy and blessing upon you. Take this in through your breathing.

You can also combine your breathing with the silent repetition of your mantra or any holy name. As you inhale, you can repeat the entire mantra and exhale the same. Or you can divide the mantra between the inhalation and exhalation. For example, you can repeat OM as you inhale and shanti as you exhale. When you repeat the mantra, feel that it has a lot of beautiful vibrations that are resonating within you and producing tremendously healing sound vibrations in you. Imagine that just as sound waves are used to clean jewels, the sound vibrations of the mantra are cleansing the body and mind. You can try repeating the affirmation: “These holy vibrations are flowing through me and are transforming me.” You may choose whatever visualization is most appealing to you and utilize that in your regular practice of pranayama. Align yourself with the Cosmic Energy, the prana, the Cosmic Consciousness and allow yourself to be filled and revitalized as you drink in literally gallons and gallons and gallons of vitality. Prana is a tonic, an elixir that builds up your physical, mental and spiritual strength. Pranayama can be a master key in unlocking the gateway to the subtle

“You can direct your prana. If there is any problem in the body, you can inhale and send the prana there and hold it there to deactivate the problem and then exhale. You are mentally directing the prana.”

How to Meditate by Sri Swami Satchidananda

 

Whenever you feel in a peaceful state of mind, meditate. Just close your eyes and relax, even if it’s only for a minute. If you wish to deepen your meditation, then schedule some time for this practice daily. Meditation needs the cooperation of both the body and the mind. Prepare the body with the asanas, Yoga postures, and pranayama, the breathing exercises. Learn to keep the mind fully occupied on one thing, but don’t let that thing or concept bind you.

Stick to one object of concentration, don’t change continually. It’s best to be regular when practicing meditation—try to have two sittings daily. The scriptures recommend the times when day meets night or night meets day for meditation—dawn and dusk. It’s neither day nor night and thus very conducive. If this is not possible, sit as soon as you wake in the morning and at night before retiring.

If you get up after the world is already awake, it’s probably best to quiet yourself by first doing the Yoga postures and some breathing practices. Then go on to your meditation. In this way you go from the physical to the mental, and from the mental to the spiritual. It’s easy to go from gross to subtle. If you wake very early in the morning, before dawn, it is already very sattvic or peaceful. Don’t disturb this with any physical practices; begin your meditation immediately.

Even in the midst of Hatha Yoga asanas, you may sometimes feel so very peaceful that you can simply stop doing the postures and enjoy that pleasant meditation. When you’re actually trying to meditate, be very gentle. Training the mind to stay on one point is something like training a horse. If the horse doesn’t want to go into a particular lane, you can’t force it because it will revolt. A trick trainer will say, “All right, where do you want to go? This way? Sure, turn. You let the horse go on a few yards that way, and then slowly you take him around. The horse is pleased: “Ah, I had my way.” Very soon the trainer will say, “I’ll have my way now.”

Your mind is something like that; just bring it around. Otherwise, the mind will build a block of tension, and from the moment you even think of
meditation, it might create psychosomatic illnesses. You might feel a little headache or stomachache. The mind has that power. You shouldn’t force the mind up to any level, but at the same time don’t give it too much rope either. It’s kind of a middle path. Be firm and at the same time gentle.
You should choose a nice clean place for your regular sitting, on something that is a nonconductor of electricity. You may have heard of Yogis in India
who sit on a wooden platform or on a certain grass that does not conduct any electricity. This more or less acts as insulation from the gravitational force of the earth. Have you seen pictures of Yogis sitting on animal skin? They used what was available. For forest Yogis it was natural to use a dry, tanned skin, like the nonconducting gloves you might wear when handling electricity.

Often they chose tiger and deerskins. It is believed that if you sit on a deerskin and meditate you will acquire all the aesthetic beauties, the charms of life, and liberation too. If you sit on a tiger skin, you get all the siddhis or attainments and supernatural powers. Tiger skin brings power because the skin has its own vibration. If the animal has died naturally, the skin will still have the quality or the nature of the animal. If you use a deerskin, you get the soft or gentle nature of the deer. Even if you wear a dress with the pattern of a tiger, you walk like a tiger. Immediately you feel you are a tiger yourself. It’s thought association.

Unfortunately, those old practices have descended to a low level today. Many people want to meditate on an animal skin, and this has been propagated by the people who are selling the skins. Certainly you can’t get helpful qualities from animals that have been slaughtered. I personally don’t like to use a skin for meditation. I don’t know whether the animal has been killed or died naturally. If I buy it, I will be encouraging people to kill more. I would suggest a clean white sheet, folded over a blanket or carpet. Use this only for your meditation practice and it will build up wonderful vibrations.

Preparing your body for meditation is also important. In meditation you are trying to keep the mind steady and one–pointed without shaking too much. To do this, begin by making the body steady. This is possible only if you make a firm decision. Just tell the body and the limbs, “I’m not going to move any part of the body until I finish the meditation.” Every cell in your body will hear the decision you make. If the decision is very strong, the body will obey you without complaining. Imagine your mind and body as little children. If you want them to obey, you must be a little firm. It’s best to sit in a cross-legged posture. Sit straight. Keep the spine erect, but not stiff. Spread the chest well. Beginners may find this position easier if they sit on the edge of a firm cushion. If this isn’t possible, it’s alright to use a chair, but keep the spine free by not leaning back on it.

It’s normal to feel some pain in a cross-legged position when you begin. Slowly, slowly you will get over it. The minute you feel the pain, change the position of your legs. Sit some other way that’s more comfortable for you, and continue your meditation. This doesn’t mean you should avoid sitting and meditating. Each day sit to that point where you feel the pain, then shift to another position. You can even get up while meditating and walk around a little; then, sit awhile longer. Once you find the real center of gravity (your equilibrium) you’ll have a victory over the position and be seated in a steady and comfortable pose. Build your meditation little by little.

How long should you sit? If it’s a deep meditation, five or ten minutes are enough. If it’s not deep, stay longer. Begin by sitting for fifteen minutes. In fifteen days you can easily sit twenty minutes each time. Twenty will become twenty-five then thirty. Nothing is built in one day. Everyone who has learned to meditate has gone through these same steps. If in meditation you are sometimes bothered by intruding thoughts or desires, the best thing to do is to meditate on the desire itself. Of course, you can first try to ignore it. But that might not work. A simple example: You are in a room and you are doing something intensely. All of a sudden somebody walks in without an  appointment. You look at him out of the corner of your eye and realize that this is not the time to see him, or he is not desirable now. You could say, “Don’t come in without an appointment—get out!” Then he won’t be going away happy. You are making an enemy. He might bang the door as he leaves and go outside and shout. If you reject a strong desire it won’t go away, but will wait for another opportunity to pounce on you when you are a bit weak. Don’t force it out.

If you know someone is there, don’t even look at him. Seem to be very busy—deeply, deeply interested in something. Even when he says, “Sir?” You do not seem to hear him. You are very busy. Get even more involved in your conversation. He will wait some time, then say, “I see. He seems to be very busy. I will come another time.” Then he will walk out.

On the other hand, if he’s persistently waiting for your attention—even beyond your patience—then turn to him, “Yes, sir, what can I do for you?” Analyze the desire. If you can’t do what he wants right away, tell him. “Yes I will certainly do that, but not just now. Come again another time.” By analyzing it, you can either dispose of the desire or settle the matter quickly. Suppose you are meditating and you feel the desire to eat or to go the movies, which you can’t ignore. Then face it: “All right, you want to take me to the movies. How many films have you seen lately? With what benefit? What’s new today? Will this be greater benefit than that from meditation?” Analyze, argue and educate the desire itself. “Well, I see the benefit from the film is not so great,” it will say. “Then why can’t you wait? I will certainly oblige you sometime later, maybe tomorrow.” Don’t always be so adamant. It’s necessary to give in a little now and then; but you can’t give in for just any and everything. Be gentle with yourself and give in on occasion to your desire.

It’s like giving in to a little coffee once in a while. I usually advise people not to drink coffee and tea because of the stimulant in them. But if someone feels a coffee desire in the morning, he can still have a little. “You want coffee? All right, I’ll give you some.” The mind is satisfied it had coffee.
Treat your mind like somebody who is a little naughty and wants this and that. Use your intelligence. Educate your mind; argue with it, don’t just give in to everything. These tricks are very useful in training the mind.

As you continue your practice you will experience different degrees of accomplishment. In Hindu scriptures, the Lord says, “Fix your mind on Me alone. Let your thoughts dwell on Me. You will hereafter live in Me alone.” That’s perfect Yoga and the highest form of worship. If you’re not yet able to fix your mind one– pointed on God, then when the mind wavers bring it back again and again to Him. This is the next best practice —concentration—that leads to steady meditation. If you’re not able to practice this, just keep doing things, but while doing them, say, “I’m doing them for you Lord.” When you get the results, at least give a little to Him.

If you can’t sit and meditate, don’t despair. Get up and do something. It’s like trying to sleep when you can’t seem to fall asleep naturally. Don’t just roll around in bed. Get up and do something until you feel sleepy. Then when you go to bed you’ll sleep easily. Not everybody is interested in sitting and editating. Many active people can’t do it. That’s all right. There’s still a meditation for them. It’s called Karma Yoga, meditation in action. Even when you’re physically doing something, you can be meditating. After all, what is meditation but focusing your entire mind on what you are doing. If you think of your friend or your business when you wash a dish, the dish can’t be washed clean. You might leave a spot on it. So, doing one thing at a time and doing it well is a form of meditation.

Sitting is a mental meditation. You allow the body to relax while you sit and do everything with the mind. Sit quietly; focus the mind on the object you have chosen, or just repeat a mantra; do nothing else; forget everything. To hear the inner sound, close your ears, eyes and mouth and listen to the sound of life within. Don’t open your eyes, but try to feel something vibrating within you. You don’t need to do anything. Instead, be completely still and watch what’s happening within. You’ll enjoy that.  You may combine repeating the mantra with the breath in any way that is comfortable, either splitting the mantra sounds on the incoming and outgoing breath, or doing one repetition with the inhalations and another with the exhalations. If you watch carefully, you can feel the breath saying the mantra. Then you can stop repeating it and just listen for that. This needs the complete attention of an indrawn mind.

As the breath comes in, feel it go deep to strike at the base of the spine. Then as it comes out, feel it roll upward through the spine to the crown of the head. Don’t feel the breath flowing out the nostrils. In the beginning it might be difficult to follow the breath up and down the spine; you may only just feel it coming in and out of the body. But after a few months’ practice, you will be able to follow the breath along the spine. As your meditation gets deeper you can feel the breath and energy moving upward to strike at the top of the head. If you carefully observe the path along
the spine, you will be able to feel a very mild heat or gentle warmth; which is very pleasant. Try not to miss that. Once you feel it, put your entire attention on it.

The purpose of following the breath is to become conscious of the psychic energy traveling along the spine, passing through the chakras or spiritual centers. These nerve plexuses located along the spinal column can be used as a focus for your mental gaze during meditation. However, it’s inadvisable to keep the mind focused on the lower chakras. If you become aware of warmth there, feel it but don’t allow the mind to become fixed there. Bring the mind to one of the higher centers, such as the heart or eyebrow center. Draw the energy upward.

All the psychic nerve centers meet at a place between the eyebrows—not outside, but deep within, almost at the central part of the skull; to be precise, at the location of your pineal and pituitary glands, which are called Siva and Shakti in Yogic symbolism. They have the bull as a vehicle; the thyroid gland. Siva rides the bull, so we say he is the Commander-in-Chief, since the thyroid commands the whole system. It is a replica of the whole body itself. You may choose to focus your meditation either in the loving heart center or at the central tower between the brows, which is the location of the holy of holies or sancta sanctorum.

Sometimes in meditation you may hear a subtle humming sound. But when you try to hear it better, it disappears. It’s like a lover, if you see her, she won’t see you. But if you keep on doing something, she will look at you. When you hear that hum, that’s the sign of true love. The sound of the God in you loves you when you are not aware of it. It’s not that you shouldn’t be aware, but the moment you become aware you become a little excited or frightened and disturb the serenity out of which the hum is generated. It’s like seeing your face reflected in a large basin of water. If there is excitement or anxiety there is disturbance. As it happens you won’t be excited or anxious to have more, both of which disturb the mind. So, know what might happen in meditation. When it happens you won’t be excited or anxious to have more, both of which disturb the mind.

You may wonder, is this the cosmic sound I am hearing? Even if it’s your imagination, there’s no harm in that. Even if it’s an illusion, it’s better than other illusions. You are not imagining a demon, but something nice. It’s good to imagine something nice. Ultimately, you become what you imagine. Until you actually see or hear something, you have to begin with imagination. Later it will come by itself—maybe a little different than you imagined it. Don’t think these experiences are illusions.

To come out of meditation, slowly increase the duration of your inhalation and exhalation. Make the breath longer. Feel the air flowing out through your nostrils. Inhale and exhale deeply a few times.

(Sri Swami Satchidananda, from the February, 2005 IYTA Newsletter)