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Yoga Music For Meditation Series - 12 Tips To Attain An Incredible Meditation Practice |
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Written by Hans Havasi
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Thursday, 27 August 2009 07:50 |
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a) Understand Meditation
by HansHavasi
a) Understand Meditation
1. You can start by understanding what meditation is. It is a continuous flow of thought on one object. Meditation is the upholding of focus on one idea alone like the continuous flow of oil. Yogis call this process "Dyana". Bhaktis call it adoration.
Concentration is to fix the mind on a point or an object, either internal as in the body or external (eg an image). Meditation is a natural outcome of concentration. In Dhyana the normal thoughts are closed of from the mind and the mind becomes saturated with Divine thoughts and presence.
(b) Finding The Place
2. Have a separate meditation-room under lock and key. Do not allow anybody to enter the room. Keep it holy. Burn incense in the morning and evening. Keep an icon of God or your Guru. Place your chair in front of the picture. Also, keep some spiritual books such as the Yoga Sutras and other scriptures inside the room.
When you are in deep meditation the powerful vibrations produced will be lodged in the ether of the room. In six months time you will feel a lot of peace and purity within the atmosphere of the room. Whenever your mind is disturbed by worldly events, sit in the room and repeat a Mantra for half an hour; you will find that a change will take place within your mind immediately.
Practice and feel the soothing spiritual influence it will have on yourself. Nothing compares to spiritual Sadhana. It will create a sacred place in your own house.
3. Intensive meditation and solitude are of utmost importance for realizing the Divine Self. A place of pilgrimage, a mountainous scenery, a garden full of flowers, a sacred temple, these are places which help to the attaining of concentration, contemplation and meditation. Find these places when you need to.
4. A cool place and a mild climate are indispensable for concentration. Just as salt melts in water, the Sattvic (pure) mind melts in silence during meditation with the Absolute.
(c) Time
5. Pull yourself out of bed at 4 in the morning! This time is favourable for spiritual and devotional practice. The mind is pure and calm in the mornings after having slept. Like a blank sheet of paper, it is void of the normal worldly impressions.
It can be moulded very easily at this time. The atmosphere also is charged with more Sattva (purity, light) at this particular time. Wash your hands, feet and face with cold water if you find it difficult to take a bath. This will suffice.
6. Find a part of the day or night where your mind is clear and you will not get disturbed. The mind is calmer and more malleable at this time.
7. You can enjoy the results of a good meditation on Sundays because this is a holiday, and the mind feels free. Therefore you should do some vigorous meditations on Sundays. Meditation results will also improve when you live on milk and fruits alone or when you fast. Use common sense and try to obtain the best results in meditation.
(d) Where To Focus
8. Keep your attention fixed in the area of the heart or in the middle of the forehead and keep your eyes shut.
9. Your mind sits in Ajna Chakra in a place called Trikuti. Focusing on Trikuti easily controls the mind. Bhakti yogis should focus on the heart. Yogis should focus on Ajna.
10. The crown of the head ( Sahasrara ) is another great place for concentration. Some Vedantins concentrate here. Some Yogins concentrate on the tip of the nose (Nasikagra Drishti). Stick to one center in concentration. Cling to it tenaciously.
If you decide to concentrate on the heart area, stay with it and don't change it. If you are a devotional type you can let your guru find the center you should focus upon, else you can find it yourself.
(e) What to eat
11. Try to uphold a Sattvic diet. Overloading the stomach with rice, vegetables and bread brings sleep and interferes with your Sadhana (spiritual practice). Lazy people cannot practice meditation. A diet of milk makes the body feel very light.
By following these guidelines you will find yourself being able to sit at ease in yoga positions for long periods of time, up til hours. If you feel weak though, you can take some milk and rice. Those with an intense program of keeping lectures and other spiritual activities should have a solid diet though.
(f) Asana
12. The body is stabilized through the practice of yoga positions (Asanas). The mind is strengthened through inner attitudes (Mudra) and contractions (Bandhas). The body will feel lighter after the practising breathing exercises (Pranayama). Once you can do these things with ease your mind can fix itself upon the Absolute and you will attain states of uplifted bliss and euphoria.
Yoga positions are recommended to become good at meditation. The lotus pose and Siddhasana are a must in meditation. The most sublime meditations come from adhering to sexual continence or brahmacarya as it is called. This is the withholding of the seminal fluids in the case of men and of the menstrual fluids in the case of women. Brahmacarya is especially facilitated through the practises of Paschimottanasana, Brahmacaryasana and Shirshasana, but all yogic sadhana is beneficial to this purpose.
One way links:
Hans Havasi is a Systems Developer at a major engineering firm in Denmark, a yoga and tantra teacher and a musician in the group Ibis which makes tantric music for Goddesses. With his wife Mariah, Hans leads a yoga and tantra retreat and art center in the north of Copenhagen. Please click here to read more about yoga and tantra or go here to download free meditation music. |
