MEDITATION

                                                                                      MEDITATION

Jyoti Trataka:--

Praparations.
1.Get candles, candlestand and match box.
2.Wash your eyes with cool and clean water(with eye cup if available)before starting the practice.
3.When you practice in a group, sit around the candle stand,making a circle at sufficient distance (1.5 to 2 meters)from the candle stand.The maximum number of participants in a group around could be about ten.Keep the candle at the same level as the eyes.

Sthiti:Any Meditative posture--



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Practice.1.Sit in any comfortable meditative posture, if necessary you may sit in a chair.
2.Remove your glasses and wristwatches.
3.Keep your spine, neck and head in a line. Collapse your shoulders.
4.Close the eyes and adopt Namaskara mudra.
5.Maintain a smile on your face throuth out the practice.Calm down your mind.Observe your body and breath.
6.Begin the session by chanting the verse fron the Upanisats praying for the welfare of the teacher and the student.

Step-1:Effortless Gazing or Focusing at flame :--

 1.Gently open your eyes with a few blinks and look at the floor.Do not look at the flame directly.
2.Slowly shift your vision to the base of the candle stand, then move to top of the stand, then to the candle and then slowly at the fame of the candle.Now,start gazing at the whole flame without any effort.Do not blink your eyes.There may be a few irritating sensation, but use your will power and gaze in a relaxed way.If tears appear,allow it to flow freely.This is a sign of good practice.Let the tears wash out the impurities from the eyes.Learn to ignore the irritation and watering from the eyes.
3.Gaze at the flame for about 30seconds.
4.Slowly close your eyes,rub your palms against each other for a few seconds, form a cup of your palms and cover your eyeballs.
5.Give press and release palming.
6.After completing five rounds, gently drop your hands down.
7.Feel the cool sensation around the eyeballs.Relax for a few seconds.Do not open your eyes immediately.
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Step-2:Intense focussing-Dharana :--

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1.Gently open your eyes with a few blinks and lood at the floor.Do not look at the flame directly.
2.Slowly shift your vision to the base of the candle stand, then move to top of the stand,then to the candle and then slowly look at the flame of the candle.Now, start gazing at the whole flame without any effort.


3.Slowly gaze at the tip of the wick of candle, the small black cord.Focus your attention at one point. This is a practice of focussing and concentration.Keep on gazing.Use your will power.Let the tears come out and try not to blink your eyes.By practice the gaze becomes steady,making the mind one pointed.
4.Gaze for about 30seconds.
5.Slowly close your eyes, rub your palms against each othe for a few seconds then form a cup of your palms and cover your eyeballs.
6.Give constant pressure palming, Press constantly around the eyeballs with your palms and inhale deeply and exhale completely as you maintain the pressure.Do not touch the eyeballs with your palms directly.Relax your eye muscles completely.
7.Open the eyes again and focus on the will of the candle proceed with alternate gazing(30sec) and palming.
8.After completing five rounds,gently drop your hands down.
9.Feel the cool sensation around the eyeballs.Relax for a few seconds.Do not open your eyes immediately.
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Step-3: De-focussing :--

1.Gently open your eyes with a few blinks and look at the floor.Do not look at the flame derectly.
2.Slowly shift your vision to the base of the candle stand then move to the top of the stand,then to the candle and then slowly look at the flame of the candle.First fix your attention at the flame, then gradually widen your vision.Slowly defocus your attention from the flame and have a de-focused gaze on the flame. With expansive awareness.collect all the details of the flame such as colour of the flame,shape of the flame, and aura around the flame.Then observe the aura expanding more and more and see the small light particles around the flame.Recognize the subtle changes acheived by de-focussing.

3.After one minute of de-focussing, gaze or focus on the flame.Slowly close your eyes and retain the image in your mind.Visualize the flame between your eyebrows and collect all the details with your eyes closed.When the image disappears go for palming.
4.This time we combine palming with breathing and Bhramari.First apply constant pressure around your eyes, then inhale and chant Bhramari Mm.....;feel the vibrations of Brabmari through out the body; repeat the same.Inhale-chant Mm....as you exhale,inhale Mm....,inhale Mm... and the last round inhale Mm....;feel the sound resonance in the entire head region specially around the eyesa..

Step-4: Silence :--

1.Feel the silence and relax for a while.After sufficient relaxation,gently drop your hands down.Sit quiet for some time and feel the deep comforting effect of the practice.Be aware of the changes taking place inside.Recognise that the mind has become completely calm.
2.Gently bring your hands behind the back,catch hold of the right wrist with your left palm, make a loose fist with the right hand and feel the pulse of the right hand.
3.As you exhale,gently bend down towards the floor and surrender to the All Mighty.
4.Come back as you inhale.
5.Gently give a feather massage around the eye muscles with three fingers(index,middle and ring fingers).
Note :--1.This is to be practiced in the dark preferably in the evening.
2.Remove glasses,wristwatches,and belts and make yourself comfortable in the posture.
3.Sit with your head,neck and spine upright.Always open the eyes with a few blinks.
4.Durning palming don't let the palms touch or press the eyeballs.(palms and not the fingers cover the eyes).
5.During the palming do very slow and deep breathing with awareness.
6.Palms are placed in such a way that there is complete darkness to the eyes.MEDITATION :--
A-KARA CHANTING :--
Sthiti :- Vajrasana.
Practice :--
1.Sit in any meditative posture and adopt Chin-mudra.
2.Feel completely relaxed and close your eyes.
3.Inhale slowly and completely.
4.While exhaling chant'AAA' in a low pitch.
5.Feel the sound resonance in the abdomen and the lower parts of the body.
6.Repeat nine times.
U-KARA CHANTING :--
Sthiti :- Vajrasana.

Practice :--
1.Sit in any meditative posture.
2.Adopt Chinmaya Mudra.
3.Feel the sound resonance in the chest and the middle part of the body.
4.Repeat nine times.
M-KARA CHANTING :-- Sthiti :- Vajrasana.

Practice :--
1.Sit in any meditative posture.
2.Adopt Adi-Mudra.
3.Inhale slowly and completely.
4.While exhaling chant'MMM' in a low pitch.
5.Feel the sound resonance in the entire head region.
6.Repeat nine times.
A-U-M KARA CHANTING :--
Sthiti :- Vajrasana.

Practice :--
1.Sit in any meditative posture.
2.Adopt Brahma Mudra.
3.Inhale slowly and completely to fill the lungs.
4.Whie exhaling chant 'A-U-M' in a low pitch.
5.Feel the sound resonance throughout the body.
6.Repeat nine times.
OM MEDITATION :--
Sthiti :- Vajrasana.Sit in any comfortable meditative posture feeling completely relaxed.

Practice :--
Phase-1 :--
1.Close your eyes and start chanting OM mentally.Allow the mind to repeat OM continously without break. If there are distractions, you chant OM faster, not giving a chance for distractions.After a while the chanting slows down.Continously slow it down further.If the mind jumps to distractions,again increase the speed of japa of OM kara.Thus, by increasing and allowing the speed to slow down, you should be able to have an unbroken stream of the japa in your mind.
Phase-2 :--
Make the chanting softer and softer and gentler and gentler,and more and more effortless.As you progress on the path of meditation, you will reach the second phase of japa in which you start feeling the vibration of the japa in some parts of the body and later throughout the body.
Phase-3 :--
As you slow down the japa of OM.Observe the gap between OM.Further you slow down the gap widens and widens to diffuse into silence.
Phase-4 :--
The very deep experience of silence helps to expand from the 3dimensional awareness of the body to all pervasive awareness.The bend of silence with waves on it.Now merge into complete silence AJAPA. This silence is the source of Creativity, Power, Knowledge and Bliss.
Phase-5 :--
From this deep ocean of silence in the heart region, let one OM merge as an audible sound which diffuses into the entire body and the space all around.Enjoy the beautiful vibrations.
Blink the eyes slowly, gently open the eyes and come out of meditation.