Meditation and how to start inner journey ?

** This post is not intended to harm anyones feeling(s) and just representing my personal views.

Meditation is still widely unknown phenomena to many and not fully discovered yet as it arrives on it’s own. Bottom line is that meditation is when you are in state of no-mind i.e. free from thoughts.

Even today, few of us think it’s a myth to achieve spiritual liberation state ; we haven’t uncovered this realm yet.

How to meditate ?

You can find it in most of the books about all saints / paigambars and how did they achieve their success. The bad news is that each of those discovered their own path / journey / method to connect to higher self. We may not be able to apply same principles in our case. The bar is pretty high as we are talking about only those exceptional cases that achieved highest state.

Few examples:

• Gautam buddha journey to enlightenment was discovered when he saw old age, sickness, death and saint.
• Meerabai had unconditional devotion towards Lord krishna. Her complete surrender, love for Krishna was unparalleled.
• Kabir : Met guru Ramananda and he helped realize connection to spirituaity.

Few pointers:

• Meditate on your breath (in / out / pause). Practise pranayama (https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-pranayama).
• Keep chanting (passively) i.e. Om / So (while breathing in) -hum (breathing out) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soham_(Sanskrit)
• Keep your head free from all thoughts. Try not to engage too much in worldly affairs. Even if you are engaged, keep a passive thought in your mind that it’s not important. Have good sense of awareness in your mind and which things you need to focus on.
• Listen to music that calms your mind i.e. Chant/ Raag/ Paath etc. Music has full potential to connect you to higher self.
• Don’t believe that you are actually doer but just witness it. Just observe life moments. Witness is self or the soul. This will change your perspective as we differentiate ourselves from the body.
• Use “things” for worldly purpose only and don’t get attach to house / car/ profession/ position. Awareness will help not to attach to any of these. Keep yourself reminding that worldly / materialistic things are temporary.

There is no exact recipe but we know the ingredients. I believe enlightenment come to you automatically and will show us the right path if we follow above points.

Chakras and Nadis:

Chakras and nadis are not part of physical body but subtle / energy body. Few eastern system of healing such as acupuncture also attempt to balance energy flows to cure illness. Yogis / saints try to move this energy level (kundalini) from Muldhara (initial state) to Sahasrara (liberation state). On uniting the the energy in the chakras, the universe ceases to exist. How ? Because when we are liberated, we awaken and universe in the present form ceases to exist.

Source : Internet

Kundalini pranayama

When you practise the following, concentrate on the mooladhara chakra at the base of the spinal column, which is triangular in form and which is the seat of the kundalini shakti.

Close the right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril while you count three Aums slowly. Imagine that you are drawing the prana in with the atmospheric air.

Then close the left nostril with your little and ring fingers of the right hand and retain the breath for 12 Aums. Send the current down the spinal column straight into the triangular lotus, the mooladhara chakra. Imagine that the nerve-current is striking against the lotus and awakening the kundalini.

Then slowly exhale through the right nostril counting six Aums.Repeat the process starting with an inhalation from the right nostril as stated above, using the same units, and having the same imagination and feeling.

How do we assess our improvements ?

• You enjoy your own company more than anything else.
• Materialistic things don’t please you and you have complete awareness that it’s just to use and nothing much. You can give it up as and when needed i.e. you are in control rather than other way around.
• You have stopped thinking about money / other person’s lives.
• You have a feeling that all your inner vices are in control at some degree i.e. Kaam (Lust), krodh (anger), lobh (Greed), moh (Attachment) and ahankar (Ego).
• You are much humble than before and listen more and think before you speak. You are in complete awareness all the times.
• You don’t brag about any materialistic affairs. Don’t brag about even meditation progress to anyone. The more you tell others with brag feeling /”the ahankar/ego” will fill up your mind and you may loose the battle. You can guide someone (if interested) / discuss it.

Awareness and Detachment:

Awareness and detachment are most important aspects. Keep it in your mind while doing things. Example: While buying a car / any major achievement in your life, have complete awareness that it’s just to use and never attach yourself to it. Enjoy things to a degree with awareness that it might not exist tomorrow ; it’s temporary.

In general, we all know that any prompt happiness lasts only few mins / hours. It will not fulfill your thirst completely and you will again set another worldly goal. It’s a vicious circle and you will spend most of the life after these goal. Money is very much needed to spend life comfortably but keep awareness that it’s just helping and don’t run after it. Do things that you are passionate about and money will come automatically to you.

Other important points that we should focus on:

• Try to do seva (serve others)/ involve yourself in some work in which you can help others. Seva can be in any form and lowest form is the most better one i.e. cleaning up toilets, floor cleaning as it help alleviate your egocentric mind.
• Try have a conversation with self / higher self. How ? Sing / meditate / Seva / book reading etc.
• Don’t fall into the trap of materialistic things such as house, cars, accessories etc. Use it for daily needs but no need to spend time discussing about it. Time is precious and we should spend it wisely.
• Just become spectator instead of doer and if not have awareness about it.
• Talk to self and make sure you are true to yourself.
• Always keep in mind that your time is limited in this world. Whatever you have today, can be gone in just next second and just be grateful for everything that you have in the present. Living in present is the best thing you can do. Try to discover your true higher inner self.

When in doubt keep remind yourself that you and body are not same; never going to be same as body is here for limited time only and good karma matters. Ofcorse, healthy body does matter (eat carefully) so you can focus on pranayam / other exercises.

There are various stages in this meditation journey and apparently few of yogi’s achieved highest state e.g. Paramhans yogananda left his body while meditating (antarsamadhi) and announced it to his disciples and nothing happened to his body for next 20 days.

Source: wikipedia

Few traps / early stages :

• Few people abstain themselves from eating (flesh) / drinking (alochol) on certain days (like mahashivratri/ Navratri) . If you feel that you should stop then do it completely. Issue is that eating /drinking habits form our behaviour / mental stability and kindness and may slow down our progress.
• A true fast/vrat is when you try to jaap (meditate) whenever possible and with minimal fruits intake as it helps concentrate. In general, during vrat/fasting day; you are very focussed and attentive. Humans don’t need to take 3 meals a day and 1 meal is more than enough to keep you going. Don’t need to please god with money and all. Just need to do jaap / without any desire (in return).
• Your body is the only temple and you need to focus on meditatation. No such strong need to visit temples/churches. Ofcorse, these places have positive vibrations and such places help initially but once you step forward to your inner self then physical places don’t appeal much. In India, we very much believe in covering long distances and reach sacred places and I believe that journey is more important ; the moment you step outside of your house ; back in the mind you continuously meditate OR have a divine feeling to meet higher self. So, wherever you go with devotion just be present there and feel the vibes.
• Time is a myth and days/weeks/months/years created for our own convinience. Don’t fall into traps like — Do certain things on specific days/ example — Don’t cut your nails on Tuesday Or eat meat on Tuesdays (you can skip it any given day). In the ancient times, pandits (priests) guided us to follow things on specific days and there is different reasoning behind it and it lost in translation.

Few things that struck my mind what Osho said ?

• Don’t just believe when someone talk about God. Try to explore it , experience it and then talk about it.
• Drop the idea of becoming like someone. We are all unique and you are a masterpiece.
• Find true happiness inside rather than outside. It is not in possessions.
• Don’t take life seriously. Take life easily , lovingly , playfully.
• Slience is the language of existence. Everything else is just noise. In silence, truth speaks to you.

From Krishnamurti:

• Don’t be corrupt from inside.
• Don’t seek vanity/pride.
• Don’t try to be superior from anybody else.
• If you are merely seeking success i.e. money , power, status then you are beginning with corruption.
• Find your own talent and stick to it even though sometimes it doesn’t bring you success/fame.

** It’s hard for individuals who are under high stress/ financial needs/ family issues to even meditate but it helps to keep you going. If you try to establish relation with your inner self then it gives you motivation automatically to succeed. You feel that aura around you and it gives you strength. Humans have a tendency to change and completely relying on them may not be fulfilling. Over the years, I developed this feeling from the very early stage that someone is always with me/protecting me/ guiding me all the times.