When you sit for meditation, it is always helpful if your back is raised. So if the seat is raised in the back, automatically your back will be raised.  Keep a cushion – it is good to carry a meditation cushion with you. It shows your commitment wherever you go.

We do the breathing. Two types: we begin with the vigorous breathing, which we call ‘the energiser’. Then we follow up with the rhythmic breathing, which we call ‘the harmoniser’. So it is vigorous breathing to begin with, to lighten up – strong and quick, very vigorous. Then when you feel the lightness you will follow up with the rhythmic breathing, which is a longer breath, as long as you can make it, deep breath, strong enough to be able to hear it. I shall guide.

Begin with the vigorous breathing. When you feel the lightness – this lightness will come upon you – then you follow up with the rhythmic breathing. It is a longer breath, it is a deeper breath. It is not as vigorous as the first type of breathing. And yet it has to be strong enough that you hear yourself breathing. Then you stay with the breathing, you keep your attention with the breathing, and then gradually you start to become centred in yourself – that is the objective. Then when you are centred you can be in meditation.

So I will guide. It is a guided meditation. Let us see what happens.

No tension in the body and the mind; totally relaxed – you are at home. That is the basis for your meditation.

We shall begin. First you bring the attention on the breath – then you can begin slowly, and gradually make it strong and vigorous and quick.

As strong as you can make it; the stronger it is, the quicker you arrive at the lightness. It is of a very short period. If you make it strong and vigorous then it comes quickly. Breathe always through the nose. And while you do the breathing you do not move the body – the breathing will move the body, and in that way you go beyond the body also. That is fine. Otherwise you waste effort trying to move the body at the same time.

If you have done well, you will feel the lightness. If you have not, you have to repeat. Make it strong. The stronger it is, the quicker the lightness comes.

So the objective of the first type of breathing is to arrive at the lightness. You will feel good, you will feel good to be with yourself; you will feel light, even sometimes intoxicated.

When you feel the lightness, when you arrive at the lightness, you follow up with the rhythmic breathing, which is a longer breath. When you breathe in, it is as if you were reaching to the skies – you will feel yourself lifted. You breathe, and your chest will come out first, then your belly will come out. It has to be long enough; it has to reach the belly.

Watch all this – you are watching in a relaxed manner. You are watching the breathing all the time as you breathe in and as you breathe out. Long breath, deep breath; it should be strong enough for you to hear yourself breathing. In that way you will stay centred, you will stay with the breathing. Then gradually you will start to become quiet in yourself. This is the objective of the rhythmic breathing. The objective of the first type of breathing is to lighten up, and the objective of the second type of breathing – the rhythmic breathing – is to reach to quietness in yourself, harmonise – is to be in harmony with yourself.

And that brings you to meditation. Things may come up; thoughts may come up; stand behind and watch them, allow them to pass. Keep letting them go, do not hold onto them. Practice this. This is watching – watching your thoughts come, appear and pass out of your awareness, like clouds in the sky, like birds in the air.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out; rhythmic breathing – rhythm of your life, rhythm of your being. It is intoxicating, it is hypnotic. Long breath, longer the better. As you breathe in, your chest will come out, then your belly. When you breathe out, empty out completely. For when you empty out completely, you can fill up completely. You can fill up a lot more than you do normally. And this is excellent for your health – physically, mentally – not to mention that it reaches you to meditation. Breathe in, breathe out… breathe in, breathe out…

You are preparing yourself, you are getting in tune; then the force will be felt, you will feel the pressure of the force, you will feel the energy rising up to the top of the head, lifting you. Keep to the breathing… you are getting tuned.

Breathe in, breathe out, and as you breathe in and breathe out, you will feel the quietness, the inner quietness. Stay with the quietness while you continue with the breathing. The breathing can continue; it enhances the quietness, it strengthens the quietness, it raises the awareness – your awareness of the quietness. Through the quietness you reach to meditation.

The breathing will centre you – through being centred, reach to meditation. You centre in yourself. You feel the presence, the presence of that self-quietness. Make the breath long and deep, it will help you. This is an excellent means to centre you. Long breath, deep breath – you should be able to hear yourself breathing. You are watching the breath as you breathe in and breathe out; the chest will come out, the belly will come out.

When you empty out, you empty out completely; the belly will go in, the chest will go in. Just keep this rhythm going. There is no other concern – you are at home in yourself, just working with the breathing. You will feel good with yourself; you will feel complete in yourself. There may be sounds outside, but it touches you not – you are unconcerned. Even so with the inner chatter – you are unconcerned.

If thoughts do come up, you watch them; they pass through your awareness and out. They are no concern of yours. You stay with the breathing, and through the breathing you feel for the quietness in yourself. There is no struggle. It will come – the sense of quietness, the feel of quietness. It is done totally in a relaxed manner. Just allow it to come. If you relax with the help of the breathing, if you let the breathing work, it will come. You will feel the quietness, you will feel yourself getting centred, in spite of the thoughts that may appear which you just watch and allow to pass. They appear and pass out – just like birds in the sky, the clouds in the sky.

The longer the breath, the better it is; it will slow your thoughts down, it will even bring them to a stop. Everything will come to a stop in yourself. This is a profound moment. That is when you are completely with yourself. Everything else is outside you, even your thoughts.  Breathe in, breathe out.

Breathe in, breathe out…

Through the breathing, feel for the quietness in yourself. You are with yourself and you are in meditation. There are no other concerns. Everything is outside you. You are with the quietness.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out…

If you can hear yourself breathing it will enhance the quietness, the inner quietness; it is then that your sitting becomes effective.

You will feel the presence of the Force; you will feel the energy rise to the top of the head.

Keep with the breathing; through the breathing keep with yourself. The breathing helps you to stay with yourself.

Breathe in, breathe out. Things will come up; just allow them to come, let them pass.

Meditation is all about being relaxed; meditation is all about being centred in yourself. So with the help of the breathing you centre yourself, and through being centred, you reach to meditation.

Feel for the inner quietness, as you breathe in and as you breathe out. It will intoxicate you, it will draw you in. Go with it – it will bring you to a stop in yourself. Stay with the stop. Reach to meditation.

Breathe in, breathe out. You can take a break in-between. Relax; allow the body to unwind itself. Then go back to the practice, the practice of meditation.

Through the help of the breathing to arrive at a quietness in yourself, and through being quiet, to reach to meditation. The breathing will enhance the quietness. The breathing will help you to enter into yourself. You will feel the pressure of the Force; you will feel the energy moving up.

The breath will keep you sharp, will keep you alert. The objective of the breathing is to ‘arrive you’, to reach you to a quietness, and through the quietness, to reach to meditation.

The breathing will draw you in, reach you to a stop in yourself; stay with the stop, reach to meditation.

Feel for the quietness, stay with the quietness. If thoughts come up, stand behind, watch over them. Allow them to pass, keep letting them go.

We will chant for ten minutes. Take a deep breath each time before you chant.  At the end of the chant, empty out completely; so the breathing continues. It will help you to stay centred; it will help you to stay with the chant. Ten minutes.

 

Asato ma Sad Gamaya

Tamaso ma Jyotir Gamaya

Mrityor ma Amritam Gamaya…

 

Take a deep breath each time before you chant, and at the end of each round of chanting empty out the breath completely.

 

Asato ma Sad Gamaya…

From incompleteness reach me to completeness, O! Lord.

This is a prayer.

 

Asato ma Sad Gamaya

Tamaso ma Jyotir Gamaya

From darkness reach me to Light, to illumination, O! Lord.

From ignorance reach me to wisdom.

This is a prayer.

Tamaso ma Jyotir Gamaya

Mrityor ma Amritam Gamaya

From death reach me to immortality, O! Lord.

This is a prayer

Mrityor ma Amritam Gamaya

Asato ma Sad Gamaya…

 

Gradually allow the chant to draw you in.

Go back once again to the rhythmic breathing, and through the breathing to yourself.  Make the breath long and deep to help you to enter into yourself – deep into yourself. Feel for the quietness, stay with the quietness, reach to meditation.

Breathe in, breathe out. Fill up completely, empty out completely. Rhythmic breathing –rhythm of your breath, rhythm of your life, rhythm of your Being. It will draw you in; bring you to a stop in yourself. Stay with the stop, reach to meditation.

You will feel the pressure of the Force; you will feel the energy rise up to the top of the head. If thoughts come up – whatever comes up – stand behind, allow them to pass, keep letting them go; they are no concern of yours. Through the breathing stay centred in yourself. Feel for the quietness, reach to meditation.

Through the help of the breathing stay relaxed in yourself. There is no other concern.

Stay with the breathing; through the breath stay with yourself. Through the help of the breathing to get close to the presence of yourself. Stay with the presence. You will feel the pressure of the Force; you will feel the energy.

You can continue to take the help of the breath whenever you need to. It will bring you to a stop in yourself. Stay with the stop, reach to meditation.

Keep to the breathing – through the breathing keep to yourself; it will draw you in, it will carry you into yourself, and it will bring you to a stop; stay with the stop, reach to meditation.

Whenever you feel yourself loosing the alertness, the sharpness, use the breathing.

Stay with the breathing – through the breathing stay with yourself. You will feel the pressure of the Force; you will feel the energy. Breathe in, breathe out – through the breath to enter into yourself. Feel for the quietness; through the quietness reach to meditation.

We will chant once again for ten minutes. At the end of each round of chanting empty out completely. At the beginning of each round fill up completely.

Asato ma Sad Gamaya …

Don’t forget emptying out of breath completely at the end of each round of chanting.

Asato ma Sad Gamaya

From incompleteness reach me to completeness, O! Lord.

This is a prayer.

 

Asato ma Sad Gamaya

Tamaso ma Jyotir Gamaya

From darkness reach me to illumination, to Light, O! Lord.

From ignorance reach me to wisdom.

This is a prayer.

Tamaso ma Jyotir Gamaya

Mrityor ma Amritam Gamaya

From death reach me to Immortality, O! Lord.

This is a prayer.

 

Mrityor ma Amritam Gamaya

Mrityor ma Amritam Gamaya

From death reach me to Immortality, O! Lord.

From death reach me to Immortality.

Go back to yourself. Breathing will always help you – you can take the help of the breathing. We will stop here.

 

Pachmarhi

8 February 2005