So let us practice for a while.

 

It is helpful if you have your back raised. So whenever you sit – whenever, wherever – if you have a seat that is raised in the back it will lift your back and raise and straighten your spine. Breathing then is better, and it keeps you awake and on top of the world. And meditation is to be on top of the world! That is what makes you joyful – for you are on top of everything. So it raises you – and yet you are relaxed. There is no tension in the body; there is no tension in the mind. You are relaxed. It is all about being relaxed to begin with; it is all about being at home.

 

You are at home. For you are the centre of the universe. So you are home: you are at home everywhere and anywhere, totally relaxed. So the seat is raised in the back, it lifts you: you feel lifted, you feel exalted.

 

Bring your attention on the breath, and then you breathe. Vigorous breathing to begin with followed by rhythmic breathing.  Strong, vigorous breathing to lighten up. When you feel the lightness follow up with long and deep rhythmic breathing. Take as long a breath as you can. It is all out there. It is all yours! Your head is straight, your body is straight: you are like a mountain, immovable – and yet totally relaxed.

 

Everything else is outside you, everything – even your thoughts. Then you start the breathing.

 

You begin slow to begin with and finally strong and vigorous, as strong and vigorous as you can make it. This will lighten you up.

 

As strong as you can make it – it should really move. Strong and vigorous, and then you will feel this lightness. It will come. The stronger you breathe the quicker it comes.

 

Then when you feel the lightness, follow up with the rhythmic breathing, which is the longer breath.

 

So we will begin with the first – we call it the Energiser. It energises you; it lightens you up, this vigorous breathing. Breath is life – that is why it is called the life-breath. Without it there is no life! So how you breathe is how you live.

 

The rishis, those wise seers, they discovered this: that the quality of your life is dependent on how you breathe. The better you breathe, the better is you health – physical, emotional, mental.

 

So bring your attention on the breath. Your attention is on the breath. Then breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in. Make it stronger. Let yourself go.

 

Keep your head straight, do not bend forwards. Now breathe out, as strong as you can make it, the stronger the better. You are relaxed. Keep your attention on the breath, as strong as you can make it. It will clean you out, it is very healthy.

 

Practice this, you will start to feel light, you will feel lifted. This will help you for your meditation.

 

Go ahead. Do not struggle with it. It is even, but strong and vigorous. The inbreath and outbreath, they are of the same length and same strength – the same amount of force. You are not used to breathing in this way; therefore it is not easy to begin with. But as you practice, you will get it.

 

Breathing only through the nose. And you move the breath; you do not move your body. If the body moves because of the breath, fine. You do not put the effort into your body; you put the effort into your breath. The body will move because of the breath.

 

So that frees you of your body. Therein itself is the beginning of your meditation. ‘I am not the body; the body is my instrument in life, for my living.’

 

So you make the breath strong, and then you will feel light: it will draw you in, you will feel intoxicated. When you take a long breath, your chest will come out. Watch it, your chest will come out, the belly will come out. The breath has to go all the way down. You lighten up with the Energiser.

 

Then the second type of breathing is called the Harmoniser – it harmonises you in yourself. It will settle you, it will relax you. You will feel complete – full. That is the beginning of meditation. You will feel an inner joy.

 

To lighten up first is important for the second type of breathing to take effect and therefore for you to be able to reach to meditation. In the second type of breathing you are breathing long and deep.

 

When you breathe in, it is as if you reaching to the sky, and you watch it, all the time – there is nothing else. There is no other concern, you are just watching the breath and you are breathing long and deep, the longer the better, and strong enough to be able to hear it. It is a long breath; your chest will come out first, then your belly. And when you breathe out you empty out completely, the belly will go in first and then the chest. You fill up completely and you empty out completely.

 

This is the sequence: when you breathe in the chest comes out, then the belly; when you breathe out the belly goes in, then the chest.

 

It is a long breath, it is a deep breath – and yet it should be strong enough for you to hear it. In that way you are with the breathing. And also, then it is strong enough to keep you energised. This will centre you in yourself. And for meditation you need to be centred in yourself.

 

Just breathe in and breathe out, breathe in and breathe out. This is the rhythm; it is the rhythm of your being, rhythm of your life, rhythm of your soul.

 

Long, deep, strong breath. The longer the breath, the better it is. The inbreath equals the outbreath: the inbreath moving into the outbreath – the outbreath moving into the inbreath. The longer you make it, the better it is. Strong enough to be able to hear it, it will keep you centred, it will keep you energised.

 

Thoughts will come up. If they do, stand behind them, watch over them, allow them to pass, keep letting them go. Stay with the breathing; through the breathing stay centred in yourself.

 

You are the observer of your thoughts, you are the witness.

 

You stay with the breathing – while you breathe long and deep, you are observing the breath and at the same time the breathing is helping you to be centred in yourself. You are relaxing, you are totally relaxed. You are at home, you are in yourself.

 

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Through the breathing to arrive at the quietness in yourself. You will feel the quietness – feel the quietness in yourself, the inner quietness. And the breathing will help you to reach to that. So just keep breathing, stay with the breathing – through the breathing you start to become aware of this inner quietness.

 

Breathe in, breathe out. Be inspired unto yourself.

 

Long breath, the longer the better. It will draw you in, unto yourself. It will bring you to a stop in yourself.

 

Stay with the stop.

 

You will become aware of the presence of yourself. Through that presence reach to meditation in yourself, stay with it.

 

Let us keep that going for ten minutes. Just keep breathing – breathe in, breathe out. You are totally relaxed, there is no other concern – everything is outside you.

 

The sounds – even so your thoughts – they appear in your awareness and they pass out of your awareness. They do not concern you.

 

As you breathe in and breathe out, it keeps you energised. You should be able to hear it, while at the same time it makes you quieter and quieter.

 

Let us put it this way: the quietness is always present in yourself, and breathing makes you more and more aware of this quietness – the inner quietness, the inner presence.

 

Do not struggle, do not even seek it! You just have to prepare yourself, and you will become aware of it. There is no need for tension. The breathing will help you to become aware of this inner quietness.

 

Just breathe in, breathe out. If you relax yourself, you will become aware of this inner space, the quiet space.

 

When you hear yourself breathing it will keep you centred; it will keep you with the breath and therefore centred in yourself. Thoughts appear: be a witness unto them, watch them, stand behind them, allow them to pass.

 

Through the help of the breathing you are reaching to an inner quietness, to the quietness within. When you reach to the inner quietness, there is no sense of body; there is only the quietness. You are in yourself and you stay there. The breathing can continue – even the breath is outside you! This is how you enter into yourself.

 

The more you are with the quietness, the more relaxed you become. And yet you are totally energised, you are totally charged, you feel rejuvenated. And the breathing helps you to stay charged.

 

Breathe in, breathe out – the rhythm of your breath, the rhythm of your life.

 

Through the breathing you arrive at the stillness in yourself. Stay with the stillness. The breathing should continue. It will keep you energised; otherwise you will fall away to listlessness, lethargy, even sleep.

 

Breathe in, breathe out. Thoughts appear, stand behind, watch over them, allow them to pass, keep letting them go, while you continue with your breathing and through the help of the breathing you are reaching unto yourself.

 

You are reaching to an inner quietness; you are becoming aware of the presence of yourself.

 

Breathe in, breathe out. The longer the breath the better it is. When you breathe in, you are reaching to the skies. This is a very healthy way of breathing; you will feel rejuvenated in body, mind, and spirit.

 

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out – it is an intoxicant!  It will settle you in yourself.

 

Long breath – longer the better.

 

You have entered into yourself, you are quiet and you are in meditation. The thoughts need not bother you. They are no concern of yours, they may appear but they pass away without carrying you away.

 

You are totally relaxed and you are in yourself.

 

When you are centred and quiet you will feel the energy rise up to the top of the head.

 

Breathe in, breathe out. Stay with the breathing, through the breathing stay with yourself.

 

We will chant for ten minutes now. Take a deep breath each time before you chant and in the end of each round of chanting empty out the breath completely.

 

We will chant the Gayatri Mantra. It is an ancient chant. It is a prayer.

 

Pushkar

24 January 2005