When you sit for meditation you have to remember that you are at home – wherever you may sit for meditation, whenever – for your body is your home.

 

Leave everything out. Even so your closest relationships, husbands, wives, friends, the enemies…

Leave your worries out. Even the pleasures – out.

 

Have a bath before, freshen up – it helps. Light up some incense, arrange some flowers in a clean space – create an atmosphere.

The seat to be raised in the back – you can do it now, so you begin from this moment. You can double up your seat in the back; roll it up so you sit higher in the back than in the front.

So when our posture is set right, when we have prepared in our body and mind, and we have totally and completely offered ourselves for meditation, we begin.

 

You can have your eyes shut – it helps.

You bring your attention to the breath.

Your attention, the whole of yourself is with the breath.

And then with the movement of the breath you start vigorous breathing.

 

Again it may take a while when you are not used to it, but through practice you will get to it. But do it, begin from where you are. Know your capacities; know your limitations -begin from there. Then your capacities can increase, your limitations can reduce…

 

And it must be equal breath, the in-breath equaling the out-breath – both when it is vigorous and when you do the rhythmic breathing.

So first the vigorous breathing, then follow it up with the deep and long rhythmic breathing.

Just deepen the breath, lengthen the breath. Do not stop immediately after the vigorous breathing – rhythmic breathing is a continuation that must come soon after you feel the lightness coming up with the vigorous breathing. Just lengthen the breath, deepen the breath and also let it be strong enough that you hear the breathing – that you are breathing in and you are breathing out.

 

Again even in the rhythmic breathing, the in-breath equals the out-breath, and if you are watching over the breath, if you are totally with the breath, this will automatically happen, because you will be able to see the breath, whether it is equal or not.

 

 

So breathe in, breathe out.

Ten minutes – this whole kriya of breathing.

Breathe in, breathe out.

 

It will help you. Not only in your meditation, harmonizing your being, but also in your health – bodily health, mental health. Even increasing your life span.

So breathe in – deep.

Breathe in – long.

And breathe in with some force, do not hesitate, there is plenty around outside!! It is your own breath.

Breathe in – breathe out.

It will energize you, harmonize you.

It will deepen you.

It will relax you.

It will settle you.

Breathe in – breathe out.

Be with the breath, totally and completely and nowhere else.

If things may rise, thoughts – whatever – memories, feelings, allow them to pass through your awareness and out.

Keep with the breath completely – breathe in – breathe out. And watch over the breath so that the in-breath is equal to the out-breath.

And in the rhythmic, deep, long breathing, you pull in the breath right down to the belly. You feel the belly coming out, filling up, the chest will come out, and the shoulders will rise. When you are completely full, it is a full breath, you fill up completely and then when you are emptying out, you empty out completely, then your belly will go in, your chest will go in, your shoulders will come down – and so on.

When you are empty completely, automatically there will be a movement of filling up. Go with it. So fill up – empty out, fill up – empty out. This is the rhythm.

 

It is the fullness and the emptiness of your being that you are experiencing. So the fullness and emptiness is present all the time – in yourself and everywhere around.

So breathe in, breathe out, stay with it, totally and completely.

And if you feel an inwardness, a slight intoxication, then you have done it right. And that helps you to settle in yourself, be in yourself and nowhere else.

 

So breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

This is good for you; it will do you no harm!! So keep with it.

Through practice it will get even better.

Are you managing to do the breathing? Deep, long and strong enough – so I should be able to hear that you are breathing. With the same amount of force that you use to breathe in you must breathe out.

 

There must be some force. It must be heard that you are breathing in and breathing out. And only through the nose, not through the mouth. And be with the breath. Watch over the breath as you are breathing in and breathing out. When you breathe in, you will feel the fullness and when you breathe out, you will feel the emptiness. And the in-breath equals the out-breath.

 

If you just be with the breath it will happen, it will equalize. Because you will see if there is any difference, then automatically you will respond to it.

And through practice – abhyas – it becomes easy.

So breathe in – breathe out, and stay with it completely.

If thoughts come up – whatever that may come up in you, let them pass through your awareness and out. You remain with the breath.

Then gradually you will feel a slowing down, you will feel the urge to let go of the breath. Continue for a while longer, so that the urge is strong enough, and say ten minutes or so after you can let go of the breath and remain with the effect of your breathing, the kriya you have done.

Then allow yourself to settle in yourself.

And you will notice, when you have let go of the breath, it will perceptively slow down considerably, and even come to a total suspension – stop, without you having to make any effort.

This is an important moment. And to remain with that STOP, to remain suspended in your being, in a state of poise will lead you to liberation; the awakening of your Self, your consciousness, the awakening of your Self and consciousness.

 

When you have let go of the breath stay in yourself, stay in the effect that the breath has brought about, that the breathing has brought about, that the kriya has brought about.

 

If you have done it right you will be totally alert, and in yourself.

In that way we shall remain for ten minutes before we do another round.

 

You have arrived at yourself, be there.

To be is to be free.

 

You are with yourself –

You are in yourself and nowhere else.

 

There is no other but you, and in this way you remain reaching to meditation.

 

SO HAM, HAM SA  (with gong)

 

Arya Vihar

28 July 1999