We will do the breathing,

Begin with breathing through one nostril for ten rounds,

Breathing in and breathing out is one round.

Then ten rounds through the other nostril.

Then ten rounds alternate breathing.

 

So you close one nostril,

With either your thumb or your ring or small finger.

Index and middle finger can be resting on the sixth centre,

Your third eye between the eyebrows.

Also there are other ways of doing this.

Breathe ten rounds through the open nostril,

It should be long, deep,

And strong enough to be able to hear it.

 

After one side is done,

You change to the other nostril,

To balance both the sides of your being.

 

Then ten rounds of alternate breathing,

To harmonise your being.

You breathe in from one side,

Closing the other side,

When the breath is fully in,

Close that nostril,

Open the other and breathe out.

Then breathe in from that side itself,

Close it,

Open the other nostril and breathe out.

That is one round.

This is called alternate breathing.

 

So let us begin with, say,

Breathing in first from the left nostril,

Closing the right nostril.

Breathe ten rounds in and out.

Then close the left,

And do the right side,

Then alternate.

It will balance,

And harmonize your Being.

 

Long breathing, deep breathing.

The breathing should be strong enough,

For you to be able to hear it.

Keep your attention on the breath,

Breathe as long as you can.

It should be strong enough,

For you to be able to hear it.

Fill up to the belly,

Fill up completely,

Breathe in, breathe out,

Ten rounds each nostril.

Rhythmic breathing.

 

In this way you balance both the sides of your being,

The left and the right side.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Your back is straight and head upright but relaxed.

It is always helpful if your seat is raised in the back,

Because it lifts and straightens up the spine.

Breathe in, breathe out,

Ten rounds each side.

You have to shut one side completely,

And keep the other open completely,

As you breathe in and breathe out.

 

So do ten rounds on one side.

Then close that side,

Open and breathe from the other.

Ten rounds with that side.

 

Make it long,

Fill up completely,

Empty out completely.

Do it consciously,

That is when it is most effective.

Breathe in, breathe out,

Breathe in, breathe out.

 

When you are finished with both sides,

You alternate.

Close one side, say, the right nostril,

And breathe in from the left nostril.

When you have completely filled up,

Close the left nostril,

Open the right and breathe out,

Emptying out completely.

Then you fill up from the right side,

Close it,

Open the left side and breathe out.

This would be one round.

Do ten rounds.

Keep your attention on the breath throughout.

Stay with the breath,

As you breathe in and breathe out.

Breathe in and breathe out,

Rhythmic breathing,

Rhythm of your soul.

 

There is a science to how your breath works in you.

Normally, in the day,

Your breath moves through one nostril or the other,

Rarely in both together.

And it is connected to the state of your being.

Through working with the breath as we do,

Classically called Pranayama,

You can affect and alter the state of your being.

And so through modification of the breath,

You can bring balance to your being,

Harmony to your Being,

And therefore reach to Meditation.

This is the science of the breath.

 

Follow up with the rhythmic breathing from both the nostrils.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Long, deep, strong enough to be able to hear it,

Rhythmic breathing.

Stay with the breathing,

It will draw you in,

Bring you to a stop in yourself.

That is the objective always.

 

You are always used to being out.

Things, people, events and situations,

Are always keeping you in the outside.

Here you are working to be inside.

And the breathing will help you.

So breathe in, breathe out, consciously.

Keep this in your mind that you have to go in,

And the breath will help you do that.

Long breath, deep breath.

The longer the breath, the better it is.

 

It may take a while,

But it will finally be effective.

So keep to the breathing.

Breathe in, breathe out,

Rhythmic breathing,

The rhythm will harmonise your being.

And when you are in harmony,

You start to feel good.

You start to feel at ease.

This will help you to enter into yourself.

It will draw you in automatically, spontaneously.

Breathe in, breathe out,

Breathe in, breathe out,

Fill up completely,

Empty out completely.

You are consciously with your Being.

 

If thoughts come up,

Stand behind,

Watch over them,

Allow them to pass,

Keep letting them go.

This is the practice,

This is how you are going to reach to meditation.

 

You are with the breathing,

And not with your thoughts.

Ordinarily you are always with your thoughts,

Your feelings, your emotions, memories,

Your desires, your passions, your moods,

And whatever that comes up in and from your consciousness.

 

But now, here, you are working with yourselves,

So you need to shift your focus.

You are never with your breath in your daily living.

You are not even conscious of your Being.

So shift the attention to the breath,

And if things come up,

Whatever they may be,

Memories, thoughts, feelings,

You are a witness,

You watch them,

You stand behind them,

And keep letting them go.

You don’t become them,

This is how it is now in your daily living.

But here you practice,

To be able to become free from them.

You are seeking to liberate yourself,

From your thoughts,

From your feelings, memories,

And anything else that comes up,

Whatever that may be.

You are practising to be a witness to them,

While you keep your attention with the breath.

And as you breathe in and breathe out,

It will relax you.

Consciously relax.

 

Feel the breath as you breathe in and breathe out.

You should be able to hear your breath,

As you breathe in and breathe out.

It should be strong enough to keep you energised,

Otherwise one tends to fall away, so to speak.

One looses one’s alertness, sharpness.

It will also keep you awake.

Even if sleepiness comes up,

Or inertia, lethargy,

You should be able to stand behind,

While you remain centred in yourself,

Even as they continue,

And await their passing.

That is the ultimate in freedom.

 

So through the help of the breathing,

You are reaching to yourself,

You are arriving at quietness,

Inner quietness,

The quietness of your Being.

That is when you become more aware of all things.

You become aware of the past and the future,

You go beyond time into the timeless,

You arrive at eternity, immortality.

Your breath is your life,

It is the rhythm of your Being.

 

Long, deep, strong breath.

A moment will be reached,

When you feel good,

And start to like being with yourself.

This is a good development.

Breathe in, breathe out,

Breathe in, breathe out,

It will intoxicate you, draw you in.

This will happen spontaneously.

Of course you can always help it along,

By consciously wanting it,

Seeking it, reaching for it.

 

When you use the breathing,

You can have a hold on your thoughts,

You can watch them,

Observe them,

And be able to free yourself from them.

Keep with the breathing.

And when you keep quiet with yourself,

When you arrive at a stop in yourself,

You feel the energy rise up to the top of your head.

You will feel the pressure of the force in your spine.

 

Through the help of the breathing,

You have to arrive at stillness in yourself.

Then through the stillness,

You enter into yourself.

You can stay with yourself as long as you want.

This is the door to meditation,

It is the door to your liberation.

Your breath is your life,

And it will lead you to your liberation,

To your freedom.

Breathe in, breathe out,

It will energise you,

You will feel rejuvenated.

You will feel on top of the world.

 

Breathe in, breathe out,

Breathe in, breathe out,

Make it strong.

When you do it consciously,

When you put in your effort,

You are participating in your own liberation –

Actively, dynamically.

Have a dynamic approach to your liberation,

To your meditation,

Not a passive one.

If you stay passive,

You will fall asleep.

It is better that there is activity of the mind,

And movement of thoughts,

That is a good situation.

For it gives you the opportunity to watch,

To practice your watching,

While learning to let go of your thoughts,

And whatever that comes up.

 

Also you can work out many things in this way,

Even things that bother you.

You can be objective with them,

Watch them,

Allow them to pass,

Recognize and see them for what they are,

And from where they come,

Understand them,

As you continue to breathe in and breathe out.

 

Breathe in, breathe out,

It is good for your health,

Physical health, mental health.

It keeps your energy balanced,

It keeps your being buoyant.

And that is why you will feel on top of the world.

 

You are being with yourself.

With the help of the breathing,

You are in yourself.

Then you will discover the inner joy.

You will be joyful for no reason,

You will discover the reasonless, causeless joy,

The joy of freedom.

 

So breathe in, breathe out,

It will bring you to quietness in yourself,

Stay with the quietness.

Be watchful, be conscious.

If you feel you are falling away,

If you are loosing your sharpness,

Make your breath strong,

Strong enough to keep you energised.

 

Long breath, longer the better.

The chest will fill up,

Then the belly will fill up.

When you empty out,

The belly will empty out,

Then the chest will empty out.

You are being conscious with the breathing.

It’s a good practice.

Then it can develop,

And extend in your daily activity.

A seeker is always moving about consciously,

Not unconsciously.

The seeker lives consciously.

Every moment is consciously lived.

And through the practice of meditation,

This is what one is seeking to develop in oneself.

 

Breathe in, breathe out.

The more you become aware of your breath,

The more conscious you will be.

You should be able to hear yourself breathing.

That will make you conscious,

Make you attentive to the breath.

It will make you centred,

And then it will start to take effect.

You will feel yourself drawn in,

You will feel yourself relaxing.

You start feeling good,

Go with it,

Enter into yourself.

 

A moment will be reached when things stop.

Stay with the stop.

Then you are at the door to a great experience.

When you are stopped in yourself,

You will feel the energy go up,

Rising to the top of the head.

You feel the movement in your spine.

You feel the force,

The pressure of the force in your spine.

Through the breathing,

You became aware of yourself,

You become self-aware,

Which in your daily living you hardly are.

The whole of the life is spent,

Without being aware of yourself.

 

In your daily living you are unaware of the presence of self,

You do not have much practice being aware,

While here we practice for that,

So you become more and more aware of yourself,

And it comes through even in your daily living.

You will see the quality of life will change.

You will have a more joyful living,

Freer living,

And you will open yourself to great experiences,

Which you now deny yourself in the way you live,

Mechanically, unconsciously, unaware.

 

So breathe in, breathe out,

For it is your life –

To live an enlightened life,

To be able to live a free life.

 

The longer the breath,

The better it is.

Of course if you are quiet,

Be with the quietness.

You are alert and sharp and you are energised.

And if you need to,

You can always take the help of the breathing.

I will continue to remind you,

While you continue to work with yourself,

Seek your self,

The presence,

The awareness of your self.

 

The moment you start feeling good with yourself,

Meditation becomes easy.

 

You can carry on sitting for hours, so to speak.

You are knocking on the door to your self.

In your daily living,

Your self is always lost to the outside.

While in your meditation,

You are always finding your self,

And your breathing will help you do that.

 

When you listen to your breathing,

You feel the presence of yourself.

And if thoughts come up,

Whatever that comes up,

Stand behind,

Watch over them,

Allow them to pass,

Keep letting them go.

Keep practising.

Then you will open yourself to great experiences.

 

In your daily living,

You identify yourself with the body,

But here you will identify with your Self,

The presence of your Self,

And it gives you the opportunity,

To see that you are not the body.

The body is the instrument of your Self.

It is an instrument for your Self to act in the world.

But in your daily living,

Unconsciously, habitually,

You identify with the body as Self.

If you observe you will understand.

When you become aware of this reality,

When you become more and more conscious of this,

It will change your living,

It will change your life.

 

Then you truly live.

And the experiences that await you are infinite.

Then you will have found your liberation,

Your freedom, your immortality.

For the Self is immortal, eternal, timeless.

You will have gone beyond death.

You will change bodies,

You will not identify with death,

With the passing away of the body,

For you will know you are the Self,

Not the body.

Body is only an instrument, a cover,

For you to act in the world.

 

Breathe in, breathe out.

It will carry you to your immortality.

 

When you live from your Self,

You live a deeper life,

You live a profound life.

Ordinarily, you are living only a surface life.

Not much substance.

Not much power.

Not much depth.

Most times you are slogging away,

Labouring away mechanically,

And then one day you pass away.

So consciously put the whole of yourself in the mediation.

 

Your meditation is the most important part of your life,

But ordinarily this is never so considered.

 

Long breath, deep breath, strong breath.

It may take a while for mediation to arrive,

But it will arrive.

Know this!

It may be there some time,

It may not be there some time,

But a time will come,

When it will be there all the time.

Know this!

 

We will chant for 10 minutes.

Take a deep breath each time before you chant.

At the end of each round of chanting,

Empty out the breath completely.

In this way you stay with the chant,

You stay centred,

You stay energised.

 

Asato ma Sad Gamaya

From the unreal reach me to the Real, O! Lord

From incompleteness reach me to Completeness

 

Tamaso ma Jyotir Gamaya

From darkness reach me to Light, to Illumination, O! Lord

From ignorance reach me to Wisdom

 

Mrityor ma Amritam Gamaya

From death reach me to Immortality, O! Lord

 

Feel the singing,

As you chant – feel it.

 

As you sing, as you chant,

Feel yourself being lifted,

Lifted upwards to the heavens.

 

Arya Vihar

26 December 2004