Vigorous breathing followed by rhythmic breathing.

Long, deep and strong breath,

Strong enough to be able to hear it.

It will keep you energized.

It will centre you,

Draw you in,

Bring you to a stop in yourself.

If thoughts come up,

Allow them to pass.

Stand behind,

Keep letting them go.

 

Breathe in, breathe out.

Fill in completely,

Empty out completely.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Fill up completely,

Empty out completely.

In-breath moving into out-breath,

Out-breath moving into in-breath.

Make the breath strong enough,

To keep you energized,

To keep you awake.

 

We will chant for ten minutes.

Take a deep breath each time before you chant.

Empty out the breath completely,

At the end of each round of chanting.

And before you chant,

Take a deep breath to your maximum capacity.

We will chant the Gayatri,

 

Om Bhur Bhuvaha Svaha

Om Tat Sat Savitur Vareniyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi

Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodiyaat

 

May the Glorious Light of Savitri,

Godly Light,

Illumine the Whole of our Being,

Awaken to Light the Whole of our Self.

This is the prayer.

 

Om Bhur Bhuvaha Svaha

Om Tat Sat Savitur Vareniyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi

Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodiyaat

 

 

Go back to the rhythmic breathing.

Long breath, strong breath.

Strong enough to be able to hear it,

To keep you energized,

To keep you centered,

To keep you awake.

 

Breathe in, breathe out,

Fill in completely,

Empty out completely.

 

Keep to the breathing,

Breathe in, breathe out.

Through the breathing be centered in yourself.

Through the breathing allow yourself to be drawn in.

 

We will do Jagriti meditation,

But a different version of it.

Using the breath, Prana.

Take a deep, long, strong breath.

As you breathe in,

Take it right down to the first centre, Mooladhar.

Stay there for a moment –

Let the centre be energized.

Then as you release the breath –

As you exhale,

Feel it rise with the Force to the top of the head.

 

We will do this for ten minutes.

Breathe in reaching to the first centre.

Then as you breathe out,

Feel the Force rise up from the first centre,

To the top of the head, using the exhalation.

Ten minutes.

 

Long and deep breath,

Strong breath.

Feel the breath,

Long breath, deep breath,

As you push it down,

All the way down to the first centre.

Feel it in the centre.

Stay there for a moment.

Then as you release the breath,

Feel the Force rising up with the breath,

From the first centre,

To the top of the head.

When the breath is completely out,

You are stationed, situated,

Stopped at the top of the head.

Stay there without breath –

For a moment empty of breath,

Before you breathe in again.

Deep, long breath.

Push the breath down,

All the way down to the first centre.

 

When you fill up completely,

You are stationed, situated,

Stopped at the first centre – Muladhar,

Between the anus and genitalia.

Feel the centre.

Then when you release and empty out the breath,

The Force rises up with the breath from the first centre,

To the top of the head.

This is a cycle and a rhythm.

Moving down to the first centre,

There to be stopped for a moment,

Full of breath.

Then as you release and exhale the breath,

The Force rises up with the breath,

To the top of the head.

You are now empty of the breath completely,

And you are situated at the top of the head.

You are stopped there,

Totally empty of the breath.

Then again you repeat,

The cycle keeping to the rhythm.

This is Jagriti meditation with breath, prana.

 

Breathe in all the way down.

It has to be a strong breath,

Reaching down to the first centre.

In fact, you should feel it,

Even further down than the first centre.

Feel yourself being energized,

As you work with the breathing,

From the first centre, Mooladhar, to the seventh centre, Sahasrar,

The top of the head.

The Force will rise up from the first centre,

Passing through all the centres,

And reaching to the top of the head, the Sahasrar.

 

Each time empty out completely,

Fill up completely.

When you have filled up completely,

And reached to the first centre,

Stop there for a moment.

With the full breath,

Feel the centre.

Feel the breath in the centre.

Feel the Force that is there in the centre.

So that it may awaken,

Rise upwards to the top of the head,

As you release the breath.

 

When you reach the top of the head,

You feel the Force and Energy now on the top of the head.

You are emptied out of the breath completely.

You are situated at the top of the head.

Stop there for a moment with no breath –

Empty of breath.

The breath has lifted you up with the Force.

Then repeat again,

Making a cyclic rhythm.

We do this for ten minutes,

 

Then five minutes of silence,

Centered in the heart centre, Anahata,

Breathing into and out from the Heart centre.

 

For now continue to breathe into the first centre,

And then breathing out rising to the top of the head,

The seventh centre.

Feel the movement of the Force in your spine.

Feel its effect in the whole of your body.

Feel it rising,

Awakening in the first centre.

Feel it in the top of the head,

The seventh centre.

The effectiveness of the meditation depends on –

How well you do your breathing.

 

Five minutes of silence,

Centered in the Heart centre,

Breathing into and out from the Heart centre.

Long, deep breath.

Strong breath,

Strong enough to keep you energized.

You should be able to hear it.

Feel the Heart centre, Anahata,

Through the breathing.

 

Be centered in the Heart centre.

You are breathing into and out from the Heart centre.

Feel the centre through the breathing.

Feel for the presence,

Self-presence within.

Through the Self-presence,

Feel for God,

The presence of God.

The kingdom of God is in your Heart.

 

Now we will do the Abhishekam part of the meditation:

When you breathe in,

You let the breath rise up, not down,

Reaching to the Heavens above the head,

As high as you can reach.

Stop there for a moment with the breath full.

Feel for the Heavens,

Feel for the Presence of God.

Then as you start breathing out,

Releasing the breath,

You move downwards,

All the way down to the first centre.

And with it you feel,

The Grace descending from the Heavens,

Within and without.

When you reach the first centre,

You are empty of the breath completely.

You stop there for a moment,

With the breath empty.

 

And then you breathe in again,

Repeating the meditation.

The stops are called ‘kumbhak’.

It means ‘to be gathered, complete’.

There are two stops.

Once when you are full of breath,

And once when you are empty of breath.

 

You can begin to breathe in.

Let the breath rise up,

To the top of the head,

And through the head,

To the Heavens above,

As high as you can go.

When you reach the High,

Stop there for a moment,

With the breath full.

Feel for the Heavens above,

Open out to the Heavens above.

Feel yourself being lifted.

Feel the nearness to God.

Then as you release the breath,

As you breathe out,

You start descending,

You feel the Grace descending with you,

All the way down,

Reaching down to the first centre,

And even below.

Stay there for a moment,

Empty of the breath.

Then after a moment repeat once again.

Ten minutes.

 

Each time as you breathe in,

Feel yourself being lifted up,

Being raised through the top of the head,

Above, to the Heavens,

As high as you can go.

Into the Sky above –

There to open out.

With the breath full,

Stay stopped for a moment,

Stopped in the Heavens above the head.

Feel it –

Then release the breath,

As you descend.

As the breath is released,

As you breathe out,

The Grace descends.

Bathing you completely inside and outside,

All the way down to the first centre,

And even below into the subconscious.

Then when you are empty of breath,

Stay stopped for a moment,

Centered in the first centre.

Then after a moment repeat once again.

 

This is the Abhishekam part of the meditation.

‘Abhishek’ means anointment.

 

Long, deep breath,

As long as you can make it.

It should be strong enough to keep you energized.

It may not be so easy initially.

These are advanced meditations.

They may not be so easy to do initially.

This is why we were working,

Only with just the simple breathing for quite some days,

To get used to the idea of breathing right.

The effectiveness of meditation,

Depends on the effectiveness of your breathing.

And how centered you can be during the meditation.

These are powerful meditations.

It can open you to mystical experiences,

Bring you to the Presence of God.

When done right,

You can feel the effectiveness of the meditation,

Throughout the day.

 

Do not forget to stay stopped,

Up above the head in the Heavens,

With the breath full.

And when you are down to the first centre,

With the breath emptied out,

Each time there is to be a stop.

 

Both parts of this meditation have,

Ascending and descending movements.

In Jagriti you descend first and then ascend.

In Abhishek you ascend first and then descend.

Jagriti means awakening.

Abhishek means anointing.

You are anointing yourself with the Grace of God.

The meditation is an act of worship.

 

Stay relaxed throughout.

When you breathe in,

Feel the breath rising up,

Through the top of the head,

To the Heavens above,

As high as you can go.

Feel it –

Feel yourself being energized.

When you reach as high as you can go,

Stop there for a moment with the breath full.

And after a moment,

As you release the breath,

As you breathe out,

Start descending all the way down to the first centre.

Feel the grace descending,

Bathing you outside and inside.

Feel yourself in the Presence of God.

Then stay stopped in the first centre for a moment,

Empty of breath.

Then repeat once again.

 

Feel yourself being lifted up,

When you breathe in,

And raised up above the head,

To the Heavens.

You pass through the top of the head.

Then when you release the breath,

As you breathe out,

You feel the Grace descending with you,

Down to the first centre,

And below into the subconscious.

 

In Jagriti you go down first to the first centre,

And then rise upwards,

Ascending through all the centres,

To the top of the head and even above.

In Abhishek you go up first,

Through the top of the head,

Above the head into the Heavens,

And then you descend down,

To the first centre,

Passing through all the centres once again.

 

Each time you stay stopped for a moment,

In Abhishek, above the head with the full breath,

And after you have descended,

In the first centre, empty of breath.

Feel the centre through the stop.

 

In Jagriti it is the other way round.

You stay stopped in the first centre, full of breath,

And in the top of the head, empty of breath.

 

Feel the centre each time through the stop.

And you are centered in the centre through the stop.

 

We will be in silence for five minutes,

Centered in the Heart centre.

Resting as it were in the Heart centre.

Breathing in and out from the Heart centre.

Long, deep, strong breath.

Should be able to hear it.

Should be strong enough to keep you energized.

Breathe in and out from the Heart centre.

Feel the centre through the breathing.

Go deep into your Heart through the breathing.

Feel the presence of self.

Through the presence of self,

Feel the Heart.

Feel the Heart through the breathing.

 

Through the breathing,

Be centered in the Heart centre.

Feel the Heart centre,

Being energized through the breathing.

 

We will stop here.

 

 

Arya Vihar

14 August 2004