When you are crying, friend,
Forget why you are crying,
And just let tears flow.
When you are laughing,
Forget the reason for laughter,
And laugh anyway.
When you are angry,
Just for a moment
Forget what made you angry,
And honor - even celebrate -
the raw, burning, throbbing sensations
in your body.
Come closer.
Be present.
Honor what is alive in you.
Let powerful energies move without a story, without blame, without judgement, without resistance.
(Yet allow resistance too
if that is what's alive in you.)
Know yourself as LIFE -
The unconditional space
for it all.
~ Jeff Foster
#justbeyou
Sit back, relax every muscle in your body. Visualize the chakras using the image on your monitor, or close your eyes and visualize internally.
Let us now concentrate on the Muladhara Chakra, located at the base of the spine, and imagine a closed flower that slowly opens. The center is yellow and has four red petals. Now focused on the open flower within us repeat the mantra LAM. Visualize now the flower slowly closes.
Let us now concentrate on Swadhisthana Chakra, above the genitals, here we imagine a closed flower that slowly opens. The center has the color of the water and has six petals of red vermilion. Now focused on the open flower within us repeat the mantra VAM. Visualize now the flower slowly closes.
Let us now concentrate on Manipura chakra, the base of the stomach, here we imagine a closed flower that slowly opens. The center is red and has ten blue petals. Now focused on the open flower within us repeat the mantra RAM. Visualize now the flower slowly closes.
Let us now concentrate on Anahata Chakra, the heart, imagine a closed flower that slowly opens. The center is gray smoke and has twelve red petals. Concentrate on the open flower within us repeat the mantra YAM. Visualize now the flower slowly closes.
Let us now concentrate on Vishuddha Chakra, throat, again imagine a closed flower that slowly opens. The center of the flower is blue and has sixteen petals blue. Concentrate on the open flower within us repeat the mantra HAM. Visualize now the flower slowly closes.
Let us now concentrate on Ajña chakra between the eyebrows, and here we imagine a closed flower that slowly opens. A flower that has only two petals, the center and the petals are white. The more the flower opens and the more becomes shiny. When the flower is fully open will look like a light- flower. Concentrate on the open flower within us repeat the mantra OM. Visualize now the flower slowly closes.
Let us now concentrate on the Sahasrara Chakra, on top of the head, imagine a closed flower that slowly opens. is a multi-colored flower that has a thousand petals. Concentrate on the open flower hear the sound of our breathing. Visualize now the flower slowly closes.
MEDITATION: Chakras and Elements
Sit comfortably in your usual a meditative pose. Start from the root chakra, Muladhara and visualize the Earth element. See it dissolving in the element of the sacral chakra, the Water. Visualize the water consumed by the fire of the solar plexus chakra, Manipura. The fire is extinguished in air, the element of the heart chakra, Anahata. The air becomes ether in the throat chakra, Vishuddha. The ether is absorbed into the third eye chakra and is transmuted into Light. Finally, the light dissolves into Universal Mind or Infinite Consciousness of Sahasrara Chakra.
Inner Adoration
Visualize the path of the vital breath within one’s own body, imagining that from the navel of Sadashiva three rays are born, on which we will find the three Goddesses: Parā, who is on Bhairava Sadbhāva; Parāparā standing on Ratishekhara Bhairava; Aparā standing on Navātma Bhairava. The three Goddesses are also associated with the succession of gurus (Parampara).
Breathing exercises and Pranayama
EXERCISE OF BREATH Inhale and gently press your thumb and forefinger on the eyes, the pressure lasts throughout inspiration. Exhale deeply slowly decrease the pressure. It slows the heart rate, decreases anxiety.
EXERCISE OF BREATH Focus on dimple of the neck, inhaling, holding the breath to push the chin toward the neck. Exhale and release the pressure. You have the same effects of exercise above. These two exercises are excellent for crisis tachycardia.
BREATHING OF THE BEE (BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA) Breathe deeply focusing on the throat. Both inhaling and exhaling make a buzz between the nose and throat like that of a bee.
CONTRARY BREATHING (VILOMA PRANAYAMA) Exhale completely through the nostrils. Inhaling and retain the air for a few seconds. Inhale and hold … ..and so on up to completely fill the lungs. Hold breath as much as possible. Exhale slowly and deeply uttering the sound “ooh”. Repeat several times.
BREATHING OF THE SUN (SURYA PRANAYAMA)
Close the left nostril, using your hand, inhale with the other nostril.
BREATHING OF THE MOON (CHANDRA PRANAYAMA)
Close the right nostril and inhale.
BREATHING OF THE SUN AND THE MOON (SURYA CHANDRA PRANAYAMA)
Close the left nostril, inhale. Close the right nostril, exhale and inhale. Close the left nostril, exhale and inhale … and so on. Repeat for 5 minutes.
DRUM BREATHING (MRIDANGA PRANAYAMA)
Breathe deeply beating the chest with the fingers. Purifies the bronchi and lungs, good for smokers. Stimulates Anahata Chakra.
INTERRUPTED BREATHING (VILOMA PRANAYAMA)
Interrupt breathing as when you cry. Start inhaling with 7 pauses and then exhaling with 7 pauses (but you can also start with 5 or more pauses), then decreased: 6/6 – 5/5 – 4/4 – 3/3 – 2/2, end up with a slow, deep breathing. Repeat several times.
MEDITATION ON LISTENING TO THE OWN BREATH
Simply listen to your own breath. It may adopt abdominal breathing.
COMPLETE YOGIC BREATHING
Perform abdominal, thoracic and clavicular (throat) breathings, bringing your hands on the abdomen, chest and throat.
Abdominal breathing: inhaling inflates the abdomen, exhaling relaxes Chest breathing: inhaling inflates the chest, exhaling relaxes. Clavicular breathing: high breathing, of gluttony, as you inhale chest and belly do not swell.
BREATHING OF THE LIGHT OF THE SKULL (KAPALABHATI)
Inhale slowly. Exhale suddenly. Perform for a few minutes. Finished the exercise perform a slow, deep complete yogic breathing.
IRREGULAR BREATHING (VILOMA PRANAYAMA)
Inhale from the mouth uttering the sound hoo. Exhale little air and hold your breath for a second. Continue exhaling always emitting little air and holding the breath for a second. Go on until complete emptying of the lungs. Repeat several times. Decreases the pressure.
BREATHINGS ON CHAKRAS
Starting from Muladhara Chakra, inhale deeply concentrating on the chakra, exhale uttering the mantra of the chakra in question. 5 breaths and then switch to the higher chakras.
BREATHING EXERCISE ON KUNDALINI
Imagine Kundalini as a heat, a fire that goes through all the chakras. Breathing in goes up, breathing out goes down.
Vipassana
Vipassana is a traditional and ancient Buddhist meditation really interesting, where there’s plenty to do… just to sit quietly, doing nothing and watch the breath. Vipassana meditation aims to develop full awareness of all sensory and mental stimuli, in order to capture their real nature. It is traditionally defined as a meditation of “inner perception” in the sense that simply slowing each activity and by sitting in meditation we create a space in which we can have intuitions about who we are, and where we can get to know us more deeply, more intimately. The body and mind are the field in which it is possible to find out, with a careful vision, the truth.
Contemplation of the body
Breath awareness
Awareness of body positions
Awareness of the actions of the body
Awareness of body parts
Awareness of the elements
Contemplation of feelings
Contemplation of the mind
Contemplation of mental objects
Centering Meditation
Put a candle or a small flame in front of you.
First stage: 15 minutes
Seated in an easy position with eyes closed and lips together. inhale slowly, stop for a moment and then exhaling the sound MMM. Take a longer break before inspiration. The internal vibration that will be created will shake our subtlest energies.
Second stage: 15 minutes
Sit down with narrowed eyes and observe the flame set before. Continue with regular and slow breathing. This will center our energies awakened.
Third stage: 15 minutes
Lie on your back, close your eyes and relax with a slow and regular breathing. Relax every muscle and every part of the body, starting from the feet to get to the head.
Then visualize the breath as a heat source that starts from the center of the root and get to the top of the head. View its warm colors. Gradually see the breath becomes an increasingly hot and bright light. When the light reaches the top of the head visualize this light expanding beyond the body.
Awakening of the heart – give and receive
If we do not love, life has no meaning; When you really love, the ego disappears. When the ego disappears we open our being to the All, the One. For this reason, the path of the heart is a prime way that can lead us directly to higher states of consciousness.
This simple meditation joins the breath to the gestures of giving and receiving so awakening the heart and accepting with simplicity and love what happens.
Inspiring bring your hands to the heart.
Exhaling extend your arms outward.
Active Meditations
Many cultures have traditions of meditative movements or sacred dance: from shamanism to Tantra, from Sufi to Gurdjieff, from Qigong to the techniques developed in Buddhism, etc. Through active meditations we become mindful of our experience while acting. The mind can be detached automatically from the incessant flow of thoughts because it is concentrated in the observation of bodily sensations that are perceived at that exact moment. Managing to maintain this awareness, you can even go beyond the observer, reaching the state of non-duality.
Any action can become a meditation.
Osho Active Meditations
Dynamic Meditation
First stage: 10 minutes Breathe chaotically through the nose, concentrating always on exhalation. The body will take care of the inhalation. Do this as fast and as hard as you can more and more – until you literally become the breathing. Use your entire body to push the air out, as if you were a bellows.
Second stage: 10 minutes Explode! Express everything that needs to be thrown out. Become totally crazy. Shout, cry, jump, shake, dance, sing, laugh. Hold nothing back; keep the whole body in motion. A little acting often helps to start. Do not allow your mind to interfere with what is happening. Be total, be whole hearted; be careful, aware of what is happening to you.
Third stage: 10 minutes With raised arms, jump up and down shouting the mantra Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! as deeply as possible, allowing the sound to come from the bottom of the belly. Landing from the jump with the entire sole of the foot and let the sound deeply affects your sexual center. Give all you have; go dead.
Fourth stage: 15 minutes Stop! Stop wherever you are, at any location you are. Do not move the body for any reason. A cough, a movement – anything will dissipate the energy flow and the effort will be in vain. Remain completely still, being a witness to everything that happens.
Fifth Stage: 15 minutes Celebrate with dance, expressing your gratitude towards existence. Bring this happiness with you all day.
Kundalini
This meditation, “sister” of the Dynamic, finds its best if done at sunset or late afternoon. Totally immerse yourself in the shaking and dancing during the first two stages helps loosen one’s being hard as rocks, at any point in the flow of energy has been suppressed and blocked. Then that energy can flow, dance and be transformed into joy and bliss. The last two stages allow all of this energy to slide vertically, to move upwards in the silence. An extremely effective way to be loose and to relax, letting yourself go at the end of the day.
Instructions:
First Stage: 15 minutes
Be loose and let the whole body shake. Look up the energy from the feet upwards. Let go of every single part and become the shaking. The eyes can be open or closed.
Second Stage: 15 minutes
Dance – just as you like, and let the whole body move as it wishes. The eyes can be open or closed.
Third Stage: 15 minutes
Close your eyes and be still, sitting or standing, observe like a witness whatever’s going on inside and outside of you.
Fourth Stage: 15 minutes
Keeping your eyes closed, lie down and be still.
Mandala
This is another powerful technique that creates a circle of energy, resulting in a natural centering. There are four stages of 15 minutes each.
First Stage: 15 minutes
With open eyes run on the spot, starting slowly and gradually, getting faster and faster. Bring your knees up as high as possible. Breathing deeply and evenly will move the energy within. Forget the mind and forget the body. Keep going.
Second Stage: 15 minutes
Sit with your eyes closed and mouth open and loose. Gently rotate your body from the belly, like a reed blowing in the wind. Feel the wind blowing you from side to side, back and forth, around and around. This will bring your awakened energies to the navel center.
Third Stage: 15 minutes
Lie on your back, open your eyes and with the head still, rotate them in a clockwise direction. Sweep them fully around in the sockets as if you are following the second hand of a vast clock, but as fast as possible. It is important that the mouth remains open and the jaw relaxed, with the breath soft and even. This will bring centering energies to the third eye.
Usually when we think about our work we think about our jobs, studies or the daily tasks/chores of living. When we get a good review from our boss, an ‘A’ on our exam , or a Tidy and organised home, we feel successful in our work. we thrive on seeing visible results and external achievements. Yet there are times when our energy and action needs to shift away from this type of external work and focus instead on inner work, Transformation of our thoughts, emotions and desires. the challenge with inner work that it is imperceptible. there is no gold star when our mindfulness practice helps us temper our reactivity. No one gives us an ‘A’ when meditation helps us improve our concentration. We don’t get a promotion when mindfulness helps us bring gratitude into our daily life. The inner work we do in this path doesn’t provide the visible external achievements we get from our job or responsibilities. But inner work no less difficult. In fact sometimes it is far more difficult and it’s certainly no less important.
A powerful example of this can be seen in the life of Psychologist Dr Carl Yang. Dr Yang was already an influential psychiatrist when he had a mental crisis of his own. overcome with intense emotions, dreams and even terrifying visions, he withdrew from his professional work for several years. However he wasn’t inactive. Yang used this period of illness to search deep within himself. from the outside he seems to be breaking down but inwardly he was breaking through. Years later Dr Yang wrote that this intense period of inner work led him to his most original and influential insights about human psychology.
So the lesson we can take here that inner work can be some of the most valuable work we do. Overcoming fear, addiction, rejection, regret or grief through patient inner work can lead to significant and long lasting improvements in our lives and the lives of those around us. So make a special effort to recognize and validate your inner-work – The hard effort of transformation, healing and growth.
As a guru writes ” peace and joy hither neither in the quietness of a forest nor out of the accomplishments of a market place, but only from within”
This is about the deceptive nature of comfort. We are all searching for happiness and we often seek it through forms of comfort. Off course for each of us comfort looks different. For some it is found in food, alcohol or intimacy, for others it is found in work, shopping or entertainment and when we reach for these remedies there is often instant relief but pleasure is fleeting and the lure of comfort can deceive us.
Consider the way Moths tend to fly towards a flame. To the moth the flame represents the captivating sensation of light so they fly to the flickering glow. But this is clearly not a good choice. The moth seeks comfort but the flame actually causes suffering. And this is what we do. We are pulled towards what appears comforting but it is in fact harmful. We go an a alcohol binge and it feels enjoyable at first but the next day we pay the price. When we are angry at someone we begin to yell at them. This too might feel good momentarily but it creates a wider rift and deeper hurt.
So it is up to us to use the skills of mindfulness and pay attention to how we respond to this comfort or agitation. We must ask ourselves what do we reach for as comfort and then notice, does our habit actually brings us comfort? And if so, for how long? Does that comfort comes at a price of long term suffering?
As Jeff Olson said “your habits operate at the unconscious level. You are not normally aware of them. It’s only by bringing habit into your conscious awareness that you can observe what it is doing. How it empowers and serves you or doesn’t”.
Ultimately we want to bring awareness to the impulses and urges that accompany unease and discomfort. so rather than unconsciously reaching for that old comfort or vice, we can consciously choose actions that serve our deeper happiness and well being.
