Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana means "insight" -to see things as they really are, through a process of self-observation. It means insight into your own nature which enables one to recognize himself the cause of suffering and eliminate it.

Method: It is usually done in a course of 10 days, when the participants refrain from reading, writing, and even talking (except discussing difficulties faced during meditation with the teacher). Set aside 15 minutes. Find a quiet place. Sit down cross-legged on the floor or a chair with a straight back. Become aware of your breath. Take a mental note of whatever feeling you are experiencing. Open your eyes slowly after 10 or 15 minutes and get up gradually. Do not worry if you do not get any great insights in your first session. Try to be aware of your senses and emotions and their impact on you. Benefits: It is free of rites. Allows one to study sensation in the body like cold, pain, itching etc. One develops wisdom. Raja Yoga Meditation: Raja yoga meditation fills the yogi with super-sensuous joy or bliss which is the highest and the most ennobling experience. The bliss elevates the mind and raises the yogi above carnal pleasures, and moulds his bad habits. A Raja yogi establishes a relationship with God . He withdraws from all the superfluous and avoidable worldly activities. He spends minimum time and resources on his personal comforts and devotes maximum energy for noble cause i.e. spiritual awakening of his felloe-beings. Zazen: It refers to zen meditation as was done by Buddha. Method: In this you sit in lotus position with back straight to allow free movement of the diaphragm. The chin is tucked in and the weight of the body equally distributed on both the legs. Benefits: It is a way to discipline life, and makes one realize how much valuable time is wasted each day. http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/meditation/meditationtechniques.html

Chakras Meditation

Chakra Anusandhana means "discovery or search of the chakras". It is a simple way for beginners to explore the chakras self-tutored. It helps in awakening them gently, and in a balanced integrated way.

How to:

It can be done sitting, or lying. Close your eyes, adjust your body, clothing. Let the breath relax, slow and deepen, but do not control it. After a few minutes of settling in, commence Ujjayi pranayam, and carry on for some time Now bring awareness to the spinal passage, such that awareness of breath is from bottom to top, Spend a few minutes establishing this inner breath pattern up and down. Ascending with inhalation, descending with exhalation. Begin to locate chakras within that channel. Need not pin point the exact location, just focus on general area. Try to feel the location of each station and mentally repeat its name as you pass by it. On your way up mentally repeat from Mooldhara to Ajna, and way down reverse the order. Just before finishing let go of breath sound, then names. And chant mantra' 'Om' 3 times. Precaution: Awakening of Chakra can have its side effects. Excessive mental energy can be a problem with those who do not have abundant physical activity. Never meditate on one Chakra without qualified guidance. It can lead to an imbalance and cause personality problems.

Yogic Gaze....(Trataka)

Trataka means steady gazing. It is a very simple and beautiful Meditation Technique.

Method:
In this a regular candle is used, however any other object of choice can be used. The candle is set up at an arm's distance, level with eyes, and steady gazing is first done with the eyes open. After some time, the eyes are closed, and the after image of the flame is 'gazed at' with eyes closed at the eye brow center. Try not to move through out the practice. Relax your breath , let it lengthen, deepen.

This open gazing of the flame and then with the eyes closed is alternated a couple of times before concluding the practice.If using a candle for Trataka, the gaze should be fixed at the wick tip and not on the flame.
Trataka on a candle flame is best practised with a trataka stand. Click here to read about the Trataka Stand.

Caution:
If practicing Trataka on a Candle flame, do not continue the practice for more than a month or two at a stretch as it may lead to damage of the retina.

Benefits:

It improves the optic function, both external and internal, such as poor eyesight and visualization abilities. It helps develop concentration and mental resolve. Develops the ability to maintain one-pointedness in amongst the noise and distractions of daily life. Develops the psychic eye, that is the ability to "see" or understand what is inside and beyond the obvious. It develops the power of Intuition.

Mantra Meditation

A Mantra is a grouping of sound vibrations which have an effect on the mental and psychic consciousness. Although traditionally given by a Guru, in the absence of a Guru, the practitioner may choose his mantra. An important criterion for mantra selection is that it must appeal to the mind fully when spoken verbally.

Mantra chanting creates powerful vibrations which are said to be directed to the right "chakras" to attract divine forces. This process is said to mysteriously heal the spiritual, physical & psychological body. It is important that when the mantra is chanted, the words and their rhythm must be enjoyed and one must surrender oneself to this experience.

Mantras do not have any specific meaning. Their power lies not in the meaning of the word but through the vibratory effects of the sound that they produced when spoken verbally or mentally.

In fact, a Mantra should not be confused with religion. Just because a mantra refers to a Hindu God, it does not mean that it cannot be said by a Christian. Also, a Mantra should not be translated as this has the effect of altering the sound vibrations wherein lies the strength of the Mantra.

Repetition of a Mantra forms the basis of Mantra Meditation. Mantras for spiritual evolution should be practiced for a fixed amount of time each day. Repeating a mantra too much may not be right for sensitive or psychic people as it may affect them adversely. Generally, if you repeat a mantra for about 10 minutes every day, then, within a few days you will know whether the vibrations feel right for you.

To read more, click on the Power of Mantras.

Transcendental Meditation (TM) introduced by Maharshi Mahesh Yogi is also a form of Mantra Meditation where the participants are provided their personal Mantra.

Mantra Meditation is the easiest and safest form of meditation and can be practiced by anyone at anytime and under any conditions. The most common way of practicing Mantra Meditation is Japa. Japa (literally means 'rotate') is performed by repeating a mantra in sync with the rotation of a Japa Mala. A Japa Mala is a rosary of 108 beads where each bead is turned after the mental or audible recitation of the mantra.

Using a Japa Mala for Mantra Meditation is very effective as it provides an anchor to bring the mind back as it experiences wavering thoughts. The Mantra combined with the Japa Mala provide tangible anchors to which the thoughts are directed back as they spin out of control. That is why, Japa Meditation is one of the most recommended forms of meditation for the beginner.

Introduction to ZEN meditation

Zen meditation, known as "Chan (禅） in Chinese, flourished in China around 700 A.D. Since then, it has become one of the most influential schools of Buddhism, spreading to Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and now to many western countries. Zen and other forms of Buddhist meditation have been found to help calm the mind, reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and bring peacefulness, tolerance, and other positive attributes to life. By clearing our minds and reflecting inward, we can perceive our own Buddha nature and uncover our innate wisdom and joy.

1 Posture

• Sit up straight on the meditation cushion, with the body relaxed.
• cross your legs in the lotus or half-lotus positions if you are able to do so.
• let the arms hang down naturally.
• the hands form the diamond mudra (right hand in a fist holding both thumbs, and the left hand fingers covering the right hand) and are placed near the abdomen.
• Keep the head erect with the chin slightly down.
• Lower the eyes, looking down naturally (if the eyes are wide open, you may get distracted easily; if the eyes are closed, you may become drowsy easily.)
• The mouth should wear a slight smile.

2. The Breath

• Breathe through the nose, not with the mouth.
• Breathing should be quiet, free flowing, slow, deep, and even.
• As you breathe out, start counting one, two, three, four, five, etc. As you breathe in, do not count. Keep your focus on the breath this way continuously.
• Train yourself to do this well.

3. Calming the Mind

• Just concentrate on your breathing.
• You are not judging, reflecting, or analyzing. You are simply observing the moment in which you find yourself.

4. After Sitting Meditation

• After sitting meditation, move your head, shoulders, and body slowly.
• Bub your palms together gently, and massage your face, ears,neck, body and legs.
• Take three deep breaths, each time lean the body forward and massage your legs as you breathe out slowly.
• If the legs are sore or asleep, don't stand up immediately.

5. Waling Meditation-- "wherever you go, that's where your mind is."

• Palms down. Body straight but relaxed.
• Look ahead where you will step or at the person ahead of you.
• Focus on how you are walking, where you're placing your foot. Do not think of anything else. Always stay in the present moment.

Sun meditation

To practice sun meditation, beginners should start by looking at the rising sun early in the morning. You can also look at the setting sun, but it is not as effective as at sunrise because the energy is decreasing.
If you feel any trouble gazing directly at the sun, you should focus your gaze a short distance above the sun. Try not to blink, but if you feel discomfort, blink several times, then start again. If you do this three of four times, your resistance power will be increased and it will be easy to look at the sun. Then, we can gradually increase the time that we gaze at the sun.

Beginners should start looking each day for a short period, then day by day increase the amount of time so that the eyes can gradually adapt without any harm. It is very important to maintain regular practice, as it will allow your eyes to adapt properly. Some people may experience problems in the first few days, sometimes headaches or burning sensations in the eyes, or a 'sunspot' that affects your vision. This is quite normal, and the only way to overcome these problems is to continue practising. It is similar to any physical exertion that may cause stiffness or pain; it does not last long, and it is best removed by continuing the exercise.

When you can continue staring at the sun for ten minutes, the sun will seem to disappear. The inside of the sun will appear as blue sky surrounded by a ring of light, it will sometimes appear as two suns, sometimes rotating clockwise or anticlockwise. As your concentration develops and you can gaze at the sun for longer, you will be able to see a 'black spot' in the middle of the sun. Sometimes this black spot will be bigger, at other times smaller. After practice, the black spot will remained fixed in one place. Suddenly, from this black hole, seven colours will emerge and move around the sun, sometimes clockwise, sometimes anti-clockwise. As your concentration increases, a powerful beam of light will come from the sun towards your body. In the beginning this beam of light will not touch the body, it will come towards you and then retreat back to the sun. Eventually, as your concentration improves, this light will touch your body and you will attain complete thoughtless condition. This is the start of the pratyaharam stage, and indicates the beginning of Sunyoga experience.

After being touched by this light, a vibration will start from the heart, allowing us to control three negativities; shame, hatred and fear. With regular practice this vibration will increase and you will be able to gain control over five more negativities; anger, greed, narrow attraction, ego & jealousy. As the vibration increases you will be able to control sexual desire and lust. At this point, the pratyaharam stage is complete.

The next step, as the inner vibration increases and extends from the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine to the sahasradhara chakra at the top of the head. This is the dharana stage.
As the inner vibration develops, we'll discover that there are two more chakras, one above the head called the dhayana chakra and one below the body called the dhyanrodhak chakra. At this point, we will be able to hear a sound, which some people call AUM, others have called AMEN, while others have called it ALAM. We can then receive divine messages from the universe.

Next the sadhak will experience sahaja samadhi during which he will be able to see a bright light, inside of which there will be a beautiful structure. This is the atmadarsanam stage, the 'who am I' stage, the sadaguru stage, the mukha stage. At that time the sadhak will feel, 'I know him but i have never seen' because it has always been within... our sagunabramha structure. This marks the completion of the dhyana stage.

The final stage is nirvikalpa samadhi, at which point a further two chakras are discovered, one above the dhyana chakra called the samadhi chakra, and one below the dhayanarodhak chakra called the samadhirodhak chakra. Our mental force will be more than gravitational force, our soul will leave the body and unite with the supreme soul.

The Thirteen Stages of Sunyoga:
1. Conquer all material desires(sexuality, anger, greed, narrow-mindedness, ego & jealousy, shame, hatred and fear). Related chakras: Anahata, Vishuhda, Agna, Monipur, Swadhisthan.Related subtle body: Pratyahar body.
2. Develop Divine Energy:Related chakra: Sahasrar & Muladhar. Related subtle body: Dharana body.
3. Atma Darsanam - Discovery of Atma (or soul)Related chakra: dhyana & dhyanarodhak. Related subtle body: dhyana body.
4. Samadhi - Enlightenment. Related chakra: samdhi & samadhirodhak. Related subtle body: samadhi body.
5. Conquer hunger.Related chakra: amrit chakra & amritrodhak. Related subtle body: Amrit body.
6. Conquer thirst:Related chakra: Jivanmukta chakra &jivanmuktarodhak chakra. Subtle body: Jivanmukta body.
7. Conquer diseases:Related chakra: rogamukta chakra & rogamuktarodhak chakra. Subtle body:rogamukta subtle body.
8. Paramahansa - Adjusting the mind to all situations. Related chakra: paramahansa chakra & paramahansarodhak chakra. Subtle body: paramahansa body.
9. Having no enemies - all enemies will be friends (including animals).Related chakra: chaityana chakra and chaityanarodhak chakra. Subtle body: chaityana body.
10. Longetivity (this happens when the body's vibration becomes the same as the environment's)Related chakra:amar chakra and amarrodhak chakra. Subtle body: amar body.
11. The body's vibration and earth's vibration will be equal. Related chakras: Grahanusama chakra &Grahanusamarodhak chakra. Subtle body: Grahanusama body.
12. The body's vibration and sun's vibration will be equal.Related chakras: nakhatranusama chakra and nakhatranusamarodhak chakra. Subtle body:nakhatranusama body.
13. The body's vibration and the vibration of the Universe (Supreme Soul) vibration will be equal.Related chakras: brahmbhandanusama chakra & brahmbhandanusamarodhak chakra. Subtle body: brahmbhandanusama body.

How to do Meditation?

Morning is an ideal time to meditate, yet any convenient regular time will do. Meditation should be practiced daily, in a place that is completely private, free from undue noise, and free from interruptions of any kind. It should be practiced for a set number of minutes each day, as follows:

First month of practice: 18 minutes per daily session

Thereafter: 24 minutes per daily session

Sit upright, with your spine relatively straight—on a bed, on the floor, on a cushion, or in a chair, whichever is most comfortable to you. If crossing your legs result in discomfort or stoppage of energy flow in the legs, try uncrossing and extending them, or otherwise altering your position.

After becoming comfortable, close the eyes and relax, for a brief moment, seeking to calm your body and mind. Now allow the symbol of the Round Orange-Red Ball to come into your awareness. Do not try to re-create the Orange-Red Ball as if it were in front of you or near your forehead—do not "pretend to see" the Round Orange-Red Ball. Visualization is not the same as pretending to see. FEEL that you are the symbol. Do not "think about" the Round Orange-Red Ball. Visualization is not the same as thinking. Sense and become the Round Orange-Red Ball with your entire awareness.

To begin to get a sense of the symbol, ask yourself: How does it feel to be that shape—to be the round surface of a ball? How does that color feel— how does it feel to be the color of orange-red? Sense the color and shape together. Become, with your consciousness, just this object. Be the Ball—visualize it with your entire being. If you sense and become in this way, you will begin to achieve a perfect completeness with the Round Orange-Red Ball. It will be as if it were there with you and in you, whole.

Do not force it, simply allow yourself to become aware of it, and seek to effortlessly maintain your awareness upon the Round Orange-Red Ball. Thoughts of other things will probably arise in your mind, and when you become aware that your awareness has perhaps strayed to some mundane matter, instead of remaining on the Round Orange-Red Ball, simply notice that a thought or emotion has appeared, without placing any bias or judgment upon it. Do not pay any further attention to the thought or emotion, just allow it to drop away, and allow your sense of the Round Orange-Red Ball to re-emerge. It is important that you do not struggle to keep the mind on the Round Orange-Red Ball, but simply notice when a stray thought has appeared, drop the thought, and then allow your mind to come back gently and effortlessly to the Round Orange-Red Ball. Let the memorable feeling of peace and deep knowing that you will begin to acquire from maintaining your awareness upon the Round Orange-Red Ball inspire you to allow it to re-emerge effortlessly in your mind.

Always remember that the Round Orange-Red Ball is YOU—it is not something "out there." Have the entire sense of the Round Orange-Red Ball within your being. Be the Round Orange-Red Ball, and your practice will be perfect and effortless. Do not struggle in any way. You should feel tranquil and comfortable while meditating.

Continue to meditate for the allotted time. You may slightly open your eyes to periodically check a clock or watch, to gauge the time while learning. After you have meditated for the allotted time, stop the practice and rest, lying down or sitting, for 3 or 4 minutes before opening the eyes and rising into activity. It is important to have this transition time, and not "shock" the awareness by returning to daily activity suddenly, after meditating.

As you begin your practice of daily meditation, you should know that it is normal to have a period of days or weeks in which you will "get comfortable" with the practice, and perfect the technique of this method. At first, it is possible that this form of meditation will be unfamiliar to you, and you may also have a little difficulty in practicing it correctly. You will notice, however, that with a little practice it becomes easier and easier. After just a few weeks or a month, you will find it becoming "second nature" to you, and that you will naturally sink into a deep meditative state shortly after beginning your daily practice. Should you have any questions, or wish to be certain that you are practicing the Chios Meditation method correctly, be sure to seek support through this website.

It is possible that disturbances may occur as you learn. Bodily sensations, particularly distracting or even disconcerting thoughts or emotions, leaving the body, visions of spirits, or similar experiences may manifest. While to be expected occasionally, these do not matter and are not to be desired nor undesired. The ultimate goal of the meditation is to go beyond the surface disturbances. Merely "let them go," and continue the practice without concern—just let whatever thoughts, emotions or experiences "come up" exist without either attempting to repress them or attach the awareness to them. Maintain your focus upon an effortless visualization of the Round Orange-Red Ball.

It is not uncommon, for example, for recurrent thoughts or emotions to "come up" which bear relation to the inner issues of the meditator. If the meditator remains in the expanded spiritual awareness proper visualization practice upon this symbol will provide, these other thoughts and emotions which arise need not be identified with nor repressed, but simply noticed as the awareness is encouraged to effortlessly return to the Round Orange-Red Ball. The awareness will therefore not become "wrapped up" and identified in these thoughts, emotions and issues, and these distractions will eventually lose their influence upon the awareness. This is instrumental not merely for correct practice of the meditation but also to allow the meditation to properly contribute to the meditator's healing and personal growth process. Leaving the body is also a common side-effect when meditation is begun, yet is similarly not to be encouraged nor given any concern. The meditator simply notices this has happened and then allows a grounded, in-the-body experience of the meditation to re-emerge. Whenever any such experiences arise, it is desirable to return to a grounded and in-the-body state. This form of meditation is intended to be a grounded practice. As you become more familiar with meditation, you will naturally remain in the body, and it is desirable to do so.

As you advance in your practice and acquire the ability to quiet the mind and sink to deeper levels of awareness, your awareness of the symbol during meditation will become more subtle. There is not an overpowering awareness of, for example, the shape or color of the symbol. There is simply the very gentle, subtle awareness of the symbol, in its wholeness, from the finest level of awareness. As you work towards this finer level of meditation practice, you should just barely be able to tell that you are meditating on this particular symbol. As you practice, and begin to experience this finer awareness, you are penetrating nearer and nearer to the state of pure consciousness, and are progressing successfully towards the point where the highest benefits will accrue from your practice.

Suggestions For Successful Practice:

To reap the full benefits of Chios Meditation, the following are highly recommended:

• Make it a habit, a daily practice that you follow regularly. For anyone wishing to enjoy maximal benefits from the practice of meditation—and for the healer, especially—regular daily practice of meditation is very important. A regular time and place are helpful for many. Approach it fresh each time, however. Make it a part of your routine, yet do not practice it routinely.
  
• Be careful to learn, and continue in, correct practice. Improper practice of meditation will not provide the benefits that might otherwise accrue, and may actually work against you.
  
• Have faith that you will experience the benefits. Expect positive results. Do not let doubt prevent you from the benefits and personal growth that the practice of meditation can provide.
  
• Free yourself from preconceptions of what meditation is, or what you will experience. Just do it. Do not think about or expect experiences that you have perhaps heard others speak of, or that you have read about in books (or even in this manual). Although the process of expansion of awareness and personal growth has broad outlines applicable to all, realize that what you experience, in whatever form, is also an expression of your unique individual awareness and part of your unique spiritual path. Do not let ideas of "what should happen," or "what meditation is supposed to be" color your inner learning, your inner experiences or your unique path of spiritual unfoldment. You are a unique individual, and when your own experiences manifest, do not deny them.

What is meditation?

Meditation is a three step process that leads to a state of consciousness that brings serenity, clarity, and bliss. As depicted in the first illustration, our "normal" state of mind is actually quite abnormal. We receive sensory stimuli and react in a completely uncontrolled way (although we tell ourselves we have great control). We bounce from one thought to another and follow with our emotional and physical reactions. The same thought can bring about diametrically opposite reactions at different times. For instance, we may see a dog and then start a thought process that reminisces about a pet dog we once had and loved. Emotionally, we then start feeling all warm and cuddly; physically, we feel very relaxed. Another time, we may see the same dog and fear it may attack us and start thinking paranoid thoughts, get fearful and uptight physically.
The second illustration demonstrates Concentration. This is the first step in Meditation and is the start of gaining control over the mind and thereby life. The procedure is deceptively simple and seems like it would be very easy to do, but there are few tasks more difficult to master. The idea is to pick an object/subject to place your attention on and then to focus exclusively on it without diversion.
An example of this would be if you decided to focus on love. To start, you would relax your body, sit in a comfortable position, calm your emotions and begin repeating the word "love" over and over. The problem is that your mind has been your master your whole life and won't easily relinquish its position. To trick you back into obedient slavery, your mind will divert your attention, often by giving you a tantalizingly interesting distraction. It usually goes something like this: You're sitting there repeating love, love, love when your mind suddenly adds "I love candy. They sell the candy I love at the 7-11 up the road. I can get into my car and drive there and get that candy. I know it will be delicious when I bite into it ..." and so there you are --- instead of concentrating on love, you're eating an imaginary candy bar at a 7-11. What you are supposed to do is to witness your being distracted and return to concentrating on the object of your meditation. Concentration is well worth persevering in and ultimately liberating, spectacular and a blessing.
The third illustration depicts Meditation. Here we have unbroken attention. The classic description of the difference between Concentration and Meditation is given in the example of pouring oil from a bottle into a bowl. At first the oil drips out a drop at a time. This is concentration. Then the oil comes out in a steady stream. This unbroken pouring out is Meditation. If you really examine the process closer, you would notice that when the oil was coming out drop by drop, each drop caused a splash and the droplettes of the splashing can be considered analagous to the distractions that interrupt our concentration. Once the stream starts becoming steady it flows effortlessly. Similarly, when Concentration flows into Meditation, the attention paid to the object of Meditation becomes deeper and deeper effortlessly and spontaneously, true knowledge about the object presents itself.
Using love as the example again, you would concentrate on love, love, love, love. You might then find your mind filling with thoughts of love -- motherly love, fatherly love, love of country, love of money, qualified love, unqualified love, puppy love. Everything in the universe that love is connected to will come to you. Every feeling of love, every sensation, every thought. And since, as Albert Einstein tells us, everything in the universe is relative to everything else, ultimately your meditation on "love" will connect you to everything.
At this point, the unity of the object of your meditation and your mind, as illustrated in the fourth illustration, occurs. This is the state of Contemplation and is the ultimate state of consciousess. Where we usually are only conscious of our body and ego and consider ourselves apart from the rest of the universe, with the experience of Contemplation we become conscious of the cosmos and know ourselves to be a part of it and realize our unity with all of it. This is Realization, Cosmic Consciousness. It is our birthright and destiny to know this exquisite state first hand and enjoy the Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss that is our eternal true nature. Thus the justification in expending whatever energy is necessary to learn to meditate and to begin to make Meditation an important part of our lives.