SAMPLE MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
Sample Meditation 1: Breath Counting
Breath counting is a basic technique for training the mind to focus on the breath. There are several different ways to count the breath. In this technique the breath is counted after the exhalation, from one to ten and then back to one.
Instructions
Sit in a comfortable position with the head, neck, and spine erect. Follow the instructions for relaxation given in the Meditation Instructions page.
Once the body is relaxed, fix your attention at either the nostrils or the solar plexus and follow the flow of the breath.
Begin counting the breath as follows: inhale, exhale – one; inhale, exhale – two; inhale, exhale – three; and so forth, up to ten. Then continue counting the breath, but in reverse order, as follows: inhale, exhale – nine; inhale, exhale – eight; inhale, exhale – seven; and so forth, back down to one.
If you lose count, simply start over.
Remember that counting is an aid to concentration on the breath and not the object of meditation.
Once the mind is completely focused on the breath, you can stop counting.
Once the body is relaxed, fix your attention at either the nostrils or the solar plexus and follow the flow of the breath.
Begin counting the breath as follows: inhale, exhale – one; inhale, exhale – two; inhale, exhale – three; and so forth, up to ten. Then continue counting the breath, but in reverse order, as follows: inhale, exhale – nine; inhale, exhale – eight; inhale, exhale – seven; and so forth, back down to one.
If you lose count, simply start over.
Remember that counting is an aid to concentration on the breath and not the object of meditation.
Once the mind is completely focused on the breath, you can stop counting.
Sample Meditation 2: Taking Consciousness From World to Self
In the normal waking state, our attention is dispersed in the world of sense objects. We are being constantly bombarded with sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations, and, as a result, our mind is focused on the external, objective world. The purpose of meditation is to divert that focus to the internal world of mind and Self. This meditation technique is meant to aid in that process.
Instructions
World:
Present Moment Awareness – be present of the body at the present moment. Be aware of your surroundings, feelings, and sensations, as they are happening now.
Senses:
Be aware of how the mind perceives the world through the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Then, mentally, withdraw attention from the sense organs, the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin into the internal world of the breath and mind.
Body:
Scan the body from head to toe and back, relaxing each limb and section.
Be aware of the breath flowing in and out of the lungs. Once the mind settles on the breath, follow the breath at one point, either the solar plexus or the opening of the nostrils. Become aware of the whole breath, paying particular attention to the gaps.
Mind:
As the mind focuses on the breath, the flow of the breath slows, and it becomes increasingly refined until it becomes physically undetectable. At this point, the breath becomes a mental image. Continue to focus on the breath with concentration fixed at one point. (At this point, it may aid concentration to fix concentration on the heart or Ajna, the point between the eyebrows.) The mind will become absorbed in the mental image of the breath, resulting in a state of tranquility and joy.
Stillness:
This is Samādhi. In this state, the mind is still and the individual becomes aware of his true nature of Being-Awareness-Bliss.
Present Moment Awareness – be present of the body at the present moment. Be aware of your surroundings, feelings, and sensations, as they are happening now.
Senses:
Be aware of how the mind perceives the world through the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Then, mentally, withdraw attention from the sense organs, the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin into the internal world of the breath and mind.
Body:
Scan the body from head to toe and back, relaxing each limb and section.
Be aware of the breath flowing in and out of the lungs. Once the mind settles on the breath, follow the breath at one point, either the solar plexus or the opening of the nostrils. Become aware of the whole breath, paying particular attention to the gaps.
Mind:
As the mind focuses on the breath, the flow of the breath slows, and it becomes increasingly refined until it becomes physically undetectable. At this point, the breath becomes a mental image. Continue to focus on the breath with concentration fixed at one point. (At this point, it may aid concentration to fix concentration on the heart or Ajna, the point between the eyebrows.) The mind will become absorbed in the mental image of the breath, resulting in a state of tranquility and joy.
Stillness:
This is Samādhi. In this state, the mind is still and the individual becomes aware of his true nature of Being-Awareness-Bliss.
Sample Meditation 3: Anāhata Nāda, Divine Sound
Nāda is divine sound and anāhata means unbeaten. It is called unbeaten because it is not produced by physical means, but comes from within. This practice is also called Varṇa, which means letter, because the unbeaten sound is said to contain all the sounds of the alphabet. The essence of the unbeaten sound is the syllable Oṁ (pronounced AUM), which is the sound form of Brahman.
Instructions
Assume a comfortable posture for meditation and relax completely.
Focus on the incoming and outgoing breath. Listen to the sound of the air entering and leaving the body. The sound will be similar to “Sa-Ha,” “sa” when inhaling and “ha” when exhaling. It may help, at first, to recite the So Ham mantra to focus on the breath, but once the mind is focused, discontinue the mantra and listen to the sound of the breath.
As the breath becomes slow and subtle, focus on the gaps in the breath, the pauses between inhalation and exhalation and between exhalation and inhalation.
Continue to listen to the sound of the breath while paying particular attention to the gaps in the breath. Soon, the unbeaten sound (anāhata nāda) will arise in those gaps. It may sound like the humming of bees or like the sound of the ocean. It may also sound like musical instruments, like a flute, or chimes, or cymbals, or a Vina (the stringed instrument used in the background in traditional Indian music). It may be one distinct sound or several different sounds together.
Continue to listen to the unbeaten sound and try to detect the syllable Oṁ within the sound. As you continue this practice, the sound will take on different forms, sometimes loud, sometimes subtle. Use the unbeaten sound as an aid to concentration. With continued practice, nāda will arise when the mind is quiet. Let the anāhata nāda take you to a state of bliss, the bliss of Brahman.
Focus on the incoming and outgoing breath. Listen to the sound of the air entering and leaving the body. The sound will be similar to “Sa-Ha,” “sa” when inhaling and “ha” when exhaling. It may help, at first, to recite the So Ham mantra to focus on the breath, but once the mind is focused, discontinue the mantra and listen to the sound of the breath.
As the breath becomes slow and subtle, focus on the gaps in the breath, the pauses between inhalation and exhalation and between exhalation and inhalation.
Continue to listen to the sound of the breath while paying particular attention to the gaps in the breath. Soon, the unbeaten sound (anāhata nāda) will arise in those gaps. It may sound like the humming of bees or like the sound of the ocean. It may also sound like musical instruments, like a flute, or chimes, or cymbals, or a Vina (the stringed instrument used in the background in traditional Indian music). It may be one distinct sound or several different sounds together.
Continue to listen to the unbeaten sound and try to detect the syllable Oṁ within the sound. As you continue this practice, the sound will take on different forms, sometimes loud, sometimes subtle. Use the unbeaten sound as an aid to concentration. With continued practice, nāda will arise when the mind is quiet. Let the anāhata nāda take you to a state of bliss, the bliss of Brahman.
Wisdom of The Sages
“No one sounds it voluntarily, nor can anyone prevent its being sounded. The Deity abiding in the heart of living creatures sounds it Himself.”
Svacchanda Tantra
Svacchanda Tantra
“Having abandoned all thoughts and being freed from all actions, he (the yogi) should always concentrate his attention on the sound and then his mind becomes absorbed in it.”
Nādabindu Upaniṣad of the Ṛg Veda
Nādabindu Upaniṣad of the Ṛg Veda
“One who is adept in listening to the unbeaten sound, which is like the uninterrupted sound of a rushing river, being deeply versed in the sound of Brahman, he reaches Brahman.”
Vijñāna Bhairava. 38
Vijñāna Bhairava. 38
Sample Meditation 4: Contemplating The Body As Elements
Both the physical body and universe are composed of the five gross elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether, which correspond to solids, liquids, heat, gases, and space. With this contemplation, the yogi experiences the physical body’s constituent make-up and understands its relationship to the world.
Instructions
Sit in a comfortable position with the head, neck, and spine erect. Apply relaxing attention to the body from head to toe and back as described under Relaxation in the Meditation Instructions page.
Once the body is relaxed, fix attention at either the nostrils or the solar plexus and follow the flow of the breath until the mind becomes focused.
Now, turn the attention to the body, focusing on its solid (earth) components. Become mindful of the teeth and notice how firm and hard they are. Next, focus on the bones and feel the firmness of the body’s skeleton. Feel the hardness of the skull. Feel how solid your hands, knees, elbows, and hips are. Now turn your attention to your muscles and notice how solid and firm they are. Focus on your finger and toe nails and notice their hardness.
Now, shift your attention to the liquid (water) parts of the body. Focus on the eyes and notice the fluid surrounding the eyeball. Focus on the mouth and feel the saliva within. Contemplate the blood flowing in the veins and arteries within your body; feel the fluids in the sinus cavity and stomach. Now, return your focus back to the solid parts of the body.
Next, shift your attention to the heat (fire) component of the body. Focus on the abdomen and feel the warmth in that area. Likewise, feel the heat inside the head and other warm areas of the body. Now, alternate your attention between the solid, liquid, and heat components of the body.
Now focus on the gaseous (air) component of the body. Notice how the air enters the nostrils and flows into the lungs. Feel that same air as it leaves the body. Contemplate how the oxygen molecules flow within the bloodstream and enter the internal organs. Contemplate the other gases present in the stomach, intestines, and elsewhere in the body. Now, alternate your attention between the solid, liquid, hot, and gaseous components of the body.
Next, focus on the space (ether) within the body, the volume where the other components exist. Contemplate how all the atoms of the solid, liquid, gaseous, and heat elements occupy this space.
Alternate your attention between the earth, water, air, heat, and ether elements of the body. Focus on the feeling of solidity, liquidity, heat, gaseousness, and spaciousness of these different elements. Understand that this body is composed of these elements and is no more your self than the earth, water, air, fire, and space that surrounds it.
Once the body is relaxed, fix attention at either the nostrils or the solar plexus and follow the flow of the breath until the mind becomes focused.
Now, turn the attention to the body, focusing on its solid (earth) components. Become mindful of the teeth and notice how firm and hard they are. Next, focus on the bones and feel the firmness of the body’s skeleton. Feel the hardness of the skull. Feel how solid your hands, knees, elbows, and hips are. Now turn your attention to your muscles and notice how solid and firm they are. Focus on your finger and toe nails and notice their hardness.
Now, shift your attention to the liquid (water) parts of the body. Focus on the eyes and notice the fluid surrounding the eyeball. Focus on the mouth and feel the saliva within. Contemplate the blood flowing in the veins and arteries within your body; feel the fluids in the sinus cavity and stomach. Now, return your focus back to the solid parts of the body.
Next, shift your attention to the heat (fire) component of the body. Focus on the abdomen and feel the warmth in that area. Likewise, feel the heat inside the head and other warm areas of the body. Now, alternate your attention between the solid, liquid, and heat components of the body.
Now focus on the gaseous (air) component of the body. Notice how the air enters the nostrils and flows into the lungs. Feel that same air as it leaves the body. Contemplate how the oxygen molecules flow within the bloodstream and enter the internal organs. Contemplate the other gases present in the stomach, intestines, and elsewhere in the body. Now, alternate your attention between the solid, liquid, hot, and gaseous components of the body.
Next, focus on the space (ether) within the body, the volume where the other components exist. Contemplate how all the atoms of the solid, liquid, gaseous, and heat elements occupy this space.
Alternate your attention between the earth, water, air, heat, and ether elements of the body. Focus on the feeling of solidity, liquidity, heat, gaseousness, and spaciousness of these different elements. Understand that this body is composed of these elements and is no more your self than the earth, water, air, fire, and space that surrounds it.
Sample Meditation 5: Dissolving The Elements Into Their Sources
This contemplation involves dissolving the constituents of the physical and subtle bodies into their respective sources, from gross to subtle, and then into the Self. It is referred to in several Yoga and Vedānta texts, such as the Vijñāna Bhairava (54) the Siva Sūtras (III.4) and the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (VI.4). Before performing this contemplation one should become proficient at contemplating the body as elements (Sample Meditation 4).
Instructions
Start by performing Sample Meditation 4.
Once the five gross elements are identified in the body, begin to contemplate dissolving those elements into their subtle sources. Start with the earth element, the solid components of the body and contemplate those components dissolving into the sense of smell. Next contemplate the water element, the liquid components of the body dissolving into the sense of taste. Then contemplate the fire element, the heat component of the body dissolving into the sense of sight. Next contemplate the air element, the gaseous components of the body dissolving into the sense of touch and the ether element, the space or volume of the body dissolving into the sense of hearing.
Then dissolve the five senses, from smell to hearing, into the mind and the mind into the ego, the sense of I-ness.
Finally, dissolve the ego into pure consciousness, the sense of Being-Awareness. Hold onto the thought of being absolute awareness; if any other thought arises, replace it with the thought of being awareness. Try to maintain that thought without thinking in words. Simply be awareness.
Once the five gross elements are identified in the body, begin to contemplate dissolving those elements into their subtle sources. Start with the earth element, the solid components of the body and contemplate those components dissolving into the sense of smell. Next contemplate the water element, the liquid components of the body dissolving into the sense of taste. Then contemplate the fire element, the heat component of the body dissolving into the sense of sight. Next contemplate the air element, the gaseous components of the body dissolving into the sense of touch and the ether element, the space or volume of the body dissolving into the sense of hearing.
Then dissolve the five senses, from smell to hearing, into the mind and the mind into the ego, the sense of I-ness.
Finally, dissolve the ego into pure consciousness, the sense of Being-Awareness. Hold onto the thought of being absolute awareness; if any other thought arises, replace it with the thought of being awareness. Try to maintain that thought without thinking in words. Simply be awareness.
Go to Self-Abidance
