Relaxation & Concentration, Keys To Meditation, Spiritual : Today Indya

Relaxation & Concentration, Keys To Meditation

Spiritual

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Someone in deep meditation seems similar to one who is asleep: body completely relaxed, senses shut down. Other parts, however, are aglow: Energy has been completely withdrawn into the spine and forepart of the brain. A master of yoga could consciously bring all his energy into a laser-like focus which energises the spiritual eye, uplifts his consciousness, and eventually raises him to the state of Self-realisation.

Relaxation & Concentration, Keys To Meditation

The first step is relaxation, that is a result of withdrawing tension and energy from any area, a process normally only partly under our command. But for deep meditation we must learn deep relaxation, which requires conscious control of the life-force.

The biggest challenge in meditation is overcoming mental restlessness. When you try to meditate, you will find that your mind wanders, not because you are meditating, but simply because you are now quiet enough to finally see how the mind constantly skips from thought to thought in a free-association wonderland.

Concentration focuses the power of the mind. To succeed in anything, whether in business, sports, or academics, we must be able to concentrate deeply on the task at hand. And yet, we are rarely taught how to concentrate. There are a number of extremely effective yogic techniques to improve concentration. Among the most effective are techniques that work with the breath.

The link between energy, breath, and mind is such that if you excite one, the other two become excited and, conversely, if you calm one, the other two grow calm also. If your mind becomes excited, from a sudden fright perhaps, see how your breath also speeds up, and how your muscles fill with energy in preparation for action.

Breath is the most outward and, therefore, the easiest of these three linked elements to control. Control your breath and see how quickly it influences your thoughts, and not only in meditation. The next time you’re in a tense situation, observe the effect of taking several slow, deep breaths.

The science of yoga has long recognised that breathing exercises can exert a powerful influence on the mind. In fact, there are many different breathing techniques, pranayama: “control of subtle energy.” They slow respiration, focus the mind, and calm the emotions. Most importantly, they allow us to influence the flow of life-force in the body and mind. The reason yoga techniques are so powerful is that they give us a means to control this subtle energy, called prana in Sanskrit. Prana is finer than the electromagnetic forces of this physical universe. It is the primordial sea of energy from which the very atoms emerge.

Prana is too subtle for most people to perceive. But because prana is directly connected to breath, we influence it indirectly by working with our inhalation and exhalation, which is relatively easy to do. One technique for doing so, known as Hong-Sau, has been widely practised in India for thousands of years, and was taught by Paramhansa Yogananda as well. With the help of such a technique, we can focus 100 per cent of our life-force at the point between the eyebrows (the spiritual eye), the seat of concentration in the body. Only then can we experience the deepest states in meditation, and feel our unity with God.

Article Original Source : https://www.speakingtree.in/article/relaxation-concentration-keys-to-medita...

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How To Be Joyous Always

Spiritual

speakingtree

It is amazing to observe the orderliness and discipline in the universe, how the cosmic bodies move along their designated paths. This orderliness ensures that there are no catastrophic collisions among them leading to chaos and ultimate destruction of the universe.

Cosmic Order

The underlying mechanism which controls and maintains this cosmic orderliness looks like a grand orchestra, in which each cosmic body is dancing to some mysterious tune of the universe. Science may attribute it to gravitational forces or functioning of dark energy. Philosophy names this as a mystic law of the universe. Whatever it is, the fact is that orderliness is essential for sustenance of any system.

The same rule applies to our physiological body system, which consists of millions of cells and tissues at the micro-level. Our biological system also needs some orderliness like there is in the universe for its sustenance and perpetuation. Unfortunately, unlike the universe, our biological natural rhythm can be influenced and disturbed easily by our lifestyle choices.

Also, our mind creates noises and disturbances in our natural biological rhythm, and consequently, the synchronisation in functioning of various voluntary or involuntary systems is lost, giving rise to chaos and failures. We end up with different physical ailments and finally, the system collapses to death.

Plants and animals are more aligned with nature. Plants bear flowers and fruits in specific seasons. Animals mate and reproduce during appropriate times of the year. The flow of life is rhythmic within nature. Their lives are pre-programmed and they cannot change it. While it is difficult to infer whether this pattern of life is peaceful or not, but definitely, we can observe a different quality, fragrance, beauty or calmness in the lives of plants and animals.

In contrast, we lead turbulent lives, full of worries and anxieties. We are blessed with a mental faculty to set our own rhythm of life. When we change our inherited programme of life using our mind, and pursue lives of our own choice, we are likely to go against the rhythm of nature. Consequently, we get cut-off from the grand orchestra of nature and fail to enjoy its beauty and blissfulness.

The Mandukya Upanishad talks about the importance of chanting Aum as a method of aligning ourselves with the vibrations of the universe. It proclaims that Aum is Brahmn itself. By chanting Aum, a seeker is able to establish the connection with the universal source of life. The Upanishad declares that the universe is a ‘universal being’ called Vaisvanara, a macrocosm of all individual beings. A person who meditates upon this universal being is said to have mastered his mind and synchronised himself with the rhythm of the universe.

Zen Schools

Various Zen schools have adopted methods of remaining in a state of wondering or watchfulness about their mental activities. When we remain watchful, our mental activities subside and eventually, thought streams become thinner. Once we overcome the intensity of thought streams, we are able to experience a state of emptiness and become open to bliss and joy, which is our intrinsic nature. The practice of remaining in a state of watchfulness on a continuous basis helps a seeker to be blissful, perpetually.

Happiness is our birthright. Our intrinsic nature is always blissful. However, we have lost our blissful life state while pursuing a life full of selfish desires. In this context, our Upanishads advise us to remain always watchful about our mental processes of thoughts and desires, and pursue those desires, which will not affect our blissful life condition.

Maintaining a life with an attitude of selflessness, compassion and detachment will definitely help achieve a joyful state in the midst of all kinds of problems. Nature represents a state of absolute bliss. We should continuously endeavour to remain connected with nature in order to be always joyful.

Article Original Source : https://www.speakingtree.in/article/how-to-be-joyous-always