How to Meditate...

(Basic instructions as taught by Paramahansa Yogananda, with an exercise
in visualization)
INTRODUCTION
Meditation is the science of reuniting the soul with Spirit. The soul,
descending from God into flesh, manifests its consciousness and life
force through seven chakras, or centers of light, in man's cerebrospinal
axis. (These are the "seven stars" and "seven churches" spoken of by St.
John in the little-understood book of Revelation in the Bible.) Encased
in the bodily prison, the soul consciousness and life force become
identified with the physical vehicle and its mortal limitations.
Scientific meditation awakens the soul consciousness in the seven
cerebrospinal centers. In a state of divine recollectedness, the soul
intuitively realizes its immortal nature and origin. The various
progressive states of soul awakening are accompanied by an ever
increasing accession of inner peace and joy. In the most exalted states,
soul and Spirit become reunited in ecstatic, blissful communion, or
samadhi.
By meditation, then, we connect the little joy of the soul with the vast
joy of the Spirit. Meditation should not be confused with ordinary
concentration. Concentration consists in freeing the attention from
distractions and in focusing it on any thought in which one may be
interested. Meditation is that special form of concentration in which
the attention has been liberated from restlessness and is focused on
God. Meditation is concentration used to know God.


POSTURE
One of the first requisites for meditation is correct posture. The spine
should be erect. When the devotee is seeking to direct his mind and life
force upward through the cerebrospinal axis to the centers of higher
consciousness in the brain, he should avoid stricture or pinching of the
spinal nerves caused by improper posture.
Those persons whose legs are supple may prefer to meditate sitting
cross-legged on a cushion on the floor, or on a firm bed. However,
Paramahansa Yogananda recommended for most Westerners the following
meditation pose:

Sit on a straight armless chair with the feet resting flat on the floor.
Hold spine erect, abdomen in, chest out, shoulders back, chin parallel
to the ground. The hands, with palms upturned, should rest on the legs
at the juncture of the thighs and the abdominal region to prevent the
body from bending forward. The meditation chair should be of comfortable
height, otherwise there is a tendency to allow the torso to lean forward
or backward. If the correct posture has been assumed, the body will be
stable yet relaxed, so that it is easily possible to remain completely
still, without moving a muscle.

Each of the foregoing details is a contributing factor toward the chief
aim of the meditation posture-an erect spine, held stable without strain
or tension for the duration of the meditation period. If, because of bad
habits of posture or congenital defects of posture, you experience
difficulty or discomfort in maintaining the specified positions of feet,
hands, shoulders, chest, and abdomen, make whatever commonsense
adjustments are necessary to your individual need; but strive always
toward accomplishing the ideal posture recommended by Paramahansa
Yogananda.

When you are established in the meditation pose, inhale slowly and
deeply (through the nostrils) to a count of 20; hold the breath to a
count of 20; exhale slowly (through the mouth) to a count of 20.
Practice this six to twelve times. (A shorter count may be used,
provided it is the same count in each of the three parts.) Then inhale,
tensing the whole body and clenching the fists. Relax all the body parts
at once and, as you do so, expel the breath through the mouth in a
double exhalation, "huh, huh." Repeat this practice six times. Then
forget the breath. Let it flow in and out naturally, of its own accord,
as in ordinary breathing.

With the eyelids half closed (or completely closed, if this is more
comfortable to you), look upward, focusing the gaze and the attention as
though looking out through a point between the eyebrows. (A person deep
in concentration often "knits" his brows at this spot.) Do not cross the
eyes or strain them; the upward gaze comes naturally when one is relaxed
and calmly concentrated. What is important is fixing the whole attention
at the point between the eyebrows. This is the Christ Consciousness
center, the seat of the single eye spoken of by Christ: "The light of
the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light" (Matthew 6:22). When the purpose of meditation
is fulfilled, the devotee finds his consciousness automatically
concentrated at the spiritual eye, and he experiences, according to his
inner spiritual capacity, a state of joyous divine union with Spirit.

Making a steadfast effort, the beginner may in time perceive light, or
even see the spiritual eye of three colors-a reflection of the actual
luminous eye in the medulla oblongata. (at the base of the skull where
it joins the neck). This single eye of light reflected in the forehead
is the astral eye of intuitive omnipresent perception. It takes deep
concentration and calmness to behold the spiritual eye; a golden halo
surrounding a circle of blue, in the center of which palpitates a
five-pointed white star. Those who do see the spiritual eye should
strive to penetrate it by deeper concentration and by devoted prayer to
God. The depth of calmness and concentration necessary for this are
naturally developed through steady practice of the scientific techniques
of concentration and meditation.

Whether you see the light of the spiritual eye or not, however, you
should continue to concentrate at the Christ Consciousness center
between the eyebrows, praying deeply to God and His great saints. In the
language of your heart invoke their presence and their blessings. A good
practice is to take an affirmation or a prayer from the Lessons, or from
Paramahansa Yoganandaji's "Whispers from Eternity" or "Metaphysical
Meditations," and spiritualize it with your own devotional yearning.
Silently chant and pray to God, keeping the attention at the point
between the eyebrows, until you feel God's response as calm, deep peace
and inner joy.

VISUALIZATION
Divine consciousness is omnipresent. In order to attune one's
consciousness to it, it is necessary first to expand the mind by
meditation on some aspect of God's infinite nature. Visualization is not
realization; but visualization is an effective aid in deepening one's
concentration, which is essential for the deep meditation that yields
realization. The following exercise in visualization and mental
expansion given by Paramahansa Yogananda will be found helpful in
preparing the mind to practice the scientific techniques of meditation
that are given in later Lessons:
"Sit upright. Focus your gaze and your mind at the Christ Consciousness
center between the eyebrows. Fill your heart with joy. Behold! the
sphere of darkness that you see with closed eyes is becoming a sphere of
light and joy. This sphere is enlarging. Now it is bigger than your
body. Go on expanding the sphere of joy and light. Your home and
everyone in it are present in the sphere of light that you are
beholding. Go on expanding it until you see your whole city in this
sphere of light and joy. Ever increasing, the sphere of light and joy is
encompassing the entire United States, and still it is expanding,
including Europe, Asia, the world! See the world bathed in the light of
this peaceful sphere of joy. The earth appears as a little ball moving
in the vast sphere of light and joy. The sphere is becoming even larger;
see! our planetary and stellar system, the Milky Way, and island
galaxies, like little bubbles, are floating in it.

"Expand the sphere of light and joy within you, in which all things are
moving, glimmering like the lights of a city. Meditate on and try to be
one with that joy. God is joy, and we must find Him through joy. The
scriptures say: 'Thou art That.' Your Self is one with this vast sphere
of light that is your Father. You are this sphere of light and joy!
Meditate on that. You have no boundaries-eternity above, below,
everywhere. In this eternal sphere of light and joy all things are
moving. Mentally affirm: 'In me worlds are floating like bubbles. I and
my Father are One. '

"Now open your eyes. Look at the body and see how little it is! Close
your eyes and realize again that you are not the body. You are the
eternal sphere of light and joy in which all things have their being. Go
on meditating, mentally affirming: 'I am the cosmic sphere of light, of
joy, of love, in which worlds and universes are floating like bubbles.
My Father is this cosmic sphere of light; my Father and I are One. I am
not the body; I am the eternal sphere of light. Aum. Aum. Amen.'"

(Paramahansa Yogananda cautioned devotees against the erroneous thought,
"I am God." One should realize, rather, "God has become myself." The
soul is like a wave on the sea-bosom of Spirit. The soul wave is one
with the Sea, but the wave is not the Sea.)

Through daily practice of the foregoing instructions, you can prepare
yourself for the practice of the basic techniques of concentration and
meditation that are given in later Lessons. These scientific techniques
will enable you to dive ever more deeply in the great ocean of God's
presence. We all exist at this very moment in that ocean of Spirit; but
only by steadfast, devoted, scientific meditation may we consciously
perceive that we are individualized soul waves on the vast ocean of
God's bliss.

The meditation period should last at least thirty minutes in the morning
and thirty minutes at night. The longer you sit, enjoying the state of
meditative calm, the faster you will progress spiritually. Carry into
your daily activities the calmness you feel in meditation/that calmness
will help you to bring harmony and happiness into every department of
your life.

Unending joy awaits the sincere truth seeker who conscientiously
meditates each day. Through the grace of God, through the blessings of
the Masters, and through your own devotional effort you can achieve the
state of divine joy experienced by all saints that have become
established in the Lord (that have become consciously aware of their
soul unity with Spirit).

KEY POINTS
1. Set aside a regular time and place for your daily practices of these
spiritual techniques. Try to find a quiet place where you can be free
from outside distractions and thus be able to concentrate with more
intensity. If possible, never use that place for any other purpose than
meditation. Thus you will impregnate the spot with spiritual vibrations
that will help you to make each day's meditation deeper than the
meditation of the preceding day.

2. Always begin and end your meditation with a prayer.

3. Early morning, upon arising, and the period just before retiring at
night are excellent times for meditation. Do not try to meditate just
after eating. Wait at least an hour if possible. The kind of food one
eats also has a definite bearing on one's health or ill health, not only
of the body but of the mind. Be sure the diet includes an abundance of
fresh vegetables and fruits. Eat nuts, cheese, eggs, and vegetable
proteins in preference to meat. Fruits are the most spiritually
beneficial of all foods.

4. It is good to use a woolen blanket or silk cloth (or both, with the
silk on top) to cover your meditation seat. Drape the cloth over the
back of the chair if a chair is used, and place one end of the cloth on
the floor under your feet. The cloth helps to insulate the body from
subtle earth currents. Their magnetic downward pull toward material
perceptions is undesirable for the meditating devotee. The yogis have
found, also, that facing East (the direction from which subtle spiritual
solar currents are always flowing) is helpful in meditation.

5. Bathing has a cleansing effect not only on the body but also on the
mind, and is therefore a beneficial practice before meditation. Bathing
opens the pores allowing toxins to escape; it also helps to distribute
life energy evenly throughout the body, quieting the nerves and inducing
calmness. One should also take a "mental bath" before meditation: put
aside all worries and problems. Completely give to God the time you have
set aside for meditation. Concentrate on one of His infinite aspects -
Peace, Joy, Wisdom, Love, Light, Beauty-or on one of the seven wisdoms.
Meditation in itself is an unequaled "spiritual bath"--a cleansing and
rejuvenation of body, mind, and soul.

Be regular in your meditations (whether they be deep, or, in the
beginning, restless). Be persistent if you would attract God's
attention. Remember that meditation should be practiced with devotion,
with real love for God. Love for God means craving for God. He cannot
resist the magnetic attraction of human soul yearning. Meditation
techniques help you to awaken and whet that divine craving which will
take you to the heights of realization, of soul union with God-Bliss.
Resolve that you will never give up until He comes to you. Whether you
realize it or not. He is listening to the cry of your heart. In His own
time He will bestow the supreme gift of Himself.

.......from Reluctant-messenger.com