Sadguru

Soul Questions

As we come to our mats to practice yoga, many instructors will guide us to set an intention for our practice.  This same sense of focused energy can be applied to the meditation cushion.  Setting an intention calls on us to dig in and acknowledge something about ourselves that we may be ignoring, have forgotten to celebrate or have not taken the time to dig deep and access.  Intentions can allow us the space to be alert as we enter into our practice.  The intention is also a practice in non-attachment.  Instead of being focused on the outcome of the intention, this process teaches us how to let go to any “fruits” that may be associated with the intention’s outcome. 

 

Three questions that can guide your intention and set the stage for an alert witnessing during meditation are set out in Primordial Sound Meditation:

1. Who am I?  Come into the space of yoga, of the experience of self-realization.  At first, the mind may respond in terms of our roles and responsibilities.  After more attention on this intention, other unexpected responses may begin to bubble up to the center.
2. What do I want?  Sometimes as we come to our yoga mat or meditation cushion, we place an expectation that we are to renounce all of our desires.  Or, maybe our current path in life has taken us away from the heart of what we truly want.  The answer to this question can be material or ethereal.  What does your heart say?
3. What is my dharma?  What is my life purpose?  To be guided by one’s life purpose is to be free from attachment.  As told so beautifully in the Bhagavad Gita, we do not own the fruits of our service. 

 

After asking yourself these three soul questions, let go of any thoughts of the outcome and trust that the universe will work out the details.  Then, continue your meditation by repeating your mantra innocently.

The Mind: Practicing Detachment

The mind is a relational tool.  One job of the mind is to make associations.  For instance, take a moment to stop what you’re doing and close your eyes.  Now, think of word—let’s say, “Thanksgiving”.  Give yourself a few moments to consider that word and then open your eyes. 

Where did your mind go?  Maybe your mind started down the road of thinking that you don’t particularly like turkey but the crowd coming to your house would be disappointed if you served lasagna and then you started to think about if you were going to have enough chairs for everyone to sit at the table for dinner and were wondering if Uncle Joe will show up with his new lady friend and gee, what will she be like and will she finally be the one that will fit in with the family?

From the suggestion of one word, the mind can charge down a path that often leaves us far away from the original word, thought or intention.  While the mind is busy with these thoughts, we can get lost on this thought path and lose our awareness. 

Many meditation teachers and practices call on practitioners to block out the mind of all thoughts and leave it blank.  In this way, the mind can be looked upon as the “enemy” as we seek stillness in meditation.  What if we can use the mind to teach us about awareness?  By watching our thoughts as a witness, we can practice the art of detachment.

In one of my favorite episodes of  “I Love Lucy”, Lucy and Ethel find themselves working in a candy factory.  As chocolates went by them on a conveyor belt, it was their job to wrap each piece.  The belt continues to pick up speed until they cannot keep up with the wrapping.  Instead of letting the pieces go by on the belt, they react by grabbing the candy and stuffing the morsels into their hats and clothes.   They continue to engage and cause themselves increasing turmoil.  Our thoughts are much like these chocolates on the conveyor belt.  Even as the thoughts speed up in front of us, we can choose to attach to them and work ourselves up into a stressful response or we can simply continue to watch the thoughts as they go by us on the belt.  As we practice this detachment, we become increasingly alert and aware that we are not our thoughts.  

Meditation on the Moment: Class 6: Mind Patterns

Download Themind110409

The White Mouse: Patterns of Our Mind

The story of a great meditation master (Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, p. 29-30):

A man came to him (the master) and asked for the quickest path to enlightenment.  The man didn’t want to toil with years of spiritual practice or the distractions of the world and said he would do anything to attain instant enlightenment.  The master confided in him that there was a way, but that no one had been able to do it.  The man insisted that he at least be allowed to try.  The wise old master agreed and told him to light a candle and walk into every room in the large ashram and repeat the sacred Gayatri Mantra.  The master assured him that by the time he reached the last room, he would be enlightened.

 The man was overjoyed.  This seemed like a simple enough task.  So he picked up a candle, lit it and began his walk toward the first room.  Just as he was taking his first step, the master tapped him on the shoulder and said, “One more thing—while you are doing this, you must not think about the white mouse.”  The man had no idea what the master meant by this odd statement, and he proceeded.  He didn’t get past the second room before his mind began wondering what the master meant by  ‘white mouse.’ He wondered whether he would encounter it while he was doing this sure-fire practice.  By the time he got to the fifth room, he was consumed by the idea of this white mouse and left the master in search of an easier path.

As this story illustrates, what we focus on expands.  Focusing on the “white mice” in our lives distracts our attention from our intention.  Practice stepping back from your mind and begin to recognize your mind’s “white mice”—that is, patterns that your mind repeats.  For example, is your mind entertained by jumping to conclusions about people or certain events?  Or, maybe your mind loves to spend time making lists and cannot let go when your schedule does not go as planned.  You may recognize these patterns in everyday activities or this recognition might come as you settle down to meditate.  Will you stay with the process of awareness OR will you opt for the "easy" path like the man in the story? 

Techniques to Calm the Mind: Nadi Shodhana

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama—alternate nostril breathing—can help calm and balance the mind and body prior to a meditation practice.  Nadi refers to a channel of subtle energy.  On a subtle level, the channels refer to the mind and chitta.   The gross channels of this subtle energy are such things nerves, tubes, and vessels.  Shodhana means cleansing or purifying, especially in reference to the nerves. Prana is our energy of vitality, sensation, intelligence and consciousness in the physical, subtle and causal bodies.

Practicing alternate nostril breathing helps to “clear the channels of circulation” leaving the mind and body calm.  Consider trying this type of pranayama breathing as you settle into your meditation practice:

1. Cover your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril.

2. As your inhalation peaks, close off your left nostril with your third and fourth fingers, then let your exhale flow through your right nostril.

3. After exhaling fully, inhale through the right nostril, closing it off with your right thumb as your inhalation peaks.

4. Continue practing Nadi Shodhana for the next few breaths, following the same pattern, just letting your breath flow effortlessly.  Observe the inflow and outflow of breath.

 5. Relax your hands on your lap and begin repeating your mantra silently to yourself.  Continue following your breath as you settle into your meditation.

Meditation on the Moment: Class 5: Breath Awareness

Download Class5_breath

Class 5: Meditative Breathing

Much like repeating a mantra and finding a comfortable seat, breathing can be used as a tool to help practice one-pointed awareness in meditation.

In her book, “The Breathing Book”, Donna Farhi provides an expansive, conscious view of breath:  Our breath is constantly rising and falling, ebbing and flowing, entering and leaving our bodies.  Full body breathing is an extraordinary symphony of both powerful and subtle movements that massage our internal organs, oscillate our joints, and alternately tone and release all the muscles in the body.  It is a full participation in life.

 It is through this “full participation” in life that we can enrich our meditation practice.  Breath serves to connect the body and the mind such that we can find a space to take an inward journey during meditation. 

When we come into the awareness of our breath, some of us might notice that we breathe through our mouth and in shallowly into our chest.  If we breathe through our mouth rather than through our nose, it might signify blockages in our nasal passages; using a Neti Pot* is an excellent way to open this flow of breath through the nose (*see Blog entry on 9/25/09)  Chest breathing likely signifies that we’re anxious or stressed and our body is preparing for some type of “emergency” (whether our minds are merely perceiving danger or we are actually facing something life-threatening).   Chest breathing is a breath of effort rather than a flowing, expansive breath. 

When we shift our breathing from our mouth to our nose and from our chest deeper into our abdomen, we are sending a message to our body that we are open and in the “flow” of life rather than being restricted or in a mode of being threatened. The quality of our breathing influences our energy.  Breath teaches us to take in what nourishes and expel what no longer serves us.  Spend the next day—or even the next hour—dedicated to the awareness of your breath.  What do you notice? 

Meditation on the Moment: Class 3: Creating Space Podcast

Download Space_100609

Meditation on the Moment: Class 4: Dedicate Your Space

Once you have found a space that brings you comfort and calm during your meditation, dedicate your space.  Joel and Michelle Levy say it best in their book, Luminous Mind:  “Put in this space only things that help your meditation….Arrange in a pleasing way the pictures and objects that energize the qualities of the heart and mind you are trying to nurture.  Keep the space clean and clear, as though you were always expecting a special guest.  Enter it with respect, and be uplifted and refreshed by its peace, beauty, and healing qualities.”

You may consider creating a meditation altar that will hold pictures and objects.  If you create an altar, a simple end table, nightstand, shelf, or even a wooden TV tray can be transformed into a meditation altar. Consider covering the altar with fabric; if using fabric, it is recommended to use solid black. This color allows for the least amount of distraction, allowing for an inward focus of the mind.

When creating a meditation altar, start simply.  It's easy as time passes to add or subtract items from the altar. Some suggested items include candles, meditation stones, crystals, or incense. For some, a statue of Buddha, a cross, the Star of David, or sacred scriptures are preferred.  A musical instrument such as a gong or bell can help clear the energies in your space.

 Another way to dedicate your altar is to tie it to the elements of nature: A glass of water, a candle, incense, a plant or cut flowers, and oil.

 Set the intention for the space to reflect you personally-- carrying a sense of meaning to you.

Meditation on the Moment: Class 3: Creating Your Space

30 spokes converge to the hub, but emptiness completes the wheel; Clay is shaped like a pot, and what’s useful is its emptiness.  Carve fine doors and windows, but the room is useful in its emptiness.  What is, is beneficial, while what is not, also proves useful.  -Lao Tzu

There’s something to having space.  It seems that we all want space.  We move into larger living spaces and buy bigger cars in search of space.  Focus your attention on your own home.  Is there a drawer, a closet or room that is empty, just full of space?  Although we all want space, most of us are compelled to fill our space with something—whether it be something functional or just clutter—and feel a certain level of discomfort with empty space.  What would happen if you started to clear some physical space in your home?  Maybe it’s just a desktop or a drawer to start.  What does it feel like to live with that empty space?  Does it give you a sense of calm or does it make you uncomfortable?

Once you have initiated the practice of recognizing space in your living environment, begin to consider how the concept of “space” ties in with your meditation practice.  Our physical environment reflects our spiritual home.  If we crowd our physical space with objects and clutter, can we expect that mind and heart will be open and clear when we find our meditation seat? 

As you continue to create space in your physical environment, consider a few spaces to dedicate to your meditation practice.  Maybe it’s a space at the end of a hallway or in the corner of a room.  Then, “test out” these various spaces during your meditation practices.   What space brings you the most calm, quiet and grounding during your practice?  Once you have settled on the space best suited to your practice, use that space only for meditation to feed your spiritual practice.