To meditate in the right way a positive attitude is required; equally important is the physical posture. It is nearly impossible in a normal situation, to sleep in shirshasana, the head-stand posture. But it is pretty easy to doze off while lying down or even while sitting. Thus, when the body is in a comfortable position, sleep comes naturally. But in the standing position it is quite difficult to fall asleep. For meditation the right posture is a definite pre-requisite.

When one learns the art of meditation, then one truly understands the art of distancing oneself from the rumblings of the mind

If the spine is not erect but curved, the gravitational pull of the earth has a greater effect on the body – you feel like relaxing and there is an inclination to lie down. All through the day our arms are by our sides in a vertical position, so they do not hurt or pain. But if we are asked to hold our arms straight in front of the body in a horizontal position, it will be a punishment. Why is it so? Because in the horizontal position the area acted upon by gravity increases; in the vertical position the area acted upon by the earth’s gravitational pull is lesser as our arms span a smaller area.
In exactly the same manner, if we sit straight then the area of gravitational pull decreases and it becomes easier to be alert. Body posture also includes the positioning of our hands. The hands should be placed in the lap – one above the other – with the palms facing upwards. Or they should be in the gyaan mudra with the tip of the thumb and first finger joined.
When we meditate, vibrations and auras arise in the body; to contain them the hands should be positioned in the right manner so that energy does not flow out to the earth but remains in the body. This bio-plasmic energy travels; we have to ensure its smooth passage so that we get all the advantage and benefit of the rising energy. Once this energy is experienced in its full force, then you can definitely share it with others: human beings, the earth, air, water and animals.
The posture of the body is very important for proper meditation. In the Gita Sri Krishna says:

With the senses withdrawn from all objects
Spine kept erect and contemplating at the middle of the brows
Concentrate on balanced in and out going breath
Such a person is called a conqueror

Let me explain this in detail. Sri Krishna says that first and foremost a person should take leave of the sensory world for a while and let the sense organs rest. If the eyes yearn to see the world and the tongue to taste – in short, if you are seeking pleasure in smells, tastes, sights and fragrances, if you are engrossed in a futile search for material joys, how will you be motivated to strive for meditation? At least momentarily, for the time being, the senses have to be turned inwards and the spine has to be kept erect at a ninety-degree angle.
Sri Krishna says that all attention has to be brought to the centre of the eyebrows – an area which is also called the ‘third eye’ or Shiva netra. You should then focus on the breath which should be balanced. He says that a person who is able to do so will conquer the senses. Such a person is yatindriya – one whose senses are tamed and whose mind rests in peace and does not wander in search of joy; a person who has attained the right balance in life. Yatindriya is not a person who denies his senses or lives a repressed life, but a person who experiences immense joy from within. He is a person who is free of all slavery and bondage.
By constantly practicing sadhana and dhyana, the urge to seek the Lord’s blissful form can be awakened in the heart
Man is enslaved to woman and woman to man as both are dependent on each other for sexual gratification. But a person who attains inner bliss will communicate at a different level; there can be friendship and understanding, but there is no exploitation in the garb of social relationships.
Man is not the master of his life as he proclaims himself to be – in actuality it is material objects which rule man. I remember a Sufi story:
Once, Sheikh Farid was walking in the outskirts of his village with his followers. They saw a farmer taking his cow for a walk. Farid asked his followers, “Who is the master, the cow or the farmer?” The followers replied, “Definitely it is the farmer, sir.” Baba again asked, “If someone hits the cow and the cow runs, who will follow whom?” All the followers started thinking. Farid went and hushed the cow; it started running towards the fields and the farmer ran after the cow cursing Farid for playing such a prank on him.
Then Farid spoke: “It looked as though man was the master of the beast. But the animal is least bothered about ownership, and in a way it is the cow that is being followed by the man and not the man being followed by the cow.”
Such is the pathetic state of our mind that we have enslaved ourselves to objects, to money, to status and to prestige. But Sri Krishna says that man can become the master of his own world; a human being can become yatindriya by following the rules given by him for meditation. One has to learn to get rid of the shackles; all chains and all bondages are to be broken. Then for the first time in your life you will be able to breathe freely. In another shloka Sri Krishna says: “Anger and tension take leave of such a person and he is satiated once and for all.” For those who taste the nectar of spiritual wisdom, this becomes an experience and does not remain a scholarly discourse.
As I have mentioned earlier, in ancient times two stones were rubbed together to generate sparks to light a fire for a yagna. Similarly, by constantly practicing sadhana and dhyana, the urge to seek the Lord’s blissful form can be awakened in the heart.
You have probably heard innumerable discourses on dhyana and yet you have not been successful in understanding their essence. Why? It is because you lack the practical experience of meditation. Many may have a mantra which they repeat mechanically while telling the beads of a rosary. But have you achieved single-minded concentration? Or is meditation a mere formality, a chore that must be performed to satisfy the conscience?
Knowledge is established firmly only by experience and not when it is based on hearsay. For instance, there is a general superstition that prevails about solar eclipses. People confine themselves to the four walls of their homes with the curtains drawn, so that even the rays of the sun do not enter and harm them. The period of the eclipse is considered very inauspicious, but a student of science knows that there isn’t an iota of truth in this blind superstition. When a solar eclipse occurred recently, crowds collected at places like Neem Ka Thana, Bharatpur and Calcutta, to observe the phenomena through special dark glasses. Slowly awareness and understanding has grown in the general populace that it is the shadow of the moon that falls on the sun and partially veils it.

Tulsidas says in a verse:

Until I see it with my own eyes
I will not believe the words of my dearest guru

Without seeing with my own eyes, how am I to have faith in my guru’s words? Not that Tulsidas was an atheist or a non-believer, rather he was a devotee – a bhakt of Sri Rama. Although a truly conservative person, even he says that his belief can not be based on mere words. Without experiencing something for himself, he could not accept it for what it was. We value our shastras, our ancient textures, the Gurbani and the Gita, but why not experience the message contained in them and know the truth for ourselves? I call upon all who want to tread this path; belief in the scriptures is not essential.
You are aware that the mind is always on the move, never still for even a moment. It is like a mad monkey that jumps restlessly from one branch to another. So what then is meditation? It is taking the mind to a state where the thoughts are stilled and emptiness prevails. But how does that benefit us? Normally the mind is in a state of turmoil, filled with anger, jealousy, worry, hatred and ill-will. It is continually pulled in different directions resulting in constant restlessness. An unhealthy mind with polluted thoughts invariably leaves its mark on the physical health; stress and pressures of the mind lead to a disease-prone body.
The economically weak class spends most of its waking hours engaged in strenuous labour, thereby having no spare time for unnecessary and unwarranted thoughts. Where diseases like blood pressure and cardiac ailments were once common amongst the well-to-do sections of society, today materialism has entered the fabric of our society to such an extent that every man from a rickshaw puller to an owner of a posh car is in a rat race, thus facing immense stress and suffering from stress-related diseases. Mammon is worshipped openly; money is the new god!
Exhibitionism, possessiveness, attachment and thrill seeking have become the common hobby of this generation. Instant gratification is desired; this generation that belongs to the times of instant noodles and instant coffee can’t wait to experience happiness in the future; they want everything now – be it fame, health, wealth or celebrity status. The hunger for titillation is so strong that morals, ethics and religion have been left to stagnate.
It is only when serious damage is done that people wake up from this blindness. No one is ready to listen; everyone wants to acquire wisdom, but perhaps the harder way and not like you, sitting comfortably in your seats and listening to the words of wisdom. I wonder: Are you really listening even now?
Psychosomatic diseases are spreading like bush fire. People can’t sleep well; all six systems of the human body do not work properly. Have you ever felt real hunger? Today people feel like eating when they watch food commercials or see billboards of food advertisements. They get hungry when they see advertisements of burgers and pizzas on the television – a false hunger takes over and they call for home delivery. When you eat because of false hunger, how will your stomach digest the food? It will simply rot in your intestines and will lead to various diseases. And when stomach ailments affect you, then you need medicines for indigestion, constipation, ulcer and acidity! When a sedentary life style complements a high stress job, insomnia is the result! And sales of sedatives rise!
Today’s is a cola, coffee, fast food generation. The result is: rash, brash and trash – diseases of mind and body; no deep sleep – often no sleep at all – no real hunger and no real happiness.

Normally the mind is in a state of turmoil, filled with anger, jealousy, worry, hatred and ill-will – leading to disease-prone body.
In meditation, mind moves to a state where the thoughts are stilled and emptiness prevails

Therefore meditation is extremely vital to maintain physical and mental health. Recently a conference was held in the US entitled ‘Medicine of Tomorrow’. Leading cardiologists from Germany, Japan, Canada and America participated in it. I too attended the conference and elaborated on the fact that for a healthy heart, medicine in the form of meditation is a must. Today the medical fraternity completely agrees with the observation that the rise in incidence of cardio-vascular disease is due to unhealthy lifestyles and high levels of stress. Some doctors are themselves victims of these diseases.
Prevention is better than cure. Why not pay attention to this often repeated dictum? Rather than visiting doctors and incurring heavy hospital bills and unwanted worries, take charge of your life and bring a wise discipline into it. Eat right, sleep right, meditate right.
Once a man was admitted to a nursing home after a severe heart attack. A week later when he was discharged, the doctor cautioned the family members against anything that would upset him or cause any sort of excitement as his heart was weak and would not tolerate the stress. Hearing this the patient promptly turned to the doctor, “Sir, then I sincerely request you to refrain from presenting me with the hospital bill as my poor heart will be unable to bear it.”
Keep your heart healthy. The scriptures say that god is in your heart – do not defile it with vices and ill will. Let it be pure.

Sri Krishna says:

O Arjuna! Though I am omnipresent
If you wish to find me, I am always dwelling in your heart!

If you wish to see the Almighty, turn inwards for He is to be found in the depths of your heart. He who resides within should be sought within. The source of ‘I’ is God who is present where you are. What you need to do is to go back deep into the source of your roots.
Meditation is the process of plumbing deep within; it helps us to unburden the mind. The mind becomes free of thought and thus we are able to feel the Lord with heightened perception. One who meditates takes care to follow the master in spirit; in the process of meditation he remains extremely vigilant and alert. One who is on the path of peace cannot be careless, lax or ignorant.
A mind which is a compulsive thinker suffers and spreads suffering to others too. Therefore, for your own benefit and for the benefit of those around, we need to learn the art of mediation, which in other words is the art of managing the mind.

Let us try to understand this in another way. If you are given the choice of running or walking to a particular destination, which would you choose? Obviously walking will be the preferred choice as it involves lesser strain. Then again, between walking and standing the choice would be to stand as it involves still lesser physical strain. Similarly, between standing and sitting it is obvious that sitting would be an easier choice. Between sitting and lying down one would prefer the latter, and if the choice is between just lying down and sleeping one would opt for sleep. And now the last question: Would you prefer sleep or death? Shouldn’t death be more relaxing, more peaceful than sleep? Isn’t it so? But you will mess up your death as you have messed up your life. What does all this teach you? You must understand that happiness increases with decreased activity of the mind!
Happiness increases with decreased activity of the mind!
The lesser the activity of the mind the more integrated and calm it becomes. Just as the body needs time to sleep and relax, the mind too needs time to rest and relax. Although sleep is designed by nature to provide us mental rest, we human beings have polluted our sleep with more of dreams and less of deep sleep; the time of restful sleep has decreased considerably. In an effort to sleep, people toss and turn in bed and as a result they wake up tired. If you cannot sleep deeply, you will lose your sanity within days. Sleep provides natural respite from the constant chain of thoughts; had there been no sleep, the entire human race would have gone mad!
When a person is asleep, the mind is seeped in the slumber of unconsciousness and so you do not really enjoy being asleep. Sleep provides some relief from the madness of the mind. Have you ever wondered why an alcoholic cannot stop drinking, knowing well enough that it is destroying his health and family life? The reason is that the mental relief he gets in drunkard-ness is so alluring that he is deaf to all counseling and advice. Human beings can’t really be pulled away from intoxicants unless and until they learn to experience a state of mind where one is conscious and yet not disturbed because of the mind; when one knows how to manage one’s emotions and feelings with detachment. This can be learnt only through meditation.
When one learns the art of meditation, then one truly understands the art of distancing oneself from the rumblings of the mind. As the mind becomes empty and non-productive, stressful thoughts vanish and the mind becomes determined and focused. It is then our best aide in helping with external interactions and it stops being a nuisance. As awareness grows, a quietude envelopes the mind and calmness simply oozes from every pore of one’s being. Serenity pervades your being and a singular joy is felt deep within.

Tantric tradition suggests that there are two ways of using the sriyantra for meditation. In the ‘outward approach’, one begins by contemplating the bindu and proceeds outwards by stages to take in the smallest triangle in which it is enclosed, then the next two triangles, and so on, slowly expanding outwards through a sequence of shapes to the outer shapes in which the whole object is contained. This outward contemplation is associated with an evolutionary view of the development of the universe where, starting with primordial matter represented by the dot, the meditator concentrates on increasingly complex organisms, as indicated by increasingly complex shapes, until reaching the very boundaries of the universe from where escape is possible only through one of the four doors into chaos. The ‘inward’ approach to meditation, which starts from a circle and then moves inwards, is known in tantric literature as the process of destruction.

The mathematical interest in the sriyantra lies in the construction of the central nine triangles, which is a more difficult problem than might first appear. A line here may have three, four, five or six intersections with other lines. The problem is to construct a sriyantra in which all the intersections are correct and the vertices of the largest triangles fall on the circumference of the enclosing circle. We shall not go into the details of how the Indians may have achieved accurate constructions of increasingly complex versions of the sriyantra, including spherical ones with spherical triangles.

There is, however, a curious fact about all the conectly constructed sriyantras, whether enclosed in circles or in squares. In all such cases the base angle of the largest triangles is about 51°. The monument that comes to mind when this angle is mentioned is the Great Pyramid at Gizeh in Egypt, built around 2600 bc. It is without doubt the most massive building ever to have been erected, having at least twice the volume and thirty times the mass of the Empire State Building in New York, and built from individual stones weighing up to 70 tonnes each. The slope of the face to the base (or the angle of inclination) of the Great Pyramid is 51°50′35.

It is possible from the dimensions of the Great Pyramid to derive probably the two most famous inational numbers in mathematics. One is pi, and the other is phi the ‘golden ratio’ or ‘divine proportion’, given by (1 + sqr-rt 5)/2 (its value to five decimal places is 1.61803). The golden ratio has figured prominently in the history of mathematics, both as a semi-mystical quantity (Kepler suggested that it should be named the ‘divine proportion’) and for its practical applications in art and arAhitecture, including the Parthenon at Athens and a number of other buildings of Classical Greece. In the Great Pyramid, the golden ratio is represented by the ratio of the length of the face (the slope height), inclined at an angle theta to the ground, to half the length of the side of the square base, equivalent to the secant of the angle theta. The original dimensions of the Great Pyramid are not known exactly, because later generations removed the outer limestone casing for building material, but as far as we can tell the above two lengths were about 186.4 and 115.2 metres respectively. The ratio of these lengths is, to five decimal places, l.618 06, in very close agreement with phi. The number phi has some remarkable mathematical properties. Its square is equal to itself plus one, while its reciprocal is itself minus one. But the most intriguing feature is its link with what are called the Fibonacci numbers.

The Fibonacci numbers are the sequence

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, …

where each number equals the sum of its two predecessors. This sequence aops up in a variety of natural phenomena – in pattems of plant growth and in the laws of Mendelian heredity, for example. It is easily shown that the ratio between successive Fibonacci numbers gets closer to phi the hurther up the sequence one goes. In the Fibonacci sequence given above, the ratio of 233 to 144 gives the value of phi calculated from the dimensions of the Great Pyramid.

The quantity pi can also be found in the dimensions of the Great Pyramid. If its height (1466 metres) is taken to be the radius of a circle, the perimeter of its base (4 x 230.4 = 921.6 metres) is almost equal to the circumference of that circle (2pir = 921.6 metres). The product of pi and the square root of phi is close to 4.

The largest isosceles triangle of the sriyantra design is one of the face triangles of the Great Pyramid in miniature, showing almost exactly the same relationship between pi and phi as in its larger counterpart. It would be idle to indulge in any further speculation.

Many of the accurate constructions of sriyantras in India are very old. Some are even more complicated than the one shown. There are those that consist of spherical triangles for which the constructor, to adlieve perfect intersections and vertices falling on the circumference of the circle enclosing the triangles, would require knowledge of ‘higher mathematics whidh the medieval and ancient Indian mathematicians did not possess. Kulaidhev famous expert goes on to suggest that the achievement of such geometrical constructs in Indian mathematics may indicate’the existence of unknown cultural and historical altematives to mathematical knowledge, e.g. the highly developed tradition of special imagination’.

Meditation is not meditating upon something but just being with oneself. There is no movement, no flickering – only being fully in the moment, in the NOW! When a person meditates, he loses all restlessness, his thinking stops and in that moment, he is a pool of energy. He becomes tremendously powerful. Meditation relieves you of all these pressures and artificial living. You begin to see the world with clarity and wisdom. When you see how fickle the world is and understand – impermanence, it opens up new avenues for you. The peace experienced during meditation works as a balm, soothing the mind. Remember, no one gives you pain – it is you who have induced pain on yourself. See life retrospectively – how you have lived and what mistakes you made unknowingly. Once you do, then it will become much easier for you to make the transition from living ignorantly to living consciously. Meditation is being with our true self; being able to control all activities of the mind and senses a well as making the right choices. It is an antidote to the mounting stress and tension. The tremendous transformation that meditation can bring to you can be derived only by delving into its experiences with the child-like innocence.

Mind is always restless, always in a state of flux. It is difficult for us to sit in the silent mode, to be in a relaxed state of mind. What to say about meditation, even simple relaxation is difficult. We need to undergo catharsis to remove all the repressions, all the emotional clouds, all the useless chattering that goes on in the mind. When we achieve this state, we’ll be able to relax totally. Meditation is the quietening of the mind. The power to heal comes from meditation. Meditation gives right knowledge and the right training to handle life. A blind man needs a stick to walk safely, but if we can cure his blindness, then he can do without that stick. Most of us are metaphorically blind. The eyes of our mind are shut. We need to open up our inner eyes – the eyes of our awareness and then we’ll be able to enjoy the every-flowing bliss of life. And then everything will be clear – meditation gives pristine clarity towards our life. True happiness can be experienced when our mind is peaceful. Even when we are presented with adverse conditions if our mind is calm then we can be happy all the time. The mind can be trained through meditation to achieve this state. One is no longer disturbed by external situations.

Urja Meditation or Dynamic Meditation is based on ancient methodology of a special breathing technique called Kapalbhati which involves strong and forceful exhalations.
It is powerful and easy method to get free from all the suffering, tensions, and garbage of mind. It refreshes our body, mind and intellect. Urja should be practiced by all of them who want to live their life with lots of energy, joy and calmness. It works as a great de-stressing tool and even helps the mind to clear off the negative thoughts.

This technique should be done on an empty stomach or at least three hours after eating. Sit comfortably in any meditative posture. Sit erect. Breathe normally for about five minutes. Once composed, you can begin. In Kapalbhati more attention is to be given on forceful exhalation while the inhalation remains passive. Exhale through both nostrils, contracting the middle and lower abdomen portions. Release the contractions quickly and immediately follow with another forceful exhalation. Inhale passively and effortlessly. Gradually increase the frequency. This technique increases exchange of gases in the lungs manifold. There is large-scale elimination of carbon dioxide and a huge absorption of oxygen. This process brings about catharsis which cleanses the inner recesses of the mind – and then mindfulness becomes easy. This exercise can give excellent results if done with conviction. You will glide into a state where mind will be totally at peace, relaxed and energized. Layers upon layers will get clearer and once all these are cleared and there is emptiness, then there will come this bright light of consciousness.
Regular practice will lead you to higher level of consciousness.

All meditation techniques of Anandmurti Gurumaa are backed with soulful music which is especially composed for the particular method. With easy-to-follow instructions, meditation becomes a joyful journey.

Who are you? What are you? Where are you?

There is a story in the Upanishads of ten students who studied together in a gurukul. One day all of them went to attend a function in a neighbouring village. They had to cross a river which was in spate. They held hands and cautiously waded through the powerful current of the water till they crossed over safely. The leader of the group said, “Let me check if all of us have reached the shore safely. God forbid that anyone has been washed away in the current.” Everyone lined up and the leader starting counting: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine – the line finished at the ninth man! They were all shocked. Where was the tenth man?  Another student offered to re-check and he changed positions with the leader; he too counted in same manner and again the count ended with the ninth man!
Now the finding was confirmed; tragedy had struck! The tenth man was missing. They started crying, all of them grief-stricken. A wise man was passing that way. Taking pity on them he asked what the problem was. Sobbing uncontrollably they narrated the whole story. The wise man immediately understood the problem! First he assured them that they had no cause for worry as he knew where the missing tenth man was. But they would have to pay him for the help he offered. Encouraged by his words, they all agreed and took solace in the words of the wise man.
So this wise man made them stand in a line and asked the leader to count each one. The leader did as instructed and again the count came to nine. The wise man slapped the leader and said, “And you are the tenth man.” Everyone was ecstatic and all of them started dancing and singing, thanking the wise man for having solved their problem.
This is a story from the Upanishads. Through such simple stories seers explained great philosophical truths. Every one is looking for the truth, for god, as though god is lost somewhere. But no one realizes that the one who is searching for truth doesn’t know who he himself is.
In creation, starting from one’s own body, a gross physical entity, (individual and cosmic total) is objectified. If the gross and subtle entities are effects then the entity which brought them into being, (individual and cosmic total) is objectified as the personal as well as the total ego entity. In short, the gross, subtle and causal entities are objectified.
These gross, subtle and causal entities are objectified very clearly in the waking state, are vague in the dream state and completely resolved in the deep sleep state. So there are three distinct entities, each of them objectified in three states of experience. What is objectified must be different from the subject. Just like in the Upanishad story, the ’self’ is apparently missing, but all the above mentioned nine entities are counted by the ’self’ itself.
The ’self’ is the subject and distinct from the above mentioned nine entities. But it is seldom realized as the one which counts the other nine entities. Thus this story establishes the existence of the ’self’. The analogy in the Upanishad story must be used only to the point of establishing the existence of the ’self’. Every example should be taken only up to the limit it is meant to be taken to. The ’self’ cannot be grouped with the gross, subtle and causal entities of waking, dreaming and deep sleep states, as it was done for the ten students mentioned in the story.

Every one is looking for the truth, for god, as though god is lost somewhere. But no one realizes that the one who is searching for truth doesn’t know who he himself is.
The study of the ’self’ is not just a study by itself, but an exploration of the ’self’. We are focused on the body and senses, and even more focused on the objects of the senses, i.e sound, sight, smell and taste. Our senses are exposed to all the five objects and the mind is in an ever non-gratifying mode; it asks for more and more – the hunger of the mind is insatiable. The mind can eat all it pleases and have sex with all the men and women of the world, yet it will crave more. Our whole journey is towards the outside world. Your involvement is with everything; the identification with the mind is so great that it is not even as though we have just attached our self with the mind, but as though we have become the mind itself. So the important question that arises is: Who is the one who is behind the mind and beyond the mind?
We know about the mind and its hunger. We count the titillations and the material achievements, but what about the one who is a silent witness to all the flimsiness, the wanderings of the mind, the ego trips and the physical sensations? We never ever wonder about the one who is the master of the body, the senses, the mind and the intellect. The self which we have created is a false self. The route to this false self too is via the mind. This Upanishad story provokes you to seek the real self – the universal self, in its nakedness, stripped of the body, senses, emotions, thoughts and perceptions. Who are you? What are you? Where are you?

Knowledge is that which stays with you in life; information stays in the head alone and it has no link with the life you are living.
You have lost your real identity and taken the false self to be the real ’self’. If the body is the ’self’, then where were you when there was no body? Were you there or not? Were you there or not when the mind did not exist? Were you there or not? Who are ‘you’?

Know who you are, not through the head but through experience. Know who you are and that you cannot objectify your self.
Knowledge is true knowledge only when you are focused on searching for the real ’self’. Is the ’self’ an amalgam of emotions, senses, thoughts and perceptions alone, or is the ’self’ more than this. Is ‘I’ limited by space, time and object, or is the real ’self’ way beyond this; is it omniscient and all pervasive? If yes, then is ‘I’ a part of god or is god my own name – a bit different and exotic!
Knowledge cannot be gained from external sources like books and scriptures. Gurus can provide you with only information, and information is not at par with knowledge. Real knowledge is experiential and not abstract.
I once heard of a vedantist who fell sick; he was in tremendous pain. His brother disciple came to meet him. Seeing him writhing and shrieking in pain he said, “O brother, the pain is in your body, and you are a brahman. So why are you cursing everyone? Be calm and witness the whole drama.” The vedantist shouted the choicest of abuses and said, “To hell with brahman, I will break your head if you dare lecture me again. I am dying with pain and you are lecturing me.”
Knowledge is that which stays with you in life; information stays in the head alone and it has no link with the life you are living. Know who you are, not through the head but through experience. Know who you are and that you cannot objectify your self. Keep on peeling off the layers around you – the truth which you seek is you – not in you, but you. You are the truth!

Desire for sex is natural. It is neither right to fight your body and mind, nor should you feel depressed about the sex urge. Nature has created this body and its glandular systems. These glands start functioning around teenage and they release chemicals called hormones. In the brain, the hypothalamus and the pituitary control the functioning of these glands. The male hormone testosterone is produced by the testes and the female hormones progesterone and estrogen are produced by the ovaries.
The sex hormones help the body of a boy grow into a young man, and that of a girl grow into a young woman. This leads to an attraction for the opposite sex, and happens only after the release of these chemicals. Before this stage, boys and girls have no such feelings in their mind. As children approach the age of 12 or 13, the sex glands begin to get active. Nowadays, due to exposure to media and television, these glands have started functioning earlier – sometimes as early as the age of 9.
Even a highly sexual and pornographic mind, such as of those people who engage in mental visualisations and fantasies, or of a totally addicted person, loses the sexual urge if we inject a special type of hormone in the body. This happens because the body clock is taken back to the stage when there were no secretions of the sex hormones.
Whenever there is an excess secretion of these chemicals – for whatever reason, it leads to addiction. Any addiction, whether it is for tea, coffee or sex, is just an addiction. You cannot say that one addiction is better than the other – that an addiction to cigarettes is better than an addiction to liquor. Addiction means a stage of dependence in which one cannot survive without the fulfilment of the addiction. It is a stage when one thinks and dreams about the object of one’s addiction and when one lives with it and for it.
The first thing to understand is that our mind is connected to our body and to our brain. Changes in our body and mind affect us. For example, if you have not slept well at night, there will be a deficiency of melatonin and serotonin, the two chemicals released during sleep. These chemicals relax the body and the brain, and their deficiency will make you feel tense. Your mind will begin to oscillate, your circulatory system will get affected and blood pressure will be raised. The restlessness will affect you to such an extent, that you will need to take some drug to balance the paucity of the chemicals.
This is how those people who drink more and more liquor, provide the chemicals the body needs, although alcohol does not supply melatonin and serotonin. The chemicals in the liquor have a drug like effect and they soothe the nerves and numb the brain; somehow this is experienced as relaxation by many people. Any form of drug, cigarette and liquor soothes the nerves. It is a different story that these are all poisons that destroy the body systems. This is the additional effect of these drugs which no company is ever going to advertise; they will just talk about how good you are going to feel. Thumbs up! How cheerful you will be when you consume the poison of this drug!
Similarly, during the sex act, chemicals are released by the brain and this gives you a high feeling – a good feeling. Some tests have been done on rats and mice, in which the areas of the brain which are activated at the time of sex were injected and made numb. Once those portions were numbed, the rats and mice lost interest in copulation; they were just not interested any more.
So basically what our body seeks is to experience the good feeling. Some feel good with food, but for others sex remains the only medium which gives them a high; nothing else does. For sex, one is dependant on another person. As I had said earlier, these days you can not only order a pizza and a burger at home, but also sex! Even that is provided!
The question is, what does sex give? It gives a feeling of elation and a feeling of being appreciated – although the person doing the appreciating may be doing it for your money, for the security you provide or for the gifts which you will shower on that person! So the process of give and take goes on. Dependency does exist.
No wonder husbands and wives blackmail and exploit one another; they know that the other person is dependent on them for sexual release.  Actually, if you take away the sex, there won’t be a husband and wife relationship left. Most couples are together because of the children or society; or because they don’t know how to live alone. They benefit greatly from the relationship, and so do not want to lose out on services like house maintenance, laundry, cooking and entertainment etc. All these things provided by the spouse make you further bind with the spouse.
The question is, if sex could give real enjoyment, a real high, then it should last for a few days atleast. But it does not endure for even a few hours! It is an unending process. Again and again a person is entrapped.
First and foremost, never condemn yourself for having a sexual urge. Through all your physical and mental experiences, you gain something – or maybe you will gain something. Those who never get a chance to explore these things may still harbour the seeds of desire in their subconscious mind. They just dream, repress and suppress their feelings.  At the same time, exploring this territory should be done with an understanding of what you will get out of it. Ask yourself: Am I getting the happiness which I hope for?  How long will this happiness last? Will I get dependent on the other person? Will I lose my freedom? Is this the only way to feel a high? Is this the only door through which I will get physical and mental relaxation? Most husbands the world over have sex to release their tension and not for love.
I would like to point out that a man who is really in love with his wife, will need less sex, because his satisfaction will then come from a higher plane. Attention, appreciation and companionship are more important than carnal pleasure. I am not saying that there is something wrong with sex, that it is sinful or that it is something one should not indulge in.
If sex had been ugly, or even worse – if it were a sin or something to be guilty of, then our temples would not have sculptures of couples copulating. Have you ever seen the expression on their faces? Have you ever visited the Khajuraho or Konark temples? Outside the periphery of these temples, there are hundreds of such images on the domes; they are carved so meticulously and with so much time consuming labour. A huge amount of the kings’ money went into the making of these temples. Dharma, artha, kama, moksha – all four are a part of life. It cannot be said that artha is important and kama is not. If we deny these facts then we are just being hypocritical.
All that happens in society – all the money, the wealth, the businesses, the jobs, the education – just  go to the core of it and see what everyone is striving for. You will end up with just one answer – sex. If you have wealth, you can have the most beautiful girl or the most handsome man. Your very being, your physical being is because of sex. Can you deny that?
But your parents are not guilty of sex. They might be guilty of sex in general but not of your birth. Are you guilty of your daughter? You are joyful for your daughters. You are joyful for your sons. You are full of joy for your children and even more joyful for your grand children. They are all offsprings of the sexual act. You cannot say that it is bad, ugly or sinful. This point has to be understood very clearly.
Society at large is under the sheets; behind the wall everyone is in it, and outside the wall everyone condemns it. They condemn it and yet they are in it!  The more they are in it, the more vehemently they condemn it – this is a vicious cycle. Throw away the attitude that sex is bad, ugly and sinful. What is bad about it? It is your body and if you wish to explore it in any way, just go ahead and do so.
The only suggestion I would like to make is that you should know what you will gain, what will you lose and why you are indulging in it?  It is true that the body chemicals – the hormones, are active and therefore there is attraction between the sexes. The stimulants are there right in your head – the sex organ is none other than the brain – that is the real sex organ!
So this means that you need to make some changes in the brain if you wish to make some changes in your lifestyle. How can that be done?  There are many ways:
First, you have to balance your body and brain, so that you do the act when needed and you don’t think about it all the time. When you are hungry you eat food – you are never guilty of eating food, are you? If you have an itch in the throat, you cough – you never feel guilty about it. But if you have an urge for sex and you satisfy it, you feel guilty later on – whether you recognise the guilt or not is a different story.
When a husband and wife are in the sex act, all the scriptures, mahatmas and sadhus’ voices keep ringing at the back of their mind, telling them that what they are doing is bad. But the urge of the body is so strong that they cannot stop. It is somewhat like schizophrenia – based on all the discourses of mahatmas and books that you have read, the brain says don’t do it, but the body speaks a different language. Mind you, whenever there is a fight between the body and the brain, the body will win because animal instincts are more powerful than abstract thoughts and ideas.
Celibacy is just an idea which the mahatmas have given to people. That is not your experience; your experience is that when your body wants something, you have to get it. When a person is thirsty he will drink water from the most polluted pond – it has happened!  In difficult times, as during a war, what else to do?  When there is thirst and the body asks for water, people have been known to have drunk water from the ponds in which corpses were floating! The suffering from thirst, the pain was so great, that inspite of seeing the floating dead bodies, they just cupped their hands and drank the water!
The urges of the body are very strong. When hunger troubles you, when your body asks for food, no gyan will work – you need food by any means, anyhow. Normally you eat when you are hungry, you drink when you are thirsty, when you are exhausted you go to sleep and you are never guilty about it. But if you continuously think about food, then something is wrong. If you keep on eating and filling your stomach the whole day, then it is a disease. If a person washes his hands when they are dirty, it is ok for that is routine hygiene. But if he keeps on washing his hand a hundred or two hundred times, then it is an illness. It is a psychological disease if a person feels he is dirty, or the phobia of germs is prevalent in his mind; this needs to be treated. Similarly, healthy married couples do feel the real urge for sex.
Now this is something to be noted – distinguishing between the real and the unreal urge. The real urge comes from the body, and if you fulfil it, it is definitely as natural as a hungry man eating his food. But this urge can also be an unreal one. How does that happen? The society in which you live, your friends, associates, the woman you are seeing, the men whom you meet, the books which you read, the magazines which you flip through, every channel, every movie – all of them – titillate your senses and excite your mind. When the urge arises because of this titillation and excitement, I call it an unreal desire – it is not a natural desire.
You will have to see when it is a natural urge and when it is an unnatural one. When you have a natural urge, go ahead without the feeling of guilt or sin.  Marriage is a licence which society has given you; have sex as many times as you want to, but the moment you stray from your licensed spouse, the whole of society looks down upon you. This is bad, this is wrong, this is immoral! In a polygamous society, it is not considered wrong to stray, but as per Hindu law, and in monogamous relationships which are popular and widely practised today, it is considered wrong. I believe that if a man or a woman has an extra marital affair, it is not because they don’t get sex, but because they don’t get true love.
Understand that sex can never fulfil your mind – love can. Love should be the foundation of marriage. The more deeply you are in love with your spouse, the lesser is the need to stray. When a man and a woman do not appreciate one another, do not attend to each other’s needs, do not gel at the mental level, do not have similar choices, then there is sure to be trouble. Some people simply live with their situation; others move away. But this damages the institution of marriage.
There are many things to be considered. First: identify the real and natural urge. How to do that? Well, you need to discipline your brain and body, and to do that, yogic asanas are the perfect solution. When you do sarvangasana – the shoulder stand, blood rushes to your brain as your feet are up and head is down. Due to gravity, the blood rushes to the brain. The most important gland which is the master computer of the body, the hypothalamus, is in the brain. With this asana, fresh supply of blood and oxygen is carried to the brain nourishing the hypothalamus and the pituitary. The hypothalamus begins to work properly and it orders the right amount of chemicals to be released. Once this happens, you feel the sex urge only when needed and not otherwise.
Second: the way to balance the glandular system is to do pranayama. When you practice pranayama, your mind will be soothed, relaxed and cool. You won’t feel excited even on seeing an attractive woman; you won’t be titillated; titillation will have an effect only when you are ready for it. Sometimes, if you tickle a person, they are in peels of laughter, but there are others who roll on the ground at the mere sight of a tickling gesture. Just moving the fingers is enough for them to say, “don’t do it”!
Often people play with young children; they tickle them and walk holding their two fingers. They walk their fingers on the baby’s arms saying, “Here I am coming”, and even before you reach the forearm the child is laughing and pleading with you to stop. But as the child grows older, the same act will not have the same effect and could well evoke the response: “Papa! Grow up! What are you doing?”
The same rules apply to scantily clothed girls who show their bodies in such a way that it turns any man’s mind- just as a woman’s mind may be affected on seeing a half naked man who has a beautiful and muscular body. But this titillation can happen only when you are ready to be titillated. Let me say this very clearly: I do not condemn even titillation, but it has to have some objective.
In the sexual act, it is not that you lose just semen in ejaculation, but you also lose something more than that called ojas -  energy. It is not the semen which creates the baby, but the ojas in the semen which creates the baby.  This ojas can be used to make progress in your spiritual development.
Every food you eat carries a hidden energy in it. Our body has to digest the food and our intestines have to absorb the nutrients which go to the liver and from there to the blood and thence to the entire body. Our seers who understood this phenomenon, suggested that this energy should not be wasted for whimsical reasons, but should be conserved. The more you conserve it, the more energetic you grow and your capacity to do sadhana also increases. This energy also enhances your concentration and attention levels. The reason why the rishis suggested sexual abstinence was to conserve ojas, and not in order to suppress the sexual urge. The idea was not to suppress sexual energy but to sublimate it.
It is important to understand the sexual energy in order to manage it well. Deep down if the mind is insecure, then this insecurity can become a reason for excessive sexual behaviour. If you did not receive real love and comfort from your mother in childhood, then this can give rise to excessive sexual behaviour of the mind. If you have any kind of inferiority complex, it can also give rise to an overly sexual behaviour. If you were exploited or tortured during childhood, even this can lead to excessive sexual behaviour. There are multiple reasons and that is why we need to understand our mind; we need to go deep into our mind.
Every time the urge arises, do not condemn yourself, rather try to understand from where it is rising.
Our mind is a deep, dark and mysterious cave where millions of ghosts reside – the ghosts of our past memories. We are not very comfortable facing these ghosts, and that is why we watch television, we spend time with friends but do not like to invest any effort in studying the mind. We just do not want to face the complexities of our mind; this compounds the problem.
Now, how to manage the sex urge, whether natural or unnatural, real or unreal?  One way is to indulge in sexual intercourse; the second way is to masturbate; the third way is to suppress the urge by chiding yourself, taking a cold shower or going to a temple and expressing regret for having fallen again. Then there is a fourth way also – it is a particular technique given by Tantra to all aspirants who wish to work on controlling the sexual urge – the Ashwini mudra with kumbhak.
Ashwa means horse. Ashwini mudra is actually taken from a natural act performed by horses. Have you ever ridden on horseback?  Have you seen a horse defecating?  It moves its anus – actually it pushes out its rectum and you can see a layer of pinkish muscle. The horse pushes its rectum out of the body once it has defecated; when it has thrown the faeces out of the body, it pushes out the rectum, moves it and then pulls it in. This is called Ashwini mudra.
So with the practice of Ashwini mudra, you can develop control over the muscles in the lower regions of the body around the anus. The exercise is done as follows: you squeeze your anus, contract it, and then relax it in the first part of the mudra. In the second part you repeat the exercise with breath control – when you inhale you relax and when you exhale you contract – proficiency comes with practice.
Initially you should concentrate on the first part which is rather easy, and once you have mastered it then practice with the breath. Remember that you contract while exhaling and relax when inhaling. When you inhale, relax; contract with breathing out.
In the third part, you contract the anus while exhaling and hold your breath for a count of 3 and then relax. Inhale and exhale, contracting while exhaling. When you breathe out, hold your breath out – one, two, three. With time and practice, you can increase the retention period and can even take it to a count of 5 and then 10 – but it should be done very comfortably with no stress or strain.
This ability to retain your breath and contract your anus muscle will control the urge for sex – this is the golden mantra. Whenever  the urge arises – whether real or unreal – at that time if you begin to focus and start doing  the exercises in sequence, within 15 minutes, not only will your urge be gone but you will feel like meditating more – you will feel like sitting for some more time. Your mind gets relaxed and so does the body.
We should not ever fight with the body or the mind. If there is an urge for sex, it is no big issue, for every issue has a solution which can be learned and focussed on. So at the level of our mind we need to understand and respect it. Actually, the more you resist it, the more you get trapped in it, because anything that makes you feel guilty also gives you the joy of breaking the rules of society.
There is no fun in taking your wife out for dinner; it is more exciting to take your girlfriend out. Even the most lecherous person fears being seen, hence no one ever announces in the drawing room in the presence of friends and relatives that the last time he went to Singapore on a business trip, he had three prostitutes! No one ever announces this; no one ever boasts of this. Even the most lecherous and libidinous person will hide this.
We need to know and understand that sex is not the enemy; sex is not a sin; sex is not a shameful act that should lead to guilt. It needs to be appreciated that nature has given this to us and it is the reason for the entire procreation and recreation. Sex is not a means of releasing tension – for that you should do Yog-Nidra – it is indeed very relaxing! Sex should not be a means of releasing your frustrations either. It is and can be beautiful provided you know and understand what it is; provided you manage it with awareness; provided you are deeply in love with your spouse.
A loveless relationship is a sin. The problem is that in our society relationships are not based on love but on money, prestige and status – these three are most important – then comes the shakal [looks] and akal [intelligence] of the boy and girl. If the boy is a walking hippopotamus but has money, there are many girls who will not refuse him. Their attitude is that it is fine to marry someone like that, no problem at all; once married they plan to make the poor chap slim down. You too must have seen some weird matches – in fact they are no match at all, but the families get them married. Now after the marriage they are expected to love one another! How is that possible? I find it very weird!
But our ancestors had made a different system. They would get the boy and girl married at an early age but keep them apart. Immediately after the marriage ceremony the girl was taken to her parents home and then the entire society and family would pester and tease the boy reminding him that his spouse was at her parents’ home.  “Don’t you want to meet her?” Their bodies would be growing and their hormones raging. That is how psychologically they were made to like one another and to want to be with one another. This distance created the attraction. After another ceremony, when the girl was finally brought to her husband’s home, the boy was lusting and waiting for her.
Again, this is a drama which has been planned by society and families. I have nothing against arranged marriages but I do have some issues with it. Loveless marriages can never satisfy; love has to be there. If there is love in an arranged marriage then it is fine. Some amount of effort is needed on the part of the husband and wife to understand one another in order to seek and create room for compatibility – to be able to appreciate one another’s qualities, to ignore the errors and mistakes of the other person, to not condemn the spouse – appreciation will change the partner. These are important things. To manage the urges of the body and to be in a position to distinguish the real urge from the unreal one, yogasana and pranayama especially ashwini mudra with kumbhak, will pave the way for a very healthy married life.
Life with a dumb person can be hell – but marriage can be a great pleasure trip, an enjoyable experience once there is compatibility – for which one has to work for it won’t happen on its own. You have to work at it and the more you work with understanding and with an agenda, the more quickly will you see the results.

Breathing is life, but how little we know about it! For example, do you know that you use only one nostril at a time for breathing? At any point in time, either the right or the left nostril will be working. Test it out now. Place a finger half an inch below your left nostril for a few seconds and then under your right. You will now which one is working at that moment. Amazing, isn’t it?
And now read on and learn more. Do you know the active nostril changes at regular intervals (approximately every one and a half hours) during the day? And for a short time, both nostrils come into play together, for a period which is called the sandhi kaal, and this remains for ten to twelve breaths. Have you ever wondered why we have two nostrils instead of one? Breath can easily pass through one passage but we have two! The reasons are much deeper then of basic design alone.

As per the ancient scripture of Swar Yoga, there are three psychic channels in the human body, namely ida, pingala and sushumna. The right nostril is the channel of solar energy and the nadi that flows through it is called pingala, whereas the left is the channel for lunar energy and is called as ida. When both the nostrils have an equal flow, then for a very short time the central channel which is called sushumna awakens. Influencing the channels or nadis is the key technique of Swar Yoga. Swar Yoga teaches that the dominance of each nostril during breathing changes regularly. By inhaling strongly through the nose, one can find out which nostril is dominant at a particular time, as one will feel the cooling effect of the airflow inside that nostril. The nadis ida and pingala terminate in the left and right nostril respectively, and are activated when the corresponding nostril is dominant. The central sushumna is activated when both nostrils operate simultaneously, which usually happens only for a short while when the transition from one nostril to the other takes place and also at dawn and dusk. The periodic alternation of the nostrils balances the entire system. Ensuring that this balance is not disturbed is the basic objective of Swar Yoga. The dominance of the nostrils is strongly affected by the movements of the planets and especially by that of the moon.
Each nostril, when it operates independently, influences the body chemistry in a different way. When both nostrils operate simultaneously, the body chemistry also alters so as to make meditation rather than worldly activity appropriate to engage in. According to Swar Yoga, the right nostril, being solar or heating in character, increases acidic secretions, whereas the left nostril, being lunar or cooling, increases alkaline secretions. Both right and left nostrils are connected with the opposite sides of the cerebral hemispheres and the olfactory lobe. The nose is in direct contact with the hypothalamus by its link with the olfactory lobe of the brain. The hypothalamus is a part of the limbic system, associated with emotions and motivation.
The nostrils, by means of the process of respiration, are connected with the neuromotor responses, and thus with the autonomic nervous system. These neuromotor responses influence the hemispheres of the brain and the primary activity of the brain, which is chemical. Neurotransmitters are the brain’s chemical messengers. They influence all body functions. Through a network of sensory nerves in the nose, the nostrils are connected to subtle nerves. An EEG was done by Dr Khalsa in San Antonio USA, where the brain was wired with electrodes, and an ultra sound was also done to see if any changes occur when the flows are different. It was observed that when the flow is in the left nostril, the right side of the brain lights up, and when in the right, then the left part of the brain is more active.
One of the techniques of Swar Yoga is to check whether the nostril dominance is in accord with the planetary cycles, and if necessary to correct it accordingly. This would prevent psychological and physical problems. It is especially important to do this every day at sunrise, so that one starts the day in harmony with the planetary energy of that day. Another important aspect of Swar Yoga is to adapt special activities to nostril dominance or vice versa. Breathing through the left nostril influences the cortical activity on the right side of the brain more than the left and vice versa. The twin hemispheres of the brain have highly specialized functions. The right hemisphere, stimulated by left nostril dominance, is connected to feminine, lunar, emotional, visual and more peaceful activities. The left hemisphere, stimulated by right nostril dominance, is connected to masculine, solar, rational, verbal and more energetic activities.
The ancient yogis of India knew all this and much more. They knew the intimate connection between breath and mind. For example, when your mind is angry watch your breathing – it will be disturbed. And similarly, if you hold your breath for long, your mind will get agitated.  The yogis were trying to get some degree of control over the mind and body. Swar Yoga advises changing the dominant nostril at the first sign of any physical or mental disturbance. Thus the active side of the body is changed and glandular secretions re-establish balance.
For example, in fever one should plug the operating nostril with a cotton ball and keep it plugged until body temperature becomes normal again. Chronic indigestion can be cured by cultivating the habit of eating only when the right nostril is dominant. The same goes for eating and defecating in case of constipation. Stress created by hard work and physical labor can be cured by lying on the right side, and breathing through the left nostril for 25 to 30 minutes. If you want to alter an unwanted emotional state, just breathe through the congested nostril for a while. Swar Yoga techniques can also be used for healing others, for creating favorable conditions in life, to foretell death, and in determining the gender of an unborn child. The techniques of Swar Yoga have been tested and tried by yogis and their lineages for a very long time. If only you would be aware of the goodness and beneficiary changes that can be brought to your life, you could maneuver your life as per your needs and requirements.
The most powerful application of Swar Yoga lies in meditation and control over the mind. Since the mind is very subtle and near impossible to grasp, the yogis figured out how to use this connection between the breath and the mind. By controlling the breath, they were indirectly able to influence the mind. Swar Yoga can be practiced by one and all, but before you go deeper into it, you have to know the basics of Pranayama.
There is a lovely fable of a minister who was punished by the king with imprisonment in a tower. He called his faithful wife to help him escape, telling her to get a beetle, two drops of honey, a ball of slender and fine thread, a long twine and then a long rope. When the bewildered wife arrived with these things, he told her to moisten the antennae of the beetle with the honey, tie the fine thread to its body and to leave it at the bottom of the tower wall. Smelling the honey ahead, the beetle slowly crept up the wall until it reached the minister. He then got hold of the end of the thread and asked his wife to tie the twine to the other end. He then pulled up the twine and then the rope using which he escaped. The idea is to understand how to manage the links between the gross (rope, body), the subtle body (thread, breath), and the very subtle body (scent of honey, mind).
Understanding one’s breath opens up so many channels of growth and evolvement. When you need to work hard, teach, discipline, eat or defecate, check if the solar energy (pingala) is flowing. If yes, then the actions done will bear results. If you have to do brain work, then it your lunar energy (ida) that should be flowing – this will help you in all studious jobs, meditation, creative arts, music, dance, paintings, studying etc. The change from ida to pingala is very subtle, so if you can keep a check on your breathing, you will be able to observe it.
There are ways and means to change the breath by will, and this art can be learnt from a guru who is proficient in this art.

Communion with the Master

For the ones who want to understand and experience the inner world of profound tranquility, Gurumaa has been conducting meditation camps round the year, at various places. Five days of retreat with the master revitalize and nourish the soul, healing the wounds of mind, afflicted for ages… dissolving into the ocean of pure bliss!

Master is the door

Many a times seekers try to meditate on their own, absolutely oblivious of the intricacies involved. Sometimes they take help of the revered ancient holy books or refer to the meditation techniques taught by great mystics in their times. But because of lack of guidance when a leap beyond mind seems light years away, they just despair. In reality, there is no need to despair but to learn meditation from an enlightened master. Master acts as a door through which disciple can pass through and be one with the divine.

Oodles of energy

Luminous presence of an enlightened master creates a highly charged field of consciousness paving the way for seekers to travel far more easily and faster than alone. When meditating with the master, one becomes more open and receptive allowing immense positive energies to enter one’s being which brings great transformations.

One consciousness

Blissful stream of bountiful blessings of the living master vibrates through the congregation of seekers striving to delve within. It creates an ambience of one consciousness that flows into each other bridging the gaps of individual abilities.

Nothing compares

With the advent of technological advancements, today we have CDs and Cassettes of various meditation techniques designed and developed by Gurumaa. They are a wonderful medium to keep oneself on the track provided one is determined to practice persistently. However, no technology has yet been able to capture the grace of the master .To experience immense joy, happiness, love, stress relief, relaxation and beyond… a communion with the master is required which happens only when you are present in the presence of a living master.

Don’t miss it!

You cannot understand the significance of meditating with the master until and unless you realize the need to learn the esoteric art of meditation from an enlightened being. And the moment you realize this, don’t miss to be part of the forthcoming meditation camp.

Walking Meditation

We have been walking and walking ever since we took the first stumbling step, holding the finger of our parents. There are different ways of walking like walking fast to catch the bus, walking in a jiffy, in anger while thumping the floor, walking tip-toed and walking gently with our loved ones. But there is yet another way of walking and this is called Walking Meditation in which you are in a state of meditativeness. With this technique, a simple earthly walk can be changed into an extraordinary divine play. This is an art in itself.

Walking Meditation involves watching step after step, being aware of the movement of the body as the arms move back and forth, jiggle in the thighs and buns, the gentleness and the grace of the human body. Being witness to this flow, this magical dance of the body movement leads to an openness that comes from within.

The master has taught this fascinating way of walking and unlearning the unconscious way we walk. This technique brings forth the beauty of wakefulness in the movement that we would always be doing, that is, walking.

Isn’t it surprising that we walk and yet do not know how to? So learn this technique of real walking.

Meditation is a way of life. It is to be lived. We have a vast reservoir of energy in us, lying unused, untapped. Once we get in touch with this energy, our life changes from just being an ordinary to a divine one. Meditation is being in tune with our inner energy source. Life throws up many challenges and if we do not have the right tools to face these, then we’ll fail in our task. These are tools of patience and tolerance. There are scores of people fighting mental problems – suicides are happening in large numbers. You cross the borderline and end up in a psychiatric ward.
Remember that in this fast-paced life, we have to live with competitions which are nerve-wrecking. Then there is a bombardment of advertisements on TV, newspapers, magazines and internet which puts a lot of strain on our minds. This explosion creates false desires. This is the century of exhibitionism – people earn to show off, vanity is on constant display. All this leads to immense pressure on the mind, resulting in a sense of insecurity and lack of trust. Relationships and families start breaking apart.
Meditation is an antidote for the many ailments that our mind and body undergoes in this stressful life. The transformation that comes from the regular practice of meditation is gradual but sure. Interestingly, meditation is not about doing something; rather it is about doing nothing. Meditation is experiencing emptiness and enjoying it – though this enjoying is a mind-oriented experience. Both joy and sorrow are experienced by the mind – and anything that is experienced by the mind does not include meditation. Whatever we do, is done through and by our mind. And releasing ourselves from the clutches of our mind is called meditation.

Sharpen Your Attention

To meditate we need to understand two factors: evaluate the intricacies of the mind (how the mind works) and become familiar with awareness. Once we know how a thought is formulated, what triggers thoughts, what are the conditions in which mind is prone to generate thoughts, only then we can take a leap beyond the cobweb of thoughts and experience the ever-flowing bliss. To understand all this, we need to cultivate and nurture attentiveness, alertness, vigilance and have a sharp microscopic vision – as the Buddha said “Sharpen your vision like a bowman sharpens his arrow”.

Understand your Mind

Mind functions on different levels; thoughts are propelled by mind due to certain conditions. We expect certain responses from people, situations, and when they do not happen as we had planned, then the mind gets disturbed. The agitations of the mind result in great turmoil, and this turmoil, this commotion generates several and varied thoughts. We pay great attention to the minutest activities, like the kind of clothes we wear, the fashion we follow, the place to hang out, membership of a particular club, and so on. And we don’t pay heed to an important thing: how does our mind functions? How just a thought can bring pain, anguish, jealousy, mistrust, doubt, joy? We are least bothered about our cluttered mind but we ensure that our house is clean. It is futile to clean the outside when your inside is blemished with numerous negativities. So, there is a need to connect to your inner self which is possible only through meditation

Don’t React – Act

One who is obsessed with worldly pursuits, one who is body-oriented, cannot really go into this. We need to develop a distance from our mind and not give in to impulsiveness. Those who react are the ones who are living mindlessly. So, in a way, we can say that living mindfully is being in meditation.
Meditation is not just about sitting in padmasana (lotus pose) or just doing something or just standing upside down or following just a routine of yogic exercises. Meditation does not involve even various ways of breathing exercises. Meditation includes all of the above and much more. Meditation is transgressing the mind, witnessing the mind in all its subtleties.

If your answer is to get relief from stress, to experience joy, to kill time, to know God –Wrong! Absolutely wrong! Utterly wrong! Don’t be surprised. Keep on reading, you will be truly surprised.

What is meditation?

We can get relief from stress from thousand things. A good movie, match of soccer, cricket, tennis, by dancing in a discothèque, by pubbing, in sex, list will go on and on. Company of like minded people gives joy, all adventure sports give a great kick, an adrenaline rush of blood and Wow- what an experience. If you have been meditating for sake of getting relief or looking for joy, then you are really confused and don’t know what really meditation is. Meditation is not getting relief from stress but it is much more than that.

Meditation is moving in the inner zone of emptiness, where stress can never touch you. It is exploring the inner space where you remain absolutely untouched from all ill effects of mind and samsara. This inner space is there and we need just the right method to move there, once you have understood and experienced nothing can bring you down from that timeless zone. Being in this zone means, being an ocean of joy. It is not just getting little glimpses of joy for some time and then back in rut. This had been a great dilemma of all meditators; as long as they are doing it, they feel good, elated, happy, enlightened, but moment they come out of the place where they meditate, one finds that one is back to square one. Things are same exactly same, people still bother you, you get offended often, jealousies and prejudices are very much intact there. Now individuals begin to plan when they can run away to their safe haven. So they are always on a run. Being an escapist seems very romantic. It seems to provide an easy short cut to all problems.

Why should we meditate?

This question Why Mediate? is as good as asking, Why Eat? Is it necessary to take a bath everyday? Why take medicine when we are unwell? Well, if we know the answers to these questions, then we know that meditation is as important as eating, breathing, bathing. Understand that life is a boon, a blessing. And you learn to live only when you meditate.
So, in a way, meditation gives right knowledge and the right training to handle life. A blind man needs a stick to walk safely, but if we can cure his blindness, then he can do without that stick. Most of us are metaphorically blind. The eyes of our mind are shut. We need to open up our inner eyes – the eyes of our mind and then we’ll be able to enjoy the every-flowing bliss of life. And then everything will be clear – meditation gives pristine clarity towards our life.

the language of the soul

In the beginning, we are told, “was the word”, but behind the word is an even greater power: the breath. Have you noticed that words are simply specific formations, shapes and movements of breath?
In the end days, it is said: all the secrets and mysteries will be revealed. Those end days must be approaching, because today the breath itself seems to be revealing those secrets to us. It seems that the secret of life has been right under our nose all the time!
But it should come as no surprise, since almost every spiritual teacher throughout time has pointed to the breath in some way, and every contemporary healer makes use of the breath at some point.
Almost all the ancient languages use the same word for air, wind or breath, as they do for life, vital energy, or spirit; or the animating principle of life. This principle, this spirit of life, is called chi, ki, prana, or energy.
The breath is often overlooked and underestimated in our search for the source and meaning of life, yet the author of Genesis tells us that “God took the dust of the earth and formed the body of man, and breathed into the nostrils of man the Breath of Life, and man became a living soul.”
So, is it any wonder that today, we can find our way back to God, we can meet the source of life by turning to the breath – or more specifically – to what is referred to in the Book of Genesis as ‘neshemet ruach chayim’ – “the spirit of life within the breath”.
The author of Genesis understood something that the yogis have been teaching since early times: that there is a difference between the air we breathe and the life giving principle contained within it. This inner breath, also called chi, ki, prana or energy runs through body, mind and soul.
The movement of spirit in the body is reflected in the movement of breath. As the Sufi Master Hazrat Inayat Khan writes: “The healing power of Christ, the miraculous power of Moses, the charm of Krishna, and the inspiration of the Buddha – all these were attained by breath.”
The Course in Miracles teaches us that: “A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible, it is necessary.” This universal experience is the breath, is breathing!
In the Nei Ching: Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Chinese Medicine, we read: “In ancient times, there were the so-called spiritual men; they mastered the universe, and controlled yin and yang. They breathed the essence of life and were independent in preserving the spirit. Their muscles and flesh remained unchanged.
Spiritual Breathing is to psychosomatic illness what penicillin is to infection. Spiritual Breathing is the quickest way to clear your head, settle your stomach, calm your nerves, and open your heart. It will uplift you, center you, and ground you in your being. Spiritual Breathing opens your heart to love and fills your body with light and life.
In the Songs of Solomon, we read: “Breath restores me to my exact self”. Maybe that’s why one of the most powerful modern spiritual breathing methods is called “Rebirthing”. It offers us a spiritual technology of awakening to our essence.
Breathwork is a spiritual technology for purification and awakening. When you work with the breath, you automatically develop spiritual skills. To play with breath is to play with the subtlest form of matter. That’s why people who have mastered spiritual breathing can accomplish so much on the level of subtle energies.
Spiritual Breathing makes it clear that the original creative life force energy that built our bodies in the womb is still available to us, to maintain and even rebuild the body.
Yoga is the science of union (with god). And yoga holds as a central truth that breath is the connection, the bridge between mind and body, between the visible and the invisible. Breath connects us to each other, and it connects all of us to god, nature and existence.
Every breath can be a prayer, an invitation, a demonstration of our faith, our trust. It can be an expression of forgiveness, gratitude and surrender. Tremendous power is to be gained through combining meditation and breathing.
Each of us must walk his or her own unique path. And that is the empowering aspect of breathwork: no one can do it for you! Yet, we are all breathing the same breath. It is not just a philosophy. It is in fact a reality! The same atoms and molecules of air, the breath that Jesus breathed, Moses breathed, Buddha breathed, that same breath is flowing into you right now!
If you want to go into the deepest realities of life, and to reach the highest states of consciousness, then you will have to awaken to the breath. It is the path, or at least the doorway to your essence, your core, your soul, your heart of hearts.
Breath and breathing techniques are now being taught all over the world. Breath awareness leads to the healing of stress, emotional problems, substance abuse, subconscious blocks, fears and anxieties.
The Angel of Breath is at work on the planet! This Angel of Breath brings fire and light to everyone on the spiritual path. Evolutionary contractions in the form of natural disasters, social upheaval and wars, are doing the work of pushing spiritual seekers out of their comfort zone and into the dynamic working zone of spiritual awakening, purification and rebirth.
It seems to me that everyone is born a spiritual master. But we forget and lose touch with our essence, our purpose, our source. The sadness, anger, and the love of a child is total: it seems infinite. That is a reflection of the power and nature of their spirit. As children, we are forced to choose between following outer authority and listening to our inner divinity.
You can begin to re-incorporate the life of spirit in your body and being. Simply breathe in a conscious way. Practice breathing in a peaceful, accepting, trusting, loving, grateful, forgiving, inviting and surrendering way. Incorporating these attributes through spiritual breathing makes manifesting them in reality easy and effortless!
More than knowing, believing or doing it, when you are breathing it, you are “living” it. You are “being” it. Opening and relaxing the breath is like opening the doors to your soul. Allow every fiber of your being to be bathed in this life that flows from god. Spiritual breathing has been called a biological experience of divine energy.
It takes courage to live a unique and inspired life. It requires that you turn to your own inner truth. That inner truth can be reflected and expressed through every breath you take. Breathing is like a language: the language of the soul.
Spiritual Breathing can take you to the eye of the storm in your life. Spiritual breathing can help you balance yin and yang, peace and power, rhythm and harmony. Learn from the breath itself. Follow your own bliss!

Start by watching your breath. Do what the Buddha did at the moment of enlightenment: follow the breath as it comes and goes. Feel the sensations of breath, the movement of breath in you. Be a witness. Observe, notice, pay attention to what is happening inside you each moment, and be aware of the one being aware!
Add to that the willingness to let go, to surrender. And then begin to conspire with the life that surrounds and permeates everything in existence. Breathe consciously. Feel the expansion and contraction of life! Celebrate the flow of life and marvel at the mysteries that life reveals to you through the breath.
Seek out others who are committed to breath mastery. Share your experience. No one is free until we are all free. But if only one of us gets free, everyone will be liberated!

Breathe peace and love, freedom and safety, energy and aliveness, love and light. And watch the world within you and around you change forever.

Meditation is a way of life. It is to be lived. We have a vast reservoir of energy in us, lying unused, untapped. Once we get in touch with this energy, our life changes from just being an ordinary to a divine one.

What is meditation?

If your answer is to get relief from stress, to experience joy, to kill time, to know God -Wrong! Absolutely wrong! Utterly wrong! Don’t be surprised. Keep on reading, you will be truly surprised.
We can get relief from stress from thousand things. A good movie, match of soccer, cricket, tennis, by dancing in a discothèque, by pubbing, in sex, list will go on and on. Company of like minded people gives joy, all adventure sports give a great kick, an adrenaline rush of blood and Wow- what an experience. If you have been meditating for the sake of getting relief or looking for joy, then you are really confused and don’t know what really meditation is. Meditation is not getting relief from stress but it is much more than that.
Meditation is moving in the inner zone of emptiness, where stress can never touch you. It is exploring the inner space where you remain absolutely untouched from all ill effects of mind and samsara. This inner space is there and we need just the right method to move there, once you have understood and experienced nothing can bring you down from that timeless zone. Being in this zone means, being an ocean of joy. It is not just getting little glimpses of joy for some time and then back in rut. This had been a great dilemma of all meditators; as long as they are doing it, they feel good, elated, happy, enlightened, but moment they come out of the place where they meditate, one finds that one is back to square one. Things are exactly the same, people still bother you, you get offended often, jealousies and prejudices are very much intact there. Now individuals begin to plan when they can run away to their safe haven. So they are always on a run. Being an escapist seems very romantic. It seems to provide an easy short cut to all problems.

A Way of Life

Meditation is a way of life. It is to be lived. We have a vast reservoir of energy in us, lying unused, untapped. Once we get in touch with this energy, our life changes from just being an ordinary to a divine one. Meditation is being in tune with our inner energy source.
Life throws up many challenges and if we do not have the right tools to face them, then we’ll fail in our task. These are the tools of patience and tolerance. There are scores of people fighting mental problems – suicides are happening in large numbers. You cross the borderline and end up in a psychiatric ward. Remember that in this fast-paced life, we have to live with competitions which are nerve-wrecking. Then there is a bombardment of advertisements on TV, newspapers, magazines and internet which puts a lot of strain on our mind. This explosion creates false desires. This is the century of exhibitionism – people earn to show off, vanity is on constant display. All this leads to immense pressure on the mind, resulting in a sense of insecurity and lack of trust. Relationships and families start breaking apart.
Meditation is an antidote for the many ailments that our mind and body undergoes in this stressful life. The transformation that comes from the regular practice of meditation is gradual but sure. Interestingly, meditation is not about doing something; rather it is about doing nothing. Meditation is experiencing emptiness and enjoying it – though this enjoying is a mind-oriented experience. Both joy and sorrow are experienced by the mind – and anything that is experienced by the mind does not include meditation. Whatever we do, is done through and by our mind. And releasing ourselves from the clutches of our mind is called meditation.

Sharpen your Attention

To meditate, we need to understand two factors: evaluate the intricacies of the mind (how the mind works) and become familiar with awareness. Once we know how a thought is formulated, what triggers thoughts, what are the conditions in which mind is prone to generate thoughts, only then we can take a leap beyond the cobweb of thoughts and experience the ever-flowing bliss. To understand all this, we need to cultivate and nurture attentiveness, alertness, vigilance and have a sharp microscopic vision – as the Buddha said “Sharpen your vision like a bowman sharpens his arrow”.