Practice: Yogi Deep Meditation on Inner Listening
Carl Jung noted: Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside, awakens.
The Katha Upanishads (800-400 BCE) noted: One path leads outward and the other inward. [The] way inward leads to grace.
The Mind Cave Focus instructs us to close our eyes and expand your third-eye space to the back of the skull, then with your eyes still closed focus on the space in front of you. Then go inside!
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (300-200 BCE India) tells us to transform the present moment with your breath (long and even). Being in this condition may bring you a better future.
Buddha noted – To find silence look within. Jesus noted – The kingdom of heaven is within you.
- These preliminaries prepare us to do inner deep listening using our tongue. Mindful yogi ancients believed that the tongue was part of the emotional brain. We will use that principle here. Take a few relaxing breaths; close your eyes; relax your jaw; and, rest your tongue softly on the lower base of the mouth. If you become bothered by inner/outer noise or sensations, you may wish to say SOM (bija mantra – sohm) to yourself.
- Now bring your gentle attention to your heart area. See if you can notice subtle vibrations there.
- Use inner vision to experience who sees the self become the self. Who Am I?
- Using the power of prana, breathe slowly, deeply, calmly. Notice the subtle feeling of unblocking your inner energy as you become your higher self.
- Patanjali notes that you may wish to use a stone or bead in your hand to anchor you to the earth.
- In Pratyahara lead your consciousness inward, and concentrate fully on inner experience. Let go!
- Concentrate even more in your inner listening meditation. Experience oceanic awareness (samadhi).
- Using Kumbhala yoga, breathe in deeply to the count of five. Hold for the count of five, and exhale to the count of six. Notice the subtle change into relaxation of mind, body and spirit. Experience the energy of your mind at peace. Experience the energy of your body at peace. Experience the energy of your spirit at peace. Find that space between the breaths where you know you are at total inner peace.
- Look into your heart chakra, and if you know the symbol for the anahata chakra see it and say YAM to yourself. Be at perfect peace.
- Follow Swami Sa’ Premananda notation: Practice love until you remember that you are love.
- Now just rest in yourself, with yourself, in complete peace and safety.
By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC
From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont
Author of Mindful Happiness
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