This chapter examines what we mean by true relaxation – a state that leads to good health, happiness and increased productivity. Harnessing the energy of your subtle body and acquiring self-knowledge are key to relaxing into your true self and realizing your inner power. This chapter also looks at the traditional yogic beliefs that have influenced the techniques and practices in this book. The exercises at the end of the chapter will start you on your journey of self-discovery by encouraging self-examination, self-awareness and self-acceptance.
‘We have become more intellectual but we have lost our inner wisdom and heart. We have lost our awareness. Whatever we are gaining, we are gaining at the cost of our soul.’
YOGI ASHOKANANDA
Science is considered to be something that is researched, tangible and therefore generally trusted. True relaxation is a science, experienced and described by many ancient and modern-day yogis, saints and sages. It is not just about being able to rest (that is something you do when you sleep), nor is it sitting in front of the television with a stiff drink after a hard day’s work. We associate meditation with relaxation, but there are also other practices that can assist in relaxing the mind and nervous system. Deep relaxation involves the interaction and engagement of body and mind. It frees you from troublesome and fragmented thoughts, memories and emotions so your mind is clear and alert, whole and complete. Relaxation can be a complete therapy which, if used regularly, keeps you in optimal health and allows you to rediscover your stillness, your silence within, your true self and your source of creation.
Many of us are overworked, overstretched and overstimulated. The world holds many threats and dangers – real and imagined – which cause us stress. We are never far from the latest news or the pressures of instant communication, reminders and updates. We are led to believe that we should be constantly setting ourselves goals and chasing exciting new experiences. We become competitive and judgmental, comparing ourselves with others and setting ourselves impossibly high standards. Mass media encourages this trend as people broadcast every event, acquisition, success (and sometimes failure) in their lives in order to attract attention to themselves.
We may fill our spare minutes and hours with recreation, but true relaxation is something we rarely make time for. Some people may even question whether inner peace and quiet are actually worthwhile because, looking from the outside, it appears as if nothing is being achieved. We think we are acting in our children’s best interests by giving them the same busy, activity-filled lives that we ourselves have. We do not allow them the space to become a little bored and explore the world for themselves, and we suffocate their hidden potential by anticipating every need and making them full before they have the chance to be hungry. We overstimulate them and we do the same to ourselves. We create children in our own image rather than holding the space for them to be individuals.
Relaxation, however, is vitally important on so many levels – not only does it benefit your physical, mental and emotional health, but it also reconnects you with the still centre of your being. This is a place where you can live peacefully and happily. An overly busy mind ends up being ineffective, frustrated and stressed. While it is great to accumulate information, to be brimming with ideas and so on, a silent mind can be your most powerful tool for achieving success in the outside world. Once you have slowed down and discovered this place of stillness, you can realize and accept your areas of strength as well as any shortcomings. Having the courage to be who you are makes it much easier to tap into your creative ability and fulfil your potential.
EFFECTS OF RELAXATION ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is the branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for bringing your body back to a state of equilibrium after it has experienced a stressful situation. Purposeful activation of the PNS through relaxation has a number of benefits for the mind and body, including:
slowing the heart rate
lowering blood pressure
slowing down and deepening breathing, so more oxygen reaches the cells of the body
releasing endorphins and serotonin
returning to normal bodily functions that have been inhibited by muscle tension (e.g. digestion, elimination of waste and production of white blood cells)
reducing stress
increasing positive emotions
possibly slowing down the physical and psychological ageing processes through the effects of increased prana – your life force.
Many philosophers have debated the nature of the true self or spirit, but it is generally taken to mean the purest part of you, where you feel accepted, certain, safe and calm, undisturbed by the confusion and demands of the everyday self (the ego). The true self is where your wisdom, compassion and power reside, where you cannot be touched or harmed by negative thoughts and the stresses of daily living. According to Hindu philosophy, in order to achieve salvation or liberation, you must first acquire self-knowledge (atma jnana) – this is the realization that the true self (atman) is identical with the transcendent self or universal reality (Brahman). The Bhagavad Gita vividly conveys the sense of the spirit as being all-powerful, indestructible and eternal: ‘Weapons cannot cut it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it and wind cannot dry it, because it is still, immovable, immortal, absolute and whole.’
People often have glimpses of their true self in times of crisis or at turning points in their lives when they have to make important choices. Dreams and visions are also ways in which our higher self may try to reach us, but unless we are grounded, these imaginings can be mere distractions or fantasies that take us away from the here-and-now of who and what we are and where we really need to be going in life. If we can develop a quality of self-awareness in each moment and fully embrace our true self, we discover an invaluable source of power – a wonderful opportunity to live life to the full, infused with a sense of strength, resilience, optimism, energy, purpose, focus, compassion and creativity.
To have a sense of serenity and be able to experience the positive effects of deep relaxation on your nervous system, you must be master of your thoughts. This does not mean controlling or not controlling them or your state of mind. It is more to do with how present and how conscious of your thoughts and your mind–body connection you are. Every thought produces a reaction in your body, energetically as well as physically, and the response depends on how centred or off-centred you are. Your actions also reflect your thinking. If you can master your thinking and your activity, your experience of life will automatically alter.
It is also essential to ‘surrender’. This means letting go of earthly concerns and illusion, and instead acknowledging that we are part of the universal flow. In other words, we have to surrender our individual self to an impersonal, universal consciousness. Total relaxation or surrender is only possible when the mind transcends everyday thought processes into a blissful state of pure consciousness.
The earliest references to meditative practice, often known by the generic term ‘yoga’, are found in the Upanishads (see page 27). ‘Yoga’ comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, meaning ‘yoke’, as yoga sought to unite or yoke the self (atman) with the universal reality (Brahman). In the West, yoga is mainly used for health and relaxation, and is associated with body postures (asanas), breath control (pranayama), gestures (mudras) and meditation. The form of yoga I teach is a holistic practice that uses all the aforementioned techniques, plus purification rituals, to regulate energy flow (prana) and align energy in the spine with the brain (kundalini). These practices also balance opposing elements and energies, such as fire and water, hot and cold, male and female, positive and negative, and consciousness (purusha) and matter (prakriti), in order to achieve higher consciousness (samadhi).
Sculpture of Shiva – the Adiyogi (originator of yoga) – from the 12th-century Airavateswara temple, Darasuram, Tamil Nadu.
Many people are subject to stress in their everyday lives and the effect of this stress on their body’s organs, immune system, and mental and emotional health are well documented. Fortunately, meditation can provide an effective way to calm the body and the mind.
Scientific research into the benefits of meditation, as well as the evidence provided by my students and my own personal experience, all convince me that the relaxation methods I teach, based on traditional practice, are as effective and relevant today as in ancient times.
I am including here a brief survey of key scientific studies that in recent years have demonstrated the impact of different types of meditation practice on the brain and on our physical and psychological health. (If you’d like to read about the effect that the techniques and practices in this book have had on my students, take a look at their descriptions of their experiences on pages 153–5.)
Back in 1979 mindfulness meditation formed the basis of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s stress-reduction and relaxation programme (at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center), which later became known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Research undertaken from 1995 to 1999 in the UK and Canada by Segal, Teasdale and Williams, and again in 2004 by Teasdale and Ma, found that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) approximately halved the likelihood of a recurrence of acute depression in cases where participants had three of more previous episodes.
The evidence base for mindfulness meditation has been growing in recent years, and in 2010 the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommended MBCT as the treatment of choice for recurrent depression. In 2013 researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona found that mindfulness meditation practice changes gene expression. Molecular analysis showed reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes and faster cortisol (stress hormone) recovery in meditators after participants in the study were subjected to a stress test in which they had to make an impromptu speech or perform mental calculations in front of an audience.
A 2012 review of 163 studies published by the American Psychological Association concluded that Transcendental Meditation® (TM) had reduced stress and anxiety in those who practised it. Research published in the American Heart Association Journal in 2012 also showed the physiological benefits of this practice, such as a lowering of high blood pressure and a reduced risk of heart attack, stroke and death from other causes. Research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2006 has even shown that TM can help to balance glucose and insulin in the blood, which can be useful in treating diabetes.
Barbara Frederikson, Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina, has researched the effects of ‘loving-kindness’ meditation (LKM), an ancient Buddhist practice that focuses on feelings of compassion and kindness. Papers published by Frederikson in 2008 and 2013 describe how LKM produces increased positive emotions and perceived social connections, reduces depression and improves physical health in meditators.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), a technique for measuring brain activity, was used in 2011 in a study at Yale University, led by Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Judson A Brewer. The research found that people who practise meditation regularly are able to ‘switch off’ areas of the brain associated with daydreaming and anxiety, as well as attention deficit disorder and other psychiatric disorders, and showed that the default mode of experienced meditators was centred on the present moment rather than on troublesome thoughts. Researchers also noted increased levels of happiness.
Research published in 2013 at the University of California, San Francisco, indicated the possible anti-ageing effects of meditation, finding that the enzyme that regulates biological ageing (telomerase) increased by 40 per cent in meditators in the study. Genetic evidence of increased levels of wellbeing and reduced levels of stress in meditators was also found.
Tantra is an authentic Indian system that covers all practices, rituals, meditations and aspects of life. Tantric techniques are relevant to the practices I teach because they engage not only the mind but also the physical body, making it easier to experience a deeper state of meditation.
The most ancient Tantric text is the Shiva Sutras, which takes the form of a conversation between the god Shiva and the goddess Shakti and includes descriptions of chakras, yogic practice and meditation. In the West, we generally associate Tantra with sex due to its assertion that sexual energy can be harnessed to achieve unity with the Divine, but it involves so much more than that.
Tantra is a powerful symbol of the unity of male and female, yin and yang, negative and positive, sun and moon, nature and spirit, mind and body, tangible and non-tangible. Western society constantly separates, classifies and labels things. The body is viewed as an object rather than as part of us or our place of existence. When you are out of synch with certain aspects of yourself, your body tends to hold on to tension. Tantra has an important role here. It allows you to be comfortable with and unite the different aspects of yourself, the material and the spiritual, the male and the female. The aim of Tantra is to become more aware of your own patterns of behaviour and to unite and be comfortable with the different sides of your nature, such as material and spiritual, male and female. Tantra helps you to function well, to have better self-awareness and to exist in harmony with yourself and everything around you.
Many people meditate at an intellectual level, but the forms of meditation I teach start in the body, not in the head. To discover your inner and outer self you must be grounded and integrated, bringing the lower three chakras (see page 31), representing rootedness, sexuality and self-confidence, into balance with the upper three chakras (see page 32), representing communication, creativity and intuition, at the place where they meet – the heart chakra, seat of the emotions.
SHIVA, SHAKTI AND THE SRI YANTRA SYMBOL
The earliest understanding of Tantra came from the example of the Indian gods Shiva and Shakti. Their unity is a source of creation and a symbol of the way of life known as Tantra, which offers you the possibility of understanding and accepting existence in all its forms. Shiva, the male principle, represents spirituality while Shakti, his female counterpart, represents materialism. Shiva stands for God and Shakti for creation. God exists in creation and creation exists in God – the two elements co-exist and this is the teaching and system of Tantra. This Tantric worldview is embodied visually in the Sri Yantra, a symbol found in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, which represents the eternal creative principle of the universe and the union of Shiva and Shakti, male and female.
A 20th-century Sri Yantra from Kerala, representing the Tantric union of male and female. The upward-pointing triangles stand for Shiva; those pointing downward symbolize Shakti.
While the practices I teach remain more than ever relevant in the 21st century, they are all grounded in traditional Indian philosophy. Below is a brief summary of some of the concepts behind the practices.
In the ancient school of Indian philosophy known as Samkhya, which is based on the Upanishads, the self is seen as comprising three parts: (1) the physical body; (2) the worldly self, which includes the inner processing of thoughts, feelings and experiences; and (3) a pure, timeless consciousness known as atman, which is seen to be identical with universal, absolute truth or Brahman.
There are two basic approaches to duality in Western philosophy. In the first, philosophers hold that the non-physical self (the mind) is separate from the body although the mind and body interact; the mind determines our thoughts and emotions but is not considered the same as the living brain. In the second, only material things are thought to exist and the mind is therefore simply the brain’s activity.
Samkhya argues for duality between purusha (pure consciousness) and prakriti (matter), with the mind as a refined form of matter. Whereas duality in Western philosophy is between the mind and body, duality in Samkhya is between the soul and matter. Purusha is the eternal, authentic self. All experiences and animate and inanimate objects are emanations of prakriti, which is made up of three strands (gunas): (1) activity (rajas); (2) inactivity (tamas); and (3) harmony (sattva). Due to ignorance, purusha tends to identify with emanations of prakriti such as the ego and the intellect, and this results in suffering. Liberation can only occur when purusha realizes that it is distinct from prakriti.
The practices in this book come from a tradition described many hundreds of years ago in these sacred Indian texts:
The Vedas are the oldest Hindu scriptures, dating back to the second and first millennia bce. There are four collections – the Rig-Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda – containing hymns, incantations, rituals and metaphysical texts. The Gayatri Mantra (see pages 113–15) is based on a verse from the Rig-Veda.
The Upanishads are a series of Indian philosophical texts composed 1200–500 bce, intended to be read by sages trained in meditation. They are mainly concerned with the nature of the self and teach that to understand the self is to understand everything in the universe, the single absolute reality or Brahman.
The Bhaghavad Gita is a scripture consisting of 700 verses, which forms part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Scholars place its date of composition between the fifth and the second centuries bce. As well as devotional elements, it presents important concepts relating to dharma (see page 28), absolute truth and duality.
The Yoga Sutras are attributed to Patanjali in the second century bce and comprise techniques to promote mental calmness and concentration. The eight limbs or steps of yoga include: (1) restraint (yama) – for example, non-violence, abstinence; (2) personal observances (niyama) – for example, cleanliness of mind and body; (3) postures (asanas); (4) breath control (pranayama); (5) withdrawal of attention from the senses (pratyahara); (6) concentrating on an object (dharana); (7) meditating on an object (dhyana); (8) reaching a state of oneness with the object or higher consciousness (samadhi).
A page from an 18th-century manuscript of the Mahabharata, showing Guru Ram Das teaching the Vedas to the Maratha king Shivaji (ruled 1674–80).
In order to be released from the limitations of the physical, the self must appreciate its own pure spiritual nature. This can be done through yogic practice.
We are only able to identify objects because our senses feed us information about them. But our senses often deceive us, so our knowledge of the world is an illusion (maya). When any object is reduced to its smallest, invisible components, it is without individuality because these components are identical – this is the absolute, universal reality. Brahman cannot be known through the senses. The only way it can be grasped is by knowing our inner self (atman).
As the self is linked to the absolute, universal reality, it exists beyond the physical body and is timeless. Hindus believe in the idea of reincarnation – that when we die we are reborn (not necessarily in human form) and that this cycle of death and rebirth continues until the person has attained salvation. The circumstances of our future lives are determined according to our actions (karma) in this life – good thoughts and deeds have good effects on the next life, but bad thoughts and deeds have harmful effects. Energy and unused emotions from previous lives are stored as samskaras (see page 33) at the navel. The only way to escape the endless cycle of lives and suffering is through knowledge of atman and therefore Brahman. At this moment of transcendence, every molecule of your manifestation is freed from the memories of your karma and you are filled with the light of your awareness.
It is difficult to translate the word ‘dharma’. On a macrocosmic (universal) level it refers to cosmic order – that is, things are as they should be. Dharma is preserved by individuals living their lives in an appropriate way – through sacrifice and by doing their best to maintain optimal status quo in the social hierarchy. People also need to maintain dharma in a microcosmic (individual) way – by performing their individual dharma duty in relation to laws, customs, morals, and truth to themselves and their self-religion (swadharma).
According to yogic theory, humans have a subtle, energetic body as well as a physical form. Though anatomically different, the subtle and physical bodies are related and their balance and interplay are vital for wellbeing. Yogic practices such as asanas, pranayama, mudras, the chanting of mantras and meditating on the chakras are all used to control energy flow and equilibrium.
The concept of a universal life-force or energy is common to a number of cultures. The yogic term for this is prana (it is called chi in China and ki in Japan). Prana is all around us and is carried by the breath into the body where it circulates in channels known as nadis. Prana sustains all life forms so when the flow is obstructed, our health and vitality are adversely affected. The balance of prana in our body depends on many things including our diet and our lifestyle, our past actions and our current state of mind.
There are two main types of prana: prana (a sub-type with the same name), which circulates in the upper half of the body and is active when you breathe in; and apana, which flows downward and is responsible for elimination. For the body to function optimally, prana and apana must be balanced.
Prana is said to flow through the body in 72,000 channels known as nadis. The central and most important nadi is sushumna, which follows the path of the spinal cord from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Two other important nadis are the ida and the pingala, which spiral around sushumna like a double helix and exit at the nostrils (ida on the left and pingala on the right). Ida is associated with female, cool, moon energy and a relaxed state, whereas pingala is associated with male, hot, sun energy and an alert state.
Kundalini energy – a powerful type of female energy – is said to lie dormant and coiled like a serpent around the base of sushumna. When kundalini is woken by yogic practice it rises, and as it passes each chakra, a different state of consciousness is reached. Along its journey, kundalini may be slowed down by granthis or knots, which prevent kundalini from rising too fast and causing physical or mental distress. When kundalini reaches its final destination at the crown chakra, the state of pure consciousness (samadhi) is realized.
Chakras are energy centres located along the mid-line of the body. The word ‘chakra’ means ‘wheel’ in Sanskrit, and prana that passes the chakras is spun in a circular motion. Each chakra has its own characteristics and is associated with a particular element (fire, water, earth, air, ether) as well as with different senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, hearing, intuition), and specific organs, systems and functions of the body. Each chakra is depicted as a lotus flower with a particular colour and number of petals; and each chakra, and even each petal of each chakra, is also associated with a special sound.
The seven major chakras are positioned along the spine of the physical body. This is the same line taken by the sushumna nadi, the central energy channel around which the ida and pingala nadis spiral.
The root or base chakra lies below the tailbone and is where kundalini energy lies dormant. It represents the earth element and governs gravity and steadiness in the area from your knees to your feet. If your base chakra is not operating properly, you experience mood swings, insecurity and a lack of groundedness; your sense of smell is also affected and you may experience constipation (mentally as well as physically) and have a sense of heaviness in your body. In addition, because this chakra is a manifestation of individual consciousness, you lose the sense of self.
The sacral or second chakra is located near the sexual organs. It represents the water element and governs the area from your knees up to your belly button. This chakra controls sex, reproduction, all activities done with your hands, your sense of taste and the activity of your body fluids. The sacral chakra is also related to creativity, the quality of your existence and your self. Any imbalance here affects your taste and your sexuality and may be related to psychological fantasy, jealousy and envy.
The solar plexus or third chakra is situated in the navel area. It is influenced by the fire element and governs the area from your belly button up to your heart. It is responsible for digestion and excretion, your sight, knowledge, vigour (ojas), anger, how quickly you process and assimilate information, self-worth and self-confidence. According to yogic tradition the belly button is the centre of the body’s power – the body is said to be like an earthenware pot baked by the fire of the belly. When the solar plexus chakra is balanced, the navel centre is strong and therefore the body is healthy.
The heart or fourth chakra is situated in the centre of the chest. In the Vedic tradition the heart area is known as the knot of tenderness (vishnu granthi). The heart chakra is influenced by the air element and governs the area from your heart up to your third eye (the eyebrow centre). It is where you connect your physical and emotional self with your spiritual side. It controls your heart and lungs, touch and sensuality, your relationships and attachments, likes and dislikes and your sense of joy, peace and harmony. When the heart chakra is open, you can experience true love.
The throat or fifth chakra is situated in the neck. It is influenced by the space (ether) element and governs the area from your third eye to the tenth gate (brahma randhra) (see page 120), where your brain divides into two halves. It is responsible for intelligence and logic, your personality, the ability to respond verbally, control over your hearing and acknowledging what you hear, and also your sense of balance. This chakra is particularly responsive to primordial sound and the chanting of mantras (see Chapter 4).
The third eye or sixth chakra is located between the eyebrows. It represents the essence of the energy of all the other chakras, including their associated elements and qualities. Here lies the seat of your ego, the place where your intellect, intuition and judgment connect. Through the third eye you are able to begin to sense your higher consciousness and connection with the universe.
The crown or seventh chakra is situated at the top of the head and it is here that total awareness is achieved. Your energy and the essence of all five elements representing illusion and matter in your body are transformed as they pass through the chakras to the third eye, and meet in the crown chakra. After balancing all the chakras and the elements, and raising kundalini to this point, you are able to reach into your highest consciousness and meet your absolute truth. This is the unity of Shiva and Shakti, purusha and prakriti, matter and spirit – you are at one with the universe.
The cells in our body hold the memory of our experiences. Such imprints are known in the Hindu tradition as samskaras, the energetic residue of our emotional scars, and are said to be the root cause of our current emotional and physical state.
The third eye (between the eyebrows) connects via the central nervous system with the samskaras that we accumulate in our current lifetime. These are held in every cell of our body. The navel holds the samskaras from previous lives and when stimulated it acts like the mouth of a volcano from which all the samskaras (including those from this life) can explode and be released.
If samskaras are not released, they can condition negative patterns of thought and behaviour, sap energy, making us feel lethargic and depressed, and cause long-term dis-ease. For example, when we habitually hold tension within the body, the endocrine system (see pages 34–5) is forced into permanent over-activity in order to cope, which long-term can lead to ill-health.
The forms of meditation that I teach are particularly effective as they distribute the life force (prana) to create balance in the mind and body, and release samskaras. The bringing to a peak and release of a stored memory by the activation of energy flow is usually accompanied by a physical reaction, such as crying, as well as a mental realization. After release, the body and mind are connected and are able to truly relax.
It is not that we have to erase memories in order to rid ourselves of negativity – that is not part of my philosophy. Rather, it is possible to change the memories held in our mind and body and shift our perception, so that our reaction to something we once found traumatic is totally transformed.
The endocrine system exerts influence over the whole body by means of hormone-producing glands. Hormones are essential for the body’s functioning as they regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function and mood.
Through each major chakra a different part of the physical body’s endocrine system may be controlled.
The relaxation techniques in this book are especially powerful because they send energy directly to the areas where these important glands are situated. As each of the chakras corresponds to a principal gland (outlined below), it could be said that the physical strength and ability within our body is the manifestation of our subtle energy combined with the activation and/or pacifying effect of hormones.
The pineal gland at the crown chakra is sometimes known as the master gland as it influences all the other glands. It is also involved in the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for our sleeping and waking patterns. In Indian tradition the pineal gland is said to be responsible for consciousness, psychic ability and feelings of connectedness.
The pituitary gland is involved with regulating the concentration of other hormones, blood pressure and growth. It also releases endorphins that reduce our perception of pain and stress. It is associated with the third eye chakra and is thereby energetically connected with memory, concentration, intelligence and thought.
The thyroid gland is positioned in the throat chakra and is responsible for cell metabolism and growth. Looking toward the third eye with both your eyes while lifting your chin is a quick way of stimulating the thyroid and making you feel more confident.
The thymus gland governs circulation and the immune system. It corresponds to the heart chakra, which is associated with emotional pain and joy. The mudra of opening the arms in surrender is said to stimulate the thymus gland, thereby improving circulation and producing a positive psychological effect.
The adrenal glands are situated near the kidneys and behind the solar plexus chakra. They support the kidneys (hence elimination and ‘letting go’) but are chiefly responsible for releasing hormones in response to stress. Energetically, this is the area of the body for drive and strong intentions; our intuition is also connected here.
The reproductive glands control sexual and reproductive functions in men and women and are positioned in the area of the sacral and root chakras. They are influenced by the pituitary gland.
Swadhyana, meaning ‘self-study’, is a meditation from the Vedas. In traditional Hatha yoga it is known as trataka, but trataka is a substitute for this more ancient meditation. The literature describes how every morning Sri Krishna (the supreme Hindu god) meditated upon himself in swadhyana. Despite the manifestation of his energy into good and bad, light and dark, he remained in his centre.
And so it is with us today – by meditating upon ourselves, we can stay within our centre and our power. The exercises on pages 37–45 will help you to do this.
People often become obsessed with how they look – they change their appearance and adopt mannerisms that they think will make themselves seem more confident or charismatic. They assume that these things will bring them acknowledgment, care, love, acceptance and power. But neither your face value – the identity you see in the mirror – nor your self-criticism is real. They hold no meaning when you are inside your inner self. Matter is constantly changing its strength but your inner power is permanent. Inner power gives you the ability to observe change, accept it and experience life to the full.
Your mind is so active, you may find it difficult to simply meditate on your inner being or direct all your energy to your centre. In this first exercise, Face Gazing, meditating on the face connects you back to yourself.
LEVEL: ORANGE
The eyes are a gateway to the spirit. Gazing at your face in a mirror (known as face trataka) enables you to focus your energy to your centre and to quieten an over-active mind. This exercise will demonstrate that what you see through your eyes is not the reality – the reality is inside you. Your inner being holds the power. Everything that your senses and your mind perceive has to go back to your centre. Power is not in the object – power is inside you.
Whatever mirror you choose, make sure you only use it for this practice and not for anything else. Also, you may want to use a cushion at the end of the exercise; have one to hand if so. Before commencing, take a mouthful of cold water and hold it without swallowing while you splash your face five to seven times under a running tap. This will relax your muscles and allow prana to flow into your face. After splashing your face, stand upright and swallow the mouthful of water.
1 Sit comfortably on the floor or on a chair. Place a mirror at face height in front of you. This is your altar, where you will fall in love with yourself. Close your eyes and relax the energy of your face and your eye muscles. Relax your respiratory system and breathe normally and spontaneously. Become free from looking forward to the meditation and the idea of the meditation. Totally be with your physical body. There are only three things here: total stillness in your body, completely relaxed natural breath and your alertness. Stay with this for a few minutes.
2 Gently open your eyes. They are soft as you look at your reflection. Take in your whole face, not just a part of it. It is okay to start by looking into your eyes but make sure you widen your gaze to your whole face. Whichever way you begin this practice – either by first gazing at your eyes or first gazing at your whole face – stay with this whenever you practise and don’t chop and change from one day to the next.
3 You are looking at your face as an object, gracefully, without any judgment or criticism, without liking or disliking it, without self-gratification, without calculating your self-worth, without thinking about how you appear. You are looking in such a way that it is almost as if you are stroking your face with your gaze. Simply watch the process of looking. Look in the mirror at your whole face, all in one go, with gentle eyes and without any aggression. Look for as long as you can without blinking or closing your eyes.
4 If your face starts to look blurred or appears to change shape, or if you feel disorientated, or you start seeing different people in your face, know that these are your own psychological manifestations, your own thoughts, the manifestation of the blueprint around your soul and your samskaras. Perhaps you see your spirit emerging slowly, ever so slowly, in a pure form. Do not pass any judgment on what you see and do not make any choices of liking or disliking.
5 Continue gazing at your face until it has become blurred, or you no longer identify with its features, or it disappears from your consciousness, or your eyes simply get tired. Just let your eyes close and feel the energy behind them. The flow of energy is no longer going to the outside. Just stay with this energy and its stillness.
6 With your eyes closed, meditate on the energy behind them. Focus your attention here, creating a sense of stillness with no movement of your facial muscles. If your eyes and eye socket muscles are relaxed, your face energy is relaxed. You are at ease, you are with yourself. You experience the power of seeing as if you never had eyes yet you still have the ability to see. You can see your energy, your face … you can still see everything, but without your eyes being open.
7 There will come a point where the lightness, clarity and softness in your face will slowly sink down into your heart. The deeper it gets, the more your heart chakra will expand.
8 After doing this exercise for 15 minutes, notice how you now feel the same energy as you did when your eyes were open. This is because you are aligning your physical body with your subtle body. They have the same face.
9 When you feel ready, move into a comfortable seated position on the floor (if you are not already sitting on the floor). Gently lean forward and lower your head to the floor (or rest it on a cushion). Rest in this position for 1–2 minutes (unless you have some medical condition which prevents you from doing so, in which case remain upright). This is a wonderful restorative pose.
LEVEL: ORANGE
This exercise affects the flow of energy in your navel area, developing your confidence and creativity. It releases locked thoughts and emotions that are stuck in the vortex of your subconscious mind, brings prana to your face muscles and awakens the purpose in your life or your incarnation (avatar) in your present form. You bring prana into your body through the breath, but you cannot inhale properly until you have developed proper exhalation. Here, correct breathing harnesses the hidden strength in your belly – your internal awareness, your inner power – and brings it to your face. This exercise should be done on an empty stomach.
1 Sit comfortably on the floor or on a chair. Keep your spine upright with your chin slightly raised to maintain the alignment of your spine. Place your palms over your knees. Close your eyes and bring awareness to the front and left and right sides of your brain.
2 Inhale and exhale through your nose, keeping your jaws together but without clenching them. Throughout this practice only bring physical emphasis to the exhalation. As you breathe in, connect your breath to your brain and feel your nostrils connecting to both frontal lobes. Feel your breath connecting to your navel area.
3 Exhale suddenly, squeezing the breath from your abdomen/belly button, while at the same time clenching your facial muscles so they squeeze your third eye. By squeezing your abdomen you are stimulating excretion; by squeezing your facial muscles you are engaging the pituitary and pineal glands, thereby cleansing your endocrine system and fine-tuning the balance of hormones in your body.
4 Release your facial muscles and inhale, relaxing your face and feeling the breath going into your brain. Exhale as before. Continue this exercise for 30–40 squeezes. Repeat three times.
5 When you have finished, relax and simply observe the right and left sides of your brain, your navel and your sense of peace.
LEVEL: YELLOW
This meditation is good to do immediately after Face Gazing. You will find that it relaxes your whole nervous system as well as the muscles of your face and body. Using your breath, you are making your mind aware of your body and the inner space you live in, and transporting the energy of your highest existence to your lowest – you exist not only in your head but in your whole body. By engaging and connecting your third eye with your crown chakra using the breath, you are untying the knot of your karma and stimulating your creativity, bringing all your hidden powers, desires and abilities to the surface of your conscious mind.
1 Sit comfortably on the floor or on a chair. Close your eyes and keep them closed throughout the exercise. As you inhale and exhale, feel the subtlety of your breath flowing in and out and around your body. Place your attention on your third eye and feel your breath moving from your third eye to the top of your head, your crown chakra, as if the top has been sliced off – it may feel like you have a halo sitting there.
2 As you exhale, maintain physical energy at the top of your head – the highest part of your existence – but flush the rain of energy from this place down into the rest of your body, covering every internal and external part of it.
3 Repeat the process and stay with this exercise for around 15–20 minutes.
Light has varied and potent effects on the brain’s receptors and the body’s biological processes, including our sleep–waking cycle, digestion and mood. It can be incredibly healing to engage with the presence of light or even to visualize light, if you are feeling lost and disconnected from life, from yourself and from your source of power. Light reminds us of the sun, the source of all life, and gives us a feeling of lightness and brightness in the mind and body. Light also gives us a sense of optimism and even glory (Jesus, for example, is described as the ‘Light of the World’). Light reminds us that we have a light within that can provide spiritual sustenance, just as in the material world the light of the sun allows the crops that feed us physically to grow.
As the light of the sun provides us with our material sustenance, so our inner light nourishes us spiritually. Sunset in Madhya Pradesh (photograph by Yogi Ashokananda).
LEVEL: ORANGE
In the following meditation you use your breath to instil a sense of the powerful light inside you – your breath is the light – and to lessen the dark, heavy energy of a stressed mind and body. You can practise this whenever you like but it is particularly effective if you live in a country that gets little sunlight in the winter months.
1 Sit comfortably on the floor or on a chair. Close your eyes and keep them closed throughout the meditation. Breathe gently in and out through your nose. If you feel you need to release trapped energy or let go, take one full inhalation and exhale with a sigh from your mouth, then close your mouth and continue breathing in and out through your nose.
2 Stay as still as possible. Feel your body – you are not separate from it, you are your body. Take your whole awareness to your solar plexus or any part that you feel most connected to. Allow your senses to withdraw from the environment around you and bring them into the inner realms of your body.
3 As you connect with a point on your body, you will find that it pulsates. With each inhalation stay with the pulsation and really feel it. As you exhale, feel the light (your breath) expanding into the shape of your body. Inhaling to this same pulsation point each time and then exhaling will fill your body with warmth and radiance. Keep this image of your breath as light within the confines of your body.
4 Continue for 20 minutes, keeping a relaxed sense of the light spreading within your body as you breathe in and shrinking as you exhale. Don’t try to force the images – merely allow them to be there.
5 When you have completed your meditation, take a deep breath in, gently move your fingers, toes and hands, stretch your body with a yawn and, when you feel ready, open your eyes.
LEVEL: BLUE
Light Gazing (light trataka) is a more modern practice than the face trataka (see pages 37–9). Using an oil lamp as a focus helps you to develop concentration and allows your outer senses to take in the light you see and feed it back to your mind and body. (Make sure the lamp is positioned safely!) Do this exercise if you want to improve your focus and determination.
1 Sit comfortably on the floor or on a chair. Place your lamp at eye level, 24 finger spaces away, so you can just see the inside of the flame but not the lamp. Gaze gently at the flame, allowing your eyes to move around it but not away from it. Keep your facial and eye muscles soft.
2 Allow yourself to be totally in the experience of what you are doing – with your body, your face and your eyes. Continue for 20 minutes at first, increasing the time as you build up stamina through repeated practice.
