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The Basics of Meditation

O aspirants! Struggle hard. Make sincere efforts. Meditate regularly and systematically. Never miss a day in meditation. There will be a great loss if you lose even a day.

No more words! Enough of discussions and heated debates. Retire into a solitary room. Close your eyes. Have deep silent meditation. Destroy the imaginations, thoughts, whims, fancies and desires when they arise from beneath the surface of the mind. Withdraw the wandering mind and fix it on the Supreme. Now meditation will become deep and intense. Do not open your eyes. Do not stir from the seat. Dire deep into the recesses of the heart. Enjoy the silence now.

—Swami Sivananda
Concentration and Meditation

Much has been said and written about meditation, yet it takes years to understand its nature. It cannot be taught, just as sleep cannot be taught. One may have a king-sized posturepedic mattress, an air-conditioned room, and the absence of all disturbances, but sleep may not come. Sleep itself is not in anyone’s hands. One falls into it. In the same way, meditation comes by itself. To still the mind and enter into the silence requires daily practice. Yet there are certain steps that can be taken to establish a foundation and insure success.

Before beginning, have a proper environment and attitude. Your place of meditation, schedule, physical health, and mental state should all reflect a readiness to turn inward. Many difficult obstacles are removed by creating a setting which is conducive to meditation.

Guide to Meditation

The following are practical points regarding the basic techniques and stages of meditation. They are primarily intended for the beginner, although even the most experienced meditator will find a review of them useful.

1. Regularity of time, place and practice are the most important. Regularity conditions the mind to slow down its activities with a minimum of delay. It is difficult to focus the mind, which wants to jump about as soon as you sit for concentration. Just as a conditioned reflex is a response to established external stimuli, so the mind will settle down more quickly when time and place are established.
2. The most effective times are dawn and dusk, when the atmosphere is charged with special spiritual force. The preferred time is brahmamuhurta, the hours between four and six a.m. In these quiet hours after sleep, the mind is clear and unruffled by activities of the day. Refreshed and free of worldly concerns, it can be molded more easily; concentration will come without effort. If it is not feasible to sit for meditation at this time, choose an hour when you are not involved with daily activities and the mind is apt to be calm. Regularity is the most important consideration.
3. Try to have a separate room for meditation. If this is impossible, screen off a portion of a room; do not allow others to enter it. The area should be used only for meditation, and should be kept free from other vibrations and associations. Incense should be burned morning and evening. The focal point of room should be a picture or image of the chosen deity or inspirational figure, with the meditation mat placed before it. As meditation is repeated, the powerful vibrations set up will be lodged in the room. In six months the peace and purity of the atmosphere will be felt; it will have a magnetic aura. In times of stress you can sit in the room, do repetition of Mantra for half an hour, and experience comfort and relief.
4. When sitting, face north or east in order to take advantage of favorable magnetic vibrations. Sit in a comfortable steady posture, with spine and neck held erect but not tense. This helps to steady the mind and encourages concentration. The psychic current must be able to travel unimpeded from the base of the spine to the top of the head. It is not necessary to place the legs in padmasana, the classic lotus posture. Any comfortable cross-legged posture provides a firm base for the body. It makes a triangular path for the flow of energy, which must be contained rather than dispersed in all directions. Metabolism, brain waves and breathing will slow down as concentration deepens.
5. Before beginning, command the mind to be quiet for a specific length of time. Forget the past, present and future.
6. Consciously, regulate the breath. Begin with five minutes of deep abdominal breathing to bring oxygen to the brain. Then slow it to an imperceptible rate.
7. Keep the breathing rhythmic. Inhale for three seconds and exhale for three seconds. Regulation of breath also regulates the flow of prana, the vital energy. If a Mantra is being used, it should be coordinated with the breathing.
8. Allow the mind to wander at first. It will jump around, but will eventually become concentrated, along with the concentration of prana.
9. Do not force the mind to be still. This would set into motion additional brain waves, hindering meditation. If the mind persists in wandering, simply disassociate from it, and watch it, objectively, as though you were watching a movie. It will gradually slow down.
10. Select a focal point on which the mind may rest. For those who are predominantly intellectual, the object of focus should be visualised in the space between the eyebrows. For those who are more emotional, it should be visualised in the heart plexus. Never change this focal point.
11. Focus on a neutral or uplifting object or symbol, holding the image to the place of concentration. If using a Mantra, repeat it mentally, and coordinate the repetition with the breathing. If you do not have a personal Mantra, OM may be used. Those who prefer a personalised deity may refer to the chapter on Mantras. Although mental repetition is stronger, the Mantra may be repeated aloud if one becomes drowsy. Never change the Mantra.
12. Repetition will lead to pure thought, in which sound vibration merges with thought vibration, and there is no awareness of meaning. Vocal repetition progresses through mental repetition to telepathic language, and from there to pure thought. This is a subtle state of transcendental bliss with duality, where there remains awareness of subject and object.
13. With practice, duality disappears and samadhi, the superconscious state, is reached. Do not become impatient, as this takes a long time.
14. In samadhi one rests in a state of bliss in which the Knower, Knowledge and Known become One. This is the superconscious state reached by mystics of all faiths and persuasions.
15. Begin the practice of meditation with twenty-minute periods and increase to one hour. If the body is overcome by jerking or tremors control them and keep the energy internalised.

Health for Meditation

A healthy body is essential to the development of one’s full potential. If the physical machinery is not in optimum condition, it will not be a fit instrument for daily work, meditation, and service to others. Some think a yogi should be emaciated in the name of self-discipline. But in fact, excessive physical austerities indicate an over-concern with body. Others believe that those on the spiritual path need not concern themselves with matters of the body as their energies are directed toward loftier things. These are extreme points of view. In Yoga, it is important to keep a balance in life. Moderation in all things is recommended.

Proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet, and positive thinking are the requisite attendants of meditation. In order to remove distractions from the mind, a healthy body and psyche are necessary. When there are disturbances of a physical or emotional nature, meditation is not possible.

Proper exercise is not muscle building, nor is it a short set of strenuous calisthenics for the purpose of reducing one portion of the body which has taken on extra weight due to poor living habits. The entire physical system, internal and external, should be kept in tune. This is the purpose of Yoga exercises, or asanas, which involve systematically stretching muscles rather than contracting them. The effect is to tone the body, release tension, and insure excellent circulation, digestion, assimilation and elimination. The body is kept supple; at the same time concentration and serenity are developed.

Yogic breathing is called pranayama, which actually means control of the vital energy. You can live without food, water, sunlight, and sleep for fairly extended periods of time, but the body cannot survive without oxygen beyond several minutes. Prana, the vital force, makes the difference between life and death. Its primary source is the breath. The quality and quantity of air,and the timing of the breath have a direct effect upon the brain and its function. This is an area which Western scientists are just beginning to investigate. There are certain pranayamas or breathing exercises that increase the amount of energy in the body, cleanse the lungs, reduce the amount of sleep needed, calm the nerves, still the mind, heat or cool the physical system and even help raise the kundalini, or spiritual energies of the body.

Proper relaxation is also needed to maintain mental, spiritual, and physical health. Yogic asanas and pranayama include special techniques for relaxation. These techniques also emphasise the conservation and efficient use of the energies contained in the body. Many think that relaxation involves leaving home or some exotic place where the mind and body are ceaselessly pumped with stimulants and depressants and a full range of other damaging delights. It is no wonder one hears so often ‘I just couldn’t wait to get home from my vacation so I could relax!’ True relaxation comes from removing the stimuli—visual edible and otherwise—and tuning into the inner awareness.

Like a piece of sturdy machinery, our physical and mental bodies can take quite a bit of abuse before giving signs of protest. Unfortunately it has become a practice to ignore the basic rules of health. We think that a pill which relieves symptoms will actually bring about well-being. Quite the opposite is true. Pain in the body is a warning, like a red light on the instrument panel of a car. Taking this or that compound of chemicals to remove the symptoms is the same as taking a hammer and breaking the red light. It does nothing to solve the problem, and in fact may make it worse, while only giving the appearance of helping. Many of the chemicals ingested are not useful to the body, cannot be eliminated, and are therefore stored. These medicines accumulate, along with the food additives that are eaten in such abundance (on the average of 25 pounds per person, per year). They combine with each other to literally poison the system, although the effects may not be felt for many years.

We are just beginning to be aware of the collection of illnesses that are partner to a technologically advanced society. While this is not to say that there is no need for modern medicine, too often doctors are considered to have some form of absolute knowledge. Many people substitute frequent visits to the local GP, specialist, or psychologist for living a healthy life. Most of the diseases of the mind and body can be eliminated by following the five basic points.

1) Proper exercise, 2) proper breathing, and 3) proper relaxation all come under the realm of Hatha Yoga, and are covered extensively in my first book, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. We will now take a closer look at the other two points, 4) proper diet and 5) positive thinking and meditation.

A Peaceful Diet

What is consumed by the human body correlates directly to the efficiency with which the brain functions. Recent studies show that certain red food coloring creates hyperactivity in children, and that refined sugar can cause emotional instability. These are just two examples of substances that are often heedlessly consumed without understanding their effect on the body and mind. A person who meditates regularly must be particularly aware of these substances, for even on a day-by-day basis, diet affects the quality of meditation.

The optimum diet for a meditator is a simple one. This is not to say that meals should not be appetising, but there should be an absence of those foods which negatively affect the mind. Hot and pungent spices, garlic, onions, salt, coffee, black tea, and meat agitate the mind, and hence control of the thoughts becomes difficult. Then there are those foods which dull the mind, rendering a state of sleepiness instead of concentration. These include all pre-cooked and overripe foods, as well as the obvious, alcohol. Marijuana and cigarettes, though not taken as foods, also fit into this category.

Of course the above items are on most people’s list of favorite indulgences. It is not expected that every person will make an immediate radical change in diet, but those who are sincerely interested in meditation may begin by phasing out meat and cigarettes. (Asanas/Pranayama will make this much easier.) Many detrimental habits will fall away of themselves simply due to the change of consciousness that occurs in meditation. Start by shopping and cooking with a greater degree of awareness. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid additives, processed foods, and canned goods wherever possible. Buy a few good books on nutrition and vegetarian diet. Within a few months a great change will take place.

Several years ago vegetarianism was, in a sense, an underground practice. A person who refrained from eating meat was viewed with a certain amount of curiosity, if not suspicion. Today it is quite a different story. Health food stores and vegetarian restaurants are prevalent. There is a growing awareness that our health is directly affected by what we eat. Many diseases can be cured by a change in diet or a short period of fasting, with no medications at all. This is true not only of physical disorders, but of many mental difficulties as well. It is particularly important that pregnant women have this awareness; too often they do not realise the effect of their diet on the developing foetus.

Contrary to the popular concept, vegetarians do get enough protein. It is meat-eaters who take in an excess of protein. Animal protein contains a high concentration of uric acid, which is a nitrogen compound similar to ammonia. It is not water soluble and cannot be broken down by the liver. Thus, though a certain amount is eliminated, the greater portion of uric acid is deposited in the joints. The result is often arthritis.

Hardening of the arteries and heart disease are two of the most common maladies in the West, where the greatest amount of meat is consumed. The culprit is cholesterol, which cannot be eliminated from the body. It forms fatty deposits along the walls of the heart and arteries, gradually thickening until they are clogged and inflexible. Some think that merely switching from butter to margarine will solve the problem, but in fact any oil that has been hydrogenated is equally as harmful. The major source of cholesterol, however, does not come from occasional butter on your toast in the morning but from the hundreds of pounds of meat and its fats that most people consume each year.

Of all most common infirmities, the one that strikes fear into most hearts is cancer. Many substances have been found to create cancer in animals, but results of most studies seem to indicate that the amount consumed by the average person is insufficient. What is not revealed is that the accumulation of these poisons over a period of years does create cancer.

Innumerable chemicals are fed and injected into animals; these increase weight to yield more money per animal. Nitrites, food coloring, artificial hormones, and even arsenic are among the chemicals contained in animal flesh by the time it goes on the supermarket shelf. These, plus the many other additives consumed by members of an industrialised society, collect in the body and are stored in the tissues. Cancer occurs when the cells react to these excessive toxins by mutating into cells which reproduce uncontrollably.

There are other physical and spiritual reasons for not eating meat. One is that four times as much grain is used when fed to animals than if a person consumed the grain directly. This raises a moral question in regard to sharing of the world’s resources. Plants are the original source of energy for all living things, as they store the energy of the sun through photosynthesis. Vegetarians take their nourishment from the original source; their diet is more economical with regard to personal cost and the best utilisation of available land.

It is also noteworthy that our digestive system is not one of a carnivore. Our teeth are designed for biting and mashing vegetables, not tearing flesh; we must age, tenderise, and cook meat. The human liver is proportionally smaller than that of a meat-eating animal and is not built to handle the filtering of animal poisons. Also the alimentary canal, which is short in carnivorous animals to speed poisons through the body quickly, is quite long in humans, as it is in any vegetarian animal.

For a yogi, though, the main consideration in not eating meat is the basic principle of ahimsa, or non-injury. ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ Animals have feelings and a consciousness, just as humans do. The mass breeding and slaughter are as much cruelty as throwing stones at the neighbour’s dog. In India, a cow is regarded with great respect for the service it renders to man. It tills the fields, provides milk and its by-products for nourishment, and its dung is used for fuel and building houses. An Indian farmer would never think of cooking his cow for dinner.

There is no doubt that, ‘You are what you eat.’ A subtle part of what is consumed becomes the consciousness. Those who have changed from a meat to vegetarian diet notice a corresponding change in consciousness. There is a certain grossness that disappears, and the awareness becomes finely tuned. This is, of course, extremely conducive to meditation. The purer the diet, the more easily the mind is controlled. Then, with time and practice, success in meditation is assured.

Karma Yoga

Meditation means a continuous de-hypnotising from identification with body, mind, name and form. It must start in everyday life. If you cannot, be detached from the day-to-day activities, it will be difficult to enter into meditation. If there is continuous identification with your actions, then those same activities will go on even when the body is sitting still. The eyes may be closed, hands clasped and feet crossed, but the mind will not be checked. There remains the identification with the mental play. Activity or inactivity makes no difference. The mind plays its part in all conditions, and in order to sit for meditation, the mind must be detached—withdrawn from day-to-day concerns. The means for achieving this is Karma Yoga, or selfless service. It is the fundamental step on which meditation is built; no meditation is possible without it. Through service to others without thought of personal gain, positive thinking is also practiced in daily life.

A true Karma Yogi is continuously meditating. When he helps others his attitude is ‘Lord, I am working, worshipping and serving You through this particular person. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.’ He also detaches himself from the effect of the action, whether good or bad. Whether working in the kitchen, worshipping in the temple, or mowing the lawn, the Karma Yogi knows that he is different from the work, and that the work is only a way of achieving the Supreme.

Detachment may be learned through service. Until it is acquired and one is able to renounce emotional ties to one’s labour, no meditation is possible. As the detachment increases, it becomes easier and easier to disassociate from activities. Then, when the eyes are closed, the mind will remain unperturbed; it has been trained to focus inwardly at all times. Others may see a Karma Yogi and think he is just another person working; they will not know the secret of his inner peace.

A true meditator is circumspect. Outwardly he appears to be an ordinary person, but inside he is a fathomless ocean. He has touched infinite peace; nothing can change him. Karma Yoga leads to that peace which, once tasted, can never be described. Time and patience are necessary to reach it.

Detachment from action does not mean shirking responsibilities. A haphazard life is not yogic, for it engenders no steadiness of mind. When a yogi takes on a job, he finishes it. His mind does not waver; that is the secret of his success. If he assumes a responsibility, his mind is focussed steadily on it until completion. Because it can be focussed at all times, the yogic mind is powerful. The average person does a little here and there, keeping several projects going and finishing nothing. There is no meditative state of mind.

A person who meditates can turn out more work in less time. He has peace within. His actions are all on a pure level, and those who come in contact with him are uplifted. In his dynamic presence people find strength and encouragement. They are inspired to perform actions that they could not otherwise do. Lethargy vanishes in the presence of a true yogi.

Through Karma Yoga, the path of selfless service, you can learn detachment in everyday life. This is the first essential step of meditation. Do not be misled by promises of instant meditation. It is a long and disciplined path. The goal, however, can be reached if you make a determined effort.