The Way Of The Yogi

The Yogi is one who uses the myriad paths of Yoga to reach the centre or realise Brahman, which,loosely translated, means 'The Soul'. The goal is Yuj or Union with Brahman. There are various schools of Yoga; there are also different combinations of methods; but the destination is the same. Every path of Yoga has it's ardent followers; each path ultimately leads to success if followed faithfully and correctly; and each person finds one which is suitable for him/her depending on where they are in their spiritual evolution.
According to the Advaitha tradition; the Union, when it does happen; reveals to the Yogi the perfection and 'completeness' of everything and once that happens there is nothing to achieve. Ramana Maharshi simply and aptly says-"Self is only Being -Not being this or that. Simple Being..BE and there is the end of ignorance"

Perfection is already present; but we do not realise it.

Or as the Upanishad says-


Om Poornamadha Poornamidam Poornaatpoornamudachyate
Poornasya Poornamaadaaya Poornamevaavashishyate
Om Shantih Shantih Shantihi

Translation
OM - That is ‘whole’. This is ‘whole’The ‘whole’ becomes manifestWhen the ‘whole’ is negated What remains is again the ‘whole’OM, Peace, Peace, Peace

Here the 'Whole' refers to the complete perfection of all that IS . Nothing is taken away or added. Things are perfect as they are.

Sound Meditation.

There are several ways to meditate with sound. Sound Vibrations have the ability to guide you to the centre. Chanting is one of these. Chanting a Mantra or a Shloka releases vibrations that are meditative. The chanting of OM with complete concentration is a complete meditation in itself. Similarly there is Qur'anic chanting in Islam and Buddhist chanting, which invoke a deep sense of peace. The sound has to surround and encompass you until you are one with it's resonance.

Tibetan singing bowl meditation.

ALTER

This is an alter I have at home. I light a candle in front of the Buddha intending that the entire house be filled with positive energy.The candle holder is a Himalayan Rock salt crystal. More on the benefits of these crystals at www.fengshui-ci.co.uk/tipofthemonth.asp
.There's a Tibetan singing bowl on it. (on your right) It produces a healing sound when it is played; that is also energising for the chakras. So does the Tibetan hand bell.(on your left)
For more on Tibetan Singing Bowls go to- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_bowl

Mandala Meditation

Mandalas are a representation of the cosmic creation in a geometric form. The word literally means cosmos. Used in Tibetan Buddhism it is related to the Yantras of Hinduism.

Mandalas are used for meditation to induce stillness of the mind. The focus should be from the outer to the inner concentrating on the centre.The way to meditate is to gaze at the mandala with your eyes relaxed.

This is mandala that I painted, just to give you an idea.

Visual Meditation

VISUAL MEDITATION

Temple bells die out.The fragrant blossoms remain.A perfect evening!
Haiku by Matsuo Bassho.

Such a wonderful image painted with words. Perfect to meditate upon. Bring the picture alive in your mind and exclude all else!

Why Meditate?

Nan-in, a Zen master, was approached by a learned professor who wanted to know what Zen was all about and why anyone should adopt Zen. The master asked one of his disciples to bring tea for the guest. He poured the tea into the cup and kept on pouring till the tea overflowed and the puzzled professor pointed out to him that there was no more place in the cup for it to hold any more tea. Nan-in told him that his mind was like the cup; overfull with notions and ideas and conditioning and unless he first emptied it of all that was already in it there was no use trying to understand what Zen was! "Empty your mind of all it's conditionings first", he said.

One way of emptying your mind is to meditate. There are so many different forms : all you need to do is find one that you are comfortable with and 'empty your cup of tea' :)

And it's never too early to start!!!

Power Places

I had a class for two interesting young men a couple of days ago. They were both from different cultures, countries and back grounds but amazingly there were so many aspects that bound them. Really heart warming to see that we aren't all that different after all. There's still hope,people!
During the class we were discussing 'power places'. Places that exist on our planet ( probably all over the universe; Mars probably has a couple of craters that are more comfortable than others. But I'm being facetious!) where there is a lot of positive, vibrant energy. In earlier ages, when people built temples or other such structures of sanctity and worship they would check to see if the place was a 'power place' They made sure the vibrations were positive and strong. This was true of every ancient culture, be it The Egyptians with their Pyramids, Hindus with their temples , Mosques dotted all over the ancient Arab cultures, the Celtic Druids with their Stonehenge, Shamans with their sacred spaces, Machu Pichu in Peru; I could go on and on.
Sadly the practice of studying the energies of a place before building a spiritual centre seems to have died out; happily we now seem to seeing something of a revival. Vaasthu Shastra (Vaastu- physical environment and Shastra- knowledge/ text/ principles) is now making a big comeback in India. Science explains Power Places with magnetic energy fields. Beyond the scope of this little article; do look it up if you're interested.

MAKING YOUR OWN POWER PLACE


You can make your own sacred space with Reiki and a few other aids. Find a comfortable place in your home or garden where , generally, you will be able to spend time alone, or be able to sit meditatively with 'like minded' people. Sit quietly till you feel calm and relaxed. You can now do your Chakra meditation or any other meditation. Connect to Reiki and ask for the space to be filled with positive energy, ask for peace, harmony and beauty to fill the space. Allow Reiki to flow as long as you sit there. Do this for a few days and over a period of time you would have created a power place to enhance the effects of your meditation and Reiki. You can also energise your power place further by lighting incense or candles. Placing an alter or crystals in the space will also enhance the energy and give it a sense of sanctity.

Chakra Meditation With Reiki

Chakra Meditation With Reiki

Energising the Chakras ensures holistic health. All aspects of our being are governed by the Chakras so when they are cleansed and energised we become more balanced and whole.

Chakra meditation can be done by Reiki practioners with the inclusion of Reiki , for others as a breathing excercise.

You can either sit or lie down comfortably,connect to Reiki, and start breathing deeply.

As you breathe in visualise the breath going to the Crown Chakra first. You can visualise the breath in the colour of the Crown Chakra, which is violet. As you breathe in visualise the breath coming out through the Chakra and cleansing it. Then breathe out. Breathe into and out of each Chakra at least ten times.

After you finish with all the seven Chakras, ending with the Root Chakra, you will feel completely rooted and energised. This can also be done for individual Chakras, for example, if you are feeling disconnected or physically drained, do the meditation for only the Root Chakra. Or if you feel you need more spirituality in your life concentrate on the Crown. Be guided by the aspects of the chakras.