Reflections and Meditations
Yoga Sutra 2.6: To identify the consciousness with that which merely reflects consciousness - this is egoism.
Mantra ~ "I am that I am."
I sat with my breath and found length in my spine and groundedness in my seat. As I repeated this mantra in my mind in connection to my breath I could feel the energy buzzing through the more subtle body chakras. There was a warmth at the crown of my head down through my mind, and into my mind's eye. At first the mind was trying to figure out what this sutra meant. What does it mean, "that which merely reflects consciousness"?
Then came the "aha moment." Of course, when I identify with the "I-ness" of me, I forget that I am something so much more. I separate myself from others, from the Earth, from the Universe. I single myself out as "me." This is something we all do, and it's not a bad thing. But when we forget who we truly are, dust of the stars, high vibrations of energy, a part of a whole, a cell of the Universe, we lose our deep connection to All That Is. Alan Watts said it best "You are what the whole Universe is doing, at this very moment, just as a wave is what the ocean is doing."
The energy moved down through my heart center, my fourth chakra (anahata), and suddenly empathy had more depth. No longer is it enough to imagine myself in other's shoes and understand them from there, but more so to understand that I am the other person. We are all a part of each other, a part of this Universe. When we understand that the other person is you, true empathy can be felt. We separate ourselves from others all too often and create conflict i.e. Us versus Them. We see that in our current political atmosphere all too clearly. Unity has been lost.
The true challenge is to understand, believe, and know that the other person is you, even if you didn't vote for President Trump and the other person did. We are one consciousness.
Mantra ~ "I am that I am."
I sat with my breath and found length in my spine and groundedness in my seat. As I repeated this mantra in my mind in connection to my breath I could feel the energy buzzing through the more subtle body chakras. There was a warmth at the crown of my head down through my mind, and into my mind's eye. At first the mind was trying to figure out what this sutra meant. What does it mean, "that which merely reflects consciousness"?
Then came the "aha moment." Of course, when I identify with the "I-ness" of me, I forget that I am something so much more. I separate myself from others, from the Earth, from the Universe. I single myself out as "me." This is something we all do, and it's not a bad thing. But when we forget who we truly are, dust of the stars, high vibrations of energy, a part of a whole, a cell of the Universe, we lose our deep connection to All That Is. Alan Watts said it best "You are what the whole Universe is doing, at this very moment, just as a wave is what the ocean is doing."
The energy moved down through my heart center, my fourth chakra (anahata), and suddenly empathy had more depth. No longer is it enough to imagine myself in other's shoes and understand them from there, but more so to understand that I am the other person. We are all a part of each other, a part of this Universe. When we understand that the other person is you, true empathy can be felt. We separate ourselves from others all too often and create conflict i.e. Us versus Them. We see that in our current political atmosphere all too clearly. Unity has been lost.
The true challenge is to understand, believe, and know that the other person is you, even if you didn't vote for President Trump and the other person did. We are one consciousness.
Yoga Sutra 1.51: When the impression made by that samadhi is also wiped out, so that there are no more thoughtwaves at all in the mind, then one enters the samadhi which is called "seedless."
Mantra: Om
Sitting in stillness, feeling the sun shine through the windows I begin to release control of my breath, allowing the body to simply breathe. My belly softens as the breath enters. I use this breath as a vehicle for prana. The breath moves this energy through my whole being, bringing a state of expansion and ease. The belly gently draws back naturally as I exhale, releasing spent breath, energy that no longer serves me, thoughts and emotions that no longer serve me.
I shift my focus from my breath to my mantra, Om. This one syllable word, said to be a word for God, or the sound of the Universe, everything and nothing all at once, this word is where I rest my mind. Each time my mind gets pulled back into the train of thoughts that can run through my mind, I gently bring it back to Om. I breathe in deep sending the breath deep down into my roots. I open my mouth, and up from my roots I begin to utter Om. I draw it up from my depths, opening my mouth wide "aaauuuooommm..." I feel the vibration of this one syllable word move throughout my whole body. Again I breathe deep. Again I draw this word up from my depths and feel its vibrations moving from deep within, outward. Once more I chant Om and feel it move through my body.
I fall into silence, still noticing that residual vibration of energy, still resting my mind on Om. The breath moves the body, each inhale seamlessly moving into the exhale, each exhale moving seemlessly into the inhale.
My meditation remains rooted in the seed of Om, for me, that eternal vibration of the Universe and all that is. To move from this seeded state to that which is seedless is to release all attachments and to know what the nature of this Universe truly is. This is why I practice meditation.
Mantra: Om
Sitting in stillness, feeling the sun shine through the windows I begin to release control of my breath, allowing the body to simply breathe. My belly softens as the breath enters. I use this breath as a vehicle for prana. The breath moves this energy through my whole being, bringing a state of expansion and ease. The belly gently draws back naturally as I exhale, releasing spent breath, energy that no longer serves me, thoughts and emotions that no longer serve me.
I shift my focus from my breath to my mantra, Om. This one syllable word, said to be a word for God, or the sound of the Universe, everything and nothing all at once, this word is where I rest my mind. Each time my mind gets pulled back into the train of thoughts that can run through my mind, I gently bring it back to Om. I breathe in deep sending the breath deep down into my roots. I open my mouth, and up from my roots I begin to utter Om. I draw it up from my depths, opening my mouth wide "aaauuuooommm..." I feel the vibration of this one syllable word move throughout my whole body. Again I breathe deep. Again I draw this word up from my depths and feel its vibrations moving from deep within, outward. Once more I chant Om and feel it move through my body.
I fall into silence, still noticing that residual vibration of energy, still resting my mind on Om. The breath moves the body, each inhale seamlessly moving into the exhale, each exhale moving seemlessly into the inhale.
My meditation remains rooted in the seed of Om, for me, that eternal vibration of the Universe and all that is. To move from this seeded state to that which is seedless is to release all attachments and to know what the nature of this Universe truly is. This is why I practice meditation.