What is correct prayer?

Simple Meditations to reduce Stress and Tension

The word meditation is derived from two Latin words – meditari (to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) and mederi (to heal). Traditionally, the classical yoga texts describe that to attain true states of meditation one must go through several stages. After the necessary preparation of personal cleanliness, physical position, breath control, and relaxation, come the more advanced stages of concentration, contemplation, and then ultimately absorption. So in early days, meditation was considered something just not meant for modern people.

But after publication of many scientific and medical evidences that proved its benefits clearly, meditation seems to be more popular than ever. This is great news, as meditation does so much to the body, mind, and spirit. It can help to reduce stress in the body. It assists the mind in feeling peaceful and less attached to the outcome of things. It lifts our spirits and makes us feel connected to the larger world. So the importance of simplifying the traditional meditation techniques was felt and simple meditation techniques were developed by the meditation experts to enable it to reach the modern common people.

Let us see some basic and simple meditation techniques. One thing you need to first understand before you get started: Methods vary because people vary in their attitudes, character, and nature. So when coming to pick the right method of meditation, you will have to fit the meditation into your nature, and not try to fit your character into a certain technique. When you fit your natural self into the right meditation method you will feel a certain ease and comfort in your practice. Like most good things, meditation requires practice and can be hard work, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.


The key to developing a successful meditation practice is finding the right fit for you. In order to figure out what kind of meditation works best for you, you’ll have to put a few types of meditation to the test and try. In fact, by finding the type of meditation that's right for you, the process can be very enjoyable indeed. Ideal time for beginning meditation is twenty to thirty minutes. If you find it difficult, at least try each of these meditations for ten minutes to begin with, then extending the time gradually as you get more comfortable with the practice that suits you.


Mindful Meditation

It is also known as Vipassana or insight meditation, mindfulness practice entails focusing bare awareness on the object of meditation – be it the breath, physical sensations, outside sounds or all of the above.

Simply following the breath is an easy way to start your practice before moving on to other more in-depth practices. Because the breath has such an impact on our whole being, focusing on breathing brings about a restful and calm nature.

Assume a comfortable but alert upright position. Gently bring your attention to your breath, and note each inhalation and exhalation – without trying to change anything or breathe in any specific way. When you notice your mind wandering (as it most certainly will, over and over!) gently bring your attention back to the breath and start again.

According to the teachings of the Buddha, applied mindful meditation, along with strong concentration and appropriate moral conduct, leads to enlightenment or liberation from suffering. As an added bonus, mindfulness meditation has been found to lower stress and fight mental health issues. When you start becoming aware of your body, you’ll notice tension in different parts of your body. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to release the tension in the body.

Famous Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh explains how: “So next time you’re stopped at a red light, you might like to sit back and practice the fourth exercise: “Breathing in, I’m aware of my body. Breathing out, I release the tension in my body.” Peace is possible at that moment, and it can be practiced many times a day—in the workplace, while you are driving, while you are cooking, while you are doing the dishes, while you are watering the vegetable garden. It is always possible to practice releasing the tension in yourself.”


Mantra Meditation

Mantra meditation is similar to mindfulness meditation, with the addition of a repetition of a simple word or phrase. People who follow transcendental meditation or chant a mantra are following this path. This is where a mantra or sequence of mantras are repeated (silently) to get the mind to become calm and centered. Pick your mantra – it could be a simple word like "relax," or "peace," or something more spiritual like "ohm" or "so-hum" (ancient Sanskrit words meaning "nothingness" and "I am that"). Find a mantra that you connect with, and repeat it over and over in your head.

Assume a comfortable but alert upright position, and spend 30 seconds just sitting with your eyes closed before starting your mantra. As effortlessly and silently as possible, begin repeating your mantra to yourself (not aloud), over and over. There's no need to try to change or stop your thoughts in anyway – just keep whispering the word silently to yourself.

The repetition of a mantra quiets the breath and as a result the mind, according to New Age guru Deepak Chopra, bringing the meditator into the field of "pure consciousness." From a beginner's perspective, using a mantra can help focus and sharpen a mind prone to wandering during meditation.


Walking Meditation

Walking meditation is developed by Thich Nhat Hanh and it can be just as profound as sitting meditation, and helps bring strong awareness to the body and to physical sensations.

Choose a small, flat path on which to walk back and forth, preferably 10 to 20 paces in each direction or a circular path. Before you start moving, stand still for a few moments and consciously bring your attention into the body. Notice the sensations of your feet on the ground, clothes on your body, and sun and wind on your skin. Begin walking as slowly as you can while still feeling natural, keeping your attention within the body. When the attention drifts to outside sights or thoughts (and it will!) gently bring it back to the movement in the lower half of your body – the soles of your feet on the ground, the bending and extending of the knee and the curl of your toes.

The simple exercise of stepping from foot to foot naturally creates a meditative state, calming the mind and cultivating sharper awareness. Walking meditation can be a fantastic stepping stone to bringing mindful attention to every part of the day – from walking to work to cooking or doing the dishes.


Visualization Meditation

This meditation method involves going within, with our eyes closed, and seeing some object such as our chakras or our heart and holding that image as an object of meditation.

Find a quiet area and sit in a comfortable position.

Close your eyes and breathe deeply, and begin to visualize yourself in a calm environment – perhaps an empty beach, a meadow, or a hill top. Engage all of your senses by imagining how your peaceful place looks, feels, sounds, smells, and even tastes. The more vividly you capture your imagined location, the greater the healing effects of the technique, according to practitioners. If you find that your thoughts are drifting from that image, reimagine it and focus on it again.

To enhance the experience, you can listen to ambient sounds related to your imagined environment (such as a recording of ocean waves if you're visualizing a beach). You can also try out these recordings and scripts to guide you through the exercise. Visualization meditation has been found to lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, by quieting the body and the mind. Specific visualizations can also be used to help achieve specific goals, by picturing success and confidence before the event.


With regular practice of these meditation techniques, the energy of the body and mind can be liberated and the quality of consciousness can be expanded. This is not a subjective claim but is now being investigated by the scientists and being shown by an empirical fact.

The benefits of meditation are greatest when practiced daily. Ideally, meditation can be done first thing in the morning upon rising and then again at the end of the day, preferably prior to dinner. Meditation can help you do much more than just reduce stress. It can activate that inner spiritual part of you that is already calm, content and wise. Through simple Meditations, you will discover easy steps to connect with the replenishing peace and beauty of nature. These meditations will help you to improve your relationships, tap into psychic abilities and use quantum energy to release blocks to your health and happiness.

-      N.Ganeshan

(This article is published in our bank’s house magazine Vijaya Vikas recently)

Faith Vs Superstition

Faith and superstition cannot be easily differentiated by many people. They may look same. Yet there is a vast difference between the two. 

Faith is based on understanding, inner knowing and trust. Superstition is based on ignorance, fear and greed.

There are many things in life we accept with faith that cannot be proven with logic. But we know it to be true in our deeper self. Faith arises out of internal sources.

Superstition is irrational belief. It is also not provable with logic. But it is believed by people based on vague references in unauthentic sources and scriptures. Superstition arises out of external sources.

Mere collection of facts from books or other external sources is not enough to give us genuine faith. We cannot have faith until we ourselves gained conviction through direct experience or inner knowing. When we know a thing definitely whole world cannot shake our faith.

Generally, doctrines, ceremonies and rituals are originally created with special meaning to lead us to truth. So long as we follow them with the right spirit and understanding the meaning it may lead to us have faith some day. But when we forget the real meaning and aim of such observances and follow them mechanically it becomes superstition.

Faith is omnipotent and all powerful. Jesus Christ said, “For verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall impossible unto you”. But superstition is weakening and degenerating in nature.

Swami Vivekananda said “I would rather see every one of you rank atheists than superstitious fools, for the atheist is alive and you can make something out of him. But if superstition enters, the brain is gone, the brain is softening, degradation has seized upon the life. Avoid these two”.

So let us have faith and remove all superstitions from our life.

_ N.Ganeshan

Alpha State and Meditation

Since the invention of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in the beginning of 20th century, scientists have been able to measure the electrical activity of the brain. Our brain pulses and vibrates like everything in this Universe.

The brain pulse is measured like sound in cycles per second or Hertz. Brainwaves are categorized in 4 categories : Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.

Beta:
Your normal waking state, which is characterized by brain rhythms of 14 cycles per second and above,. In this state your mind activity is a veritable can of worms. The higher the brain activity becomes, the greater the stress factor.

Alpha:
A very relaxed state of mind, characterized by brain rhythms of between 8 and 13 cycles per second. In this state of mind you are relaxed, somewhere halfway between being fully awake and asleep. Dreaming and daydreaming occur in the alpha state.

Theta:
Usually the state of sleep, when not dreaming. Characterized by brain rhythms of between 4 to 7 cycles per second. The theta level is also reached in very deep forms of meditation where consciousness becomes separate from mind and body.

Delta:
Very deep sleep or coma, characterized by a brain rhythm of between below 4 cycles per second.

Among the above states alpha state is considered to be the most useful to worldly man. As one expert said, “However it is achieved, the therapeutic benefits are similar. When in the alpha state, one is lifted to a place inside where there is peace and order, where all is well and makes sense. When the human system is relaxed, the natural harmony in consciousness can take over, and the inner light can put things in place.”

Noted physiologists of USA, Dr. W. Penfield and Dr. H. H. Gasper have highlighted the interconnection of cosmic (thought) waves and human mind in their book on “Epilepsy and the Functional Anatomy of the Human Brain”. They have mentioned about the specific nature of the great brains of our times. As per their reports, Albert Einstein’s brain used to continuously emit alpha waves even when he was deeply engrossed in solving complicated problems of mathematics or was asleep…. It may be noted the alpha waves are emitted in a state of sharp alertness of the mind. Thus, despite being engaged in the work at hand, or in deep thinking, Einstein’s mind used to be always prepared and receptive to the cosmic signals of compatible ideospheres.”

Relaxation and meditation help us to enter alpha state effectively.

Here are two simple meditation techniques that you can learn and use right away:

Counting Breaths Meditation

This is simply a meditation to focus on the rhythm of your breath by counting your in and out breath. It is very easy to do, and at first your mind will start wandering around. Do not worry about it. It is quite natural. Just gently acknowledge that and shift your mind back into counting your breath again. With time, your mind will slow down and will stop wandering slowly.

1. Sit down, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Be aware of every breathing in and breathing out.
2. Do not try to control your breathing, or try to slow it down forcefully. Just breath automatically, freely and pay attention to the air passing through your nose, lungs and goes out again.
3. After a few breaths, start counting.
4. Breathing in, one.........breathing out ,two........breathing in, three........breathing out, four... breathing in, five..... breathing out, six
5. Should you find yourself thinking of something else instead of your breathing, just acknowledge it, and return to your breathing, and start counting again
6. Now notice the sensations of your breathing. The depth, the speed, see if your breathing becomes increasingly slower and quieter, if your breathing more and more goes to your stomach or your chest, if your body becomes more relaxed through your breathing, ...etc. Try to notice this as an outsider, without stopping from counting. If you cannot, then just go back to counting
7. Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out, etc.
8. If at any time you notice any strange feelings in your body, like twinklings, or muscle reactions, just notice that, it is quite normal. Go back to your breathing
9. Once you got to 100, slowly return to normal, open your eyes, take in everything you see in the room, get up from the chair, stretch your muscles.

Flame meditation

In this meditation, you will focus on a candle flame or lamp flame.
Turn off the lights, making sure that you still have some light entering the room, so you have the room in semi-dark. You will light a candle or lamp and position it at a level when you can look at the flame without any strains. Try not to think of the flame or the candle. Every time we wander away in our thoughts we return to the candle-flame without judging. Instead of a candle you can also choose an apple, a flower or any other object as your object of meditation.

1. Have the candle or lamp at eye level so you can see the flame easily
2. Sit down, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing, just as in the first meditation technique mentioned above
3. Be aware of each breathing in and each breathing out.
4. After taking a few breaths, open your eyes and focus all your attention to the flame.
5. Breathe deeply and steadily and stare at the flame. Don't think about the candle, the flame, or anything else. If your mind wanders away, just return it gently to the flame.
6. Breathe deeply and steadily and stare at the flame.
7. Continue simply focusing on the candle or lamp for the period of time you had set apart for this meditation exercise.
8. You can now close your eyes and try to see the object at the inside of your eyelids.
9. Try to visualise the flame as long as you can, but don't strain yourself.
10. When the time is up (about 20 minutes is ideal), just take back your thoughts slowly to the environment around you, open your eyes, stretch your legs, and just be aware of the here and the now.

-N.Ganeshan

THE PRACTICE OF SELF-ENQUIRY

The practice of self-inquiry (Atma-vichara in Sanskrit) is the most important meditation practice in the Vedantic tradition. It is the primary method through which Self-realization-the realization of our true nature beyond mind and body-is achieved. Sage Ribhu said in Ribhu Gita “Only by those strong willed persons who make earnest and persistent Self-enquiry will the turbulent mind be controlled and fixed still in the practice of firm bhavana. In due course all thoughts and nescience will disappear, yielding place to the effulgent Awareness-Self of mukti.” In Yoga Vashista sage Vashista said to Rama, “O Rama, this enquiry into the Self of the nature or 'Who Am I?' is the fire which burns up the seeds of the evil tree which is the mind”.

Self-enquiry finds prominent place in the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharishi. Ramana Maharishi says “Barring fruitful self-enquiry there is, for real mind control, no other spiritual practice whatsoever. The mind may seem to be controlled by other methods, but after a while it will spring up again. If without wasting time one starts and keeps up steady self-enquiry, one’s life becomes at once ennobled, and there wells up within one’s heart a sea of bliss supreme”.

The process of Self-enquiry can be explained in a few words. To practice it you need only trace the root of your thoughts back to the I-thought, from which all other thoughts arise. This is initiated by the question "Who am I?". By asking, "Who am I?" our thought current naturally gets focused on the search for the true Self and we forget about all other concerns and worries of the mind.

However, Self-enquiry does not consist of merely repeating the question "Who am I?" over and over again in our minds, which is only a tiring mental exercise. It means holding to the search for the true Self in all that one does. It requires that we have a real and fundamental doubt about who we are, through which we can reject all outer identifications. It is as if one had amnesia and didn't know who one was and had to give full attention to the matter before anything else could be done.

Self-enquiry is an enquiry that requires one's entire energy and attention. It requires a full and one-pointed concentration, not interrupted by the intrusion of other thoughts. The thought current naturally moves back to the Self to the extent that we do not preoccupy our minds with outside stimulation. The problem is that the senses present us with so many distractions that it is difficult to look within. Self-enquiry means to constantly question and reverse this process of extroversion by seeking out the origin of our awareness and energy in the heart.

The truth is that we don't know who we really are, because we never properly investigate our true nature. The sense of 'I', the feeling of being a particular person who inhabits a particular body, only persists because we continuously identify ourselves with thoughts, beliefs, emotions, objects, and so on. The 'I' never stands alone by itself; it always exists in association: 'I am Rama,' 'I am a lawyer,' 'I am a woman,' 'I am angry,' etc. These identifications are automatic and unconscious. They are just the unchallenged assumptions that lie behind all our experiences and habits

Sri Ramana Maharshi maintained that this tendency towards self-limiting identifications could be checked by trying to separate the subject ‘I’ from the objects of thought which it identified with. Since the individual ‘I’-thought cannot exist without an object, if attention is focused on the subjective feeling of ‘I’ or ‘I am’ with such intensity that the thoughts ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that’ do not arise, then the individual ‘I’ will be unable to connect with objects. If this awareness of ‘I’ is sustained, the individual ‘I’ (the ‘I’-thought) will disappear and in its place there will be a direct experience of the Self. This constant attention to the inner awareness of ‘I’ or ‘I am’ was called self-enquiry (vichara) by Sri Ramana Maharshi and he constantly recommended it as the most efficient and direct way of discovering the unreality of the ‘I’-thought.

So what we call our Self is but some thought, emotion or sensation that we are temporarily identified with and that is constantly changing. Our lives are shrouded in ignorance about our true nature, springing from the most basic feelings that we have, especially our bodily identity. We are not the body. Rather, the body is a vehicle in which our true Self is obscured. As long as we don't question this process of self-identification we must come to sorrow and remain in darkness and confusion.

The true Self is not only beyond human distinctions, it is beyond all divisions of time and space, name and form, birth and death. Self-inquiry leads us ultimately to the Absolute in which the phenomenal world becomes little more than a mirage of the mind and senses. It goes far beyond the discovery of some greater self, or any human or creative potential, to what is beyond all limitations. In the process we expand our sense of self to include the entire universe.


-N.Ganeshan