Preksha Meditation & Human Health: 4.4.3 Techniques of Pranayama and Meditation

(a) Recitation of Mahaprana Dhvani

Inhale deeply and silently for about four to five seconds, concentrating your attention on the cranium, and pressing your lips together, exhale slowly and without interruption, produce the humming sound m....m...m...................resonating it like the buzzing of a bee. This may last for about 8 to 10 seconds. Inhale deeply again and repeat the performance nine times.

(b) Relaxation (Kayotsarga)

For a successful session of meditational practice, it is necessary to relax the whole body and eliminate muscular tension. Relaxation and meditation are not identical, but the latter cannot be performed properly unless the body becomes motionless. As long as the body is tense and the muscles contracted, the free flow of energy (prana) is inhibited and mental steadiness and concentration is not possible. Kayotsarga is thus an essential precondition of meditational practice.

Kayotsarga is not only total relaxation of the body but also a real experience of self-awareness. Following steps are to be followed:

1. After completing the recitation of Mahaprana Dhvani, maintain the posture, keeping the spine and neck straight but without stiffness and eyes closed softly. Relax all the muscles of your body and let it become limp.
2. Concentrate your mind on each part of the body, one by one. Allow each part to relax by the process of auto-suggestion and feel that it has become relaxed.
3. Starting with the big toe of the right foot, allow your mind to spread throughout the toe; suggest to the muscles and nerves to relax; experience the resulting relaxation and pass on the other parts of the right let-toes, sole, heel, ankle, upper part of the foot, calf muscle, knee, thigh and buttocks. In the same way, relax the left leg up to hip-joint.
4. Next, relax the trunk from hip-joint to the neck; starting with the back and front of the lower abdomen and the upper abdomen going up to the ribs-front and back, the chest muscles, collar bone upto the neck muscles. Then relax both limbs from palms to the shoulders i.e. right hand-thumb, fingers, palm, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm and shoulder; left limb-thumb and fingers to shoulders.
5. Finally, relax the head from neck to scalp-throat, chin, jaws, lips, tongue, mouth, cheeks and all the other facial muscles, nose, eyes, ears, temples, forehead and scalp.
6. Experience that the whole body is now completely relaxed. Retain the relaxed condition throughout the remaining session.

(c) Internal Trip (Antaryatra)

Internal trip (antaryatra) follows kayotsarga. This exercise promotes better generation of the nervous energy which is necessary for the subsequent meditation practice. It directs the flow of spiritual energy in an upward direction, thereby weakening the force of psychological distortions. Practice steps are-

Maintain the posture and the relaxed condition of the body achieved by kayotsarga. Focus your full attention on the bottom of the spine called Shakti Kendra (Centre of Energy). Direct the flow of energy to travel upwards along the spinal cord to the top of the head-Inana Kendra (Centre of Knowledge), confining it to remain within it. When you reach the top, direct it to move dowanwards taking the same path until you reach Shakt'i Kendra again. Repeat the exercise for few minutes. Concentrate your entire consciousness on the path of the trip-spinal cord, and do not permit it to divert. Carefully perceive the sensations therein caused by the subtle vibrations of the flow of the vital energy-prana. Later on ascending and descending trip of energy should be syncronised with exhalation and inhalation respectively.

(d) Perception of Breath

(i) Deep Breathing

Breath is the source of vital energy-source of life. An efficient and easy way to control mental activity is perception of properly regulated breath. Breathing must be regulated to be deep, slow, calm and rhythmic. Complete exhalation and slow inhalation by the use of diaphragm is called Dirgha Swasa (i.e. deep or diaphragmatic breathing). It is achieved by contracting and expanding the abdominal muscles. As the same time, the rate of breathing is reduced.

The essence of this technique is the total awareness of breath, comprising the under-mentioned steps:

1. Direct full attention to your breathing, excluding all thoughts and sensation. Regulate your breathing; make it slow, deep and rhythmic. Focus your consciousness on the navel and become fully aware of the contraction and expansion of the abdomen accompanying each exhalation and inhalation respectively.
2. Continue the perception of naval region for about five minutes and experience that the breath has been regulated to a slow rhythm.
3. Continuing the slow, deep and rhythmic breath, shift your attention from the navel and focus it inside the nostrils, at the junction where the two nostrils meet. Let the perception of breathing fill your entire mind. Be fully aware of each and every breath. Fix your consciousness totally on the process of respiration so that each and every inhalation and exhalation is perceived.
4. Do not permit yourself to be distracted, but if distraction does occur, return your attention to the breath. If the distraction is due to thought, do not try to dismiss, it, but observe it patiently and calmly until it goes away.
5. If the distraction is frequent, hold your breath for a while without causing discomfort.
6. Maintain the continuity of awareness throughout the session.

(ii) Breathing through Alternate Nostrils

Throughout our daily experience we encounter manifestation and co-existence of two opposing principles such as unity and multiplicity, creation and destruction, positive and negative, etc. Normally the opposing forces are in equilibrium. In our body also, there is normally equilibrium between the two opposite components of the autonomic nervous system-sympathetic and parasympathetic. For optimum health conditions (called homeostasis), a balanced equilibrium must be maintained.

For a practitioner of meditation, the technique of breathing through alternate nostrils and its perception is not only a valuable means of maintaining homeostasis, but also an instrument of steadying and controlling the wandering mind.

This exercise is similar to the perception of deep breathing, but is more effective in developing concentration. As in the previous exercise, total awareness of the rhythm of breathing as essential. In this exercise, the alternation of the nostril is done initially with the use of the fingers and subsequently by the exercise of will-power, as mentioned under:

1. Place your right thumb against your right nostril and your ring finger against your left. Let your middle and index fingers touch your forehead lightly.
2. Decide upon a suitable rhythm of exhalation and inhalation and maintain it throughout the exercise.
3. Close your right nostril by your thumb; inhale slowly and silently through your left nostril for few seconds. At the end of the inhalation, close the left nostril, release your right nostril and exhale slowly through it for similar duration.
4. At the end of the exhalation and without pausing, begin to inhale through the right nostril (the same on which was used for exhalation). Inhale slowly again for same duration
5. Now close the right nostril and release the left one and exhale slowly through the left nostril for same time. Complete the exhalation. This completes the first round as original starting point is reached.
6. Without interruption, repeat and perform the exercise for several rounds. Each inhalation & exhalation is as silent as possible. Try to maintain a rhythm without actually counting. Remember that the use of fingers is temporary and ultimately you have to use your willpower to alternate (the nostrils).

Throughout the exercise, your consciousness must be coupled with your breath i.e. your attention will go inside with inhalation and come out with exhalation. It should not leave the breath and wander away.

(iii) Breathing through Alternate Nostrils (Coupled with Retention of the Breath)

1. Follow the instructions given in the previous exercise upto the first inhalation through the left nostril when the right is closed.
2. At the end of the inhalation, close the left nostril also and retain the breath inside say for 5 seconds.
3. Release the right nostril (keeping left one closed) and exhale slowly through the right nostril for 5 seconds.
4. At the end of the exhalation, close the right nostril also (so that both are closed) and hold the breath outside for 5 seconds. Then release the right nostril (the same one that was used for exhalation) and inhale for 5 seconds.
5. At the end of the inhalation, close the right nostril (left is also closed) and retain the breath inside for 5 seconds.
6. Finally open the left nostril and exhale through it for 5 seconds. At the end of exhalation hold the breath outside for 5 seconds by closing both the nostrils.
7. Repeat and perform the exercise for several rounds, maintaining the rhythm of inhalation-retention-exhalation-retention-inhalation and so on.

E. Contemplation (Anupreksha)

Contemplation is concentration of thought process. Perception and awareness were primarily used for other meditational techniques such as 'Perception of Breathing'. Thinking was considered a distraction and was banished as far as possible. In this exercise the conscious mind is encouraged to engage itself in a thinking process. When thoughts are canalized and unidirectional, the exercise becomes meditation.

In the first category of exercise, the practitioner contemplates on an eternal or transcendental truth.

For instance, in the exercise of "Contemplation of Transistorizes", he contemplates that "Everything is associated with everything else by a transient relationship and hence the association must come to an end". On the basis of this basic principle, the practitioners start the exercise by contemplating and reflecting on the obvious separateness of two associated gross objects, e.g. separateness of clothes and body. As the exercise proceeds, he contemplates on the separateness of subtle and still more subtle objects (which is not quite obvious) e.g. separateness of urges and emotions from the conscious substance and further reflects on their dissociation. As the contemplation concentrates, the practitioner will realize the truth on the level of real experience.

In the second category of exercise, the practitioner resorts to the technique of auto-suggestion to cure physical sickness, mental unbalance and psychological distortions. He not only attains physical health and mental equilibrium but also develops a strong reasoning mind and rationalizes his judgments by conscious reasoning. In words, he acquires not only physical goodness but also psychical goodness by eradicating all evils from his thought, speech and action. He acquires the capability to transmute habitual negative attitude and psychological distortions and develops positive attitudes and internal harmony. For instance by contemplation of fearlessness, the practitioner eradicates irrational fear. In this category of exercise, concentration of mental equipment is coupled with autosuggestions.

The practitioner must first select and determine the objective, that is, he must identify and pinpoint the specific evil distortion to be eradicated to acquire the corresponding virtue. His aim attained by becoming what he wills to become and his tool is the technique of auto-suggestion. It must be remembered that until the selected objective does not reach the internal subconscious level his willing not be successful. One must learn to subdue one's conscious mind and activate the subconscious one. The desire image is to be projected upon the subconscious from the conscious level.