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21

Best Mantra Meditation for Emotional Healing | New Free So Hum Mantra Video

Free Mantra Meditation Video

So Hum Mantra for Healing

The So Hum mantra meditation technique in this article is a video demonstration of the technique which is fully detailed in the article So Hum Mantra Meditation for Healing and Joy, and you should read that article as well for more details regarding this mantra.  This is one of the best mantra meditation techniques and I constantly get feedback about how it has helped students in their lives.  Here is an example of the typical feedback I get with regard to the practice of this mantra meditation.

rain77 writes:

Dear Anmol, i want to say to everybody here that i feel great after the ’so hum’ meditation. More relaxed and more importantly a more happy person. I really encourage those who suffer from depression to practice often, it does improve your communication with others around you.

Meditation for Emotional Healing

So Hum Mantra Meaning and Benefits:

So Hum mantra means, I AM THAT, thus pointing at the non-dual, Singular nature of Truth and Reality.  It is saying that you are an indivisible part of Divinity and is reminding you of your Higher Self or Divine Nature.  This mediation is prescribed in yoga therapy for helping with emotional issues.  Specifically, this technique is used in cases of depression or other conditions of emotional disturbance.  It is a great meditation for bestowing joy and peace.

In addition, as with all meditation techniques, So Hum helps with stress relief and creates conditions which are ideal for Self-Healing to take place.  If you are looking to try mantra meditation, then I strongly suggest So Hum.  It has proven itself over time to be a very useful and powerful technique.

This video will become part of the free online video libraries that we have here on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga.  As I mentioned earlier So Hum is already part of the Free Guided Meditation Videos for Daily Practice series, and I will be adding it to the Free Yoga Exercise Videos as well.  So Hum mantra meditation is also already a part of Free Online Yoga and Meditation Classes, and specifically it is part of the Learn How to Meditation | Beginner’s Meditation Class.

 

Once again please do refer to the main article on So Hum Mantra Meditation get all the details.

Best Mantra Meditation Video (So Hum) Contents:

  • Demonstration of how to do So Hum Mantra Meditation.
  • Proper pronunciation of this mantra.
  • General discussion regarding this technique.

Learn it, enjoy it, master it & benefit from it .

Best Mantra Meditation Video

So Hum Mantra Meditation

YouTube Direct Link –> Best Mantra Meditation Technique – SO HUM

PS: The Online Meditation Teacher’s Training Course is getting closer to completion as I complete the necessary videos for the program.  This certification program is great for those looking to really learn and integrate meditation into their lives, and also for spiritual workers and yoga teachers looking to add to their skill set and expertise.  It should be available in the next week or two, so be on the lookout for that.

22

Yoga Numerology Analysis Sample Report


10 Bodies of Light

Numerological Reading & Analysis

for
Client Born on January 20, 1965

 

Birth Date: January 20, 1965

Numerological Master Number Analysis:

The numerological analysis below will provide you your 5 primary Master Numbers, and what Bodies of Light they indicate you need to focus on in this life in order to achieve your Highest Potential. 

The Master Numbers relate to specific aspects of your life, such as your Gift, your Path, etc.  The 10 Bodies of Light describes a complete human being.  The reading below tells you which body you need to balance in order for that aspect of your life to be perfected.

There are 3 Sections to the report.  The first section details your Master Numbers and the bodies they indicate.  The second section, is your Transformation Program, which contains all the details and links for the techniques you need to practice in order to balance each of the bodies indicated by your numerology. And the final section, is the summary of the report, where you will find more of my thoughts regarding your reading, along with a description of you from a numerological perspective.  Also, the final details for your transformation program are in this section.  In addition, any questions you asked are answered there as well.

SOUL NUMBER: 2

The Second Body – The Negative Mind:

Your soul number is considered your first challenge in life.  It is the number that indicates what needs to done in order to connect with your Higher Self and thus, recognize and realize your spiritual nature and inner path to fulfillment.  This number is telling you what you need to do in order to find true peace, happiness and full self expression.  It indicates the road to a meaningful and successful life.

Your Soul Number has indicated your Negative Mind.

The Negative Mind reveals the pitfalls and obstacles of any give situation.  It is the power to say “No” when necessary.  It emerges when duality emerges from singularity.  In other words, when from the Oneness, the sense of me and separation emerges.  This separation creates a sense of longing which is reflected in this body.  The Negative mind subsequentially helps us navigate back in our spiritual journey by showing us what we are not, so that eventually we rediscover our True Holistic Nature, and the longing ends.

The Soul Number 2 here means that you need to balance your Negative Mind so that it works in your favor going forward.

When this body is out of balance, you will long to belong.  You may choose the wrong teachers or guides due to emotional reasons and be too trusting, naive and needy in your relationships.  Balancing this body, will help you be devotional, loyal, secure and balanced, thus making it possible to become a great student and choose disciplines (spiritual or otherwise) and teachers who are truly beneficial to you. 

KARMA NUMBER: 1

The First Body – The Soul Body

Your Karma Number is what you must work on next, once you have done some work on your Soul Body (Negative Mind in your case).  The Karma Number represents the lessons you have come here to learn during this incarnation.  It will be the difficulties you encounter in your outer life and relationships, from which you will learn the important lessons needed for spiritual growth.

Your Karma Number has indicated your Soul Body.

Your Soul Body is the first body of light.  It should not be confused with the Soul Number, which I detailed above.  The Soul Body is our very essence.  It is the infinite, eternal and divine aspect of ourselves.  It is our source of guidance and our inner voice.  It is part of the One Source, and ultimately returns there once our journey is complete.

The Karma Number 1 here means aligning with your true purpose and re-establishing trust and connectedness with the Universe are the great lessons you have set for yourself in this life.

In not developing and balancing this body, you will find it difficult to be creative, original and your true self.  You will have a strong tendency to be stubborn and rigid.  In addition, you could be dependent and manipulative.  In order for you to be trusting, original, passionate and create great things, you will need to balance this body.

GIFT NUMBER: 11

The Eleventh Body – The Perfected Being

Your gift number is the special talent or attribute you have been blessed with in order to help you reach your highest potential in this life.  Most important aspect of your gift is that you must not take it for granted, and you must use it to help your spiritual growth.  In addition, you can develop this aspect further, so that it can be even more useful to you and others.  If you don’t use your gift, you lose your gift.

Your Gift Number has indicated the Perfected Being.

The Perfected Being is the eleventh body of light.  Now, now let’s not get too carried away :-D.  The Perfected Being lies at the end of the Soul’s journey. It relates to spiritual mastery and the ability to see that the only true answer to life is God.  It is grace, inspiration, wisdom, goodness and humility.  All other 10 bodies are understood and contained in the Eleventh Body.

The Gift Number 11 here means that you have a great ability to live compassionately, humbly and gracefully.  It means you can inspire others spiritually, by example.  If this gift is not exercised though, you can find yourself being the opposite of spiritual and humble.  In that you can find yourself becoming materialistic, egotistical and caught in the drama of life.

DESTINY NUMBER: 3

The Third Body – The Positive Mind

Your Destiny Number represents how other people see you.  It is the work you have already done in the past and is what you have been involved with for quite some time now (many lifetimes).  The Destiny Number represents the first impression that other’s have of you, and often it is how you really are, although you may not know it yet.

Your Destiny Number has indicated the Positive Mind.

The Positive Mind is the third body of light.  It is enthusiasm, optimism, inspiration, hope, light and positivity.  It is the feeling that anything is possible and that any challenge can be overcome.  It is the wonderful attitude that everything is going to be Ok, no matter how tough life gets.

If this body is out of balance, others will not see you as a confident, optimistic, fun person, who always sees the glass as half full.  When balanced, you will be a source of hope and inspiration to others, and your company will be sought out and enjoyed.  The fact that this is your Destiny number means the positive mind must be kept healthy, or you will find despair and negativity becoming an obstacle for you in this life.

PATH NUMBER: 6

The Sixth Body – The Arc Line

Your path number is your path to fulfillment and success in this lifetime.  This is the work that you came here to do, and what the Universe means for you to do in this lifetime.  It is your place in the grand plan.  It is the person you were born to be.

Your Path Number has indicated the Arc Line.

Your Arc Line (often depicted as the halo around angles and saints) is the Sixth body of light.  It is the body that guides your way forward in your spiritual journey back to Infinity.  It is the power of prayer and ability to manifest results in the material world through visualization and mental focus.

The path number 6 here indicates a life of meditation, meditation and more meditation.  Meditation is the key to developing the power of visualization, prayer and mental focus.  In other words, meditation is the key to balancing the Arc Line.  Your life must be guided by meditation in order to be meaningful and successful.  It is the guidance that comes from deep within that is going to light your way forward, and then allow you to use the beaming power of the mind to manifest what you need in life.  As your meditation practice matures, so will your power of mental focus and visualization.  Choose your words well once you have balanced this body, as they will carry the ability to change reality.

Transformation Program & Techniques:


Your reading contains the exalted number 11 for your Gift Number.  This then means you have great potential in this life, from a spiritual perspective, if you choose to exercise this aspect of your being.  I would suggest to certainly utilize the good Karma which has enabled this gift to ensure you raise the level of your consciousness and also help others to do the same. 

The bodies you need to work on are your Negative Mind, Soul Body, Positive Mind and Arc Line.  It all comes together very nicely for you as if you actually work on your fourth body, the Neutral Mind, you will end up accomplishing many of the requirements of the work you need to do.  This is for two reasons.

First, working on the Neutral Mind, will help balance both the positive and negative mind, and second, the technique to develop the Neutral mind is meditation, which is also the prescription for you in order to balance the Arc Line.  So meditation should be the core aspect of your spiritual work.

Below I will provide techniques for you to specifically balance the negative and positive mind as well, so they can be focused upon intensely during the initial phase.  In addition, the program includes work on the Soul Body, which also relates to the first chakra, and is where you will find your outer challenges in this life (your Karma Number).

You will find the full transformation program in the summary section at the end of this reading.

Negative Mind Work:

To help balance the negative mind and thus enjoy the benefits of optimism, loyalty and diplomacy, please practice the following meditation.
In addition, please note that when this body is out of balance you will tend to give away your time and energy by being unable to say “No” when necessary.

Negative Mind Clearing Meditation

Sit with your legs crossed.  Have your arms up such that your elbows are at should level.  Now keeping your elbows at shoulder level bring the back of your hands together, such that the thumbs are pointing down and the rest of the fingers pointing forward (almost the opposite of prayer pose or namaste).

Let the back of the hands press against each other.  Have your eyes 1/10th open looking down at the tip of your nose.  Now breathe in deeply and chant “Wahay Guru” 16 times as you exhale.  The total time for one cycle will take about 25 seconds.

Start with 3 minutes and build up to 11 minutes.

Additional Technique for Cleaning the Negative Mind:


An Additional technique for clearing the negative mind is Kapalbhati Pranayama done, while visualizing all negativity leaving your system as you exhale powerfully during this breathing exercise.  Here is a link to this Breathing Exercise:

Kapalbhati Pranayama


(https://anmolmehta.com/2007/09/18/kapalbhati-yoga-breathing-exercise-for-optimum-health-healing-free-online-pranayama-book-ch-5/)

Start with 1 minute and build up to 5 minutes

Soul Body Work

Work on this body is essential for you in order to cultivate faith, live an inspired, creative life and have the ability to be your natural self.
Powerful Soul Body Meditation

Sit with your legs crossed.  Turn your eyes upwards such that you are looking through the center of your forehead.  This is called shambhavi mudra and you should not hold it longer than comfortable.  You can always release this eye position, continue with the meditation, and they reapply the eye position once you are ready again.

Inhale deeply and then chant a long Saaaaaaaaaat, finally with your last bit of breath chant a short Nam.  SAT NAM means true identity, your Soul Body, the real you.

Start with 3 minutes and you can work up to 31 minutes.

Eleventh Body Work:

Your gift is the much desired Eleventh Body, or perfected being.  With this gift, I suggest that you live like a Master.  It is the best way to honor your gift, which indicates you have Spiritual Mastery in you.

The best meditation which reflects this mastery and also works on the Neutral Mind that I alluded to above, is Zen Meditation.  You will find those details in the article below.  Again, meditation is a key aspect for you and one I feel you should embrace going forward.

Zen Meditation Technique

(https://anmolmehta.com/2007/04/18/free-online-guided-meditation-book-zen-meditation-technique-ch-1/)


Positive Mind Work:

The third body of light, the Positive Mind, has been the area of work for you for some time now, according to your numerology.  To continue working on this aspect of yourself, please practice the technique below.  Feeling light, bright and carefree is the goal here, and having others see you as such.

Smiling Buddha Meditation

(https://anmolmehta.com/2009/03/23/smiling-buddha-meditation-for-happiness-confidence/)

One additional note here, is that sometimes those who have a Positive Mind indicated in their numerology, can have food issues when this body is out of balance, so be careful about that.

Arc Line Work:

It is important for you to visualize that which you want to manifest.  Developing mental focus, visualization and the power of prayer will be very helpful to you. Think here in terms of a mind like a laser and focus strongly on what you want, so your message is heard loud and clear by the Universe.

Also, learn to listen carefully to your inner voice so you can develop a channel of communication with your Higher Self.  Feel free to speak often to your Higher Self in any way you like.  Specially, use the quiet time right before sleep, to hear guidance that is coming from deep within.
As I mentioned in the analysis above, meditation is the key for you and the key for balancing this body as well.

To develop this body, please do the following meditation for the next 40 days.

Arc Line Meditation:

Sit in any comfortable position (preferably with legs crossed in Easy Pose).  Have your wrists placed gently on your knees, with your hands in Gyan Mudra (Index finger and thumb tips meeting, other three fingers point straight, palms are turned slightly upwards).  Have your eyes 1/10th open, gazing at the tip of your nose.  As you inhale visualize energy rising up from your navel.  As you exhale project a white beam of light, like a laser, at an upwards angle emanating from the center of your forehead (in between your eyebrows), heading out to infinity.  On the inhale think the sound “wha”, on the exhale think the sound “guru”. 

Time for this meditation is open, start with 3 minutes and build up to 11 minutes.

Summary:

Before planning out your transformation program, I would like to address the questions you asked from a numerology view and see what direction it indicates for them.

1.    Money:

The money problems are being indicated by an imbalance in the Eleventh Body, the Embodiment.  When this body is imbalanced, materialism and money can become an issue.  From the point of view of the Perfected Being, money is needed for the following 4 things: food, clothing, shelter and leisure.  Leisure then allowing for time in order to do the spiritual work and make spiritual progress.

An article with  more on these thoughts, how to view money and the right use of money is Money Money Money and the Path to Enlightenment (https://anmolmehta.com/2007/05/26/money-money-money-mantra-and-the-path-to-enlightenment/).


2.    Letting go of the Past:

The hurts and pains of the past indicate work required with the Neutral Mind.  The presence of a developed Neutral Mind, will change your perspective on these past pains as you will see them not from an individualistic view, but from a holistic view.

What that means is that when these feelings come to the surface, the Neutral Mind will not react to them, but take the perch of a Third Person Witness instead.  This will allow the feelings to rise, run their course and then finish.  This allows one to learn about which attachments we have that caused the pain, and also allows us to implement and thus further develop the Neutral Mind.  The following article will expand on this idea further as well:  The True Purpose of Relationships (https://anmolmehta.com/2007/01/08/the-true-purpose-of-relationships/).

In addition, Zen Meditation technique will not just develop the Neutral Mind above, but it will also help is allowing these feeling to be dissolved under the heat of attention and awareness.


3.    Napping / Partial Paralysis:

The feeling of being held down while napping, and having difficulty rising, is often a symptom of Kundalini awakening.  It is similar to states of paralysis that take place when this energy is working within you.  The fact that you feel dizzy afterwards further supports this possibility.  Also, napping is often when kundalini rises to work.  Next time you feel this, just become aware of what is taking place, but don’t fight the feeling.  Remain still as that is what the energy is requiring of you.

If it gets too much, then go ahead and move, it will break the hold Kundalini has.  You can read more about such symptoms in the following article, and the comments section:  Kundalini Awakening Symptoms.


4.    Improve Relationships:

The most important aspect of improving relationships is fearlessness and love.  When there is fear, then one cannot love.  From your side, love is the energy that you can bring to relationships.  This love as I mentioned will come when there is no fear.  When you are not seeking for yourself you are then able to love, because then you are not worried or fearful about not getting what you want.  This freedom from seeking and fear both come with the development of the Neutral Mind and the Perfected Being.

As you practice the meditation, you will find yourself more and more residing as Spirit.  More and more just a witness to the grand drama unfolding in front of you.  This then allows His Will to operate through you, as you now are less concerned with your egotistical mind.  With His Will comes love, affection and wisdom.  So just do your practice, and observe how gently you and all others around you are touched by it’s sweet perfume.


5.    Past Sins: 

Take the following approach with regard to past sins.  Whatever comes let it come, whatever goes let it go.  The debts you have to pay, allow them to be paid, and what is owed to you, allow that loop to complete as well.  This approach allows your obligations from the past to be fulfilled, while moving through life gracefully and untouched.

In addition, to not have to live out these obligations, do your spiritual practice regularly.  That is the other way to complete the open loops.  The difficulty in the practice will pay off your debt, so to speak.

One final thought, is that Divinity forgives unconditionally.  In encountering Divinity you are purged immediately of all suffering and sin is only the thinking that everything is not already absolutely perfect.  Our thinking that something is required of us to do, is really our only sin.  Problem is, we think this way all the time.

For more on this topic, read:  The Time I Met God, Good News and Bad News.

 

From your reading you have a great opportunity here in this life. 

Your reading indicates an intuitive, spiritual master who can connect with others and uplift them in creative ways.

Below please find your 40 day transformation program which I feel will help bring your bodies into balance and help you make great progress in your spiritual growth and life.

Transformation Program:

Kapalbhati Pranayama (all 40 days) (1-5 minutes)

Negative Mind Clearing Meditation  (first 7 days) (3 – 11 minutes)

Powerful Soul Body Meditation (days 8-14) (3 – 11 minutes)

Positive Mind Meditation (day 15-21) (3 – 11 minutes)

Arc Line Meditation (days 16-40) (3 – 11 minutes)

Zen Meditation Technique (All 40 days) (20 minutes)

Please let me know if you have any questions or issues.  I wish you the very best in your journey back to the Source.

Love & Light,

Anmol

 

Click here to purchase your Numerology Report & Life Path Analysis

 

23

Awesome Power of Prayer for Kundalini Awakening & More

Power of Prayer

Prayer, Kundalini Awakening & Spiritual Growth

Bhakti Yoga & Jyana Yoga (Love vs. Intelligence):

In Kundalini Yoga and Tantra, in general, there are two recognized paths that lead to enlightenment.  There is the path of love and there is the path of intelligence.  In yogic terms these would be Bhakti Yoga and Jyana Yoga respectively.  Individuals, depending on their personality, tend to gravitate towards one or the other path, with the “devotional” types embracing Bhakti Yoga, and the “intellectual” types choosing Jyana Yoga.

Lord Shiva is the deity of choice for the Jyana Yogis, with Lord Krishna being the adored one for those who practice Bhakti Yoga.  Before the Bhakti Yogis who revere Shakti (the female aspect of Divinity) or other reflections of God start to argue with me, please remember this is just a generalization .

Awesome Power of Prayer for Kundalini

What is interesting about Lord Shiva, is that when he was asked who is his most favorite person in the Universe, his answer is always Krishna.  The fact that people are able to surrender themselves completely to Krishna with such ease and thus, merge with infinite consciousness, is something that wildly impresses Lord Shiva, whose followers usually have to work very hard using the power of discrimination and intelligence to dissolve their false sense of identity, in order to themselves merge with infinite consciousness.

Jyana Yogis tend to have a difficult time with this business of complete surrender based on faith alone, and although at the end, that is also what they do, it takes them a while to get there using the tool of pure intelligence and awareness.  One important point to make here is that by intelligence I don’t mean just logic and reasoning.  I am speaking of intelligence as the power of direct comprehension of “what is” via direct perception.  Here intelligence will include logic and clear thinking and is the action of awakened awareness.  Admittedly, I gravitate towards Jyana Yoga, but would like to relate to you my lesson from last week, when I was taught the virtues of Bhakti Yoga.

My Experience with the Power of Prayer:

The Divinity that I relate to is the Divinity I encountered, which I have written about in the article, The Time I Met God – Good News & Bad News.  Recently, unusual symptoms, have come up in my physical systems, either due to Kundalini or otherwise, and instead of approaching these conditions with my normal analytical, intelligent view, I pretty much threw my hands up and decided to try the pathway of prayer, faith and surrender instead.  I decided to spend the time before sleep, during which I normally meditate, just praying instead.  The night turned out to be quite dramatic…

In the very early morning hours, I was taken on a fun filled ride of enormous mystical and spiritual experiences.  The ride went on for hours and, the intensity of the experiences and states were profound to say the least.  So have I been converted into a full blooded, pure, Bhakti Yogi, probably not.  After all, my intellectual side immediately points out, statistically these experiences could be symptomatic of the Kundalini movements that seem to be occurring due my practice, but you can be rest assured that prayer is going to find a much more prominent role from now on in my daily sadhana .

Prayer to Start Kundalini Practice:

Prayer, faith and trust in the Universal Energy, God, Divinity, Higher Self, Christ Consciousness, call it what you will, is something very valuable when it comes to the spiritual path, especially when dealing with cosmic energies such as Kundalini, and it is worth contemplating this aspect of your practice to see how it can help you in your journey back to the Source.  The article AUM Meditation Before Starting Kundalini Class goes into this topic in more details for you.

Prayer to Awaken Kundalini Directly:

A very interesting and enlightening discussion is currently underway in the Kundalini Awakening Symptoms article and thread (check the latest comments on that page), where the value and importance of prayer on the journey to Kundalini Awakening is being discussed.  In fact Laurel explains how just earnest prayer has initiated in her a process of positive radical spiritual transformation and Kundalini awakening. 

There are many masters of Kundalini Yoga who will stress that prayer, devotion and love is a safer and better way to deal with Kundalini and her enormous power than other approaches.  What is important, at the very least, is to have a humble, respectful and prayerful attitude towards Kundalini, Universal Energy and Divinity, so that you are granted the key blessings of protection, inspiration and guidance by It.

God Bless You All!

24

Understanding Non-Duality, Hinduism, Buddhism, Enlightenment & Life!

Non-duality, Hinduism, Buddhism & Enlightenment

Advaita Vedanta & Zen Buddhism 

I did a google search for the term “non-dual” on this very site and got 742 hits!  So I thought it was high time I wrote something on this topic :-D.

Actually, a reader asked if I could help him understand what all this business of non-duality was all about, as he was not quite sure he was grasping it properly, and as understanding non-duality is absolutely key for real spiritual growth, here is hit number 743.

For those who understand Hindu Philosophy, non-duality is Creation (Param Brahman).  From there, emerges multiplicity as Creation pours out into Existence (Bhuh, Bhuvah & Swaha).  But, in my view, to really grasp deeply what is meant by non-duality, philosophical discussion or debate is not the best approach.  I think it is better understood from the point of view of experience, and I will delve into my own personal experiences with non-duality to help clarify this most profound of concepts and phenomenon.

Understanding Non-Duality

Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta) & Non-Duality:

Non-duality is best understood in Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta by the phrase Tat Tvam Asi, or Thou Art That.  I have described in the article, The Miracle of Self Awareness – I AM ALL, my experience with this Truth.  The true nature of reality is that all is just you.  Everything is you.  It is actually how it is. 

The apparent sense of separation of “me” and “you” is actually false.  There is no you.  There is only me, or as put forth by Advaita Vedanta, there is only “I AM”.  The “I” referred to here though is not the ego, but the True Self.  Everything is a part of this big “I”, and when awareness shifts from the egocentric “i” to the real “I”, you actually see that all is just you.  Then there is no duality of any kind.

Another article which goes into Advaita Vedanta, specifically from a meditation and experiential point of view is, Enlightenment via Who Am I – Advaita Vedanta Neti Neti Meditation.

Buddhism (Zen) & Non-Duality:

Buddhism looks at non-duality also as the absence of the sense of a separate ego.  Simply because that is the Truth, it is not Hindu or Buddhist, it is simply the Truth.  Instead of asserting that “You Are All”, Zen simply stops at the negation of the false sense of separation.  This sometimes helps prevent the confusion of the small “i” versus big “I” concepts in Advaita and Hinduism.

In both cases, a shift of awareness is what creates an encounter with the non-dual nature of Reality.  Such a shift of awareness can produce an experience such that one encounters the emptiness or absence of the sense of separate existence.  There are states where the organism continues to function, with each sense organ working perfectly, but there is no center or “i” to be found.

So in my view, Hinduism and Buddhism only differ in the nature of the non-dual experience.  If you are experiencing the natural working of the organism, without any sense of separation, you are enjoying a Buddhist enlightenment experience, while if you feeling the expanded sense of the Oneness with everything, you are experiencing enlightenment from the Hindu perspective.  Of course I may be over simplifying it a bit, but I think you get the idea.

At the end, it does not matter what you label it, and if you wish to argue it differently you may.  The point is that the roots of non-duality lie in the absence of the sense of separation and to help you understand it all even better, let’s expand this idea of no-self even further.

Understanding Enlightenment Experiences of Non-Duality:

You will notice the common ground of non-duality, is the fact of no-self.  But, above you will notice one other common denominator between the Hindu and Buddhist versions of this experience, which is that both result from a shift of awareness.  From here we can formulate the following definition of enlightenment experience (non-dual experience) which I think is very valuable.

A shift of awareness outside of the ego-centric mind, produces an enlightenment experience.

Predominately, we live consumed by our little lives and little self.  All the time dwelling on our personal drama and struggling for a little more pleasure and security.  Those who are lucky, get a chance to experience cracks in this shell of the ego, and when that happens they get a glimpse of what lies beyond the self-obsessed mind.  That experience of Reality, absent of ego-centric thought, is an enlightenment experience.

Such experiences are wide and varied and the nature of these experiences can form the basis of great philosophies and religions.  Here I want to point out that the experiences do not have to always be mind-blowing to be significant.  Any glimpse of the non-dual nature of Reality, is indicative of cracks in the shell of the ego and will provide the inspiration for further challenges to this apparent dualistic reality.

These non-dual (or enlightenment) experiences can range from being swept away by the enormity of the mountains, the flow of great love, the ecstasy of sexual union, to experiences with the greater sense of Self (Big Mind in Zen Meditation), Bliss, Divinity, Natural Spontaneous Living, etc.  So from here I can even come to a definition of life which I am comfortable with…

Life is an opportunity to set the stage for this shift of awareness to occur.

This shift of awareness is something that happens to you.  As explained in the article, Interesting Osho Quote on Enlightenment, the mystic sage Osho simply defines enlightenment as the reward for living a mindful life.  This is echoed by great spiritual masters throughout history.

Enlightenment, or the necessary shift in awareness, is not something you can force or create in any way.  What you can do though, is help set the stage to facilitate it’s occurrence.  This is where meditation, yoga, self-study and spiritual living comes in.  They are the tools for preparing the soil such that the flower of Truth can blossom.

Additional Reading on Enlightenment & Non-Duality:

There are many articles that expand on the ideas above to help you understand more deeply the concept of non-duality and enlightenment.  Here are a few of these for you… 

Zen Definition of Enlightenment 

Jiddu Krishnamurti on the Flowering of Goodness

Shunryu Suzuki Speaks on Enlightenment and Zazen

The Secret to Enlightenment

The Day When My Identification with Anmol Mehta Snapped

The Secret to Compassion

25

How to Discover Your Soul, Atman or Higher Self

Summary: Atman, Soul, Higher Self, Christ Consciousness, Buddha Nature is something you find referenced repeatedly in spiritual texts, but, how do you come to know this True aspect of yourself?  In this article we explore this very interesting question of how to realize and recognize your Divine Nature.

How to Discover Your Soul, Atman or Higher Self

Often times I receive some excellent questions from readers via email and as I set out to answer them (sometimes a few days later than I would have liked :-), I feel that the discussion would be well worth sharing with you all.  So I am starting this new series where I will share the answers I give to some of these terrific questions.

Recently a very evolved and intelligent reader who is far along on the spiritual path asked the following insightful question.  She asked,

Discover Your Soul

Question: “How does one know when one meets one’s Higher Self?”

Her question emerged from certain transcendental experiences she is having and I think this question is of great value.  First, let me just say that the Higher Self being referred to here goes by many names depending on the tradition naming it.  The Buddhist’s call it Buddha Nature or Big Mind, the Hindus – Atman, the Christians – Christ Consciousness, other religions just the Soul, Jiddu Krishnamurti calls it that aspect of your being beyond time and limitation, philosopher’s call it Higher Consciousness, some just call it Love, others True Divine Nature, Sat Nam, One Mind, Universal Consciousness, Self, I AM etc, etc.  Sometimes, like idiots, us human beings start to fight just because we have different names for the same thing!  In any case, I am referring to this higher aspect of a human being in this article.

Answer:  “How does one know when one meets one’s Higher Self?”

In The Apocalyse Post written for my friend Albert’s Blog Meme, I gave the following description of the Higher Self or Atman.  The secret to encountering and recognizing this aspect of your being is to recognize or encounter any one of these attributes.  In other words, the Soul is discovered when its attributes are discovered within, and as you realize one aspect of your Higher Self, in time you will realize all the rest as well.

Attributes of the Atman (Soul) or Higher Self:

  • You are Infinite, Eternal and Timeless.  Never do you take birth, nor do you ever die.
  • You are the ever silent witness to the drama of existence.
  • Everything occurs in you.  You are the substratum.  The apparent world appears and disappears in your consciousness.
  • You are blissful and complete – lacking nothing.
  • You are divine love and compassion.
  • You are the highest intelligence.
  • You are an organic extension of the Lord.  You and the Lord are One.

So encountering the Higher Self, is the encounter of any of these attributes of the Higher Self.  If you are feeling Great Bliss, Great Silence, Great Love, Great Oneness or lucky enough to experience the Actuality of Divinity, it means you are encountering your True Divine Nature – Your Buddha Nature – Your Christ Consciousness.  The Soul is shinning through and consequentially acting through “you”.  You are welcome to call it experiencing the Lord, as your Divine Nature (Atman) and the Lord (Brahman) are one and same.  Me and My Father are One.

Having said that, the wonderful thing about enlightenment is that it’s not a fixed point.  It has infinite variety and you may experience it as no one has before.  So although the above is a guideline, it certainly is not law.  You may experience your Higher Self in ways that perhaps it only wants you to and that is why this journey is such an adventure.  It is about infinity, the deeper you go, the more infinity you find.

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Bhakti Yoga & the Path of Love – Quotations to Uplift Your Spirit

In Tantra Yoga there are 2 paths to Enlightenment and Self-Realization;  the path of Love or Bhakti Yoga and the intellectual path or Jyana Yoga.  Being a devotee of insight meditation, Zen Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta, my approach has traditionally been Jyana Yoga and that is evident by the wealth of such articles here on Mastery of Meditation such as Brain Development & Enlightenment – Insight Meditation, Silent Mind Meditation Program – Silent Mind Meditations, Enlightenment via Who Am I Meditation, etc.  That being said, I find myself now drawn to Bhakti Yoga as well and the Path of Love and am finding this to be a wonderful dimension to enrich my life and practice with.

Below you will find some quotations from David R. Hawkins that I found inspiring and uplifting for anyone practicing Bhakti Yoga, Loving Kindness Meditation or spiritual work in general.

Bhakti Yoga

David R. Hawkins Quotes:

One make’s a gift of one’s life and endeavors by sanctifying it with love, and devotion and selfless service. That is the way of the heart to God. In that way, domestic life becomes a form of worship and source of joy to all. When seeking to uplift others, we are uplifted in the process. Giving is therefore self-rewarding for there is actually no ‘other’ that is being given to. Every kind thought or smile is therefore spiritual and benefits oneself as well as all the world.

Make a gift of your life and lift all mankind by being kind, considerate, forgiving, and compassionate at all times, in all places, and under all conditions, with everyone as well as yourself. This is the greatest gift anyone can give.

Spiritual evolution occurs as the result of removing obstacles and not actually acquiring anything new. Devotion enables surrender of the mind’s vanities and cherished illusions so that it progressively becomes more free and more open to the light of Truth.

The article The Time I Met God – Good News & Bad News details my encounter with Divinity and the infinite Love and Forgiveness that I discovered were always being showered down on us.  Let the perfume of love fill the world around you where ever you go.

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The Time I Met God – Good News & Bad News

Experience with Divinity

There is a room at my parent’s house which is a favorite place to crash for my friends and myself when we have burned too much of the midnight oil.  This room used to be the car garage, which my folks have converted to a guest bedroom, to accommodate the endless stream of guests who flow through their house during the summer months.  The reason this room is so good to sleep in is because it is pitch dark regardless of whether it is day or night.  Having been a garage, the room has no windows and furthermore has a heavy air tight door, so not a ray of light can seep into the room.  It is here in this room, with no outside light, that my inner light exploded one fateful night.

I had returned home to participate in a puja (prayer) and since the dark room was available the night before the prayers I happily commandeered it for myself.  As had been my practice since my late teen years (and still till today), I lie on my back before sleeping in order to meditate.  I can’t sleep on my back and this is my blessing.  I can meditate for almost as long as I like in this posture and only very rarely do I drift off to sleep.  So as always I was lying there, in the silent, deep darkness, watching my thoughts, when what would be one of the most extraordinary experience I ever had began to unfold.

The Time I Met God

As I lay there watching intently, a great suffering spontaneously began to emerge deep in my being.  The suffering came forth from what seemed like every cell in my body.  I did not react to this experience in any way, but simply remained a witness to it.  In fact, from this point on all that transpired happened on its own without any willful action on my part.  The suffering grew in intensity and poured out from deep within my system.  This continued till finally it came to a crescendo and a great release took place as the suffering was expelled from my body in one great push.  In this release it felt as if all the suffering in me had been purged and it was like going through a great catharsis, like being reborn anew.

Immediately following this catharsis a great benediction descended on me.  There is a Sanskrit word called “dhanya” which is hard to translate, but, correctly captures what took place.  The closest translation I can think of would be, “To Be Blessed”, to be touched by the Hand of God.  This great blessing, grace, filled my consciousness and I became aware of the presence of the actuality of Divinity.

Whoever invented that word, divine, had experienced what I describe here.  It is not like describing chocolate cake, the actuality of Divinity is simply awesomely divine.  There are really no adjectives that would capture the magnificence of God and that is probably one reason those that encounter Divinity simply choose to not say anything about it.  It is so incredible that trying to convey the magnitude of the experience with language seems like a gross injustice.  In any case, with the awareness of the actuality of Divinity, the spontaneous realization in the inherent perfection of everything took place.  Everything is absolutely and completely perfect, there was and is never ever a need to do anything ever.  Everything is perfectly perfect!

So here is the good new and the bad news from having met God.  Bad news first… 

Bad News After Meeting God:

The realization that everything is perfect and no effort is needed also brought the realization that every effort, every thought, is a sin.  Every effort (desire) makes us blind to the perfection of what is and every willful thought is stained by desire, making it is a sin.  Every single thought stained by desire is an indication to God that his creation is incomplete and imperfect.  For this absolute perfection to be encountered, every effort has to cease spontaneously.  These were not intellectual conclusions I was arriving at, these were simply realizations resulting from being in the presence of blissful Divinity and Truth.

Good News After Meeting God:

The good news is that thankfully, Divinity was forgiving and forgiving and forgiving and I was crying and crying and crying.  I have never cried so much and never felt so much bliss, compassion and love being poured onto me.  The act of forgiving would not end, the bliss would not end, absolute awe of Divinity would not end and the tears which were just flowing like a river would not end.  All was being automatically forgiven.

Conclusion After Meeting God:

I don’t know how long this went on, but, I noticed during this time there was hardly any mind at all.  The mind was pushed far away, it had receded somewhere into the far backgrounds of consciousness from where… eventually… the damn thing started to return :-).  The problem with mind is that you cannot fight it and win.  Fighting with the mind is just more mind.  Telling yourself to not have any more desires, is just another desire, another sin.  Telling yourself to not make an effort, is indeed more effort, more delusion, more blindness.  That is why the trap of Maya (illusion) and “mind projected reality” is so absolute.  It is a fantastically designed trap and you shall not escape it easily.  The only way to deal with this situation is to laugh about it, else, you will end up psychotic or suicidal.  Embrace a sense of humor, it will be invaluable to you to deal with the great cosmic joke that all your suffering is caused by own effort to find happiness.

Finding God, Divinity, Truth is the only real purpose of life.   Divinity is infinite love and infinite bliss.  If there was one great lesson to learn from this experience, I would say that given he can forgive your billion sins even before you commit them, can’t you forgive others for their few transgressions against you?  Forgive, forgive, forgive, let your divine nature start to shine through.

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Top 5 Changes Meditation Demands From You

There is no substitute for meditation – if someone was to offer me 1 billion dollars, yes with all those zeros, and said that all I would have to do is give up meditation and the treasures of spiritual practice, not even 1 cell in my body would think… yeah maybe.  All 10 trillion cells would be laughing at the offer.  There is no material equivalent for the rewards of meditation — none.  The difference is so enormous that I can’t even come up with a suitable example — and believe me I tried.  If life can be said to have any purpose, it is to discover the Truth and at the heart of this mission lies meditation.  But, as you move ahead with your meditation practice and the rewards start to flow, you will notice an interesting phenomenon taking place — You Are Being Held to Live at a Higher Standard

There is really not much choice in this matter.  If you give yourself seriously to mastering the Art of Meditation, you will no longer be able to live the way you had been in the past.  The practice demands its own discipline, not one artificially imposed, but, a discipline that gracefully emerges as you move deeper into this profound science.  Here is what I have found to be the top 5 changes that tend to take place in the lives of passionate aspirants who are being true to their meditation practice.  These same changes generally also apply to those who practice other spiritual disciplines such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Reiki, Qigong, etc.

Meditation Demands

1. More Simple & Wholesome Life:  As your progress matures you will notice that you are more and more gravitating towards a simpler, more natural life.  You find yourself buying less and less into commercialism and materialism.  Its not that you are becoming an ascetic and “renouncing the world”, its just that material possessions are loosing their grip on you.  If you have them you enjoy them, if you don’t have them no problem at all.  In this way your life starts to incorporate more of what is natural and moves in a direction that is uncomplicated, but, deep.

2. Waste Less Energy:  Meditation, Yoga and spiritual practices will make you realize that everything is energy.  Energy is the name of the game.  You are nothing but Energy and the Universe is nothing but energy.  These fields all interconnect and intermingle.  At an Energetic level, demarcations loose their definition and everything merges into each other.  In addition to this, you start to realize one more important fact regarding meditation.  It requires tremendous energy.  The energy required for real meditation is available to a human being, but, is not harnessed corrected.  It is dissipated in contradiction and meaningless activity.  This will have to stop if your practice is to penetrate deep into the mysteries and wonders of Reality.  You will start to become more integrated as a person.  You will start to stop wasting precious energy in endless gossip, immature pursuits and conflicting desires.  You will start be become an charged being, capable of summoning intense energy of the highest vibration when required to penetrate the veil of illusion. 

3. Better Diet & Fitness:  Along the lines of number 2 above, you will start to shift to a healthy lifestyle.  You will realize the profound opportunity life and each moment offers and simply would like to make the most of this blessing of human life.  Getting sick, being injured, lacking energy will not be acceptable and you will do what is necessary to have a fit, vibrant body.  In addition, certain food groups will not suit you as they will make you lethargic and insensitive, so you will likely start to move to a lighter, more lean diet.

4. Ending Dependencies and Addictions:  For those on the spiritual path, freedom is valued above all.  Things that make you dependent and bind you down will come under heavy scrutiny and in time be set aside.  This goes for all things that make you dependent.  Those far on the spiritual path realize their one to one relationship with life and Divinity and eventually embrace complete independence.  This independence then allows for love to flow, as now, without dependency, there is no shadow of fear.

5. Becoming a Rebel:  It is inevitable.  You will become a bit (or in same cases much :-) of a rebel.  Especially with regard to tradition and the so called values of society.  Society creates the need for so much artificiality and hypocrisy, which simply cannot be sustained under the heat of meditative awareness.  In addition, the values that society holds in high esteem are seen for what they are — stupid — so that is the end of that.

Summary:

So there you have the top 5 changes that will be required of you as you move ahead with your spiritual growth.  Some of these changes will happen on their own, below the radar of consciousness, while others will be conscious decisions you will have to make, as required by the demands of the meditation and spiritual practice. 

I would like to hear your thoughts on this interesting subject as I feel that others will benefit from the map that we draw together.  So if you have noticed changes you have had to make in order to enhance your meditation, yoga or other spiritual practice feel free to share that with us.  It could be as simple as, I had to watch less TV so I could sleep on time, to as complex as, I had to quit my job that became incompatible with my spiritual evolution.

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So Hum Mantra Meditation Technique

So Hum Mantra Meditation 

Background of SoHum Meditation:

The simple, yet profound, So Hum Meditation technique is probably one of the most popular Mantra Meditations.  It emerges from the Yoga school of Hindu Philosophy and belongs in the category of Japa Meditations (Meditations that require the chanting of Mantras). 

The So Hum (aka So Ham, Soham or Sohum) Mantra Meditation, done sincerely, is very effective in bringing about a complete transformation of individual consciousness.  So Hum literally means “I am That” (So = “That” or “Thou” or “Divinity”; Hum = “I am”) and the mantra’s aim is to bring about this union (yoga) between your individual consciousness and Divine Consciousness.  Another way to interpret this purpose, is that the meditation brings about the realization that all that you see is yourself — The Observer is the Observed.

So Hum Mantra

So Hum Mantra Meditation Video

YouTube Direct Link –> Best Mantra Meditation Technique – SO HUM

 

Tools Required for This Meditation:

  • An alarm clock, stop watch or other time device
  • Or you can use a traditional bead necklace (Mala) to count repetitions if you prefer.

Benefits:

Primary Benefits: 

  • Realization of your Divine Nature.
  • Realization of the non-dual Nature of Reality.
  • Stress Reduction, Relaxation, Peace and Tranquility.
  • Spontaneous Joy and Happiness.

Secondary Benefits: 

  • Promotes Self-Healing.
  • Builds mental focus and concentration.

Cautions:

None.

Practice Instructions for SoHum Mantra Japa: 

Follow the step by step guided meditation below to practice this technique.

  • Sit in a comfortable cross legged position.  You may also sit on a chair or lie on your back to practice this meditation.
  • Set your alarm or other time device for 10 to 20 minutes.  If using a Mala do an appropriate count (for a traditional 108 bead mala its about 1 full cycle through the mala)
  • If sitting, elongate your spine upwards, lengthen your neck and subtly bring your chin back and in, like a soldier at attention.  This will align the spine with the back of your head.
  • Place your hands in Gyan Mudra (Gesture of Knowledge).  Which is thumb and index finger lightly meeting, wrists resting gently on the knees and palms facing upward.  The other 3 fingers are extended.
  • Take 5 deep, slow breaths though the nose.  This will oxygenate your blood and relax you.
  • Try to remain as still as possible.
  • Now inhale slowly while saying the sound “Soooooooo” mentally and then slowly exhale while silently saying the sound “Hummmmmm”.
  • After spending about half the time in meditation as described above, start with every cycle to feel your awareness expanding and merging with the Universe Consciousness.  So as you continue to chant silently the mantra in rhythm with your breath, feel its real meaning acting upon you.
  • Continue for the duration of the meditation.
  • As the end of the meditation, try to remain with the all inclusive awareness and the sense that all is included in you.

SoHum Meditation Tips and Variations:

  • Another way to practice So Hum Mantra Meditation is to visualize life, light and Divine energy flowing into you when you inhale and mentally say “Soooooo” and to feel your ego-centric limited consciousness flow out and evaporate into the atmosphere as you exhale and mentally say “Hummmmm”.  This variation is also consistent with the meaning of the Mantra.
  • At you develop this practice increase the exhalation phase such that it grows to about two times the inhalation phase.

Secret of the SoHum Mantra:

Where did this Mantra come from?  That is the secret of this Mantra.  It is actually the sound of the breath during inhalation and exhalation.  Inhalation sounds like “Soooooo”, while exhalation sounds like “Hummmmm”.  So this is the music of life and by practicing this meditation we can learn to dance in tune with it.

Other Yoga & Meditation Sites with Helpful Techniques:

Yoga for Hypertension

Internet Resources for So Hum Guided Mantra Meditation Technique:

Definition of Mantra in Wikipedia.

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3 Most Powerful Yoga Pranayamas and Kriyas – Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama – Part 2

3 Most Powerful Yoga Pranayamas and Kriyas – Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama – Part 2

In part 1 of the 3 Most Powerful Yoga Pranayamas and Kriyas Part 1 we discussed the Mother of all Pranayamas, the Kundalini Yoga pranayama, Sodarshan Chakra Kriya and detailed its impressive reputation for transforming the ordinary into the supreme.  In this second part of the series we will study a yoga pranayama exercise of equal worth, but not quite as celebrated or famous.  It is the little know gem called the Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama.  It is less involved that Sodarshan Chakra Kriya and also far less demanding from the point of view of time, but don’t be deceived by its simplicity.  Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama, in impact, is second to none and bestows heaps of blessings upon those who practice and master it.

All the guidelines for practicing pranayama presented in part 1, apply to the practice of this pranayama as well and you should read those first before attempting to practice Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama.  In addition there are some more prerequisites before practicing the advanced version of Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama and those should be met first as well.  As with Sodarshan Chakra Kriya, there are modified versions of Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama and I will provide those also and explain how the progression should go.

Most Powerful Yoga

Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama: 

Background:  Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama traces its roots back to the Yoga Sutras of Mahayogi Pantanjali.  It is actually the 7th exercise of a master pranayama set for refining awareness and purifying the energetic body.  The first 6 pranayamas are presented in Brain Development and Enlightenment – Part II – Vitalize Energy (Kundalini).  From what I have researched, this pranayama seems to have been revived by the modern yoga master S. N. Tavaria, who learned it from his Guru, Swami Rama.  It is an integral part of his program for building awareness, in order to establish a path of communication between the individual and his Divine Nature that resides within.  You can get more information on his work at www.3srb.org.

Benefits of Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama:  This pranayama is designed to purify the energetic body by dissolving blockages (granthis) caused by emotional debris and toxin buildup in the psychic channels (nadis).  It tones and cleanses all the digestive organs and markedly improves the entire digestive system.  The pranayama also works on the respiratory system and nervous system.  It builds core strength and power, but most importantly it’s goal is to burn up unresolved emotions stored in the subconscious mind.  Steady and sincere practice of Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama, results in a significant refinement of awareness and a calm, peaceful, silent mind capable of connecting with the Divinity that lies within.

Beginners Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama:  Sit up in Sukh Asana (any variation of cross legged – you can get more information on Sukh Asana in Silent Mind Meditation Program: Basic Meditations Ch 7).  Apply modified Jalandhara Bandha by bringing your neck back slightly and chin slightly in like a soldier at attention.  Now inhale deeply then exhale.  After complete exhalation, hold your breath out and do a false inhalation.  Meaning, simulate the process of inhalation without actually inhaling.  This will result in your abdominal muscles being pulled up and in under the rib cage.  Pull these muscles in firmly but do not strain excessively.  This is called Uddiyana Bandha (abdominal lock).  Hold for a few seconds (2 – 5) then gently release the locks.  Repeat inhaling, exhaling and applying Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha 2 more times for a total of 3 times.  Build up to 5 repetitions per day.

Intermeditate Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama:  Follow all the directions above, except once you apply Uddiyana Bandha and modified Jaladhara Bandha hold the locks for 10 seconds, increasing by 5 seconds over time, till you finally are able to hold the locks with your breath held out for 40 seconds.  You are only to do 1 repetition a day.  This is the first requirement before moving ahead to the advanced version.  The second requirement is that you have been regularly practicing the Pranayama Set for Vitalizing Kundalini given in Brain Development and Enlightenment Part II – Vitalize Energy (Kundalini) for at least 6 months at the full 3 minutes / exercise.  Only then should you attempt to do the advanced version of Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama.

Advanced Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama:  As indicated earlier this is the 7th exercise of the series Pranayama Set for Vitalizing Kundalini.  So you should do the 6 exercises as described and then do Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama immediately after.  In the advanced version you will follow the description given above for the intermediate level and then after 40 seconds of breath held out, with Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha still in place, you should start modified Breath of Fire.  Breath of Fire is very fast shallow breathing through the nose like fast sniffing and in this case you should try to restrict the breath to just the upper chest area.  The duration for holding Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha together with doing Breath of Fire is 2 minutes and 20 seconds.  So the total time for this pranayama will be 3 minutes – 40 seconds of Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha with breath held out, followed by 2 minutes and 20 seconds of Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha with restricted Breath of Fire.  It is only to be done 1 time daily.

Design of Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama:  Here is an analysis of the various components of this pranayama and their affects.

  1. Uddiyana Bandha massages all the digestive organs and forces them to expel toxins and waste matter into the elimination pathways of the body.  Uddiyana Bandha also builds your abdominal muscles giving you core strength and power.  This bandha activates the 3rd Chakra, called the Manipura or Nabhi Chakra, which is responsible for the wellbeing of your digestive organs and for the traits of willpower and character.  Thus, this Bandha helps develop these attributes.  It is also great for building six pack abs ;-).
  2. Holding your breath out, causes the nervous system to contract, but then when you breathe in, it expands past the point it was at when you started.  Thus, this aspect of the pranayama, helps your nervous system grow in strength and capacity.
  3. The Breath of Fire, done in conjunction with Uddiyana Bandha, burns up toxins as they are released, thus cleansing and clearing the system and pathways of debris.  This debris is a reflection of unresolved emotional garbage and freeing your system of it clears the blockages (grathis) in the psychic channels (nadis) that prevent the flow or vital air (prana) and vital energy (Kundalini Shakti).  Once cleared, greater amounts of prana can be absorbed by the energetic (chakra) body and greater amounts of Kundalini Shakti can flow though your system leading to higher levels of being and consciousness.

In the next part, of the 3 Most Powerful Yoga Pranayamas and Kriyas Series, we will discuss a yoga pranayama emerging from the world renowned Yoga school of Swami Satyananda Saraswati.