S. B. GOGATE : Founder of ANTAHPRAGNYA, well known for conducting motivational and reorientation programs brings you Meditation & Visualization techniques in this article.

All of us practice meditation everyday without being aware that we are meditating. Our mind is normally scattered over various objects through our senses. It keeps on jumping from one object to another and to another, to the extent that we loose its track. However, when we desire to know something or recall information from memory, we summon our mind from wherever it is and press it into performing the job at hand. In this process we do not let our mind scatter and bring it to a state of total concentration over the desired subject and sooner or later, depending upon the intensity of concentration receive the desired information. That is a sort of meditation which we practice everyday. The only difference is that we are not aware of this process and no sooner that the job is done, our mind goes back shopping again.  f yoand and start observing the above mental process, you are ready to learn wareness, you need to treat it as a playful child. You need to play some tricks to coax your otherwise unstable anlayful mind to purposefully enter a state of meditation with awareness. When you want a playful child to do his homework, you first make him comfortable in a chair, switch on the fan or air conditioner, close the door so that he does not run out, pull curtains on windows so that his attention is not distracted outside and also promise to give him a chocolate or something he likes after he has finished his work. Similarly closing of eyes, sitting in a specific postu tools and implements of meditation and the awareness of the immense benefits of meditation acts as the promised incentive.

 Now take your awareness to your forehead, be aware of the skin on your forehead. Feel a fine vibration and a tingling sensation at this part of your body. Now take your awareness to your face. Be aware of your eyelids and tissues surrounding them. Be aware of your nose, lips, chin, cheeks and jawbones. Now be aware of your entire face. Feel a fine vibration and a tingling sensation and warmth caused by blood circulation" – When you do this successfully, you have learnt the first step of meditation that is Dharana. Blood circulation spreads warmth in the body and its movement causes subtle vibration and tingling. You may or may not feel the vibrations and tingling in the first attempt but as the awareness of body parts becomes intense you start identifying this feeling distinctly. r= izŸ;;Sdrk /;kue~ ¼r= izŸ;; ,drkurk /;kue~½ - "When you start experiencing a steady awareness at the place or object of Dharana over an extended period of time, it is called Dhyana". Tatra means ‘there’. In this sutra it implies the place of Dharana, Pratyaya means experience, Ekatanata means steadfastness. Repeat the exercise you did in the first step but this time allow your attention to dwell on those parts a bit longer. When done successfully, you have learnt the second step called Dhyana. rnsokFkZek=fuHkkZla Lo:i’kwU;feo lekf/k% ¼rr~ bo vFkZek= fuHkkZla Lo:i 'kwU;e~ bo lekf/k%½ - "When the concentration of Chitta over the object of meditation becomes so intense that Chitta looses awareness of everything else except that object to the extent that Chitta does not even remain aware of the fact that it is meditating on that object, it is called the state of Samadhi".

 In short Chitta in a state of Samadhi becomes the object of meditation itself. Arthamatra Nirbhas means loosing awareness of everything else except the target of meditation and Swarup Shoonya means loosing one’s own identity. Yes it is a bit complicated. I give you two examples here, one from the epic Mahabharat and the other from your own experience, in order to further clarify this statement. One day Guru Dronacharya while teaching archery to his disciples placed a replica of a parrot on the branch of a tree and asked his disciples to take aim at the parrot’s eye one by one. When the disciple thought he was ready to shoot the Guru would ask him to describe the object of his aim. All of them said they could see the tree, the branch, the leaves and the parrot and were told that they were not yet ready to shoot. At last Arjun took his position and aimed at the parrot’s eye. When his Guru asked him to describe what he could see Arjun replied that he saw nothing except the eye. He was asked to shoot and the arrow did hit the parrot’s eye. He saw nothing except the object of his meditation and that is the state mentioned here as Arthamatra Nirbhas. The second example is an experience almost every one of you must have had during your study routine. Remember the process when you solve an Algebraic or Trigonometric equation or a Geometrical theorem. You need to consider alternative logics and routes to justify the equation. Suppose one day you are working on a similar problem, which you know is very important for the forthcoming exam. You work on it for a pretty long time but no matter whatever approach you take; you are not able to justify it. Ultimately you feel so dejected and tired that you decide to take a stroll on the terrace or listen to some music. For an hour you enjoy some music, chat with your friends and decide to go back to work. You begin with the problem that was left over and this time to your surprise you find the justification in the very first attempt. Now think what must have happened. Though you were apparently listening to music or chatting, you were doing it mechanically but your Chitta within was glued to that problem. Your Chitta had by that time become the problem itself loosing its own identity and was finding the solution while you were doing other things, which ultimately helped you solve it when you made an attempt with awareness. Such intense concentration on the target of meditation devoid of self-awareness is the Swarup Shoonya state of Chitta as mentioned here. The ultimate aim of meditation is to reach a state of liberation through self-realization, which is explained as Nirvaana, Kaivalya or Moksha in the scriptures. Reaching such a state is a process that spreads over innumerable lifetimes depending upon the present status of a person on the evolution cycle. The main objective behind teaching meditation in this column is not to lead you towards Sanyas but to make out of you perfectly level headed executives who progress and prosper to great heights with ethical means and become role models for the generations to come. So, I will discuss here only that part, which is relevant to your present needs. From the beginning till the ultimate stage of liberation there are nine stages described by Yogasutras but only three of them are relevant to you, which are namely Savitarka ¼lfordZ½] Nirvitarka ¼fufoZrdZ½ and Savichar ¼lfopkj½- To begin with, you may need to go back to July issue and understand thoroughly the functions of the four parts of mind, namely Mana, Chitta, Buddhi and Ahankar. Swarup Shoonya state attained by Mana over a long duration on one specific object is called Savitarka Samadhi. Swaroop Shoonya state attained by Chitta on one specific imagery over a long duration is called Nirvitarka Samadhi. Creating desire oriented thought form in Chitta with the help of Buddhi (accumulated knowledge) is the main function of Ahankar. Swaroop Shoonya state attained by Chitta on one specific thought form over a long duration is called Savichar samadhi. With this basic knowledge now get ready for the actual practice of meditation. This process will gradually elevate you from Savitarka to Savichar stage of meditation, which is sufficient to fulfill our objective.

Step 1: If you can sit in conventional meditative posture like Padmasan or Siddhasan for at least twenty minutes, sit in that posture. If you can’t sit in that posture sit on a straight-backed chair. A dining chair is ideal. Push your buttocks firmly against the back of the chair such that your back remains plumb and independent of the back of the chair. This will help you keep your neck straight and plumb. Do not support your back with the profile of the chair otherwise your neck will start falling in your chest or backwards. Let your arms remain comfortably relaxed in your lap. Maintain an even pace of breath during the entire exercise lasting about twenty minutes and once in a while take a deep breath. Deep breath means a slow and even inhalation allowing your stomach to expand liberally while inhaling.

Step 2: Close your eyes slowly and keep them closed through the entire process. Don’t apply pressure on the eyelids but make sure they are comfortably closed. Tell yourself mentally that you are about to practice meditation for twenty minutes and during this time external noises will not distract you and you are going to experience a wonderful state of relaxation both physically and mentally.

Step 3: Take a deep breath and be aware of the skin at the top of your head. Feel the entire skin and the inner parts of your head getting relaxed. Mentally affirm yourself that your head is now completely relaxed and this feeling of relaxation will become deeper and deeper as you proceed further. Stay aware of this feeling for approximately thirty seconds. Do not, I repeat do not try to count the seconds mentally or worry about looking at the watch. Only be aware of the feeling of relaxation.

 Step 4: Take your awareness to your forehead. Contract the skin of your forehead just for a fraction of a second and be aware by affirming mentally that your forehead is totally relaxed and this relaxation will continue to get deeper and deeper. Feel your forehead getting relaxed and stay aware of this feeling for approximately thirty seconds.

Step 5: Repeat this exercise with your face, neck and throat, shoulders, upper arms, forearms, wrists palms and fingers, chest and back, stomach abdomen and lower back, waist and thighs, knees, legs and calf muscles, ankles feet toes and soles. Remember to take a deep breath every time you shift your awareness from one part of the body to the other.

 Step 6: By this time you are physically relaxed from your head to your toes. Take your awareness inside your body. Be aware of the fact that all your organs, glands, tissues and cells are working ceaselessly in harmony and rhythm so that you may remain healthy. Affirm yourself mentally that all cells, all glands, all tissue and all organs in your body are working together in rhythm and harmony providing you with perfect health.

Step 7: Take a deep breath and tell yourself that by now your entire body is so relaxed that you feel as if it does not exist. You are now going to relax your mind by providing it a beautiful tool of its liking so that it remains engrossed in its thought. Remember a beautiful garden or seashore or a hilly terrain that you may have visited in the past, where you felt greatly relaxed and happy. Recreate the scene in your mental imagery. If you do not remember such a place create it mentally. Be as imaginative and creative as you can be. Create the entire scene piece by piece filling it with every possible detail. If you visualize a green grassy meadow see beautiful grass blades with tiny dewdrops. See the rising or setting sun in its glory and feel the comfortable warmth and energy of sunrays. See beautiful trees and flowery bushes and actually feel the fragrance of flowers in your nostrils. Visualize beautiful birds hopping and chirping on the trees. Feel the sound of their chirping in your ears as if you are actually a part of this scene. Feel a gentle breeze blowing across your face. Most of you will see everything as described in your imagery as if you are seeing a beautiful dream but some of you may not. Do not worry if you do not see the actual picture but stay put with the thought and the feelings. Remember when you describe some objects or places while you are away from them. Even if you do not see them as a picture you are always able to describe them down to the last detail. This means you actually can see them mentally. Be as spontaneous and trusting like a child as possible and actually believe you are an essential ingredient of this beautiful garden.

Step 8: Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Mentally repeat some affirmations that you may have created for yourself as described in the July article. Be sure not to include any negative word or description in your affirmations. Never say ‘I am not sick now’, instead say ‘I am healthy, happy and at ease.’ Never say ‘I will not fail in my exams’ but instead say ‘I am going to secure the highest rank in this exam.’ Here are some good affirmations that may come handy to you.

Every moment leads me to a better future, better in every respect. Every breath I inhale fills me with positive and creative thoughts and every breath I exhale cleanses me of all negative and useless thoughts. While I am receptive to every positive thought and suggestion, I readily discard everything negative. I have total control and complete dominion over my faculties and senses whether I am awake or in a dream state or in a state of deep sleep. I am in harmony with the abundance of the universe and as such, abundance is my birthright. I deserve and am worthy of prosperity, peace and happiness. I readily recognize and avail every good opportunity that comes my way. Step 9: Take deep breath and exhale slowly. Tell yourself mentally that you will now count upwards from one to five and at the count of five you will open your eyes, be wide awake feeling totally relaxed and comfortable physically and mentally than you experienced ever before. Start counting slowly upwards. At the count of three remind yourself again that at the count of five you open your eyes . . . etc. etc. At the count of five open your eyes and tell yourself how relaxed and comfortable you are. Rub your palms together and energize your face with your palms and get ready for the job before you. The best time to practice meditation is when you wake up in the morning and when you are ready to go to bed, which will ensure a deep and comfortable sleep. You may practice this exercise at mid day when you want to relax from the routine. Note carefully that in the beginning while you are meditating you may not feel anything happening but as soon as you open your eyes at the end of it you will know the difference. If practiced as described in the word and spirit of it this twenty minutes meditation will relax you as if you have had one and a half hours deep sleep.

P.S. – Audiocassettes of guided meditation recorded in the voice of the author with beautiful sound effects are available with Antahpragnya at the contact provided hereunder.