Meditation Secrets Revealed

From my favorite yoga book, the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, comes a few gems of wisdom that help me retain my happiness and inner peace when deal with people. By putting these attitudes of mindfulness into practice I have saved myself a lot of emotional pain and built many wonderful relationships. In order to maintain our peace of mind we need to consider the four types of people in the world that we may encounter and the four ways to approach them.

When encountering a happy person, be kind and friendly to them. Often when people see someone who is happy, their initial reaction is to feel jealousy and dislike for that person. They may even blame that person or “that type” for their own problems. This attitude never does us much good. While that person may walk away, we are burning up inside with hatred and rage against that person. Instead, be friendly and think, “Wow, how nice it must be to be that happy, isn’t it wonderful. I want to be that happy also.” Frequently, people think of emotions as something that just comes up, as if they have no control over them. But like anything else in life, the more we practice something the better we become so always strive to practice positive emotions of joy, friendliness, and kindness.

The next type of person that we may meet is the unhappy. When we meet such a person, we can practice compassion for their situation and perhaps try and help them if this is within your means and appropriate for the situation. I am frequently astounded at how much I can do just by acknowledging somebody, offering them a smile or a helping hand. Somebody may be having a bad day or upset about something and they may be very focused on the story going on inside their head. Just a bit of compassion can snap them out of their mental misery and bring them into the present moment. Sometimes it takes just a little – to do a lot.

Then there are the virtuous, these are people that we can learn from and look up to. With these people we can show delight and admire them for their virtuous qualities. Don’t try to criticize them or pull them down, you will only cause yourself mental turmoil. Instead, find the qualities that you wish to possess that they have and use that person as your role model. They will be flattered and might even offer you some guidance or advice.

And lastly, there are the wicked people. Every once in a while we will meet such a person and the best thing to do is to stay away from them and disregard them completely. There is a story of a small sparrow that has built a warm and cozy nest in preparation for the rain and across from it is sitting a monkey. As the rain starts, the sparrow is dry and happy in it’s nest while the monkey is getting drenched. The sparrow decided to offer the drenched monkey some advice on how to build a nest but instead of gratitude, the monkey becomes enraged thinking that the sparrow is proud of it’s position and proceeds to tare the sparrow’s nest apart. The sparrow has to fly away and it too gets drenched in the pouring rain. When you recognize such a monkey, do not try to help it or offer it advice, it will always result in disaster. The best thing to do is to disregard them – they must learn on their own.

With these four keys of friendliness for the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard for the wicked, we can approach any situation with a peaceful mind and maintain our calm.

The teacher’s voice is like a soft whispering hum filling the room, it tickles the skin and nourishes just the right place within. To be in the presence of such a brilliant, loving, and soulful teacher is a rare opportunity. As we move from pose to pose, sweat dripping from our faces, there is an internal smile that awakens with gratitude and joy at the awesomeness of such a class. This is no regular yoga class, here, we are a community, we are loved, and we feel at home. We are at the Ojai Yoga Crib.

Having been to many festivals, workshops, and gatherings, few events feel so deliciously good, so inspiring, and refreshing. Maybe it is because the crib takes place in the small town town of Ojai, nestled into a beautiful and lush valley just one and a half hours north of the busy concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Perhaps it is the amazing venues where classes are held. A class in the geodesic dome reveals the stunning acoustical properties of its geometric shape, where the musical voice of the teacher’s singing arcs and leaps with a whispers right into your ear. We pack into a school bus, bringing back memories of school days, and with giddy excitement we head for the stunning meditation center. Up there, as I move from downward dog into cobra, my gaze travels far ahead looking at the distant mountains surrounding us and the lush oaks covering the hills like millions of broccoli heads. Ojai is infused with the energy of spiritual wisdom and radiant beauty, it is where the famous spiritual leader Krishnamurti settled down and spent much of his time.

The crib is hosted by Lulubandhas – a yoga studio in Ojai. It is the brainchild of Kira and Eric Ryder and is made possible by the joint effort of a loving community of yogis. From the moment one arrives at headquarters, there is a sense of joy and togetherness that is unlike anything else I have experienced. Every detail has been thought through to make this three day yoga retreat exciting and accessible. Starting from the butterfly engraved outfits of the friendly team of volunteers to the simple and colorful schedule, every detail is an expression of the care and love that went into this event. Participants are able to choose from some of the best and most diverse teachers, each one bringing a unique perspective, years of experience, and a deep reverence for the science and art of yoga. The biggest challenge for me was to choose between the teachers for the five classes that are offered. Two classes the first and second day, one class on the last.

Meditation is held every morning. At 9 am, the first two and a half hour class begins. Afterwards, a vegetarian lunch is offered at headquarters or participants can choose from any of the wonderful restaurants around town. After lunch, allowing for some time for digestion, contemplation, and possibly a mid-afternoon nap, the second two and a half hour class begins. In the evenings, inspirational dharma talks, kirtan, music, and dancing provide entertainment and bring all the yogis together for a celebration of the spirit, mind, and heart.

As hard as it was to leave the crib, I am left with a deep sense of fulfillment and love. Rejuvenated and re-inspired, I already can’t wait for next year to come soon enough. Thank you Eric, Kira, Lulubanhdas, and everyone that helped make this such a masterful and blissful event.

The Ojai Yoga Crib Website
Lulubandhas Website

Here is something new. A rather interesting technique that people are calling super brain yoga.

The exercise in itself is very simple and involves the use of breath retention combined with crossing the left and right arm. This is very similar to the eagle pose in yoga where the left arm is crossed over right as right leg is crossed over left. The idea is to mismatch and break the natural synchronized patterning of body motion in order to create new patterns and awareness. Using breathing and an up and down motion also help retrain the brain and makes the movement more memorable. The video below mentions that the effectiveness of the technique is due in part to the placement of the fingers on the earl lobes that are related to acupressure points.

Supposedly, doing this exercise 15 times daily in the morning makes children and adults smarter by synchronizing the two brain hemispheres. I wanted to bring this technique to your attention with the hopes that some of my readers will try it out and comment back on this post what they thought of it. I will try this technique out for the next two week doing 15 repetitions every morning and will send out an update on the effects based on my own self observations.

Here is the short video from CBS2 News about it and a link to the specific instruction on how to do it. As the video points out, this is especially powerful for kids with learning or emotional disabilities.

Video, Instructions.

How do you get ready for meditation? What are the steps necessary to get into the proper mind set and how do yourelease stress from your busy day? You want the body to be so relaxed and comfortable that you can forget all about it. The mind should be alert, focused, and present in the moment. Here is a great stress management exercise that can be done anywhere. Its quick and very effective. This technique is also extremely beneficial for people that can’t fall asleep and have restless body syndrome.

How do you get ready for meditation? What are the steps necessary to get into the proper mind set and how do you release stress from your busy day? You want the body to be so relaxed and comfortable that you can forget all about it. The mind should be alert, focused, and present in the moment. Here is a great stress management exercise that can be done anywhere. Its quick and very effective. This technique is also extremely beneficial for people that can’t fall asleep and have restless body syndrome.

Laying on your back, begin to do a mental scan of your whole body. Start at your toes and work your way up the front side of your body and down your back. Once you have identified the muscles and places where you feel the most tension, it is time for the full body contraction.

Taking a deep breath in, contract all of the muscles you have just scanned. Systematically from your toes all the way up to your neck. At this point, you should be squeezing everything so hard that your legs are off the ground a bit, your head is off the ground, and your face is all squeezed up like a dried up prune. Holding this for one or two breaths, release everything with a big AAAHHHHHHH breath out. Taking another deep and slow breath here relax everything even deeper. You can imagine your whole body relaxing and sinking into the floor. Warning, please don’t overdo this and remember that the point is not to punish your muscles but to help them go from one extreme to the other.

Now, do another body scan and compare how you feel. If there is still some tension in your body you can work with your mind to breath soothing light and warmth into those places to relax them even further. You may experience a deep feeling of comfort, softness, or heaviness sometimes accompanied by a warm sinking feeling – like your body is about to liquidize and merge with whatever you are laying on.

At this point, you are ready for meditation, relaxation, an obe, or sleep. Enjoy the journey!

Based on an interview with Nelson Abreu of International Academy of Consciousness

What is an out of body experience?

An out of body experience (obe) is when the consciousness, meaning the individual himself, makes a transition from operating with his – her physical body to operating with the astral. Another way to put it is that person transitions from the physical, everyday reality into a parallel but different dimension. This dimension is more subtle than ours, but always there. It remains invisible to many of us because we lack the psychical perception to see into it.

Projecting into this parallel dimension is temporary, it can last from a few seconds to a couple of hours in rare cases, but inevitably we must return to the physical body. The process of moving into the astral dimension is dependant on the energetic connection between the physical and the astral body. This connection, sometimes called the silver cord, allows us to travel into the astral dimension and keeps our two bodies connected and safe. It also allows energy and information to flow between the two bodies.

Out of body experiences never causes the severing of the silver cord, but physical death is a process that involves the de-activation of the silver cord and could be called a “final projection.”

We tend to think of astral projection or out of body experiences as something supernatural and separate from the physical life. Something that only gifted or psychic people can do, but we all have this ability and go through this separation every night when we sleep and dream.

What is the difference between dreaming and having an obe?

The major difference is that dreams are illusory creations of the brain, whereas the obe is real, in the sense that it can be objectively shared with others like physical life. The average person goes through a partial disconnection while sleeping.  When we dream, our astral body hovers just slightly above the physical body. What is missing is the awareness and intention to fully project out. Even in a lucid dream, there is still a range of lucidity and some people are able to use the lucid dream as a springboard to go into an obe. The realness of the obe experience, makes it self evident that it is different from a dream. Out of body experiences become as real as our daily lives.

What are the benefits, why would somebody want to try this?

One of the most profound benefits is the loss of fear of death, common with near death experience. Fear is easy to manipulate and people that are afraid can be targets for malicious manipulation and influenced. Once we overcome that fear, we are able to make better and more rational decisions.

Attempting and having access to out of body experiences can set us on a journey of trying to understand this physical life. Because we have this glimpse into something unusual, a different world that most people are not aware of, we will come back with questions and a new perspective on life. We will be more curious and will want to share these realizations and experiences with others.

In other dimensions, just like in ours, thoughts and intentions have consequence, they attract things and people. This is sometimes called the law of attraction, and in the astral dimensions we are able to see this much easier and in a more immediate fashion. This is why it is so vital to monitor the quality of our thoughts, intentions.

As a result of out of body experiences, we become more perceptive, more psychic, and able to feel or see energy in ourselves and others. Because we realize the benefits of maintaining a healthy energetic pattern we become more aware of our own energetic and mental state.

We can step out of our physical and solid world and look out through another lens. By doing so, we can see ourselves and our lives from a different perspective and when we come back, our worldview is shifted and changed. The ramifications touch and inform all of our problems on earth. Many of the world’s problems come from the human-centered perspective that nature and life are things; they are to be used and then thrown away. When we see ourselves as consciousness that exists outside the physical body, this continuity and connection between ourselves, our bodies, spirits, and all living things becomes apparent. With this knowledge, life, the environment, and most other things in life become more valuable and precious.

Through out of body travels, we can see ourselves as a multi-dimensional consciousness in the process of evolution along with other beings. With this realization, we become more connected in a cosmic way to our fellow human beings.

What can I expect for my first time?

Beginners should be very motivated but not easily discouraged. On the other hand, you should be prepared to have an experience. Fears and anxieties are common, try to address these beforehand. Excitement may result in reducing the chance of getting an obe because the physical body will not be able to relax enough to allow the separation from the astral body.

Recognize the physical sensations such as tingling, vibrations, or pulsations. These are the first signs of an obe onset. Sometimes you may hear inter-cranial sounds that may appear to be coming from your head. These are actually generated in your non-physical or astral body. A partial or completely paralysis of the body also happens; do not be worried or panic. It is common to feel subtle energy moving or a part of your subtle-astral body to separate – such as an arm, or leg.

Is it dangerous?

No. People have obes nightly and it is quite natural. Becoming lucid of this process makes you safer and increases the connection between the physical and astral body. Because of the silver cord, you are still energetically connected to the body and there is no way for this connection to break or be cut. Your energy body is a perfect fit for your physical body. The terms in and out of body are analogies, and you are energetically still connected to your body at all times.

It is common for people to ask if they can get lost. Most people would like the opposite, they want to explore, but the moment they feel afraid, they are immediately zipped back into their physical body. There are many fears around obes but most of these are unfounded and exist to discourage exploration into the nature of reality and the self.

How do I do it? What types of methods are there?

Continuous consciousness projection is feasible when we allow our bodies to go into a deeply relaxed state – almost numb and heavy. Our emotions are also slowed and focused on the obe. Many people are constantly moving the body and when the physical body is too jittery, complete separation is almost impossible.

The most basic technique is to contract and relax the physical muscles. The intention should be to extend the period of falling asleep, and progressively relaxing the mind and the body, creating opportunities for having a spontaneous out of body experience.

In our daily lives, the energy body is crystallized and aligned with the physical body. Only in the periods before or after sleep does the energy body have a chance to shift out of this alignment. To make it easier to separate, we must be able to control the energy body to the point where we can reach a vibrational state where it is the most vital and energized. To accomplish this, it is helpful to develop our energy body.

There are many techniques but the main emphasis should be on moving the energy resolving any energy blockages in the body. To get to this stage, we must first become aware and sensitive enough to feel the subtle energy.

Another path is breathing techniques that alter the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide allowing us to relax the body completely while keeping our mind awake, focused, and relaxed. This state should not be confused with insomnia. Our energy body reacts to our emotions which is why it is important to go into this practice with calm and peaceful mind.

We may also try to have a target where we wish to travel. A person, an object or place, as long as it does not cross any privacy boundaries. A place that we are familiar with and attached to, will work best and we can wish and will the energy body to go there.

Yet another technique is to separate just one limb of the energy body, attempting to control that limb before attempting the entire body. Hypnotic self suggestions cal also be used.

Is there a good time, position?

It is possible to project anytime, in any position, but lying down on the back is preferred. The energy body naturally assumes that position and the blood-flow into the brain is evenly distributed.

For others, on the side or even sitting in a comfortable recliner is preferred. Ask yourself, when and how am I least likely to fall asleep and most likely to relax quickly.

Study these two conditions. As for timing, the most common is right before falling asleep. For others, it is the middle of the night, the afternoon, after work, or immediately after waking up. All of this depends on your profile and life habits.

To find out, it is best to experiment and be our own investigator and researcher.

Is obe related to psychic powers, such as clairvoyance and telepathy?

When people have obes on a regular basis, they tend to become more psychic. These abilities operate and are linked to consciousness and the projection of energy. If we are able to create a partial disconnection of our energy body, we open a channel for clairvoyance and other psychic information to come in. The better we are able to control and understand our subtle energy, the more we will be able to receive this type of information. Unblock stagnant energy in the body and working with chakras will greatly help facilitate the development of psychic powers.

Where can I find out more? Resources, books, etc…?

A great resource online is International Academy for Consciousness (IAC)  This organization offers training courses and publications. Here is an interview with IAC president Alegretti

Books:

Projections of the Consciousness: A Diary of Out-of-Body Experiences, by Waldo Vieira

Projection of the Astral Body by Sylvan Muldoon and Hereward Carrington

Robert Crookall

Wagner Allegretti

Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce

Journeys out of the body by Robert Monroe

Reference guides:

Projectiology: A Panorama Of Experiences Of The Consciousness Outside The Human Body by Waldo Vieira

Many people have spontaneous out of body experiences, they can be sudden, extremely frightening, and traumatic for someone who is not well acquainted with OBE’s. Sometimes, such experiences are so incredible that they radically change a person’s view of the world. Here is such a story described vividly by my friend Andrey. I decided to publish this because for those that have had this happen to them, it may be helpful for to read about it similar experiences. Enjoy!

I was trying some relaxation/yoga exercises before going to bed, and as usual was falling asleep. Except that there was something different about it this time. I’m guessing I wasn’t all the way asleep, and right before my physical body gave way, my mind woke up. I felt intense and warm electric vibrations come over me from legs upwards, my mind felt unbelievably clear, and thinking just didn’t occur to me.

I remember this very well – I could consciously not think. It’s kind of hard to describe, but my mind seemed to be separate from me, as well as my body. It was like looking at a bowl of soup and consciously choosing not to stir it. So as the vibrations were coming up my legs into my torso, my heart started to pulse VERY intensely. It wasn’t my physical heart, because it felt a lot more in the center rather than to the left. And by VERY intensely I mean REALLY REALLY VERY INTENSELY! I have never felt anything like that before. The whole body was engulfed by the “vibrations” and was pulsing. I was actually an energy body that expanded/exploded and kept pulsing and growing, while the physical body was shrinking and laying there like some kind of dead shell.

All of a sudden (still with intense vibrations and my heart pulsing like crazy) I realized that I could see through my eyelids, and not just that, but that I could see all around me and the same time! And not just seeing, I could FEEL everything around me with clarity and alertness beyond anything I’ve experienced in the physical world. Everything felt very fluid, alive and was radiating different kinds of energy. I was able to tell what a chair felt like, and the table, window and the fish drawn on my wall. Everything was radiant and alive.

My usual physical-sense world seemed like some gray, boring, pointless dream. I raised the right hand of my energetic/ vibration body and swiftly pressed the wall next to me, seeing how energy was flowing from that spot in ripples, much like a stone tossed into a pond (that’s standing up vertically). At this point I got very excited, and I my physical mind started to wake up with all it’s patterns. With that, an immense fear came all over me, and I was terribly afraid of my heart exploding.

I tried to move my body and put my physical arm to my heart to check if it’s actually beating this fast! (It’s hard to estimate the beat rate in a rather timeless place, but if I had to, it would be something like 10-15 beats a second). But, of course I could not move my physical body – it was paralyzed, because I wasn’t in it, and the fear got even worse. I pushed down all of the vibrations, feelings and vision rapidly vanished, and I jumped into an upright position (physically now) with my hand slamming into my heart and tears pouring down from my eyes. My physical heart was beating rather slowly.

This was the first of such experiences that completely changed my life.

Sitting in a chair all day can be hard on the body and frequently leads to stiffness in the neck, legs, and lower back. Remember gym class in school when we had to do those pesky stretching exercises. Well, guess what, they are actually crucial to keeping your body relaxed and ache- free. For every hour that we sit in a chair, at least a few minutes should be spent taking some time to relax the body, and clear the mind. Here are a few simple ways to do this without looking like a fool in front of your co-workers. In fact, doing these exercises in public, in your office just might inspire others do them too!

Start by looking away from the compute. Ahhh, isn’t that nice. Take one deep breath and let it out as slow as possible. Rotate your neck, moving it up, down, left right, side to side, and add in some circular motion. Make sure that you are breathing long, deep breaths as you do this, keep the motions in sync with the breathing to prevent injury. Now, with another long inhalation, stand up and let your whole body straighten up. Make sure that you don’t do this too fast, letting the spine, shoulders, and neck fall into their natural and comfortable alignment.

With another long inhalation, begin to fold forward from the hips letting your whole upper body relax completely until you are hanging. If your hands touch the ground, great, if not, no big deal. Now, as you hang there, take a moment to notice the backs of your legs, are they tight? If so, you can bring your attention, your thoughts, and your breath to the spots that are tight and begin to breath into the tightness. After a few moments you should feel the hamstrings relaxing a bit and loosening up. The legs are the key to the back, if they are tight, the rest of your upper body will be also.

Try to notice when you have sat for too long, and take a few moments to work with your mind, breath, and body to relax and release some stress. Because all three are linked, when you change one, you will effect them all. There are of course thousands of ways to stretch, just remember to synchronize and let the breath do the moving. Get creative, have fun, start a conversation at work about this topic. I bet you will have much to talk about with your co-workers regarding this subject.

See Part 1 for beginning of article.

The sole purpose of yoga poses as they were developed in India, was to work the body to make it strong and healthy to enable the yogi to meditate for a long time. Few of us can claim that we have completely healthy bodies. Even those that eat well, get plenty of physical exercise, and have little stress are still effected by outside conditions and our modern lifestyle. When the body is not healthy, meditation is difficult because people will experience shaking, sweating, disturbed breathing and other discomforts.

Yoga poses help cleans the body by squeezing, stretching, crushing, and massaging the body until all toxins are shed off. Different poses were designed for different health purposes. Some stretch and strengthen muscles while others effect blood flow to different body parts and organs. Certain poses work to massage internal organs helping wash toxins our of the body or aiding with digestion. Many of the poses also have additional benefits to our lymphatic system and support our bodies in fighting off disease and infection.

When practicing yoga poses, we use our breath and focus our mind so that we can remain calm and strong in the pose. The Sanskrit word for yoga pose is asana which means comfortable and steady pose meaning that our bodies should not be undergoing stress or shaking while in the pose. Practicing poses with this in mind, we will quickly begin to experience the cleansing benefits on a mental and physical level. Thus, after a good yoga class, it is common to feel light, clear headed, and focused. It is like turning of an annoying buzzing radio that we have been forced to listen to for much too long. And when the silence comes, there is that AHHHHH moment. When the mind is clear, calm, and focused, our spirit is set free and our heart can open up.

This is the beauty and simplicity of the yoga system.  Even the most materialistic and concrete minded yogi in the first camp, will come to realize and feel the mental and spiritual effects of yoga given enough time and regular practice. That is why yoga has endured and thrived in many cultures, over many centuries, and continues to inspire even in the face of modern commercialization and materialism.

Yoga has evolved, shifted, and changed dramatically in its long history but never has it seen the type of growth and explosion of interest as in the last decade. As a philosophy and a physical practice, it has spread throughout the globe, far from its original home in India. It has taken the United States by storm and millions of us practice on a regular basis.What is the explanation for this sudden interest?

Did we reach a tipping point when yoga became the new fad, the new cool? Or maybe, people are truly interested in becoming more enlightened and self-aware? What does yoga represent to the people that practice it and did we pay a price for making it mainstream?

Of the people that do yoga, there are two large camps that people may have unknowingly settled into. The first is people who see yoga as a form of physical exercise done with the intention of getting more fit, stronger, and of course more flexible. In this camp there is little room for the spiritual, mystical, and esoteric side of yoga and certainly not much reverence for its long history or its profound and subtle effects on the mind of the practitioner. Out of this camp come strange remixes of yoga poses combined with acrobatics, cardiovascular routines, and strength building exercises.

In the other camp, we find people who are aware of the spiritual side of yoga. These are folks who study the scriptures, know about the history, practice meditation, mantras, breathing exercises, and sanskrit chanting. With this group, spiritual retreats are common and journeys to India and ashrams are talked about as if they are regular and even necessary aspects of life.

Obviously, these two camps are the extremes and many people fall somewhere in between but it amazes me how few people in the first camp realize that there is more to yoga than the downward dog and the headstand. This is extremely unfortunate because yoga is not only a physical practice with a spiritual aspects, it is a complex and multi layered system of developing the human body, mind, and spirit for the journey of self exploration and transcendence of the mind into higher realms of consciousness. This is a bit hard to swallow at first, but its actually pretty simple.

Click here for Part 2