Today, January 25, 2011. We are located at the Cultural Center “Awakening” near the metro station “Novoslobodskaya” in Moscow. My name is Victoria. This thematic session of the International Open University of Yoga for all comers. The theme of our lesson, “The practice of meditation.”
In this lesson, we will continue the theme, which is devoted to meditation, visualization and concentration.
Let’s start with questions, experiences, thoughts that have arisen during the execution of tasks that we passed.
Question: We have repeated to myself the mantra Hrim. It gives a result only if we concentrate on it for a long time or can be, for example, 20 seconds to practice?
Victoria: In the last lesson, we practiced this mantra to myself, and our task was to concentrate on this mantra. We recited it long enough, about 15 minutes Will effect, if we say the mantra of less time? Of course, from any yoga practice is the result, even if it is very small and unobtrusive, but any practice – this is a step forward for a spiritual development. Of course, if you have the opportunity to recite the mantra Hrim only twenty seconds, that’s good, if you have time to practice one hour, two hours, of course, it’s much better. In connection with our theme “Meditation, concentration,” the meaning of the following – as far as possible we are able to engage in the practice. Totally, all 100% focus their consciousness, their attention, or it will be the mantra as a kind of background, when our minds will be focused on some other phenomenon or process.
In connection with our theme – the maximum involvement, ie control over their attention, control of the stream of consciousness – how we control its expression of consciousness. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to just 15 minutes a day to set aside time to practice, to fully engage in the practice of this mantra – very good if twenty seconds, then totally involves, again, if the practice through the lens focus. The main practice.
Question: During the concentration, such as breathing, I catch myself thinking that the concentration goes to other objects, and at the same time I apply some effort to keep the attention on the breath, ie, it turns out that attention here and there, but then, as I understand it, this is not possible, the focus should be on any one object, that is it can not be divided?
Victoria: You have answered the question that our consciousness can not be divided, we have only one stream of consciousness, and one energy, ie, no two, three consciousnesses – we have it only one. The only thing that this stream of consciousness can we be scattered like a sieve, and then we have the attention on a single object, on the other part – in this case we are talking about attention span. Those. some objects capture our interest, and we can not control this flow – our task is to learn to control the process and if it is necessary to collect the flow of concentrate only on one object. And if not, then the flow directed to two objects and expand their attention. For example, some of the great people could read and write and listen at the same time, but that does not diffuse (our usual domestic) attention, and purposeful work on the management of this flow – are two different things.
Remember, we practiced Mantra Yoga in such an embodiment, when the two mantras needed to use at the same time – it is rather difficult. Mantra is not the background, and we have deliberately concentrated its attention on one, and on the other mantra. Here we are, once again, learn to control the flow of its manifestations, the more and more we control this flow, the less we feel this manifestation. And who controls the flow of energy and consciousness? Controls our higher self, with the help of his instrument – will.
Unfortunately, we are in the dark, and it means that we consider ourselves their manifestations – energy and consciousness, so we suffer. The more we manage their symptoms, the less we will consider ourselves of them. Those. understanding occurs automatically, if you control your body, then you already know that there is a higher than the body, you are not the body, you can do with it whatever you want. Our challenge is that we have become masters of their manifestations, their attention and, remember, we looked at the last session an analogy with three horses, when we want to one side, and our manifestations pull us in another, and it turns out a mess. And we must become masters of life, we must be masters of their manifestations. Do you remember the axioms of yoga, our minds – a union of energy and consciousness – the union of two manifestations of our task, as people who practice yoga, including subdue the mind (ie, energy and consciousness). Make it so that no reason has been our master, and we were to master the mind.
The theme for reflection: we discussed the topic of concentration related to our manifestation – Consciousness. Very often in our school of yoga traditions Anandasvami and literature can be heard about the power of consciousness – we say that this man has a strong consciousness and that person weak consciousness or say that a man – consciousness, and a woman – is energy, and maybe she did not need consciousness. Here’s a question – what do you mean when you say that this man has a strong mind, and maybe women do not really need to have a strong mind, let them be strong energy?
Answer: I think that is the ability to keep the mind in one direction for a long time.
Victoria: Ie what we talked about. When we say that a person has a strong mind, we mean that this person can manage your attention, ie can not rush a long time on something to focus (not tossing consciousness). In Tantra yoga is such a position that women appreciate a man consciousness, ie, not so the man behaved like that today, but tomorrow – I do not like, and that too if you like, that seriously and permanently. Those. consciousness, which is not torn, and very stable and unidirectional, permanent, reliable, and robust. Women need to have a strong consciousness? Perhaps the only men should have them, and the women even develop energy?
Of course, each of us has a higher self, and a man and a woman, and is a manifestation of energy and consciousness. Only in the more energy it is manifested through a woman, and consciousness through man. But, these two forces are equal, equal area, and, of course, harmonious kind of person who has a well-developed consciousness and energy, otherwise it will not be a harmonious personality. Therefore, man should develop his sense, but do not forget about the energy. The woman, of course, easier to be energy because it is her element – emotion and admiration, but it is difficult to hold the attention and concentrate on something. For example, today it has a good mood, bad tomorrow, and she said that it should be so that it is not my fault that she is such a character, is she such a feature – and indeed it is written off. And here it is ever-changing, fickle, Energy, but, again, from this alone the problems and worries to others. Therefore, ideally, we should develop one and the other manifested, not even develop, and be able to position your I manage these two streams as the flow of energy, and the stream of consciousness. Maybe women and what is lacking is the consciousness aspect, a lot of energy, and what to do with it?If not there a man who would have this energy somewhere to the right, a woman is lost in this world, she would like to do a lot, and it is all so good, air and consciousness – where there is no direct energy. Therefore, very often come to us girls and say that we have taught them methods of Consciousness, to channel their energy, all his strength is in the right direction. Or the example of the youth. Young people are a lot of energy, and the mind is not enough, and they dissipate this energy just to nowhere, nothing. Force is really a lot, and they go to the football, some disassembly, somewhere else, ie, The energy they rages, but they are not yet mature enough Consciousness, and do not know where to direct your energy. Those. Consciousness – is a vector, followed by the energy, which tends to consciousness, there tends and Energy. This kind of organization of the process, a structure, that structure the energy and directs it to the desired direction.
Therefore, we will continue to develop their consciousness, to learn concentration, connected with it, and meditation and, as we found out, in principle, connected with it, and all yoga. Those. without concentration, we can not engage in any Hatha Yoga or Kriya yoga or mantra yoga, Pranayama or yoga, and nothing at all can not. Otherwise, it turns out that today Kriya and Kriya tired and tomorrow we have another music Give – we have stability and permanence. Results Of course, we will not achieve if we do not have a clear understanding, comprehension, clear vector, where to go and permanence, stability, one-pointedness.
So we’ll work today breathing a little body, do exercises and add a pair of exercise – concentration on the idea. Here, too, our consciousness is very pronounced. How can we concentrate on some idea, the more we focus on the idea, the more we open this subject, the more we learn, the scientists who discovered so many laws of nature. And helped them in that only the concentration of the attention, consciousness on this object, ie they did not eat, did not sleep, but only speculated about a law of the universe and opened a law.
Therefore, if you want something to grasp, for example, the Absolute, your higher self, to grasp some other ideas, understand the Kriya Yoga, to comprehend another person, you should concentrate most on this site, reflect, ie, all their thoughts directed to this object.
Practice.
We have a wonderful meditation on the central channel, who have learning, walking to class, faced with this meditation, when we are in the middle of his body were blue tube inside the brilliant, radiant. Meditation on the tube brings joy and happiness, but to achieve these strong emotions (not hallucinations) requires maximum concentration, and the concentration of one or two seconds, and for a long time. But before presenting the central channel, it would be nice to provide some area of its location on the physical body – this is our backbone.
Exercise 1: The concentration on the spine.
Sit up straight.
Victoria: I assure you, is not that the central channel, you will not even feel your physical backbone. Now you feel it?
Answer: Yes.
Victoria: Thank God, if you feel it, and someone does not feel. Can you imagine what that’s rough, “bird”, we wear at which pulses occur, different spinal fluid, and we can not feel them, what to speak about the delicate and subtle. Therefore, we begin with our physical body.
Of course, we will be able to feel your spine, if we direct your attention to, at least sometimes. The more and more we concentrate, the more tangible will represent this part of the body.
Sit straight, if hard to sit, you can continue to do the exercise lying down. By focusing only on the spine, I assure you – it is much easier than to concentrate on the center channel because – it is rough, though something tangible. Therefore, to separate hallucinations from reality, we learn first to work with something so more real, and then with something more subtle. Thus, no other thought except for the spine. We view it from the bottom up for a long time and palpated each vertebra, every millimeter of the vertebra. Of course, consciousness is interesting, because it does not feel the same on which to focus, empty space, but we make ourselves, because we at least know roughly where it is, continue to grope spine.
Question: Is it possible to stretch it? Make some effort, for example, stretch?
Victoria: It is possible, that is, In this sense, easier to feel in the exercise of Hatha yoga. But now we seem to have such advanced, ready to meditate on the central channel.
Thus, no other thought, that is, Now we strengthen the power of his mind – how we can do it. All other thoughts remove – just the spine.
Performing exercises – 06 minutes.
Victoria: It was possible to concentrate only on the spine and its sense? I think that there would come to the aid of Nyasa yoga, if someone came up from behind and to do Nyasa yoga. If you have had an experience when you do Nyasa yoga, these sensations, memories may emerge today, when you do Nyasa were feeling in this area. Therefore Nyasa yoga, of course, accelerates many times.
Practitioner 1: Feeling hot spine.
Victoria: Very well, that is Energy for the mind has gone.
Practice 2: Spine began to itch.
Victoria: Well, that is, any physical sensations say that you really were able to send to your consciousness, and consciousness went for the flow of energy.
Practitioner 3: The feeling each vertebra as if the vibration as if the vertebrae are rolled together.
Victoria: This is their any feelings, I hope they really do not you roll?
Practice 4: I felt that the spine, but never concentrated on it. The funny thing is that I felt – what part of the spine of any part of the body is responsible and how it goes on and passes the information directly into the brain. Information from the body.
Practitioner 5: Sometimes concentrating on a certain area of the spine and at the beginning there is nothing, empty space, and when concentrating, this response comes, there really is something alive.
Victoria: Who could not?
The practitioner 6: rather abstract, I can not say that I felt the spine and can not also be said that I did not feel it.
Practitioner 7: I feel only two vertebrae.
Victoria: Good point. Some area we can more clearly feel, especially lower back, with whom she often hurts, or thoracic spine, one there kyphosis, etc., and have between – and not feel, ie there are no sensations never experienced before. In yoga, often says that yoga controlled their hearts, or other organs such as the stomach, iron can eat or drink poison and digest it all. This is a very powerful control, but this control comes only when a connection between this man and this body. Those. the yogi perceives as heart or your stomach as your fingers – I run my fingers, because they feel, and already the little finger on my leg I did not run, because I do not feel it. Those. it does not feel, so I can not manage it, I do not feel like a kidney or a liver, so I can manage them as your nose, eyes. Why do I manage them? Because I recorded and used to manage them with the birth of a very powerful association is – this I can somehow use.
So, of course, and with these more deep internal organs, especially the spine, although it is not an internal organ, and a closer look, we need to establish a connection. If you once had as a child set out to – I do yoga to be able to stop the heart, you know that, in principle, it is possible, only this requires maximum concentration and time. Because you are twenty, forty years used his hands and so you can they somehow have something to do, and those authorities do not have any connection, of course works and the glory of God.
Practitioner: Heart – the same muscles, so you can learn how to manage them.
Victoria: Like other muscles, only problem is that, firstly, it is necessary to believe in it, it needed a tremendous inner strength of will.
Exercise 2.
Now our concentration, we connect with the breath, and breathing exercises to be done with the maximum, total involvement. Again, in our practice, we focused the more, the better the result. If you breathe, “pranayama”, but you have a million different thoughts about anything, not just about breathing and yoga, it is clear that the effect of this practice is certainly not zero, but rather weak, ie, then really you need several lifetimes to get after this Pranayama good global result. Therefore, our task – to breathe and concentrate on your breathing. Discard all thoughts, we manage the flow of his mind and fix on the same object, remember the laser beam that is focused at one point.
We make the following quite a tricky exercise, I think it will help you concentrate better, because there will be breathing and movement of the body. And when connected to one another – the mind is much easier to become attached. Perform this exercise lying down or sitting. We breathe stomach, feeling as inspiratory belly is inflated and blown away as you exhale.
Those. breath we tie to the movement of his body. So much easier to concentrate on your breathing, than if we were not recorded on the movements of his body, and just watched for air to flow.
Sit in a comfortable position. Our task – to 100% attention has been involved in the process.
Performing exercises – 10 minutes.
Victoria distracted?
Practitioner 1: Yes, especially the distracted voice that sang to the music.
Practice 2: On the contrary, uninteresting solve simple puzzles, the more complex, more interesting. Music helped harmoniously into account breathe, any music is divided into two quarters, four quarters, etc., and all fit in. Make yourself rhythmically very difficult to breathe, and then when the process is already running rhythm can be the next factor – the account to connect.
Victoria: Now we do not connect through, we had only the breath. If you would score, it would be even easier, because the mind is occupied with three things at the same time, ie, four.
Practice 2: And you can still connect a fifth.
Victoria: In fact, you went on a simple way, is more difficult – if there were only two problems – it is breathing and stomach, this focus is much more difficult, because missing even the attention to be distracted and to music and thinking, etc. .d.
Practitioner 3: When I concentrated on breathing, I felt that the increased heart rate, sometimes you can feel the blood flowing through the veins, on the one hand, there is also attention is drawn, but it seems like we can not say that you come out of a meditative state. How is it to be? Like attention not in one place.
Victoria: Our problem was that we focused only on what we need. Of course, someone has started flying angels, some images, pictures, cartoons, and our attention was scattered on the pictures, cartoons and forget what to do. But we have a problem in the other, we bring the strength of Consciousness. I decided that only concentrate on this, it means everything – only in this case, on what not distracted. Those. and focus the flow of our consciousness is not that interesting, on what it wants (the music is good, there is something pulsed), and are working on the aspect of “necessary”. It was necessary to concentrate on the other. Therefore, based on our goals, it was necessary not to be distracted.
Practice 4: I feel the temperature of your breath, that is, I clearly felt when the cold air is drawn in, begin tingling, it is warmed and already comes out hot.
Victoria: What goes out it hot – it is as if secondary. Here the idea is that the body has helped us to focus on the breath, ie, It moves the body, and it somehow enables us to focus on the inhalation and exhalation. There could not concentrate on it. There are techniques, which say that we concentrate on the cool air inhaled and exhaled hot, again, the temperature of these flows allows us to concentrate on the breathing process. It’s not bad, not good, the main thing that we are not distracted by things that are far from the belly breathing and movement – different thoughts, music, anything else.
Practitioner 5: I wanted to stop breathing spontaneously, and I have made the delay on the exhale, and I would like all external thoughts disconnected.
Victoria: Well, again went running. We have slightly different objectives were, just 10 minutes – it is very small, have to wait until the delay when I said everything. It is just the same and determines our consciousness throwing. Again, we took home to practice Pranayama outlined, then, no, let me now make a better Hatha, it took several minutes, and something did not go, and Hatha, Kriya can add? Here it is rushing Consciousness is not unidirectional. As long as I did not say “stop”, we had to concentrate on a given topic. Getting something to do, after a while it seems to us that there is more interesting, and our consciousness departs and instead focus on what you have to (work, study), our consciousness begins to wander, like a monkey on that interesting. Of course, banana monkey interesting than the book. Which book is better she will jump on the trees and will choose a most sweet banana. But, we still come to the fact that our minds enough to be like that monkey, you need it as a tame, put on the chain and get to read the book, so that it umnel.
The practitioner 6: I took the attention away, then I took myself in hand trying to get it back.
Victoria: That’s right, take yourself in iron gloves – that is the power of Consciousness, when a man can take himself in hand and say, “Do what I tell you, not what you want.” There had to show character. That’s it – all scattered, all swam well, and we told him, “Well, okay,” released “Run wherever you want.” And we had to say: “Know the place.” Here it was necessary to invigorate and from time to time to carry out what has been said. Again, it’s only 10 minutes, and if we had just an hour meditating on the breath and abdominal movement, which we feel – it’s just any chakra, which we do not feel. But even 10 minutes is very difficult – that we have this power of Consciousness.
If we have the motivation, for example, in education, it makes us somehow stimulate if the motivation is not present, of course, difficult. In other sessions we will discuss more detailed motivation, how to motivate yourself for any business and how important it is to do.
Since there is very little time, the concentration on the idea will move to the next class.
Exercise 3: Practice in pairs.
Splits into pairs.
In pairs, we are working on greater emotional stability, which requires a very strong concentration from us. Those. any provocation, of course, bring down our attention, consciousness, and we switched.
Today, the exercise will be as follows:
– Number 1 – bad emotional background (negative). Do not know if you have encountered in your life within yourself or with others, when it’s bad, it was bad, and will be even worse. When you come home, and then all with long faces, or on the street you are met with such instances, students, ie, something oppressive, unpleasant, everything is bad.
– Number 2 – a good emotional background (positive). All is well, and will be even better. Joy, happiness inside.
The problem is as follows: number 1 (bad mood) to concentrate and to insist on the number 2 (good mood) should be entrenched in their good mood and be in it at all hands.
Number 2 is silent, he is sitting, glad, inside Bhava, and No. 1 – all bad, why are you so happy, trying in every way to involve his power of concentration. For example, when a person is bad, look at him, and all feel bad about, because the man is so strongly established and concentrated on his bad condition that, wherever he appeared all suddenly becomes ill. As far as his strong consciousness. No. 1 enters into a negative state number 2. Number 2 should not give in, smiling. The first said second silent. The task of the first win in the second film, the task of the second to focus and say – no, I do not give maya action.
Remember the case of life. For example, those who practice yoga – always Bhave come home, and the other half is not engaged in yoga – and always with a long face, whether man or woman. Yogi comes home happy, opens the door, sees the face and all – it also becomes bad. And how to deal with it? Those. the one half, which is not engaged in yoga, pulls. It would have to have his own Bhava and scatter all over the house, and not vice versa to get involved in this game of Maya. If you are faced with this life, it will be easier. The most important thing – the concentration.
Practice exercise – 10 minutes.
Now the number 1 (negative) remains his, and number 2 is trying to bring the number 1 in the positive. For example, you go into the room where all unhappy, whining, and you have to highlight their inner sun, delighted to have the mood changed. Those. Room 2 Room 1, to transfer from the negative to the positive. He said positive.
Practitioner 1: It is very difficult to set yourself on a positive when talking about the loss of life, or else any harm brought. I found it hard to adjust itself to the other way.
Victoria: You turn on the TV, and there is criminal chronicles, and some positive, some state Bhava? And you need to keep it.
Practice 2: Well, the TV is off and everything.
Victoria: And then the neighbor will tell you about a terrorist attack, a neighbor is not turned off. So, after all, someone cling.
Practitioner 3: It was difficult to get involved in the film (to be number 1), because if everyday background – Bhava, the film is very difficult to get involved, the question arises – why go there?
Practice 4: It was hard to establish itself in the negative.
Victoria: You become attached. This is me, and I did not. we play now.
Practitioner 5: There are negative things and respond to them I will be positive. Does it will be some sort of inadequacy?
Victoria: This is the second time that we were positive and tried to drag the man out of the negative into a positive. Of course, we live in a society where habitually react to negative. It’s here you easily, in fact, often the negative in our lives. And, if a person always enjoys it looks really like a loon. All of these things out of life, when we lose them – you have to remember through association some cases, stories with you or with your friends. That’s life. Sometimes stronger consciousness comes into the room in the negative, and you snikli, you feel bad, lack of energy, and it was well before all. This happened because became very strong consciousness, was to influence you, and your mind is darkened with your good condition. Those. we give not withhold his line of conduct, its vector orientation. We focus on a positive vector, and a man on the negative – someone who will overpower who have stronger consciousness.
The practitioner 6: Normally, the negative overpowering.
Victoria: No. This is what we are accustomed to such a scenario. Our line – positive, and we all had to drag out of the negative into a positive. There also checked the power of Consciousness. For example, yoga teachers, or just those involved in yoga, you come to work, you are happy, you are positive, you are assured of the line, confident in their direction, and everything ached, all complain at all bad, some problems. And you come to work, so strong its pointedness that you charge all the joy and happiness, they begin in a different way to perceive the world, all at the Yoga going. How do you manage to involve all their relatives and acquaintances in their sphere of influence?
Practitioners: Partially.
Victoria: We, as future teachers or those who simply engaged in yoga, people who are good, happiness, light in this world, of course, need to pull in a positive. It would not have been bad, we follow the “principle of contentment” and look at the world a more joyful, from the perspective of Bhava. Therein lies an exercise to you then it is transferred into your life.
Question: Make sure to pull in a positive those who think negatively? Or enough to pull away from them?
Victoria: Of course, we can be indifferent to everything and everybody and really live in their own little world. But if we are joy, light, good in the world if we are yoga teachers – those who actively bring joy and help all the other creatures to get rid of suffering, you will recall, the third yoga principle – the rejection of suffering and help all living beings in rejection of suffering. If you practice yoga, then for you it is important that not only you were good in their own little world, but to others it was also good.Happy are either all or none. Very many such position – a cave yoga – they meditate yourself and happy. Cave – it is not in the Himalayas, the cave – it’s an inner cave, as far as we dissociated ourselves from the world and yet we are open to him and want to help him. Of course, it all depends on our attitudes. School of Yoga tradition Anandasvami just did for us to spread the light of knowledge and yoga.
Q: And what about the principle of freedom?
Victoria: It’s not imposing. Free will is sacred. We are talking about not imposing, and that we show people that there is another way – not bad, but is also good, and the man thinks. People simply do not know what happens in a different way, ie If you are fine, then you’re crazy, and people are used to living with pre-knowledge. This is not freedom, it just inspired this lifestyle since childhood, is the only way. Here we open to the world.
Q: What if a person does not want to be disclosed, it is completely closed and no good at it does not work?
Victoria: It’s not what you have to pull it, “you should be happy” – no. If you simply bring light and joy.