Sample Meditation
by Swami Veda Bharati
- Sit as straight as you can on an even, firm, but cushioned surface.
- Relax your forehead.
- Relax your facial and physical musculature.
- Bring awareness to your breathing.
- Breathe slowly, gently, smoothly, evenly; without jerk or sound in the breathing.
- Now feel the touch and flow of the breath in the nostrils.
- Let there be no pause between the breaths; as one breath is completed, begin to feel the next breath flowing and touching the nostrils.
- After a few breaths, choose:
a. Whichever name of God is your favorite according to your tradition or religion;b. Or a sacred but short phrase or prayer word from your scripture or tradition
c. If you do not believe in a form of divinity, or spiritual incarnation and so forth,
exhaling, think Oooonnne (One in a long and drawn out way),
inhaling think Twwwoooo (Two) without a break in this count with the breath. - Exhaling, mentally remember the word or phrase. Inhaling, mentally remember the word or phrase.
- Let there be no break between the breaths, nor between the incessant flow of the thoughts of the same phrase.
- As soon as you become aware that you have lost the flow and other thoughts have begun to arise, re-start the same procedure from the beginning with number 1.
- Sit for as long as you wish.
- Let the quietness of the mind continue even after you rise.
- If you practice this even for 2-3 minutes at a time many times a day, you will notice subtle changes in yourself for the better.
- Whatever you do repeatedly with the mind, that will become the mind’s habit; calming the mind repeatedly will return your mind to its calm nature.
