Meditation on OMKARA

By repeating the mantra OM (3 times), you deify the body, mind and spirit. By repeating the mantra OM (21 times), you spiritualize your entire being. According to Vedic tradition, the body consists of 21 aspects. These are the five senses of action, the five senses of knowledge, the five vital pranas, the five sheaths and the soul. By repeating OM (21 times), you symbolically spiritualize all these aspects.

During meditation on OM, it is better to keep your eyes closed and visualize the strongest source of light at the point between the eyebrows.

Start repeating OM and feel that the light descends on your tongue, lips and cleanses them, while you mentally ask God to help you speak only the truth and bring inspiration to people with your speech.

While pronouncing the syllable OM, check your spine again to ensure that it is straight and not arched. This is a necessary condition for the vital energy of prana to easily penetrate your body.

Then, by repeating OM, you bring down the light to the other organs of action and purify them. By repeating the following five OMKARs, you purify with the light and vibration of OM the five senses of perception, the five pranas and the five sheaths, and then the light illuminates the inner Self, freeing it from egoism and revealing the presence of the Divine within.

For clarity, the following table can be given:

a) the first five OMCARs:

Cleansing the senses of action:

1 – speech organs;

4 – excretory organs;

5 – genitals.

b) the second five OMKARs:

Purification of the senses of cognition:

1 – eyes (perceiving forms);

2 – nose (perceiving smell);

3 – ears (perceiving sound);

4 – tongue (perceiving taste);

5 – skin (receptive to touch);

c) the third five OMKARs:

Purification of life flows of lil energies (pranas):

2 – sweating;

3 – blood circulation;

4 – digestion;

5 – selection;

d) fourth five OMKAR:

Cleansing the sheaths (kosha):

1 – shell composed of food;

2 – shell of vital energies;

3 – shell of the mind;

4 – shell of the spiritual mind;

5 – sheath of bliss;

e) last OMKAR:

21 – insight of the Self, the soul

This mantra is liberation. It allows you to restore connection with cosmic consciousness and get rid of the limitations of the body and lower mind. It is repeated with breathing. As you exhale, you mentally repeat HAM, and as you inhale, SO. Each person unconsciously repeats the mantra CO - HAM 21,600 times within 24 hours. If you consciously repeat SO - HAM, the mind will quickly clear, and you will be able to control the internal energies of the body, and it is also very useful for training consciousness and controlling the mind.

It is not easy to be constantly aware of the sound SO - HAM, since this requires a little formal practice (sadhana).

Find a clean place, free from noise and other disturbances. This place should not remind you of anything unpleasant. In the shade of flowering trees or by a babbling stream would be a wonderful place for sadhana. It is important to keep the mind calm and relaxed.

Sit in a comfortable position, your eyes can be open or closed as you wish. Then inhale slowly and try to hear the sound “SA”. If you don't hear the sound at first, feel how you sniffle, creating this sound more vividly, and you will realize that you have already begun to hear it. As you exhale, you may also hear the sound "HAM" visualized or mentally repeated. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the breathing is constant and the CO - HAM does not break into partial sounds like a mantra pronounced out loud.

When you begin to record the breathing process, its speed changes slightly. This can get nasty. Take a short break if this happens, and then resume your workout.

After 10 to 15 minutes, breathing will lengthen until the idea of ​​sound becomes natural and involuntary. When this happens, it will feel as if breathing has stopped. But there is no reason to worry because this is only a sign that the execution has now become natural. This is the sahaja (natural) state.

The Sahaja stage leads to complete mastery of the breath and with mastery of the breath comes complete mastery of the nature of emotional, psychological and physical states. If you master the nature of states of mind, you can free yourself from the bonds of attachment. In tranquility, the final meeting of consciousness (purusha) and energy (prakriti) occurs.

Since the normal breathing rate of human beings is 15 times per minute, this would amount to a total of 21,600 breaths in 24 hours. The life energy that permeates the subtle body also flows in and out with the physical breath. Since life depends on the process of breathing and since part of the vital energy is lost during exhalation, it is only natural that by controlling the ratio of inhalation and exhalation, vital energy can be accumulated and life can be lengthened. It is known that some yogis and saints lived for many centuries, while others became immortal - they carefully preserved the flow of their vital energy. The flow of vital energy in and out, associated with breathing, has a noticeable effect on the human body. If the flow of vital energy can be brought under the control of consciousness, disease can be prevented and cured, the life of human activity can be extended, and one can allow oneself to penetrate deeply into the past and the future.

Mantra is a powerful vibrational chant, which is an instrument of thought, meaning ideal, inaudible sounds that personify a single aspect of creation. The mantra pronounced syllable by syllable constitutes a single Universal terminology. The infinite powers of sound are drawn from the AUM, the word, or the creative hum of the cosmic motor.

Section 2. Sanyama (Psychic practice)

While performing daily duties, people's ability to concentrate and pay attention is very weak. You are doing some work with your hands, but your head is swarming with a lot of thoughts about a variety of problems. You think about what happened in the past, analyze and dream about what will happen in the future. This takes a huge amount of mental (mental) energy. Because of this, the effectiveness of physical and mental activity decreases.

To achieve success in any endeavor, concentration is necessary. A person with an undeveloped ability to concentrate lacks emotional and mental stability. He gets tired quickly, his work is not fruitful, and it is difficult for him to study.

With the help of mental concentration, “vital energy” is activated, and this helps to stimulate and optimize bioenergetic processes in the human body, improve his general physical condition, which has a positive effect on his emotional and mental state.

And to develop concentration, special exercises are needed.

Dharana (concentration)– this fixation of the mind (chitta) on a certain point creates concentration of attention. Concentration is the fixation of consciousness on a specific place or object (external or internal), without being distracted by other thoughts or objects.

Focused consciousness of a homogeneous flow of consciousness contents, not disturbed by other contents, is dhyana (contemplation). It is this, which illuminates only the object and, as it were, devoid of its own form, that is concentration - samadhi.

These three highest functions of consciousness are concentration, contemplation and concentration,- taken together, have a name – Sanyama (psychic practice).

If the concentration of attention on an object is maintained for 144 seconds, then it is considered that the state of contemplation (dhyana) has been achieved, i.e. – meditation. And if the state of concentration lasts 1728 seconds, then this state is called samadhi, a state of superconsciousness, enlightenment, insight.

Meditation, dhyana, frees a person’s consciousness from the emotional and mental constraint that hides his creative abilities, and brings beauty and perfection to every act of interaction with the outside world, awakening a creative attitude towards every phenomenon of the surrounding reality. Meditation is the basis of intuitive insight, which rediscovers in a person the once lost ability - the creativity of seeing the deepest secrets of existence and turning everyday life into a sacred act.

A calm, concentrated meditative state means liberation from mentally negative factors that bring discomfort to our lives, in mental activity - this is the path of mental self-improvement, and it is also enlightenment in the midst of active life.

One who devotes himself to the practice of sanyama acquires perfect abilities, and one who practices the practice of pranayama destroys the karma that hinders discriminatory knowledge, and the intellect becomes capable of concentration, it achieves stability through exhalation and retention of prana.

Meditation is not just the perception of truth, it is the experience of it; for one who knows meditation there is no dualism between life and the vision of truth.

Section 3. Self-control (Ahimsa)

Self-control is non-violence, righteousness, honesty, self-control and aversion to gifts.

Nonviolence– non-harm to all living beings, in any way and at all times. False thoughts of violence and other things committed, motivated to commit or approve, arising from greed, anger or delusion, are weak, medium and strong and have their fruits as suffering and lack of knowledge; therefore it is necessary to cultivate their opposites.

Here, first of all, violence is committed, encouraged to be committed and approved - it is of three types. In turn, each of these three types of violence has three more types:

due to greed, due to anger, due to ignorance - “this will benefit me” (benefit).

Greed, anger, and ignorance are also of three types: weak, medium and strong; hence there are 27 varieties.

Further, these properties themselves are of three types: weak-weak, weak-medium, weak-strong, medium-weak, medium-medium, medium-strong and, finally, strong-weak, strong-medium, strong-strong. Thus, 81 types of violence can be distinguished.

However, on the other hand, the number of types of violence is countless due to the difference in obligatory, optional and general instructions and the innumerability of types of living beings.

Likewise, this classification also applies to cases of lying and other defects. Truly, these “false thoughts have as their innumerable fruits suffering and lack of knowledge, therefore it is necessary to cultivate their opposites.” This means that the endless consequence of such false thoughts is suffering and ignorance.

As we know, the one who resorts to violence first deprives his victim of strength, then causes him suffering by attacking him with a weapon, and then takes his life. But when he deprives his victim of strength, his own source of life - consciousness and organism - also loses energy. Causing suffering, he himself experiences suffering in various hells or being born in the world of animals, hungry ghosts, etc. Taking the life of his victim, he exists at every moment as if on the verge of losing his own life, but even wishing for death, he somehow continues to breathe, because he must inevitably experience the consequences of the suffering caused. And even if the effect of violence can somehow be weakened due to previously accumulated virtue, then even then, having acquired a happy form of birth, his life will be short.

Likewise, this classification applies, as far as possible, also to cases of lying and other defects.

The reason for their final elimination can only be the cultivation of their opposites. When false thoughts no longer arise, the resulting power serves as a sign of perfect abilities.

“Be righteous!”; “May you reach the sky!”

Ignorance– should be understood as a certain entity that has objective reality. Ignorance is neither the source of true knowledge nor the absence of such a source, but only another type of vision, opposite to knowledge.

Selfishness- there is an apparent identity of both abilities - pure vision and the instrument of vision.

Attraction– is inextricably linked with pleasure. Desire, thirst, passionate desire for pleasure or the means of achieving it, which arises in someone who has experienced pleasure with the memory of past pleasure, is attraction.

Hostility– is inextricably linked with suffering. That resistance to suffering or the means that cause it, disgust, malice, anger towards it, which arise in someone who has experienced suffering when remembering past suffering, is hostility.

Suffering- There are three types: caused by internal causes, caused by other beings and caused by supernatural causes. Suffering is something that living beings strive to get rid of when it strikes them.

Dejection– there is a violation of mental functions due to an obstacle to the realization of desire.

Trembling in the body– when parts of the body tremble. All these phenomena accompany diffuse states of consciousness, that is, they occur only in diffuse states of consciousness and are absent in concentrated consciousness.

Section 4. “Dharma Vahini”

(Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

A person must devote himself to the Dharma and always act according to the Dharma so that he himself can live in peace and so that the whole world can enjoy peace. He will be able to achieve real peace and will be able to receive the mercy of the Lord only by living a dharmic life and by no other means. Dharma is the basis for the well-being of humanity, it is the truth that remains unchanged at all times. When Dharma fails to transform human life, the world is born of torment and fear and suffers violent revolutions. When the radiance of Dharma fails to sanctify human relationships, humanity plunges into the dark night of sorrow.

God is the embodiment of Dharma, His mercy is achieved through Dharma. He always maintains the Dharma, he always establishes the Dharma, he is the Dharma Itself. The Vedas, Shastras, Puranas and Itihasas proclaim the glories of Dharma. Not only humanity, but even birds and animals must follow the Dharma in order to be happy and live in comfort and joy.

Shankara's Truth-based commitment to Dharma and Karma, the Buddha's faith in the basic principles of the Vedas can only be understood and appreciated by those who have the highest vision. Without this, a person will get lost in interpretations. In order to climb to a great height, you need a ladder of exactly the same height, right?

He who subdues his egoism, conquers his selfish desires, destroys his animal feelings and impulses and gives up the natural tendency to regard himself as a body, he is certainly on the path of Dharma, he knows that the goal of Dharma is the dissolution of the wave into the sea, immersion of the “I” in the “Super-I”.

In your worldly activities you must be careful not to violate the rules of decency and good manners, you must not neglect the promptings of your inner voice, you must always be ready to respect the instructions of your conscience; you must watch your actions in time to see if you are standing in someone's way, you must always be vigilant to discover the Truth behind all this sparkling variety. This is the duty of man, your Dharma, The bright fire of Dharma, which tells you that all is Brahman, will reduce to ashes all traces of your egoism and worldly attachment. You must taste the nectar of Union with Brahman, this is the ultimate goal of Dharma and Dharma inspired Karma.

Your birthright is to be free, not bound. Only when you direct your feet along the path illuminated by the universal limitless Dharma are you truly free; if you turn away from the light, you become bound, you are caught. Some may have doubts: how can Dharma, which limits our thoughts and words, which regulates and controls, make a person free?

“Freedom” is the name you give to a certain kind of attachment, true freedom is achieved only when delusion disappears, when there is no identification with the body and feelings, there is no enslavement to the objective world. There are very few people who escaped from this slavery and achieved freedom in the true sense of the word. Slave dependence lies in every action performed with the awareness of one’s body as one’s “I”, because in this case a person becomes a toy in the hands of the senses. Only he who escapes this fate is free; this freedom is the ideal state to which the Dharma leads. By constantly keeping this state in mind, a person, even if he is immersed in everyday activities, can become liberated (Muktapurusha).

It is because you bind yourself that you become enslaved and deviate from the dharmic path. And it is always like this: no one else binds you, you do it yourself. If the belief in the divine omnipresence were deeply rooted in you, everyone would understand that He is your own Self and you can never be bound! For this faith to grow, you must firmly adhere to Atmananda. The reality of Atma is the basic principle, the undeniable knowledge, (Nishgitajnana). Deprived of this foundation, a person becomes an object of doubt, despair and delusion. Dharma will not offer his hand and heart to such a person.

Therefore, strive above all to be free. Cultivate faith in the Atma as the core of your personality, and then learn and practice the discipline necessary to reach that core... “I am not the servant of my body, the receptacle of all bondage, the body is my servant. I am the boss and I control everything. I am the embodiment of freedom." This statement already frees us from slavery. What is a house for? To enjoy the bliss received from contemplating the Lord, in order to be able to meditate on the Lord in peace. Everything else except this can be ignored. The true Dharma of man is to taste the bliss of merging with the Absolute and achieve true liberation. A person who has reached this state is no longer bound by anything, even if he is in the darkest prison; on the other hand, for a person who is a slave to his body, even a blade of grass can become an instrument of death. True Dharma is to be constantly in atmic bliss, inner vision, in a firm belief in the solemnity of our true nature with the Absolute and in the foundation that everything is Brahman.

4 rules:

Satya, Shakti, Ahimsa and Prema today are nothing but continuous absorption in the Atma, a vision fixed on the inner truth, contemplation of one's own true nature and the knowledge that all is Brahman, the one and only.

It doesn't matter what your activity is, what name or form you choose. A chain is still a chain, no matter what material it is made of. Whether we are talking about one type of work or another, if Atma-Dharma is the basis and Atmatattva (the essence of Atma - the Supreme Principle of the Spirit) is the root, then it is undoubtedly Dharma. Such work will bless one with the fruits of Shanti. When the waves of selfish fear or greed move a person, whether in the privacy of his home or alone in the forest or other refuge, he cannot escape suffering. In daily practice, when actions are guided by the basic principle of the truth of Atma, every action becomes marked with the stamp of Dharma. But when action is guided by convenience and selfish interest, dharma becomes pseudo-dharma. These are just different types of addiction, no matter how attractive it may seem.

Dharma is the path of morality. The path of morality is light. Light is Ananda. Dharma is characterized by holiness, peace, truth and fortitude. Dharma is yoga, unity, dissolution, this is Satya. Its properties are justice, control over the senses, respect, love, dignity, kindness, reflection, sympathy, non-violence. This is the Dharma that will endure for centuries. She leads Man to universal love and unity. This is the highest discipline, and the most favorable.

Satya is the law of the Universe that makes the sun and moon move in their orbits. Dharma is the very embodiment of the Lord, since the world itself is the body of the Lord, the world is just another name for the moral order.

Buddhism.

You probably know what it’s like to try to “reach out” to someone who has something else on their mind: they can’t or won’t give you their attention, and that’s very frustrating. However, such disappointment, to a greater or lesser extent, is constantly present in our experience, since we can rarely give our entire attention to one thing. Most of us have our minds occupied with so many things at once that our attention is easily distracted. The habit of distraction becomes a normal part of our lives, a permanent feature of our consciousness. We are constantly distracted by one thing or another. Sometimes we get so distracted from our original goals that we even lose sight of what is of greatest importance and value to us. Sometimes the whole course of our lives resembles one of those dreams in which everyone seems to have conspired to stop us, in which there is a feeling of annoyance: we know that we were going to do something, but we cannot remember what exactly.

By developing the ability to concentrate, you can achieve a lot. By focusing our attention, we begin to “find ourselves” - to reveal new depths and truths in our own nature. The meditation practice you are about to learn is a means to achieve such concentration. It makes it possible to simultaneously free the stream of consciousness and focus the mind on one subject, and one does not contradict the other.

It is important to understand that the mind cannot be forced to concentrate, at least not for long or very successfully. If we force our mind too hard while trying to focus our attention, our emotions will react, resulting in either an overactive mind or drowsiness. True concentration depends on the alignment of the intellectual and emotional sides of our personality. At the same time, for most people these two sides often act completely independently of each other. We often think about something without realizing how we feel, or we mindlessly allow ourselves to be carried away by the flow of emotions. This lack of mental balance prevents us from experiencing ourselves in our entirety, and therefore we cannot fully concentrate.

We often notice the lack of mental balance in others. Sometimes we say: "Think about what you say - she's not herself this morning." Or, in a more favorable situation: “I’m sure you’ll like old N. He always remains himself.” Giving such assessments of people's states, we intuitively feel what the balance is between their mind and emotions. “Being yourself” in the fullest sense of the word is the main task that we solve through the practice of concentration.

Many factors influence our ability to focus. It is obvious that some people have a naturally higher ability, while others are less focused. Different people find it easier to concentrate in different situations and at different times: external influences, various emotions, even the time of day - everything matters. At a turning point, even a cool and collected person can lose his inherent calm, and an energetic and purposeful person can experience anxiety if he does not find use for himself. But we all have the ability to concentrate to one degree or another. In order to improve further, we need to make this concentration even deeper and more stable, so that it is less dependent on circumstances.


Mindful breathing meditation method.

The beginner should focus his attention on the object of this meditation [i.e. breathing] by counting...

Then he can stop counting slowly, like counting measures of grain, and begin counting quickly [i.e. ahead], like a shepherd. For an experienced shepherd puts a handful of pebbles in his pocket and in the morning goes to the cattle pen... sitting on the crossbar of the gate and urging the cows on with pokes in the back, he counts each of them when she runs up to the gate, saying “one, two” and throwing down a pebble . The cows of his herd, who have spent three night watches closely huddled in the paddock, are rushing in groups towards the exit, jostling as they run. So he counts quickly (before the next cow runs past), saying “three, four, five” and so on until ten.

...For as long as the object of concentration is connected with counting, it is with the help of counting that the mind is collected together - just as with the help of a steering oar a boat is held steady in the rapids.

Traditional commentary by Buddhaghosa.

(Buddhist scholar of the 5th century AD, representative of the Theravada school).

The method behind this practice is very simple. For a long time, we direct our attention to the flow of our breath, to the sequence of inhalations and exhalations, and as soon as we notice that we are distracted, we calmly return our mind to focusing on our breathing.

As we continue our practice, our attention becomes deeper and more sustained, and our mind becomes less distracted and wandering. By persistently returning our attention to the breath, we can feel how our previously scattered energies are gathered together, like runaway cattle herded into a herd. This experience of unity of mind brings exceptional peace of mind: we feel increasingly serene, relaxed, and our mind becomes clearer.

Once we are able to constantly focus on the breath, we begin to feel completely immersed in meditation. We have a distinct sense of unity, an experience of complete self-identity.

It seems that nothing prevents us from concentrating our mind on any other subject: after all, breathing is only one of thousands of possible objects of concentration of the mind. For example, you can focus on a small material object - a matchbox, a black dot, a tree, a burning candle (or an image of a favorite Deity (from any religious pantheon of Deities!!!), with whose sublime qualities you seek to identify, in order to transform your lower nature) . The problem is that for people who are not yet accustomed to systematic (and long-term) meditation, this practice can begin to tire them or plunge them into premature trance states.

For beginners in learning to focus, the breath is a particularly good focus as it can capture (and hold) our interest for a long time while still allowing us to maintain some agility and flexibility of mind. This mobility of the mind is quite important: after all, if you allow your attention to become rigid and frozen, you can lose energy and inspiration. Breathing as a natural internal process is very interesting. It gives very clear sensations, has a certain rhythm and by its very nature is capable of captivating us with its soft, pleasant movement. In addition, breathing is a rather mysterious thing: it is the breath of life, something on which all beings depend at every moment of their lives.

Perhaps precisely because breathing is a necessary condition of life, its character is closely related to our physical and mental state. When we are emotionally aroused, breathing speeds up. As our body relaxes, our breathing slows down, and when our breathing calms down, the mind correspondingly becomes collected, focused and harmonious.

But even though the breath can attract our attention in many different ways, you still need some effort to focus on it throughout the entire period of practice. You may find yourself getting distracted every now and then, and sometimes even forgetting what you're doing. Therefore, at the initial stage of mindful breathing practice, it is recommended to mark each breath with a count of one to ten, simply to keep the mind on the task at hand.

MANTRA SO-HAM and breathing as one of the best objects of meditation.

Hinduism.

When we are born, we take our first breath. With the last exhalation, life leaves our body. Breathing is life itself. It is above all conjectures and reasonings of the mind. Breathing is either present or it is not.

Contemplating the process of breathing is contemplating the very movement of life! Our body breathes, no matter what our mind is doing. But if the mind contemplates the breath, then all thought forms (of the mind and emotions) gradually calm down and a person can experience a state of deep meditation.

Ajapa-japa.

The meditative repetition of a mantra is called japa meditation. Connecting the mantra with the natural rhythms of the body is ajapa-japa. Or natural, spontaneous japa. It doesn't require any effort to complete. Vice versa. You need to calm your mind and remain in a relaxed state, contemplating the processes in your body.

SO-HAM is a natural mantra that our body repeats whether we are aware of it or not. When the body inhales, the noise of the air creates the sound CO. When the body exhales, the sound HAM is created. If you listen to your body, if you allow yourself to “just breathe,” this mantra becomes clearly discernible.

The benefits of SO-HAM meditation.

The benefits of meditative practices are difficult to describe in words - it is better to experience them for yourself. The mind becomes more balanced and focused. Thoughts and the entire internal state are more collected. This affects not only the psyche, but even the physical body - it becomes healthier.

Execution technique.

The meditation pose can be any. If you are already doing yoga and can sit in meditative poses, then this practice is best done in Siddhasana - the perfection pose. Diamond Pose – Vajrasana – is perfect. But this meditation technique can be performed while sitting in a comfortable chair or even lying on the sofa. True, if you lack the proper experience, then due to a relaxed body position, there is a high probability of quickly falling asleep, and this will no longer be meditation. But in fact, in this regard, SO-HAM meditation does not have strict limitations.

The technique is extremely simple - take a meditation pose. Take several full yoga breaths (deep inhalations and exhalations) and relax your body as much as possible. Turn your attention to the breathing process, but do not control it, but contemplate it, allowing the body to breathe naturally and spontaneously. And every time you inhale, the mind should repeat CO, and when you exhale, HAM. Something like this: SO-O-O-O-O-HAM-M-M-M-M! The repetition of the mantra synchronized with the breath continues throughout the entire meditation practice.

Whatever thoughts come to your mind, don’t drive them away, but don’t concentrate on them either. And then the thought forms will gradually begin to calm down and the mind will begin to plunge into a state of meditation.

The duration of the technique depends only on the practitioner. And 5 minutes will bring benefits, and an hour of practice will not be unnecessary. For beginners, 10-15 minutes of meditation can be recommended. As a daily practice, SO-HAM meditation can be done for 20-30 minutes.


The meaning of the SO-HAM Mantra.

Reflection on the meaning of the mantra SO-HAM is in itself a powerful technique of Jnana yoga - the yoga of wisdom.

SO – means That. HAM - I am. SO-HAM - “I am That.” By That we mean the endless and impersonal flow of life that manifests itself in our being. Thinking about what “That” (TAT) is, what the (True) “I” actually is, is an excellent yogic technique of self-knowledge.

Relaxation technique before bed.

When you go to bed, you shouldn’t once again dive into the cycle of your own thoughts, assumptions, desires and regrets. The chaos that usually goes on in our heads should stop at least before falling asleep. This is simply necessary for normal sleep. And in general for a healthy existence.

Therefore, before falling asleep, it is better to immerse the mind in contemplation of breathing and synchronized repetition of the SO-HAM mantra. You need to do this as long as your mind can keep you from falling asleep. Sleep after this practice will be calm and allow you to rest well.

Singing mantra for each chakras y is one of the ways to open and clean them. Why is this being done? Opening the chakras promotes the correct flow of vital energy ( prana) in body. The person feels good, both physically and psychologically.

In the article:

Chakra (Sanskrit चक्र, cakra IAST, lit. “circle”, “wheel”, “disc”, “mandala”) in the spiritual practices of Hinduism are centers of power and consciousness located in the internal (subtle) body of a person.

Wikipedia

In Hinduism and Buddhism, where this concept is also used, The chakra system has seven energy centers in the subtle body person. Each of them has its own color, sphere of influence, sound and element.

Chakras need to be opened, cleansed and filled with energy. For this, various meditation And pranoyamas(breathing practices). The most famous meditations cannot do without each of the seven energy centers. Most often used bijma mantras - simple monosyllabic texts without much meaning. They are read from top to bottom: AUM, OM, HAM, YAM, RAM, VAM and LAM.

First chakra SAHASRARA, sound “AUM”, color purple. Located on the top of the head. With harmonious development, it affects the brain. It is believed that developed sahasrara gives a high level of intelligence up to genius, well-developed intuition. In Buddhism, it is responsible for the feeling of nirvana. Meditation occurs in the lotus position or Padmasana.

Second, AJNA, is located in the space between the eyebrows. It is often called the “third eye”. Sound "OM", color blue. Responsible for the development of intuition, emotional control, and extrasensory abilities. Meditation on it takes place in Virasana(hero pose) and Matsiasane(fish pose).

Third, VISHUDKA, is located in the throat area. The sound is “HAM”, and its color is blue. This chakra is in charge of communication, creativity, and self-expression. Meditation on it is performed in an asana called Mahamudra(great seal pose).

Fourth ANAHATA. Sound "YAAM", color green. Heart, as it is also called. Located in the thoracic region. Responsible for breathing control, empathy and emotions such as love, devotion, kindness. This mantra is chanted in asanas that open the chest: Ushtrasana(camel pose) and Chakrasane(bridge, wheel pose).

The fifth is in the solar plexus, MANIPURA. Its color is yellow, its mantra is “RA”. Responsible for power, control, confidence. They meditate on it while in Sarvangasane(birch tree pose).

Sixth, SVADHISTHANA. Its color is orange, the sound is “VAM”. It is located in the abdominal area, four fingers below the navel. In her power: sexual pleasure, emotions, desires and pleasures. It is best revealed during meditation in Bhujangasane(cobra pose).

The last one is the seventh MULADHARA. It is also often called “root”. located in the coccyx area. The color is red, the sound is “LAM”. It is considered the main center of life. Responsible for the desire to live, self-preservation instincts, all types of aggression, safety, health, desire to procreate. Meditation on it is performed in asana Ardha Matsyendrasana.

Rules for meditation and chanting mantras on the chakras

First of all, It is important to clear your head of unnecessary thoughts and emotions. This is done so that nothing interferes with you during the meditation process. Cleansing from obsessive thoughts and strong emotions is achieved through meditation.

As in other yoga practices, it is advised not to eat for at least a couple of hours until the meditation itself.

In addition, it is important that no one distracts you during the practice.
At first, you need to choose the voice and music you should like.

After finishing the meditation it is important relax the body and normalize breathing. The dead man's pose is suitable for this or Shavasana. You need to lie in it for at least ten minutes.

Take care of your comfort while chanting mantras. You should neither be hot nor cold. For beginners, it will be difficult to perform some of the above asanas and chant the corresponding mantra at the same time. Therefore, you can do this practice while sitting. There are other options for working with the chakras, which are performed while lying down. However, mantras are always chanted while sitting.

Chakras hide many reserves of our body and inner “I”. In order for them to work properly, it is important to give them proper attention. Meditation on the chakras with mantras for each of them is one of the effective ways to work with these energy centers.

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Meditation is a powerful tool in human self-discovery. Many meditation practices are very complex and require some preparation. But, there is such a universal technique that anyone can practice without prior preparation, regardless of age, gender and religious views. This practice is mantra SO-HAM.

It is possible to experience the state of deep meditation through breathing. After all, when we are born, we take our first breath, when we die, then with our last exhalation life leaves us. We breathe constantly, no matter what we do, this process occurs unconsciously. Contemplating breathing means contemplating life, its movement. SO-HAM is a mantra our breath, our body repeats it. When we inhale, the sound of air creates the sound CO, and when we exhale, it creates HAM. By comprehending the process of meditation, contemplating our breathing, we begin very clearly. If you practice SO-HAM, your mind becomes balanced, your thoughts and inner state become collected and harmonious. Even your physical and mental body becomes healthier.

Technique for performing the HAM mantra

As for the pose, a person who understands yoga can use Siddhasana or Vajrasana pose. An ordinary person can practice the SO-HAM mantra in any position convenient for him, including sitting in a chair or lying on the sofa. Avoid a too relaxed body position to avoid falling asleep. Next, take a few deep breaths and exhales, and try to relax as much as possible. Then turn your attention to the breathing process, but in no case control your inhalation and exhalation, but rather contemplate your natural breathing. As you inhale, repeat CO every time, and as you exhale, repeat HAM, do this constantly.

The powerful mantra SO-Ham should be repeated throughout the exercise. If any thoughts come into your head, do not push them away or concentrate on them, and then your mind will gradually begin to calm down and plunge into a meditative state. You must decide for yourself how long this process will take you. Five minutes of exercise will be beneficial, and even an hour of this practice will not be superfluous. The main thing is regularity.

Practice the SO-HAM mantra for 10-15 minutes at a time if you are just learning it. More is possible. But the main thing is to do it daily.

The meaning of the strong mantra HAM

In order to practice this meditation, it is not necessary to understand the meaning of the mantra, but it will not be superfluous either. Just meditating on the meaning of the powerful mantra SO-HAM is a very powerful wisdom yoga technique.

SO in translation means that. HAM - I am. And in total SO-HAM – I am that. That is an endless stream of life.

When going to bed, instead of thinking about endless problems, immerse your mind in contemplating breathing and repeating beautiful mantra SO HAM. Do this until you fall asleep. After this practice, you will sleep peacefully, and in the morning you will wake up alert, fresh and well rested.

In order to best know oneself, one’s essence, and look into one’s “self,” a person usually resorts to meditation. Nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, the process of meditation is very important and beneficial for everyone.

Many meditation systems are quite complex. To use them, you must first prepare yourself in a certain way. But, nevertheless, there is one special technique for which you don’t need to prepare particularly.

Moreover, this technique is not at all complicated, both for men and women. Age is also not important, nor is religion. This method of meditation is called Mantra Ham (or So-Ham).

Why is breathing so important?

You can get into a state of deep meditation only with the help of proper breathing. Any person who has meditated at least once knows that a lot depends on breathing.

Everyone knows that a person takes two main breaths in life - when he is born and when he passes into the “other world.” Throughout our lives, we also breathe, and regularly.

The Ham mantra is contemplation of oneself, one’s body, as if from the inside. If you understand this technique correctly (first of all), then starting to meditate will be much easier.

When you inhale, a flow of air is formed (we create it ourselves) - this will be CO. And when you exhale - HAM. That's the whole "secret" of the So-Ham mantra.

By mastering the technique of the So-Ham mantra, a person sees life more clearly. He is no longer tormented by anxiety and nervousness; overall, life gets better.

As for the physical condition of a person, it also improves. After some time, you will notice the difference - what you were and what you have become!

What is the correct technique for performing the HAM mantra?

If you understand yoga (at least a little), then there are two poses for meditation - Siddhasana and Vajrasana. Well, when your knowledge of yoga “leaves much to be desired,” then you can sit in any position.

The main thing is that you feel comfortable doing it yourself. Nothing should cause discomfort. The main thing is CONVENIENCE! Someone is standing, another is sitting in a chair, a third is lying on the sofa.

But don't relax too much. So you can simply fall asleep! Be carefull. You're not going to sleep!

Just listen to your breathing. After a while, when you have found some kind of “consensus,” you should move on. When you inhale you say SO, when you come out you say HAM. It's very simple.

It might be a little awkward the first time. Afterwards you will get used to it and will do everything “automatically”.

During the entire time (meditation) you need to repeat SO-HAM. Drive away different thoughts from yourself, the brain should be completely relaxed. Concentrate only on inhalation-exhalation and SO-HAM.