Take your attention to your genitals. . .
The abdomen. . .
Stomach. . .
Liver. . .
Diaphragm. . .
Gentle awareness in the chest, heart and lungs. . .
Shoulders. . .
Take a deep breath in. . . and let go. One more deep breath in. . . and breathe out.
Relax more and more. . . Relax more and more.
Become aware of your right hand. . . all the fingers on your right hand. . .
Right elbow. . .
Right bicep. . .
Become aware of the entire right hand. . .
Deep breath in. . . and breathe out. . .
Relax completely. . .
Become aware of your left hand. . . all the fingers on your left hand. . .
Left elbow. . .
Left bicep. . .
Become aware of the entire left hand. . .
Deep breath in. . . and breathe out. . .
Let your attention be on your entire back. . . Effortlessly feel the places that touch the mattress. . .
Deep breath in. . . breathe out. . .
Neck region. . .
Head. . .
Become aware of your forehead. . . your eyebrows and eyes. . . your nose. . . your cheeks. . . your lips. . . your chin.
Relax more and more. . . Relax more and more. . .
Become aware of the back of the head. . . Feel where the head is touching the pillow.
Become aware of the entire head. . .
Become aware of the entire body. . .
Become aware of the entire body. . . (say it slower and softer)
Become aware of the entire body. . . (say this even slower and even softer)
Totally relax. . .
This entire process can be between 20-30 minutes long. Wait at least 7-10 minutes after the final instruction before waking up.
If you decide to wake up after this, turn to your right side and slowly sit up with your eyes closed. Become aware of the environment around you. Keep a smile on your face as you slowly, gradually, when you feel like it, open your eyes.
Don’t be in a hurry to get up. Keep sitting with your eyes open for about a minute before you get up and get on with your day.
If you are doing the Yoga-Nidra right before sleeping, feel the deep, deep relaxation as you drift off to sleep. You will feel much more relaxed and refreshed when you wake up in the morning.
Practise Yoga-Nidra before sleeping every night. Have pleasant dreams and a refreshing, rejuvenating rest. The date with that fair enchantress will be even more fun.
* * *
F.A.Q ABOUT MEDITATION
Dinesh and I have been teaching meditation for more than two decades. We have taught hundreds of thousands of people the delicate art of doing nothing. We receive a bunch of questions in almost every class. Here they are, along with the answers.
1. What is meditation?
When someone asked this question to Gurudev, He simply looked at that person without uttering a word. A little more than a minute elapsed, and Gurudev didn’t avert His gaze. A deep silence filled the entire hall.
Finally, Gurudev said to him in a soft, gentle voice, ‘Got it?’
Meditation is Waiting for Nothing. Waiting for something is frustration.
2. How is meditation different from thinking?
Meditation is deep rest combined with awareness. Thinking means you are actively involved with your thoughts. In meditation, thoughts may come and go, but you are detached from them. You observe them as if they were clouds in the sky. When you are thinking, you could classify thoughts as good, bad or neutral. In meditation, there is no such classification. A thought is simply a thought.
3. How is meditation different from concentration?
Meditation is, in fact, the opposite of concentration. Concentration is whipped attention. In meditation, we let go and allow the mind to be as it pleases. However, we observe the mind, and whatever thoughts may be there, without involvement.
Meditation dramatically enhances your concentration and your ability to stay focused on the task at hand. Think of meditation as drawing the arrow and concentration as shooting it. The more you pull back the arrow (meditation), the better you will concentrate (the further it will go).
4. How is meditation different from sleep?
Both are rest. Meditation is rest with awareness. Sleep is rest without awareness. The quality of rest that you get from meditation differs from that of sleep. You have to choose to meditate. If you don’t sleep, sooner or later, nature will force it upon you. Both are important and neither can be substituted for the other. Having said that, a meditator will have a much bigger time frame to repay sleep debt (see chapter on sleep) than a non-meditator. A meditator becomes adept at sleep, packing in more efficient REM and N3. A meditator could get by with less sleep too, though I wouldn’t recommend that.
5. How is meditation different from relaxation?
Meditation will bring on a very deep state of relaxation, much better than any glass of alcohol or recreational drug could. Alcohol and related vices push the mind into ignorance. As you become oblivious to the environment, you tend to become more and more relaxed and comfortable. Meditation uplifts the mind into sparkling awareness which will make you feel wonderful. It’s a different type of relaxation. . . You can only know and experience it when you meditate:
www.happynessexpressbook.com/videos/booze.
6. Where should I meditate?
The place of meditation does matter, especially for a beginner. A cool, clean, quiet, comfortable place is best. When you practise meditation every day in one place, it gets charged. You will see that it becomes increasingly easier to meditate when you practise there. That is exactly the case with the recliner in my room at the ashram. I only need to settle myself in it and close my eyes. And then, off I go! Consistency will add depth to your practice.
7. What’s the best time of the day to meditate?
The periods of transition, sunrise and sunset, are ideal. We are transitioning from the wakeful state to the meditative state and these times of the day make meditation easier and deeper. Noon is another great time to meditate. If these timings don’t suit you, you can meditate at any time of the day or night.
Be mindful that meditation can bring in a lot of energy in some people. They feel fresh and alert right after meditation. If that happens to you, it may not be a good idea to practise it just before sleeping.
Meditation brings down the metabolic rate of the body and for good digestion you require a high metabolic rate. Hence, the only time you shouldn’t meditate is immediately after a meal. Wait until you feel light in the tummy before you start—as I mentioned earlier, typically 10-15 minutes after a snack, about an hour or two after a full meal.
8. Should I meditate with eyes open or eyes closed?
It’s much easier to meditate with eyes closed. With this, an entire avenue of sensory information is shut out. The brain allocates a massive amount of computing power to process visual information. Closing your eyes relaxes you almost instantly.
Besides, have you noticed that your eyes close automatically whenever you are doing something intensely pleasurable? Enjoying a piece of dark chocolate? A kiss? A rose?
There are techniques that teach you to meditate with eyes open. These are reserved for advanced practitioners and I wouldn’t recommend you learn any of these techniques from a book or a video. You will need a trained and experienced teacher to guide you into this type of meditation.
9. Should I listen to music while meditating?
If you are a beginner, you may use a relaxing, soft, ambient music. A solo flute or piano works best. The music provides a hook for the mind and as it listens to it, other thoughts subside faster. However, as you progress, even this music can be distracting. If you ask me, I would discourage you from playing any music at all, even if you are a beginner. It’s not a good habit. Enjoy music in your wakeful state.
10.
Do I need to blank out my mind to meditate?
You cannot make your mind blank. It will go blank.
Thoughts are not an impediment to meditation at all. Your involvement with the thoughts will result in you thinking instead of meditating. Don’t bother getting rid of thoughts. That’s as ridiculous as wanting to get rid of a cloud in the sky. To get rid of a cloud in the sky, all you do is wait. It will go away by itself. Ditto for a thought.
11. Can I meditate on a chair or is it compulsory to sit cross-legged?
What’s important is that you are comfortable. Sit on the floor in lotus pose, or sit cross-legged, or sit in a chair: Padmasan, Sukhasan or Chairasan! Ensure that your spine is erect, head looking straight up front, body relaxed and palms facing the ceiling on your lap.
12. How do I know I meditated?
Here is a little test. Bring a finger to your nostrils. Breathe in and out a few times and see which nostril is dominant. It could be the right or left. Keep checking this throughout the day. You will find that at different times, different nostrils are dominant. Very few times, both the nostrils are balanced.
Immediately after meditation, bring a finger to your nostrils. You will see that very often, both nostrils are balanced. This means you have had a lovely session. In case they are not, please don’t fret. Just keep meditating every day.
Of course, if you have a blocked nose or are unwell, this test wouldn’t work.
Instead of worrying about whether you are indeed meditating or not, focus more on how you feel after your practice.
This is one of the most important reasons you should learn meditation from a trained instructor. They can ease things out for you, answer your questions and lay your doubts to rest.
13. I have all sorts of thoughts. Sometimes positive, at other times negative. How can I control my thoughts?
You cannot really control your thoughts. If you meditate regularly, pleasant thoughts and feelings become your nature. This is the easiest way I know of ‘controlling’ my thoughts.
14. Do I need to make lifestyle changes to meditate?
When you meditate, you will feel calm, poised, confident, happy and relaxed. You will tend to make healthier, greener lifestyle choices. These are ultimately good for you and our beautiful planet.
For me, all the lifestyle changes happened on their own. For example, I didn’t give up non-veg food; it gave up on me. It had lost the charm it had over me and I no longer wanted it. A child may absolutely love his teddy bear. As the child grows older, the teddy bear loses its appeal and its importance fades away. Your lifestyle changes will mostly happen like that, especially when you meditate regularly.
15. Can I learn meditation from a book, or do I need a teacher?
Well, you are learning from this book. . . still, any book is light years away in its ability to teach meditation compared to a good teacher. This book gives an introduction to meditation. It even has a few links to guided meditations online and apps. These are all basics, the veritable tip of the iceberg.
To explore this fascinating state of consciousness further and actually learn to meditate, find a teacher. Come and do a course with Dinesh and me or with some other Art of Living teacher. Do a bit of research about the teacher and make sure you feel comfortable learning with them.
16. When I look at pictures or statues of the Buddha in meditation, he is always portrayed as sitting with his head facing forward. My head lolls forward when I meditate. Am I doing something wrong?
No, no, no. You are fine. When we asked this to Gurudev, He mischievously replied, you pose when a photo is being taken!
While meditating, your head may fall forward. If your neck starts hurting and you return to body awareness, slowly bring your head back to its initial front-facing position and slip into meditation saying, ‘I want Nothing, I will do Nothing, I am Nothing’ to yourself. . .
17. I have learned various types of meditation. Which one should I do?
Please don’t go spiritual shopping. I have been practising just one set of techniques for the last 25 years. I intend to do that for the rest of my life. Becoming established with one is far better than jumping from here to there. If you are seeking water in a field, dig one well of fifty feet. Not ten wells of five feet each. To cross a river, you need only one boat, not five. Stay with one technique.
I have mentioned it earlier, I will say it again: I cannot comment on techniques other than those I have learned. I have learned Sudarshan Kriya, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation and other core techniques of the Art of Living. I can wholeheartedly recommend these because I know they work. This doesn’t mean other techniques don’t work. They may. I don’t know.
Choose a technique. Practise it for a long time. Stay with it. Then the results will show.
18. I have been meditating off and on. I don’t experience anything much. How do I enhance my practice?
Stop the off and on. Maharishi Patanjali to the rescue. He says, for your meditation to really work and for you to be established in that wonderful space, you need to do these once you have learned to meditate:
You need to practise it daily, without a break. Miss a day and it almost resets.
Practise for an appreciably long time (at least a few thousand hours). Though the benefits of meditation become apparent in just a few days, for these to become your nature takes a long time. Be patient and drop expectations. Trust the technique and yourself and keep going.
Honour, respect and revere your practice. This last step is as important as the other two. Meditation is not simply something you do. Feel it to be sacred and special. Know that you are lucky to have the ability to meditate. Feel immense gratitude. This brings about an undeniable transformation.
19. Which direction should I face while meditating?
Well, there is one shloka that says it’s best to face east or north when you meditate. Another shloka says, whichever direction a yogi faces while meditating is east!
When someone asked Dinesh about his preferred side, he replied, Inside!
20. Do I need to chant Om?
Om is the primordial sound. It is part of all major religions of the world, in some form or the other. It’s ‘Amen’ in Christianity, ‘Amin’ in Islam, ‘Ek Omkar’ in Sikhism and so on. It’s not necessary to chant Om, but for me it feels nicer to begin my practice by chanting Om three times. Chanting Om is deeply peaceful, and it signals my mind that I am going to meditate now.
You can watch my TEDx talk on Om at www.happynessexpressbook.com/videos/allaboutom.
21. Do I need a Guru?
Do you need an answer?
The moment you have asked this question, you proclaim your need for a Guru. In fact, by doing so, you have already made the person who would solve your query into your Guru. Guru means a teacher or a mentor. You can have a Guru for music, dancing, or anything else you wish to learn.
A Satguru is the One who initiates you into spirituality. He is a non-intrusive Presence who watches out for you in the here-and-now and the hereafter.
When we asked Gurudev, Hereafter? He replied, Mar ke to dekho!! You die and see what happens! (The English translation of the Hindi doesn’t convey the essence, but you get the point.)
22. What is the importance of breath while meditating?
Breath is important. Period. If there was no breath, you wouldn’t be reading this book, nor would you be meditating. We usually start and end meditation with some pranayama, some breathing. This gentle attention on the breath makes the transition into meditation easier. The breath is the connection between the body and the mind. Sometimes the breath can become very subtle during meditation.
23. How do I deal with restlessness? Feeling fidgety in the body, some itch or discomfort, or too many thoughts in the mind.
Check your diet. Stop white sugar, white flour, non-veg food. Definitely steer clear of tobacco, alcohol and recreational drugs. This will help immensely.
Check the place you are meditating in. If there is a lot of hustle and bustle,
it will cause restlessness. If you are a beginner, it’s best to find a cool, clean, quiet, comfortable spot to meditate in.
Be aware of the company you keep. The people you hang out with have a direct impact on the mind.
If there is some itching or any other discomfort in the body, don’t react right away. Just observe it and be with it. Accepting the itch or pain usually makes it go away. If absolutely required, slowly move into a more comfortable posture.
Sometimes, even when all these are sorted, you may still feel restless. Chalk this up as just one of those days and leave it be. Keep meditating, and the restlessness will settle in time.
The bach flower remedies can help a lot if this problem is recurrent. Take white chestnut if there are too many random worrying thoughts. If these are worrying thoughts about people you care for, red chestnut might be better.
Impatiens (it’s not a typo, it’s the name of a flower) is recommended if there is too much irritability or fidgetiness.
Crab apple is known to counter itching.
These are very general indicative remedies. I would suggest a full consultation with a qualified Bach Flower Practitioner who would be able to create a personalised remedy for you. They would even educate you about the Bach Flower Remedy System and involve you in creating your remedy. It so happens that I am a qualified practitioner and if you want a consultation, please write to [email protected] to request an appointment.
See appendix 5 for a short write up about these amazing remedies.
24. What if I fall asleep while meditating? Is that okay?
There is quite a thin line between meditation and sleep. If you doze off once in a while, it’s fine. If it keeps happening often, you will need to check your diet and sleep. A sleep-deprived person will nod off very quickly during meditation. Eating too much sugar, or difficult to digest food, can make you drowsy. To have deeper sessions, stick to light vegetarian food.
Exhaustion could be another factor—due to an intense workout, jet lag, traffic jams, or physical work such as household chores. In that case, you will naturally drift off to sleep and that’s fine. Your body and mind need that.
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