Meditation 6 – Watching the breath, with OMKARA.

ॐ।श्रीगणेशायनमः।श्रीगुरुभ्योनमः॥STHIRA SUKHAM ASANAM - The body and the mind remain – STHIRA, without movement, and the result joy of being, peace of being is ASANAM. Stretching the back and keeping it straight, any effort in that direction is very useful. Just watch the posture, do not look for any rewards in meditation. Just being and watching with no rewards. You convince yourself that I do not need any rewards. My being is reward enough. The moment you look for any special mental experience you are not there at all.  

Watch the posture. Keep the hands in MAHA MUDRA. The smile on the lips, the inner smile, like DAKSHINAMURTY, a smile - but silence. A smile but silence. Inner silence. Inner smile and inner silence. Watch the eyes. See that they are kept lightly closed. As long as you watch the eyes, remain silent, that is the SHAMBHAVI MUDRA. A kind of SHAMBHAVI MUDRA. Cultivating watchfulness in the place of involvement is meditation. Watch the eyes. You can happily watch the eyes for an hour.

Now watch the breath. Inhale fully and slowly, and then exhale fully and slowly. Do not hold the breath, neither within nor without. As you inhale fully and exhale, the stomach muscles, the chest and even the shoulders, they move; fine just inhale fully and exhale fully. Do you find any jerks, avoid them. The trick is when you see jerking in the breath slow it and the jerks will disappear. Watching the breath, understanding the breath and loving the breath is a great discipline of meditation. Breath is the book of life, just watch it. Keep the back straight, stretch it occasionally maybe once in every ten minutes. Be relax and smiling, do not be grim and gripping. Do not grip the hands hold them loosely, see that the muscles of the face are relaxed with a smile, but continue to breathe in and breathe out fully. It takes some practice to fall into a nice rhythm. Do not allow yourself to be distracted, just be with the breath. Did you pick up speed after a while, possible? Pay attention and make it slow and full. If you find any discomfort in the stomach etc. then you stop and sit quietly, otherwise continue. If you have any apprehension about heart etc. then stop it and sit quietly, otherwise continue.  

Now introduce the mental chant of long – AUM, while exhaling only not while inhaling. Now you inhaling deepling and exhaling while chanting mentally – AUM. In fact the exhalation itself is – AUM. A long – AUM. Inhaling deeply followed by a long – OMKARA which is exhalation. The last three times, inhaling and a long OMKARA. Slowly dissociate from the breath, OMKARA also of course stops. And just be. Drop all mental effort or movement and just be. ॐ।शान्तिःशान्तिःशान्तिः॥

Relax. Sit at ease. Keep the eyes closed and relax. The inner organ of the chest and the diaphragm are nicely massaged, when you do such PRANAYAMA. Relax. Slowly open the eyes.

Keywords: SHAMBHAVI MUDRA, Watching the breath.