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Meditation
Support
Why
Hong-Sau Works
by Bharat Cornell
From the April
2003 Daily Meditator
A friend of
mine was organizing a large religious festival in which hundreds
of people would be involved. Days before, he wryly complained, "Even
when I meditate, my mind is planning the event!" As meditators,
we often find ourselves in the same predicament: fighting an over-active
mind, with, seemingly, a life of its own. To meditate deeply, however,
we need to quiet the mind. The more we do this, the more effective
our meditations will be. It's only in perfect stillness that we
experience the higher states of consciousness.
Swami Kriyananda
wrote in The Path, "Devotees attempting inward communion
with God often find their efforts thwarted by restless thoughts.
But long ago yogis found a technique for overcoming this obstacle.
The breath, they discovered, is intimately related to the mental
processes. A restless mind accompanies a restless breath. By simple,
effective techniques for calming the breath, they found they could
free the mind more easily for divine contemplation."
As the breath
flows, so flows the mind, yogis say, because there is a feedback
system between the mind and the breath. As the breath becomes calmer,
so does the mind, and vice versa. In the practice of Hong-Sau we
concentrate on the breath, and as we do so, the quieter it becomes.
The breath is
the greatest obstacle to deep meditation. As long as there is bodily
tension, heart movement, and brain activity, the body needs oxygen
to purify the blood, which causes us to breathe. Physical activity
breaks down tissues in the body and causes decay. Running causes
us to breathe more rapidly, while sleeping has less physical and
mental activity, so we need less oxygen and our breathing slows
down significantly.
The energy needed
to keep the body functioning is like a magnet that draws us into
matter consciousness and restlessness. Every night we experience
the reverse of this principle when we sleep. Then our energy is
withdrawn from the periphery of our body and into the spine. This
is why sleep is so rejuvenating. Paramhansa Yogananda, however,
called sleep "counterfeit samadhi (oneness)," because
it is a subconscious act, as opposed to meditation, in which we
use our conscious will. The direction of the flow of our inner energy
determines our state of consciousness. Breathing techniques, like
Hong-Sau, allow us to redirect this energy inward so we can experience
a higher level of consciousness.
While many meditation
methods ask you to concentrate on something outside of yourself,
the beauty of the Hong-Sau technique is that you focus on something
inside of you—the breath. Since our minds are naturally
drawn toward movement, the breath also is a natural focal point
for meditation.
When you begin
practicing Hong-Sau, you may notice first the mechanics of your
breathing, but as your breathing becomes calmer, you'll be more
aware of the breath itself. When this happens, focus on the feeling
of the air as it touches the inside of the nose. (If you consciously
relax your nose, you will be able to feel the sensation of air more
strongly.)
As the breath
quiets, you will feel this sensation higher and higher in the nose
until you feel it at the highest part of the nose, at the point
between the eyebrows. (An important benefit of Hong-Sau is that
it directs the mind to the spiritual eye, but it is important not
to try to concentrate at the spiritual eye until you feel the sensation
of air stimulating this point. Otherwise your concentration will
be divided.) In time, your breath will gradually diminish, until
finally, it is automatically and effortlessly suspended in breathlessness.
Although this may seem incredible, when the body is totally still
and no longer creating waste, there is no longer a need for the
heart and breath to keep working.
The first time
you notice your breath has slowed down, or even stopped altogether,
it's natural to feel a little anxious. Don't be alarmed—these
pauses can't possibly hurt you, as long as you let the breath flow
naturally and don't try to hold it in or out of the lungs by force.
When your body needs to breathe again, it will do so. As you practice
Hong-Sau, it will help you to try consciously to enjoy the pauses
between your breaths. Remember: the purpose of Hong-Sau is to increase
the intervals between the breaths naturally, and eventually to free
you from body-consciousness.
As a boy Paramhansa
Yogananda used to practice Hong-Sau for hours at a time, withdrawing
ever more deeply into the spine until he found himself without breath
altogether. Hong-Sau's three components of observing the breath,
gazing at the spiritual eye, and mentally repeating the mantra,
(Hong, with the incoming breath, and Sau, with the
outgoing,) all work powerfully together to draw your consciousness
toward Spirit. Although it may appear to be a simple technique,
its simplicity is its greatness.
Repeating the
Hong-Sau mantra not only gives the mind a point of focus, its Sanskrit
syllables stimulate the chakras and have a vibratory connection
with the breath, thereby calming it. Yogis say that on a subtle
level "Hong-Sau" is the very sound made by the astral
breath. Gazing upward at the point between the eyebrows, or spiritual
eye, puts you more in tune with the superconscious, because in deep
meditation your energy is centered there. Observing the breath helps
to calm it, and since the breath, as we've said, is the greatest
obstacle to deep meditation, Hong-Sau works in the most direct way
possible to bring you to a state of true meditation.
During Hong-Sau
you are a silent observer of the breath. Do not try to breathe
slowly or deeply; just let your body breathe as it wishes and notice
the flow of air. It may help you to feel as though you are watching
someone else breathe. Observing the breath without controlling it
may seem a little awkward at first. But this passes quickly.
The practice
of not controlling the breath brings deep spiritual benefits, one
of the most important being a sense of detachment from your physical
body and mental processes. Every time you observe the breath without
controlling it, you are affirming the attitude, "I am not this
body." Every time your mind wanders and you bring yourself
back by repeating the Hong-Sau mantra, you are saying, "I am
not this personality." Paramhansa Yogananda said, "The
ego is the soul identified with the body."
Patanjali, the
great exponent of yoga, pointed out that when we no longer identify
with our one, little body, we experience ourselves in all bodies.
Swami Kriyananda tells of the time he was helping Yogananda walk
in the desert while the Master was in a deep state of God-consciousness.
To explain his difficulty walking, Yogananda said, "I am in
so many bodies, it is difficult for me to remember which body I
am supposed to keep moving."
If you find
yourself struggling with unruly thoughts during your Hong-Sau practice,
know that every time you bring your attention back to the technique,
you are helping to free your Soul of its identification with the
breath and the body. At the same time, you also are strengthening
your ability to concentrate. Concentration is like a muscle, the
more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.
Using the Hong-Sau
technique to discipline your mind will bring you a great sense of
peace and clarity. You will find that you can think more clearly
and efficiently, and so work more quickly. Holding onto the deep
calmness you feel from meditation will enable you to apply that
peace to all of your activities and relationships. Besides the many
spiritual benefits you'll receive from your Hong-Sau practice, you
will discover countless physical and mental ones as well.
While visualizations,
affirmations, and many modern meditation and relaxation practices
are extremely beneficial, the Hong-Sau technique is unique in that
it has the potential to take you to God. Yogananda said this technique
is "the greatest contribution of India's spiritual science
to the world," and that one hour of Hong-Sau equals twenty-four
hours of sitting in the silence. One of the most sacred and ancient
of all yoga practices, Hong-Sau is one of the four main techniques
that comprise the path of Kriya Yoga, which Paramhansa Yogananda
brought to the West in 1920.
May your practice
of Hong-Sau be blessed with deep peace and awareness of God's Presence.
From the
April 2003 Daily Meditator
More on the
Hong-Sau Technique:
• The
Hong-Sau Technique
• Concentration on the
Breath Leads to Inner Stillness
• An Overview of Hong-Sau
and its Advanced Phases
• Relaxation
• Tips for Staying Focused
During Hong-Sau
• Focusing at the Spiritual
Eye
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