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Meditation
Support
An
Overview of Hong-Sau and its Advanced Phases
from The Art and Science of Raja Yoga
From the April
2003 Daily Meditator
Preparation
- So as to
decarbonize the blood stream, and thereby to calm the body, inhale,
tensing the whole body; throw the breath out and relax. Repeat
two or three times.
- Inhale and
exhale slowly and deeply several times, making the period of inhalation,
holding, and exhalation the same. (Suggested counts: 20-20-20,
or 12-12-12.) Don't strain. Repeat six or twelve times.
- Mentally
check the body to make sure it is relaxed. Periodically, check
the body again during your practice of the technique.
- Begin your
actual practice of the technique by first exhaling, slowly and
deliberately.
The Basic
Technique
- When the
breath flows in of its own accord, follow it mentally with the
sound, Hong. Imagine that the breath itself is making this
sound.
- When the
breath flows out of its own accord, follow it mentally with, and
imagine that it is itself making, the sound, Sau (to rhyme
with "saw").
- If at any
time the breathing stops naturally, accept the pause calmly, identifying
yourself with it until the breath flows again of its own accord.
- To keep your
mind on the breath (or, when you are more interiorized, to differentiate
between inhalation and exhalation), it may help you to bring the
forefinger towards the palm as the breath flows in, and away from
the palm as the breath flows out.
First Phase
- If your
breath is still restless, you may be more easily aware of the
physical movement of your lungs and diaphragm than of the flow
of breath in the nostrils. In this case, let the mind follow its
natural inclination: Concentrate on the purely physical aspects
of breathing—the movement of the rib cage, the diaphragm, or the
navel.
- Gradually,
as you grow calmer, transfer your attention from the breathing
process to the breath itself.
Second Phase
- As your
attention begins to focus on the breath itself, watch the breath
at the point where it enters the nostrils.
- Gradually,
with the progressive calmness of the breath, center your awareness
of it higher and higher in the nose. To raise this center of awareness,
you may find it helpful if you make a special effort inwardly
to relax your nose.
- As it becomes
natural to do so, center your awareness of the breath at the point
where it enters the nasal cavity. Feel it in the upper part of
this passage, and visualize its movement gently fanning and awakening
the Christ center in the frontal lobe of the brain.
Third Phase
- Become more
and more identified with the breath, less and less with your body's
need for it to flow in and out. Remember, especially as you grow
very calm, that this need may be as much imaginary (the result
of deeply ingrained subconscious habit) as actual. Therefore:
- Particularly
concentrate on, and enjoy, the pauses between the breaths. Dwell
on the sense of freedom from the tyranny of constant breathing.
Beyond enjoying this sense of calmness and freedom, however, do
not try to prolong the breathless state by an act of will.
- Direct the
will, rather, toward the thought of becoming the air that
is flowing in the nose, or of becoming boundless space at the
Christ center.
- As the pauses
become prolonged, you may want to engage your attention in chanting
Aum mentally at the Christ center.
Key Points
- Throughout
the practice of this technique, look upward so as gradually to
raise your consciousness. Do not, however, concentrate at the
Christ center until it becomes natural for you to feel the flow
of the breath at that point.
- Sit very
still throughout your practice of the technique. Any physical
movement (and also any unrelated movement of thought or emotion)
will further excite the breath.
- Every now
and then, mentally check the body (especially the nose) to be
sure it is relaxed.
- While chanting
Hong-Sau, be sure that you are chanting only mentally.
Often, the mere thought of a word will produce an involuntary
movement of the tongue or lips, or a slight tension in the jaw
or throat. Be sure these parts of your body, too, are completely
relaxed.
Questions
and Answers
Q. How
long should the Hong-Sau technique be practiced?
A. As
long as you enjoy practicing it. This is one technique (unlike
many other yoga practices) that cannot be overdone in the sense
of putting a strain on the nervous system. Yoganandaji used, as
a boy, to practice it as much as 7-1/2 hours at a time. He once
told a disciple that if one wants to become a master in this life,
he should practice Hong-Sau two hours daily. No technique,
however, should be practiced to the point of boredom or fatigue.
Beginners, especially, may do better to practice only half an hour
at a time, perhaps even less. For others, let enjoyment be your
key, lest you slip gradually into the pernicious habit of meditating
mechanically, without that keen sense of blissful anticipation which
is so necessary to any real meditative progress. When your enjoyment
of the technique begins to lessen, cease your practice at least
for that session. When your enjoyment of meditation itself lessens,
stop meditating, or take a break (you might rest in Savasana (The
Corpse Pose) before making another effort.
Q. When
the Master said to practice Hong-Sau two hours a day, did
he mean at one sitting?
A. Yes,
if possible. But if not, I am sure he would have agreed to your
dividing this time into two or more shorter periods. Remember, no
fixed time can guarantee success in yoga practice. Suggested times
should be taken only as general guidelines.
Q. May
one practice this technique in idle moments as well, apart from
one's prescribed periods for meditation?
A. Indeed,
yes! Anywhere, practically: sitting at your desk in the office,
or in public places, or at a party when you are not involved in
the conversation. Before others, however, don't be obvious about
what you are doing. Sit back, and close your eyes as if you were
resting them, or look straight ahead, as if reflectively.
Q. What
proportion of one's meditation should be devoted to the practice
of this technique?
A. It
is difficult to advise in this matter, except to say that this is
one of the most important tech niques of yoga. The longer and more
deeply you practice any technique, the sooner you will become proficient
in it. It is for you to decide how long, in proportion to other
techniques, you want to watch the breath. Regardless what techniques
are practiced, however, at least the last quarter of one's
meditation time should be devoted to simple meditation, without
any practice of techniques. As my guru put it, intuition (which
he defined as the soul's power to know God) is developed by prolonging
and deepening the peaceful after-effects of one's practice of the
meditation techniques.
Q. Should
one concentrate on the breath and also at the point between
the eyebrows?
A. Not
until the attention focuses itself naturally on the flow of breath
at the beginning of the nose—that is, the point at which the
breath enters the nasal cavity in the head. To do so otherwise would
constitute a division of concentration which would be self-defeating.
Q. What
if, during one's practice of this, or of any other, technique, one
is suddenly lifted into a divine state of consciousness? Assuming
that it was the technique that induced this state, should one continue
his practice, or abandon it to deepen one's enjoyment of this state
of consciousness?
A. That
depends on whether the technique actually induced the state
you refer to, or only prepared you to receive it. Certain divine
states, if actually caused by the practice of a technique, may be
deepened by continuation of that practice. Otherwise, and generally
speaking, the technique should be abandoned in order that you might
deepen your enjoyment of, and identification with, the divine experience.
Q. Sometimes
I find that my breath, instead of pausing longer and longer at the
rest points between inhalation and exhalation, continues its normal
rhythm, but becomes shallower and shallower to the point where it
virtually disappears. Is this all right?
A. Yes,
it is quite all right. In any case you should let the breath follow
its own course, instead of deciding for it what rhythm it ought
to follow. But such extremely light breathing indicates a satisfactory
state of concentration.
From the
April 2003 Daily Meditator
More on the
Hong-Sau Technique:
• The
Hong-Sau Technique
• Why Hong-Sau Works
• Concentration on the
Breath Leads to Inner Stillness
• Relaxation
• Tips for Staying Focused
During Hong-Sau
• Focusing at the Spiritual
Eye
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