I'm a member of s.r.f., unable to email anyone for guidance or questions about my training...
perhaps someone can help? the energizing exercises should be done before meditation as stated, it is also suggested one should meditate(but doesn't mention the exercises) just before fully waking in the am...which order should i follow?
also, trying to focus on the 3rd eye is very difficult?
any suggestions? gratefully yours, julie
—julie, usa
It’s best to practice the energization exercises before meditation, including the morning meditation. They are especially helpful for waking up in the morning and preparing for meditation. But there is no ‘wrong’ time to practice them! They can also be done after meditation, as a helpful way of transitioning from meditation to activity.
Regarding the 3rd eye, or spiritual eye: Yogananda taught that during all of our meditation practices, it’s very helpful to gaze upward at the point between the eyebrows. This doesn’t mean we are gazing cross-eyed. Instead we’re looking at a point up and out. Many people try too hard, as if trying to bore a hole with their eyeballs. Instead, the eyes should be relaxed upward and the awareness should be at that point. Another way of looking at it is to offer yourself up to the light at the point between the eyebrows, offering yourself to God there.
Swami Kriyananda offers this advice in his book Meditation for Starters:
“Don’t cross your eyes so as literally to look at that point, but gaze at a point a little beyond. Try holding your thumb out at armreach. Focus on it there. But don’t get too specific. The main thing is that you focus your attention at the point between the eyebrows.”
