Recently I went to a pub with my office colleagues for dinner. I tried my best to keep my thoughts collected and centered in God, but it kept slipping. By the time I was out 2-3 hours later, I felt slight dizzy and intoxicated even though I didn’t touch alcohol. My question is: how do I keep myself centered? What to do in situations like this where you have to go to places like these where the vibrations are not very positive? How to safeguard oneself?
—Devika, India
Dear Devika,
Whenever we can’t avoid such places, they come to us for our positive training. Try these things:
– Keep what Yogananda called “a spiritual body guard”. That means that you mentally keep a saint at your side. This will help you.
– The stronger your own inner energy, the stronger your magnetic field, your aura. The stronger your aura, the less you will be affected. Therefore enter such places always with a strong inner energy. If you have learnt practices, like Yogananda’s energization exercises, do them beforehand. Then, consciously keep your energy strong and calm. Maintain a straight spine, which helps the energy to remain strong, in you and around you.
– Try all the time to silently send positive energy outward, blessing everyone. This practice will act like a shield and is a super-blessing for yourself, as a channel of light.
– Do you meditate regularly? That makes it easier to keep your inner center in all circumstances.
– When you are in such places, you can also try to mentally repeat a short affirmation, whenever you aren’t busy talking. Here is one from Yogananda: “I am the prince (princess) of peace sitting on the throne of poise, directing the kingdom of activity.” Or inwardly repat some simple chant. I remember Swami Kriyananda telling how he was walking through some place in a city where vibrations were especially negative, and he chanted: “Sri Ram, jai Ram”, and all was fine.
– Should you practice the yoga postures, Swami Kriyananda teaches how to strengthen your aura while entering or exiting from the postures (in his book Raja Yoga): “Your magnetism can be consciously increased, if you understand the principles on which it operates: The greater the flow of energy, the greater the magnetic field. Magnetic people are always people with a high level of energy. As you practice the postures, feel with every movement that you are increasing the flow of energy around your body and within it. As you bring your hands up to join them above the head in Vrikasana (The Tree Pose), or in Ardha-Chandrasana (The Half-Moon Pose), feel that with your hands you are creating an aura of light around your body. This aura is your magnetic field. It can protect you from harmful influences. It can attract to you good health, true friends, and worthwhile opportunities.”
– A similar technique, which you can do just before entering these places, is to make circles with your palms around your body, back and forth, visualising that you are surrounding yourself with a protective blue light, while constantly repeating “OM-TAT-SAT”.
You will become very victorious in exiting such places without any negative effect.
All the best, Jayadev
