Hi. I am registered at SRF and I tried to meditate for about a year and a half, but I couldn’t concentrate on the spiritual eye for even five minutes. So I tried another meditation which is called "True meditation" of Adyashanti and I could do it without much difficulty. I still follow Yogananda’s advices of his books. Is it right if I practice both types of meditation? Thank you.
—Elias, Brasil
Dear Elias,
It depends. If you consider yourself a disciple of Yogananda, it is not alright. As a disciple, you do what your Guru teaches you and figure out how you can make it work. You assume the attitude described in the Autobiography of a Yogi: “I see I have been a poor workman, finding fault with my tools.” The techniques are divine and we can all learn to apply them correctly, in time. Sometimes a little hint from someone, or a little creativity, or a little more persistence or devotion, is all that is needed.
If, however, you don’t consider yourself a disciple of Yogananda, you are free. You do as you please. You may try out as many methods as you want. But I wouldn’t mix both techniques. Rather, practice them separately: for some period you practice one, for another period the other. “Mixed salads” are not helpful, usually, when it comes to meditation techniques.
May your intuition guide you,
in divine friendship,
Jayadev
