Find Your Calm Center Within

Nayaswami Parvati leads you in a 30-minute guided meditation on finding your calm center within.

Transcript

Nayaswami Parvati:

Hello friend, I'd like to include you in a meditation. And I hope you'll be able to enjoy the relaxation and the peace that meditation brings you. Let's start with a prayer together, a simple prayer.

Heavenly Father, Divine Mother, friend, beloved God, I offer myself into Thy presence. Help me to be more deeply aware of your guiding presence of peace, of love, of divine joy within me and all around me. AUM, peace, amen.

Let's chant together before we go into the meditation itself. This is a simple chant:

Rest in God, live in God, in His light, in His love, and in His joy.

And we'll do one of those lines each time. So please join me.

Now, friend, I'd like to ask you to join me in this meditation. First of all, let's do several techniques for relaxing the body and the mind, evening out the energy in the body, and helping us more importantly, to go inward. Relaxation is of prime importance when you're meditating. So let's inhale, tense the body all over, exhale and relax completely. And again, inhale, tense the body, squeeze and vibrate, exhale and relax completely. And one more time. And throwing out with that exhalation, all tension, all vibrations of stress, tension, anything that keeps you from relaxing more deeply. And feel your energy more equalized throughout the entire body.

Next, I'd like to do some even-count breathing, which again, helps to focus the mind also, which as we know can be a big obstacle to meditation. So let's inhale to a count of six, we'll hold to a count of six, and then exhale to that same count of six. We'll do this inhalation through the nose, hold as you hold, try to relax, and then exhale through the nose as well, to a count of six. So even-counted, let's begin.

Hold the breath relaxing, and exhale. Inhale. (Note: in the video Nayaswami Parvati demonstrates even-counting breathing) And once more inhaling and then just let the breath flow naturally once you've done your final exhalation.

Also, it's very important in meditation, to have the right posture. And so at this point, bring the hands palms up, close into the juncture of the thigh and the abdomen, as close as is comfortable for you. And know that really, the most important part of the body is not whether you sit cross-legged, or kneeling on a bench, or in a chair, for the most important part is the spine. And that's the spine of energy goes up the center of the body, from the base of the spine, you can put your hand there, up to the medulla oblongata at the base of the skull, and then it bends. And bring your hand up to the point between the eyebrows, and know that that spine goes right through the brain to the point between the eyebrows. And then drop the hands back down again.

But sit with the spine, very straight, and yet relaxed. Also, feel that that spine of energy is like the string of a bow. So it's very straight, yet relaxed. And the front of the body is like the front of the bow, the wooden part so that the chest is open and expanded. Feel that bringing the arms, the hands back toward the juncture of the thigh and the abdomen in a relaxed way, brings the shoulders back slightly, and therefore keeps that chest open and expanded and uplifted. But again, all of this with a sense of relaxation. Don't have tension, but sit in a relaxed, comfortable, upright position with the spine very straight.

It's extremely comfortable to sit in this way when you get it right. So without tension, you can sit for a long time like this. And just get comfortable in that way. If you've been following me and sitting in some other way. Get comfortable with this posture. The hands turned upright, allow a sense of not only relaxation but receptivity. And in meditation, it's important to be relaxed and receptive.

Now we want to go into a technique of concentration, that is very simple and very, very effective. And that is watching our own breath, becoming the observer of our own breath. And so sit in this relaxed way. And once the breath flows naturally just for a little bit right now, allow it to do that.

Then next, feel that you're becoming the observer of your own breath, almost as though it were someone else's. And as the next inhalation wants to come in without you controlling it in any way, mentally repeat "Hong" H O N G, as the breath flows in. And then as the breath wants to flow back out again, mentally repeat "Sau", S A U. If your breath is restless, then allow it to be restless, don't try to control it in any way.

Because you will find as you observe your breath, concentrating on it, the breath will calm down and it will become more relaxed, more calm, and more inward. So just practice observing your own breath, mentally repeating Hong as the breath flows in, mentally repeating Sau as the breath flows out again. Let's do this together.

Now, where you focus on that incoming and outgoing breath can also be an aid. Going to focus in the nostrils, can be anywhere from the beginning of the nostrils. But the best the most effective place to watch the breath is high up in the nasal cavity up here, close to the point between the eyebrows. Mentally watch the breath from that point. Again without controlling it mentally repeating Hong as the breath wants to flow in and mentally repeating Sau as the breath wants to flow back out again. Let's practice this for a few minutes.

And in doing this practice, you may have noticed that the mind, ever active, may have wandered away from focusing, concentrating on the breath. But don't be alarmed about that. As soon as you notice that the mind has wandered, which it will do, just gently bring it back to focusing high up in the nasal cavity and on observing your own breath. Again mentally repeating Hong as the breath flows in and mentally repeating Sau when the breath wants to flow out again. So again, incorporate that wandering mind into your practice by gently just simply bringing it back again to the practice. And again let's practice this for a few moments here.

And again another observation to make is as you focus and concentrate on your own breath, it will calm down. And there may be pauses between the inhalation and exhalation. As those occur naturally, enjoy them. When the breath becomes very calm, those pauses are natural. And it's a natural way to go deeper within, to be aware of those pauses, and to relax into them as they happen naturally. So be aware again and, let's practice again, being aware of the pauses as well.

Now let's end the Hong Sau. Practice by taking a deeper inhalation and then exhaling three times. And allow the breath to stay out for as long as is comfortable for you. And then as the breath wants to come in again, don't observe it anymore. Just be in the present, let the breath flow naturally. And try to feel and be aware of your experience of meditation, of a deepening peace, stillness, and calmness. Perhaps a sense of joy or of deepening divine love. Perhaps seeing light inwardly or hearing the inner sounds. Whatever your experience is, be aware and try to deepen that experience, allowing yourself to enter into the light, to enter into peace, to be part of divine joy.

From pools of inner silence, I sip the sparkling waters of Thy peace.

Concentrating deeply at the point between the eyebrows, deepen your experience.

Now feel from your divine center within a divine center within all of us. But from your own divine center within feel that you're seated at the heart of eternity. And you're sending out from that center, rays of divine love to all the universe. Feel those very powerful rays going out in all directions. Blessing all in that Divine Light.

Rest in God, live in God, in His light, in His love, and in His joy.

AUM, peace, amen.