Guided Hong Sau Meditation — "The Soul Loves to Meditate"

30-minute guided Hong Sau meditation. Meditation technique by Paramhansa Yogananda.

Spiritual advancement is not to be measured by one's display of outward powers, but solely by the depth of his bliss in meditation. - Paramhansa Yogananda.

Transcript

Tyagini Narayani:

Welcome again to today's guided meditation.

We are going to start with a chant, one of Swami Kriyananda's. The words are very, very easy. And the words are “You fill my heart with music. I dance through life with Thee. I sing Your song and sorrow's gone, in joy I live ever free.” Beautiful words. So please join us.

[Chanting several times]

Getting Ready for a Guided Meditation

Let's enter into this meditation with that attitude of joy and within, knowing that when we sing God's name, when we invite His presence in our lives, sorrow goes away. Fear disappears.

So, with that awareness and with that belief, let's get ready for this meditation by scanning our body, making sure our spine is perfectly straight and our hands in the junction between the abdomen and thighs, upward if possible. That's a sign of receptivity.

Chest is slightly open, open heart, fearless. Shoulders are relaxed, chin parallel to the floor, gaze gently uplifted without closing your eyes.

Allow the energy within your body right now to start moving upward through the spine all the way up to the brain to the point between the eyebrows. And for the next 20 minutes we are going to keep our body perfectly still like a rock. Nothing or no one will move us out from this position.

Practicing Pranayam

And with this stilling of the body, let’s do a pranayam to still the mind to give it a break from the day from the worries, from the thoughts, and we'll do together, the even-count breathing pranayama.

We’ll inhale to a count of six. Hold the breath, six. Exhale, six. Everything through the nose. Keep your gaze uplifted. And let's do these together.

Inhale.

Hold your breath, gazing upward.

And exhale through the nose.

Inhale.

Hold.

Exhale through the nose.

Twice more. [Follow process above 2x]

Now, allow your breath to flow freely. The body is still. The mind is calm. Now is the perfect time to observe our breath. Let's start together by watching the breath at the nostrils.

Connect with your breath. Observe how it is flowing in and out at its own rhythm, bringing you to this present moment where nothing else is more important than watching your breath. Nothing to control, nothing to judge; simply observe how your breath is? Is it long? Is it short? Is it pleasant? Is it soothing?

Give yourself as much time as you need. Observe it as if you were watching somebody else's breath. Do you feel the air flowing in and out through the nostrils? Keep observing your breath for a few more moments.

The breath is one of the most extraordinary things that a human being has. And we pay so little attention. But the breath and watching the breath is the key to bringing us peace, focus, and concentration. So, every time you feel restless, watch your breath.

And now, very gently, let's shift that awareness from watching the breath at the nostrils, all the way up to the point between the eyebrows, to the prefrontal cortex. Make that transition slowly, deliberately, consciously. Keeping your gaze uplifted will help you in that transition.

And bring your breath now at the point between the eyebrows. So, now your breath and gaze are at that point, the Agya chakra. And feel, watch your breath there.

This is a very soothing experience, yet it takes our willpower to remain at the point between the eyebrows with the breath, with the gaze.

Our energy, our concentration, our joy right now is at the point between the eyebrows, observing the breath. There is no rush, no need to go anywhere, just stay with the breath, your gaze always uplifted.

Practicing Hong Sau

Now we'll introduce the mantra Hong as you inhale, Sau as you exhale. We’ll repeat the mantra mentally, Hong as we inhale, Sau as we exhale. Remember that the mantra follows the breath until both of them become one.

Remember to keep your gaze uplifted, your awareness at the point between the eyebrows while mentally chanting Hong, Sau; Hong, Sau.

This is a very powerful technique. It contains a vibration that has the power to transform the cells of your brain. Hong, Sau. The meaning of this mantra is I am that, I am the universe. I am united with everything. Hong Sau.

Don't get caught up only with the meaning of it, but try to feel the vibration that it’s generated at the point between the eyebrows, gaze uplifted. Hong Sau. Hong Sau.

The mantra brings such an awareness, such a concentration to the mind. Hong Sau.

Keep your face relaxed if you can. There shouldn't be any tension in your muscles or in your facial expressions. Hong Sau.

Perhaps by now, you are experiencing those pauses between the inhalation and exhalation between Hong and Sau. And if those pauses come to you, naturally stay there. But if your mind gets restless, go back to the mantra: go back to the breath, gaze always, no matter what, always uplifted.

If your mind wanders a thousand times, a thousand times you bring it back again and again to the mantra, to the breath, to the point between the eyebrows. Hong Sau.

Allow the mantra to resonate in every cell of your body. Hong Sau.

Let’s practice this for two more minutes.

Keep reminding yourself, where is my gaze? Lifted up?

Now, with the next exhalation, let's put the mantra aside and we found the slightest move, let's remain as still as we can, with our gaze uplifted at the point between the eyebrows so we can remain for as long as possible in this superconsciousness, which is located at the point between the eyebrows at the prefrontal cortex.

Now it's also very important that you relax, and you open yourself to the experience of receiving, whatever that might mean for you. For each one of us is different. So open for yourself, relax as much as you can, and keep your gaze uplifted at the point between the eyebrows.

Allow the effects of meditation now to flow through you, through your heart, upward to the point between the eyebrows. Yogananda said that God speaks to us in the silence. So let's enjoy this silence of body, mind, and soul for the next few minutes.

Allow the silence to bless you, to infuse you with the silent sound and vibration of AUM.

AUM can be felt as a vibration. Tune into that right now. Keep your gaze uplifted.

Visualizing Healing Planet Earth

Tyagi Shurjo:

Let's continue this inward journey towards the sharing and blessing of what we have received.

For this past week we've been working especially on blessing every soul or individual. We've worked with blessing those people most outwardly and immediately impacted by this new change, by this virus. I'd like now for us to consciously bless our planet.

This Earth we can see as a physical manifestation of each of us, our thoughts, our energy, our needs, perfect conditions that would have allowed these souls to incarnate, were created, were manifested, just for us. And I think many of us have not appreciated that enough, not given back.

So today let us work with the healing, very deep healing of our Earth, of our mother, of our source of life. So, let us feel a very powerful ray of Light shoot down from the sky, from the heavens into the Earth. Visualize that beam of Light like a laser emanating from God's heart straight into the surface of the Earth, and as it hits the surface, it enters below the surface.

And feel this Light now entering first into the root system of all the trees. The roots below the Earth below the surface of our planet are like the veins, all interconnected and crisscrossing across the entire landmass. Feel that Light entering into the roots and feel them beginning to spread like an entangled spider web just below the surface everywhere.

This Light goes in from those roots, from those veins, into the trees themselves, the trees representing the lungs of our planet, the prana of this planet. Feel your own lungs for a moment as a part of that same system. And infuse that Light into every tree that the Earth may breathe.

Once again, let that Light now enter into the water system, the rivers, the tributaries, the streams, like the blood, they nourish and nurture. See across the Earth these streams of Light, and this Light enlivens and awakens the planet.

Visualize as many rivers as your geography, your awareness of the world, will allow it. Visualize especially the Ganga. Let it represent all rivers combined.

Now, this Light spreads out into the rocks. The rocks are the bones of our planet, giving it structure strength. Every rock, especially represented by the mountains, the Himalayas, Nilgiris, the Ghats, the Andes, the Alps, the Rockies. Each one of these mighty ranges bathed in Light.

Enjoying all that energy now in burrowing deeper into the planet, the very core of the planet to the beating heart, feel from all directions that Light seeping deeper and deeper until the entire planet is now a giant sphere of Light.

It’s very important to visualize as clearly as you can. Your clarity directs energy. Your clarity manifests these blessings. In bathing our planet, holding it in this Light, let us feel that healing take place on all levels. And as our planet heals, it is able to give back to us more and better. It wants to sustain us. It loves us so deeply. Let us share now some of our love in return.

Let us gather this blessing with the palms of our hands, rubbing them together, generating that Light, that energy. Feel from your heart this Light entering into your arms, into your palms, and lifting them up above your head, holding this image as clearly as you can into the core of this planet. Share your Light.

AUM, AUM, AUM

AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti