Be the Change

Join Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi as they lead a 25-minute guided meditation to help you find your inner peace and joy so you can share it with the world. Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi are Spiritual Directors of Ananda Sangha Worldwide.

Be the Change

[Below is a verbatim transcription of this guided meditation. Take into account the nuanced differences between spoken and written meaningful expression.]

Intent of Be the Change Meditation

Nayaswami Jyotish: Hello and welcome friends. In this meditation together, you and I, and others around the world in 61 countries have pledged to be themselves the center of the change that they want to see in the world. The Be The Change campaign starts with the thought that each of us radiates a certain kind of energy.

And in this case, we want to radiate to all the world, the peace, and harmony that we want to see in the world. If we don't begin with that, within our own hearts, and our own minds, how can we expect others to do that work for us?

So together, we are going to try to accumulate a million hours of meditation by the end of 2018, in order to effect the change throughout the world that we want to see happen. But that must begin with each one of us.

Our great master, Paramhansa Yogananda, said that the center of the entire universe is a point of intuitive consciousness, in your own heart. So in this meditation, let's open our hearts, to the flow of peace, to the flow of harmony. First of all, to feel it deeply within ourselves.

The power of our mind, the power of our will, is infinite, if we can become a kind of a power station within our own self, for those qualities, in this case peace and harmony. Let that power build in the meditation that we're going to do together. And then we can radiate that light out to every dark nook and cranny throughout the entire universe. So let's get started.

Meditation Posture and Relaxation

First of all, in order to meditate, we need to relax. So sit upright, in any comfortable position that you feel to, you can sit on the floor, you can sit on a chair as Devi and I are doing or you can sit in any comfortable position, as long as your spine is straight and you're able to relax completely.

And let's do an exercise that will help us relax more deeply internally — get rid of the unconscious tensions. So we're going to inhale through our mouth and nose. We're going to tense for a few seconds. Then we'll throw the breath out and relax completely. And we'll do that three times.

So, please, get yourself centered. Feel that your spine is straight, like the trunk of a tree and that your limbs and the rest of your body are easily supported.

Now relax your body. Now let's get rid of the unconscious tensions. Inhale and tense [sound of inhalation, sound of exhalation]. Now relax completely. [Pause]

Again, let's inhale and tense [sound of inhalation, sound of exhalation]. Relax. Now one more time, inhale and tense [sound of inhalation, sound of exhalation]. Relax.

Check your body from the feet, on up through your legs, thighs, abdomen, hand, forearms and upper arms, chest, throat, jaw, eyes and eyelids, and your forehead. Be sure that you're completely relaxed.

Now to help us get rid of mental tensions we're going to do a simple inhalation, hold, and exhalation of the breath. Focus on the breath and inhale to a count of eight [pause]. Hold; exhale. Again inhale [pause], hold; exhale. And one more time. [Inhalation], hold; exhale.

Now let's get centered, especially in our hearts, and in the point between the eyebrows. So feel the energy in your heart, a warm tingling sensation. And now bring that energy up to the point between the eyebrows, which is the center of will and the center of concentration.

And keeping our attention in those two points, Devi will lead us in a prayer and then a chant together.

Prayer Before Meditation

Nayaswami Devi: So, friends, please join me in this prayer, which is for people of all faiths, all religions, all backgrounds:

Oh, Divine Spirit, You who have come to us, again and again, inspiring us to seek Thee through many paths, through many faiths, awaken within our hearts deep love for you. And in that devotion and love may we feel our unity with people everywhere, people who follow many different paths that lead to the same one Father, Mother, Friend.

So now chant with me a beautiful devotional chant by Paramhansa Yogananda: "Door of My Heart."

The words are:

Door of my heart, open wide I keep for Thee. Wilt Thou come, wilt Thou come? Just for once come to me. Will my days fly away without seeing Thee, my Lord? Night and day, night and day, I look for Thee night and day.

[The singing of the chant's repetition]

Hong Sau Mantra Meditation

Nayaswami Jyotish: Now let's meditate together. We're going to start with a technique that will help bring concentration and also a deep-centered peace and harmony into our own system.

This is a technique of watching the breath. And as we inhale, we're going to mentally say "Hong". And as we exhale, we will mentally say "Sau". Hong Sau.

Don't make any attempt to control the breath. Just watch it. Be very observant and vigilant and completely relaxed. If the mind wanders at all, as soon as you realize it has wandered, bring it back to concentrating on watching the breath. Hong Sau is a Sanskrit term. And it's what's known as a beej mantra, meaning the sound itself has a power. In this case, the power to produce peace and harmony and concentration in our astral body. Hong roughly means "I am" and Sau, "He". So we're repeating, "I am He," meaning that we're one with all that exists. I am He. Hong Sau.

So let's begin with a deep inhalation. Exhale three times. And as the breath comes in, observe it and mentally chant "Hong"; and as it goes out, observe and chant "Sau".

Feel the flow of the breath in the nostrils. [Pause.] Concentrate on that flow, chanting "Hong" as it comes in, "Sau" as it exhales. [Pause.]

Now feel it a little higher in the nostrils. [Pause.]

If your mind has wandered, just gently bring it back and concentrate on the breath, the flow of the breath. [Pause.]

You may now begin to notice that the pauses between the inhalation and the exhalation are longer. If so, just enjoy them. But the main thing is to keep observing the breath: total concentration on the flow. [Pause.]

Return concentration to the breath if you find the mind has wandered. Let's do this silently together for a few minutes.

[Period of silence]

Focus on the Heart

Now that we've done this for a few minutes, just take a moment and feel how peaceful you've become, how relaxed and concentrated.

And now feel the area around your heart. This is a center, a chakra, the Anahata Chakra. And it's the center of feeling. Feel a warmth there. Awaken in yourself the sense of love. [Pause.]

Now bring your concentration to the point between the eyebrows. We are going to take that love that has been awakened in the heart and we're going to broadcast it out into the world.

Feel complete love and compassion for everyone.

Let's start by just thinking of all of the children in the world. Some don't have enough food. Others have been displaced by violence and warfare. Feel the compassion that their own mothers feel for them. And send your love out to all the children in the world.

And Devi will lead us in an affirmation to send this out into the world.

Be-the-Change Affirmation

Nayaswami Devi: Affirmations are a big part of Yogananda's teachings. And so this is part of our affirmation for Be the Change. And I'll repeat it and then please repeat after me. We'll do this first in a loud voice, then in a normal speaking voice, then in a whisper, and finally mentally only.

So the words are: I am peace and harmony. I am truth. I am power. I am love.

So please repeat after me as we explained. But each time that we repeat it, let's do it with increasing concentration and feel that this is transforming your consciousness. Be the Change is about personal transformation.

So please repeat after me:

I am peace and harmony. [I am peace and harmony.]
I am truth. [I am truth.]
I am power. [I am power.]
I am love. [I am love.]

I am peace and harmony. [I am peace and harmony.]
I am truth. [I am truth.]
I am power. [I am power.]
I am love. [I am love.]

Now whispering only:

I am peace and harmony. [I am peace and harmony.]
I am truth. [I am truth.]
I am power. [I am power.]
I am love. [I am love.]

Now mentally only. But feel these words are penetrating your consciousness and beginning to change within you and around you.

I am peace and harmony.
I am truth.
I am power.
I am love.

Prayer after Meditation

And let's close with a prayer together:

Oh Lord of all people, bless this planet with your peace, with your harmony, with your understanding. Awaken people everywhere to see all people as their brothers and sisters, as their spiritual family. May this world awaken into a time of unity, harmony, divine love, and joy.

AUM, Peace, Amen.

Narrator: Be the Change. Pledge to meditate daily. By changing yourself, you can change the world.