Self-Realization through Yoga Meditation of the Yoga Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita Vedanta, and the intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra

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Yoga Nidra Meditation CD by Swami Jnaneshvara
Yoga Nidra CD
Swami Jnaneshvara

 

 

A One-line "Short Course"
in Yoga Meditation:

World > Senses > Body > Breath > Mind > Silence 

At Meditation time:

Next (after World) is the Senses

  • Next, after letting go of the external world, become aware of the individual senses and means of expression indriyas, exploring your sensory awareness. (more on indriyas)
  • First, be aware of your ability to move, but that you are not moving; of grasping, but that you are letting go; of speaking, but of no longer forming any words (the karmendriyas).
  • Maintain mindfulness that these are the exporters of actions into the external world.
  • Then, systematically be aware of five senses of smell, taste, seeing, touching, hearing (the jnanendriyas).
  • Maintain mindfulness that those senses are the importers of information and insights from the external world.
  • Then, close the temple doors called senses, and bring your attention inward, so that you can explore within, through the levels of body, breath, mind, and beyond.  (Next)

Preparation, Daily Life, Meditation in Action:

Senses: Yoga meditation deals systematically with all the levels of our being, including  training the senses (indriyas) as well as the body, breath, and mind. (See Yoga Sutras, including sutras 2.54-2.55 on Pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses.)

Everybody benefits from training the senses: Everybody has senses and is familiar with how our senses can draw us into situations and habits that we know are not useful. To train our senses begins with awareness of how our senses are drawn here and there, and then observing whether our senses are driven by unconscious habit or personal choice.

Becoming one-pointed: Yoga science teaches one to first train the senses (indriyas) by making the mind one-pointed with mindfulness of spiritual truth, then to train the individual senses, and then to follow those senses inward to their source. In yoga science the senses are considered not only the five cognitive senses, but also the five means of expressing outwardly, including elimination, procreation, motion, grasping, and speaking.

Sets the stage for advanced practices: Such sensory awareness practices set the stage for the advanced practices of yoga meditation, wherein the aspirant goes beyond any sensory awareness whatsoever, to deal directly with the energy of breath, the functioning of mind, and to that beyond all of these.

Next is Body

 

 

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This site is devoted to presenting the ancient Self-Realization path of the Tradition of the Himalayan masters in simple, understandable and beneficial ways, while not compromising quality or depth. The goal of our sadhana or practices is the highest Joy that comes from the Realization in direct experience of the center of consciousness, the Self, the Atman or Purusha, which is one and the same with the Absolute Reality. This Self-Realization comes through Yoga meditation of the Yoga Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita Vedanta, and the intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra, the three of which complement one another like fingers on a hand. We employ the classical approaches of Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti Yoga, as well as Hatha, Kriya, Kundalini, Laya, Mantra, Nada, Siddha, and Tantra Yoga. Meditation, contemplation, mantra and prayer finally converge into a unified force directed towards the final stage, piercing the pearl of wisdom called bindu, leading to the Absolute.