Among all of the creative practices that can help us increase our emotional and spiritual energy levels, mindfulness and meditation are often in the top few. Rarely does a weekly #SpiritChat go by where these to practices are not mentioned in an answer to one or more questions by one or more participants. Lately, mindfulness has become almost a ‘buzzword’ fix-it-all for many of our ‘problems’ that are apparently caused by our perpetually distracted mind. There seems to be an abundance of mindfulness (often labeled ‘self-awareness’) practices available to us. We simply have to choose one, or even many. But what about meditation as a creative practice to raise our energy levels?
In some way or form, I have had a personal practice of ‘meditation’ for a few years. I would call it more like ‘an attempt to sit still and examine what flows through my mind and heart’. It has basically been a ‘roll my own’ method with some partial guidance by sporadic attendance at meditation workshops, reading about meditation techniques and others’ experiences, and so on. To say that I had been simply ‘spinning my wheels’ without much apparent ‘benefit’ or tangible ‘progress’, other than the satisfaction that I had at least developed a regular habit of ‘sitting at a given hour’, would be an understatement. The universe must have felt my silent cry for assistance, for last November, I decided to give ‘heartfulness’ a try.
In a casual conversation on the ‘festival of lights’ holiday, I told my brother-in-law in India that I was ready to begin my heartfulness practice. It wasn’t that he hadn’t asked me to try out what he had been practicing for many years. It was just that I had not been willing (or able?) to listen to his invitation with any degree of acceptance. So, he had left me alone to ‘get ready to ask for help’ in my own way. And when I did ask, he was ready. We began with an introductory session the very next day, followed by two short sessions on subsequent days during the week. And then, it was all up to me, to have the self-discipline to follow the simple instructions.
Six months later, I can say that the practice itself is very simple, straightforward and effective. Like any new practice, it ‘works’ if you ‘practice’ it. I am earnestly working on being creative in creating time to make the practice of heartfulness a part of my daily life. I am getting close. Very close. Why have I ‘stuck’ with it? If the results so far are any indication of what the future will hold, I am eager, willing and present to all the energetic possibilities that heartfulness meditation has to offer!
As part of our weekly #SpiritChat conversation, I invite you to our conversation with special guest @amalik1818 (yes, my #heartfulness coach :)) on Sunday, June 26th 2016 at 9amET/1pmUTC. I am very excited about all of you meeting Alok, and feeling his wonderful energy. We have been trying to coordinate this for a few months now, and the time and space coordinates have finally aligned!
Namaste,
Kumud @AjmaniK
Resources: Heartfulness Meditation
Bio: Dr Alok Malik retired from the Indian Army after being a practicing surgeon for over twenty years. He is currently the Medical Director for one of the largest hospitals in Hyderabad, India. His meditation practice stretches back over a decade, and he is a certified trainer in Heartfulness techniques.
P.S. If you have been trying to establish a creative energy #meditation practice, or been ‘struggling’ with your current one (like I did for two and a half years), or merely are curious to try something new, Alok @amalik1818 will offer a choice of two thirty minute ‘remote’ sessions to get you started after the chat – Sunday 8pmET or Monday 8pmET (other times may be available on request. please ask). No strings attached. No charge or fee. How to sign up? Leave a comment below or DM me on twitter for the very simple instructions. Come join us!
Update: How To Participate in the ‘Introductory Sessions’ conducted by Alok Malik – @amalik1818 on Twitter in #SpiritChat
Step ONE: Watch and follow the Heartfulness Relaxation video commands for ten minutes, BEFORE start of meditation session (start at 745pmET today)
https://youtu.be/HuiV395xI4I
Step TWO: Login to twitter. Check in to #SpiritChat with a simple tweet confirming that you are PRESENT, at least five minutes before the designated START time of 8pmET. The trainer (@amalik1818) needs confirmation that you are present – we are doing this via twitter/#SpiritChat for now. (we may add a WhatsApp group or alternate way later to accomplish this step).
Sit comfortably, on seeing the Twitter message (or if not on Twitter, start at designated time) to START MEDITATION do the following ——
- Put your phone on silent mode
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Ensure that no one disturbs you for at least thirty minutes
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Gently close your eyes
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Gently take your attention to the source of divine light within your heart
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Don’t try to concentrate or try to see the light. Just imagine that the source of Divine Light is within your heart and it is attracting you
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If your mind wanders to some other thought, then gently push it away and naturally get it back to the source of light within your heart.
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Slowly you will experience thoughtlessness and absorption in meditation
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Continue meditation for thirty minutes. You may use an alarm to guide you.
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Jot down your experiences during meditation and condition after meditation in a spiritual journal.
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Remember NOT to concentrate on the source of light, or keep repeating the thought about the source of light as a mantra. If you don’t see any light, that’s ok, and if you see some that’s also ok.
Above steps are from the two-minute video for Heartfulness Techinques at
https://youtu.be/xMzZl_7mRpY
Tips:
1. Watch the Heartfulness meditation video
2. Follow the Heartfulness Relaxation script for ten min BEFORE meditation
3. Meditation takes place at the level of subconscious mind. When we imagine in our conscious mind that there is a source of divine light within our heart, the same settles in the subconscious mind and stays there. Now even if this thought were to disappear from the conscious mind it does not matter. We therefore don’t have to concentrate on it, repeat it or run after it.
4. If some other thought comes to our mind AND we give attention to it by actively participating in it, THEN that thought settled on the subconscious mind. Moment we realise that we have got swayed by another thought, then gently push it aside and naturally center back on the source of light within your heart.
5.While you meditate, the trainer focuses Yogic Transmission on your subtle body. Experience its effect and note the same in your journal.
Going Forward: After three guided meditation sessions (thirty minutes each), you may start meditating on your own at a fixed time in the morning. Start with thirty min and gradually increase it to one hour.
One meditation followup session with a trainer will be needed once a week (at least once every alternate week) going forwards.
We can schedule them on a fixed day and time (TBD) for all to join in a group setting.
Questions? Please ask in comments below or DM @amalik1818 or @AjmaniK – thank you!
Heartfulness – Cleaning
- After finishing your work day, sit comfortably, close your eyes and focus your attention on the complete spine, from the top of the neck to the bottom of the tail bone
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Continuously imagine that all complexities and impurities are leaving you through the back of the spine, in the form of vapor. Don’t try and see any vapor.
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After a few minutes you will feel some vibration/heat coming out from a segment of the spine. Now concentrate on that segment of the spine and use your will to accelerate the going out of complexities and impurities, till it stops coming out.
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Then move to the next segment of the spine and repeat the above process.
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By the time you’ve covered the whole spine, you will be feeling much lighter.
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Now imagine that the Sacred Current of Divine is flowing from the Source into your heart and spreading across the whole body, and filling it with Sacredness.
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Get up with a feeling of being filled with Sacredness. The above process takes 15 to 30 min
Tips:
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In case you tend to go into meditation during cleaning, break it by opening your eyes and restart the Cleaning.
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In case you can’t do the Cleaning in the evening, do it before going to sleep.