I follow Sri Chinmoy’s path of meditation, and japa is not the most prominent aspect. However, I do find that japa has many benefits, in addition to regular silent meditation.

1. Easy to do

In one sense, japa is easy to do. Even if the mind is busy or you feel a little stressed, you can get into a good rhythm with japa and push the irritating thoughts to the back of your mind. However, in another sense to do japa very soulfully – is not so easy. It requires patience and daily discipline. However, even if I don’t feel like meditation, I can take up japa – and it feels like a stepping stone to the next stage – which is a deeper more silent meditation.

2. Push our thoughts out of the way

I wrote an article on ‘How to control your thoughts‘. But, sometimes our thoughts are very difficult to control – like the proverbial dog’s tail that won’t straighten, as soon as we try to control our thoughts they rush back in – uninvited. But, japa is most effective. If we are repeating a mantra – there is no space for anything else to get into the mind.

3. Builds up discipline

For whatever practise of meditation we do, we need to develop discipline, and a regular daily routine. Sometimes I might do japa twice a day. First thing in the morning to help me wake up. Secondly at lunchtime because I’m too hectic to meditate deeply, but I still want to take time out from the hustle and bustle of the day.

4. Improves meditation

In a strict sense, japa is not pure meditation, because there is the simple mental thought and voice involved. But, if you meditate after doing japa, the mind is often much more co-operative. In fact, when I do mantra, I try to feel the mantra is inside my heart. I repeat the mantra in the heart, to try and feel myself in the heart centre. Meditating in the spiritual heart, is a big element of Sri Chinmoy’s path of meditation – and this helps me to get closer to this psychic centre. After the mantra stops, you are more ready to enter into stillness.

5. Fast or slow depending on mood

I think the most effective japa would be to chant a mantra slowly and very soulfully, so it takes you very deep within. Eventually the mantra may fade away outwardly, so it is just something you hear inwardly. If you can chant japa like this, that method is perfect. However, there are times, when we don’t feel particularly soulful or peaceful. At this time, we can speed up mantra to make sure those stray thoughts don’t get in.

6. Purity

All spiritual Teachers say that chanting a mantra with devotion and without expectation of result, will help bring purity into our system. This purity is essential for spiritual progress. Purity enters into us because whilst doing mantra – there is no room for negative thoughts, and we are invoking the divine qualities of purity and peace.

“Japa is bound to bring purity into your system. But each time you do japa, you have to feel the significance of the word you are repeating. Otherwise it will become mechanical and meaningless.”

– Sri Chinmoy [1]

7. The power of the sacred mantra

If we have faith in the power of sacred mantras, then definitely we will slowly and gradually invoke the qualities of the mantra so that we become part of them.

Some tips on using japa

• Japa is good, but balance is important. When I began meditating I could only do japa for a few minutes. It is important to slowly build up a practise of japa over several years.
• Don’t do japa before you try to sleep, because you will feel wide awake.
• I only like to do japa in private. If you want you can inwardly repeat a mantra whilst out running or sitting on a train, but otherwise, it would feel wrong to draw attention to yourself. Nor, should you start to feel pride because you are doing a high number of repetitions. A subtle sense of pride could severely diminish the benefits of the practise.
• I like the mantra “Supreme” and “AUM” and the Gayatri Mantra. But, if you follow a different spiritual tradition, you may be drawn to your own particular mantra.
• If you lose count, try to honestly feel in your heart, the most likely number and continue from there.

Related

• Introduction to meditation
• Personal experience of japa – at Tejvan’s blog. This is an article I wrote specifically looking at mantra from within Sri Chinmoy’s path.

Photo: Menaka, Sri Chinmoy Centre

In many of my articles on self improvement, I often suggest meditation can be an invaluable aid to alleviating many of our daily problems. I don’t look upon meditation just as a problem solver, I meditate because I enjoy the consciousness of meditation. But, if we can gain real peace of mind through meditation, there is no problem that cannot be helped in some way. These a few preliminary steps for learning how to meditate.

1. Location.

Firstly, find a suitable quiet place for meditation. If it is very hard to find somewhere quiet, use some meditative music to drown out background sounds. If possible keep a corner of your room reserved just for meditation; this will help build up a meditative vibration in that particular part.

2. The Basics.

• It is important to meditate with a straight back. (If you try meditating whilst lying down, you are more likely to fall asleep, than entering into a high state of meditation.)
• Don’t meditate after eating a heavy meal – you will feel lethargic and sleepy.
• If possible shower and wear clean clothes before meditating.
• Try to switch off. If you try to meditate straight after work, you may be still thinking about the day. Try reading some books on meditation to help make the transition from work to meditation.
• If you have difficulty creating time see: Finding Time for Relaxation / Meditation

3. Relaxation.

To meditate it is important to relax and switch off. Tell yourself that for the next 10-15 minutes, you don’t have to think about the past or future – just concentrate on the present moment and your meditation. Let go of any tension in your body and try to be fully aware of the present moment. This stage of relaxation is a preliminary stage to meditation; but, it is worth emphasizing that meditation is more than just relaxation.

4. Breathing.

The most helpful aid to meditation is proper breathing. Our breathing has a big impact on our mind; if we can quieten our breathing it will help slow down our mind. Focusing on our breathing and nothing else will have a beneficial effect on our meditation. The beauty of meditation is its simplicity. – Just be fully conscious of your breathing, feel you are breathing in peace; if you can do this without getting distracted you will be able to meditate most effectively.

5. The Calm Mind

“When you meditate, what you actually do is to enter into a calm or still, silent mind. We have to be fully aware of the arrival and attack of thoughts. That is to say, we shall not allow any thought, divine or undivine, good or bad, to enter into our mind. Our mind should be absolutely silent. Then we have to go deep within; there we have to observe our real existence. “

– Sri Chinmoy

With these preliminary stages you can now concentrate on cultivating a calm and quiet mind. This is the essence of meditation, whatever form of meditation you pursue, they will share this common goal of quietening the mind. It is only when we can have a mind free of thoughts that we will be able to experience real meditation. What happens is that we can quieten the mind we can expand our consciousness and bring the soul to the fore. We we feel an expansion of our consciousness; when we have a good feeling towards the world, – this is real meditation.

6. What is Good meditation?

We can know we are meditating well when we have a good view towards the world. If we feel tension and disturbance then our meditation is not working well. We should have a feeling of simplicity and humility; if we feel proud with ourselves this is not a good sign. Meditation aims to reduce the ego, not expand it.

7. But Meditation is Difficult

Many newcomers to meditation find it difficult to quieten the mind. This is because the mind is so used to thinking that when we try to stop it is quite a shock to the system. But, if we really want to do something we persevere and practice; meditation is no different, the more we put into meditation the more we will get from it.

More on Improving Your Meditation

How To Control Your Thoughts 

Video: Meditation Silence – Silencing the mind

Other Links

• Improving concentration
• Meditation
• How To Overcome a Negative Mindset

We might think there will be a better time in the future, but in the spiritual life, the best time is always this present moment. If we wait for outer circumstances to be more favourable, we will always be delaying and procrastinating. And before we know it, we will have given up completely.

These are some tips to value the present moment and take each opportunity.

Valuing meditation

The first thing is we need to always remember the value of meditation and spiritual practise. If we see meditation as some hard discipline we need to endure, our mind will always find an excuse to avoid doing it. However, if we can focus on the benefits and joy that we will get from the practise, we will always be motivated to keep trying. Here we need to use our wisdom, we need to convince our mind that we get more joy from meditation than we would wasting our time on some inconsequential other activity. Don’t feel when we meditate we are making a great sacrifice. Our reward will not be in heaven, it will be from cultivating a genuine sense of happiness here and now.

Change attitude to difficulties

If we wish to start a practise of meditation, there will be innumerable obstacles. For example, we may find it is much noiser than we like. One option is to say, ‘it’s too noisy’ let’s wait until its quieter. The other option is to say, “I’ll take this outer noise as a part of the meditation practise. I shall try incorporate the noise into the meditation – learning to allow the sound to wash away.” If we can meditate with noise, it will make our meditation practise much stronger. It’s like a runner training on hilly terrain. When he finally reaches the flat terrain, the challenging hills made him stronger.

Learn to say no!

Sometimes, other people can take advantage of our good nature and encourage us to take on more jobs and responsibility. But, we have to learn to say no, and put our spiritual practise first. If we can lose our feeling of indispensability, we find the world doesn’t end, just because we spend 20 minutes early in the morning learning to meditate.

Live as if it was your last day on earth

If it was your last day on earth, how would you spend it? Would you really worry about paying some telephone bill? Would you waste it in meaningless gossip and chat? If it was our last day, we would concentrate on the important things in  life. We would suddenly be very clear what is important to us. Material possessions lose all meaning – they are merely passing things; but our inner practise, our inner faith and inner peace become all important.

If we don’t take this opportunity, we won’t have it again

Sri Chinmoy (1)

Every moment is an opportunity – either we take it or lose it. In one sense, we have eternity to achieve realisation. But, if this is our laid back attitude, we will progress with the speed of an Indian bullock cart. If we get an opportunity to meditate or change our attitude – then we should take it now, whilst we have the aspiration. If we miss out, perhaps in a few days, we will lose any enthusiasm or willingness to change.

If something is good to do, why delay?

Suppose we have a problematic relationship. Perhaps it is partly our mistake / our fault. Quite often our pride resists letting the situation to be resolved. Rather than be willing to let go and forgive, we hold onto a grievance or sense of injustice. This can not only prolong the problem, but can even magnify it out of proportion. But, it is only we who will suffer. If we can see a way to resolve the conflict – now is the best time. If we do the right thing now, it will prevent the continuation of negative thoughts and negative emotions.

Feed enthusiasm

In the spiritual life, enthusiasm is a great quality. It is infectious and can help overcome many obstacles. When there is a forward dynamic movement, when we feel fully committed to making something happen, we have that intensity and focus to overcome all obstacles. However, if we are hesitant, the initial burst of energy is dissipated, we allow doubt and insecurity to enter. Before we now it, we have found reasons not to do something. We have found reasons to delay.

Notes

(1) Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, Part 26, Agni Press, 2002

photo: Menaka, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

Related

• how to do the right thing
• how to overcome worry
• How to meditate

The location of our room meant everyone coming for the ‘Think’ lecture passed through our room. We would politely ask ‘Meditation or Think?’ (I did consider asking ‘are you here to think or not to think? but thought it would confuse too much) we would then direct them onto the location. One of the attendees was Richard Dawkins, who had already given a lecture in the series. (Dawkins famous for his book God-Delusion and atheist views). Like others, he briefly he popped into our room before being re-directed on to the more cerebral choice of entertainment for the evening.

I’m not sure what these visitors thought of our simple meditation shrine as they briefly looked in. – A picture of a spiritual master  a candle, incense, flute music for meditation and flowers…

It just highlighted the simple choice we face in life. The path of the mind or  the path of the heart.

When we live in the mind, we try desperately to work out which is the best philosophy, the right way of thinking. It is a constant process of judgement, decision and analysis. But, if we meditate and really silence the mind, we don’t feel this sense of judgement. It is no longer a question of right and wrong, best or worst; it is simply a state of being which is joyful and natural.

In the silence of the heart, there is a natural sense of oneness. This is not a mere intellectual belief/hope we are interconnected. It is a un-mistakeable sense that there is only one of us. And what we do to others, we really do to our-self.

Permit not thoughts
To come from near and far.
Let your mind remain
Tranquillity’s blue star.

– Sri Chinmoy [1. Excerpt from Silence Speaks, Part 2 by Sri Chinmoy]

However, if we feel the joy of meditation, the joy of silence, we feel it is not so important as to who is right, but only to remain in this state of being.

Related

• Positive thinking – its benefits and limitations
• How to Meditate

My mind,
Keep your thoughts silent.
Keep your words silent.
Keep everything that you have
And you are silent
To make me and my heart
Extremely happy.

This exercise is quite easy and makes an excellent introduction to meditation.

• Sit comfortable and tell yourself for next ten minutes you will just focus on this exercise and nothing else.
• Begin by observing thoughts that come into your mind. Make no effort to control or direct thoughts, just see which thoughts come into your mind.
• Don’t judge yourself or your thoughts, but just feel you are watching these thoughts pass through your mind.
• The secret is to feel that ‘you’ are able to see the thoughts coming from outside into your self. This makes you feel that your thoughts are actually external to your real self. You realise the real ‘you’ is not your thoughts, but something which can view, follow and reject thoughts
• The next stage is to let go of any thought that comes into your mind. As soon as a thought comes stop following it. Don’t pursue it any further. If you feel it is helpful, imagine you are throwing the thought out of your mind (you can feel you are just waving it away)
• Again don’t judge any thought that comes in, don’t get annoyed if your mind creates many thoughts, just persist in waving them away.
• Now, try to lengthen the moments of silence in between thoughts. Try to stop them coming in at all.
• Even if thoughts do appear, feel they are very separate to you, like fish in the sea they have no effect, but feel very distant and separate. They may be there but they can’t affect you.

This exercise is a good step to becoming aware there is more to your reality than your thoughts. Even if thoughts appear in your mind, they have less power, less hold over you. When the power of thought is diminished, it is easier to go deep into the silent mind – which is the secret of meditation.

Related

• Basic steps for meditation
• How to stop negative thoughts
• How to gain control of your thoughts

Photo: Unmesh, Sri Chinmoy Centre Gallery

Meditation is the art of discovering what we already have. At the moment, we are not aware of our soul’s peace because our mind is clouded by our own thoughts. Meditation is learning how to still the mind and enter into this deeper part of ourself.

Article moved here – how to meditate first steps

Photo top: Tejvan

Recently, I offered a few meditation exercises. For those interested in meditation, these are a few practical tips that I have felt worked for me during the past 11 years of meditating every day.

Great Power in Group Meditation.

Meditation is about consciousness. If other people are aspiring to the same meditative consciousness it becomes easier for you to be receptive to it. If you are  in New York Times Square, meditation will feel practically impossible. Of course, when we are very advanced, we will have the ability to meditate anywhere, but, in the beginning we should take any help we can get. In the beginning we will make more progress by meditating in sacred spaces and with others who are experienced in meditation.

Feel Thoughts as Separate from Yourself.

In the beginning it is very difficult to stop thoughts coming. But, you can feel thoughts as separate from yourself. Feel that each thought is coming from outside, and you can be like a gatekeeper allowing or stopping them. For a while, thoughts will keep coming into your mind. But, when you start to feel thoughts are separate to your real existence, they lose half their power. It is this feeling of separation from your thoughts that enables you to finally silence the mind.

It is not Like Turning on a Light Switch.

Meditation is a gradual process. You can’t expect instant enlightenment. It requires constant vigilance and practise. But, sometimes when you least expect it, you will be able to go much deeper than ever before.

Soulful Music

Meditation is a sacred activity. It is an awareness of a divine consciousness. Anything that turns the mind to loftier thoughts and experiences will help us in our meditation. We need to feel an aspiration to grow into something more fulfilling and illumining. Soulful music or writings by Spiritual Masters and great seekers can give us that inspiration to delve deep within.

Try a Different Place

We are used to living and identifying with the mind. The nature of the mind is to think, judge and separate. These qualities of the mind are the opposite to true meditation, so if you have difficulty quietening the mind, try focusing on the heart. You have to put your whole attention and concentration on this place in the centre of your chest. Try to feel that your whole existence has become your heart.

Don’t Judge Your Meditation

It is easy to become frustrated that our meditation is not progressing as we would like. Don’t hold onto expectations of certain experiences, concentrate on being in the present moment without judgement. If we are drawn to meditation every day, this alone is a good sign. Don’t give up just because one morning it was difficult; just try again at a more conducive time.

“When you meditate, please do not expect anything either from yourself or from God. You will be able to make the fastest progress if you do not expect anything from your meditation.”

– Sri Chinmoy (1)

Related

• Basic Steps for Meditation
• Intro To Meditation
• Things I Have Learnt From Meditation

Ref:

(1) Concentration, Meditation – Yoga of Sri Chinmoy

There are a variety of different meditation exercises we can try. But, the important thing is not the number or type of meditation exercises that we learn – but how we practise them. The essential qualities of meditation we need to develop are:

• Intensity. If meditate half-heartedly, we will struggle to meditate.
• One Pointed Concentration. However, we meditate, we have to feel at the time nothing else is important. Nothing else should come to bother us.
• Aspiration. This is the desire to dive deep within and experience a more divine consciousness. If we feel this need for real peace and joy, we will have the intensity and discipline to meditate.
• Regularity. Meditation is an art. We need a daily discipline to improve our ability to detach from the mind.
• Ability to detach from thoughts.

“When you meditate, what you actually do is to enter into a calm or still, silent mind. We have to be fully aware of the arrival and attack of thoughts. That is to say, we shall not allow any thought, divine or undivine, good or bad, to enter into our mind. Our mind should be absolutely silent. Then we have to go deep within; there we have to observe our real existence. “

– Sri Chinmoy

• See also: Basic Steps for Starting Meditation

When giving meditation classes in Oxford, I tell people about different meditation exercises, Sri Chinmoy has written about. Other paths, will have their own variations and types of meditation exercises. However, I personally find these three meditation exercises very effective. Often people report that they have good results from these.

Three Simple Meditation Exercises

1. Concentration on A Candle

Basically, we put all our attention and focus onto a small tip of the candle. We exclude everything else from our awareness. With this concentration we can make great progress with meditation. See – Simple To Learn Concentration Exercise

2. One-Four-Two Breathing.

Many forms of meditation use observance of your breathe. This is a simple, but, powerful exercise which can absorb your attention and enable you to go deep within. In addition, our breathing can have a profound impact on our state of mind. I often use this exercise myself, because I find it very helpful.

“The rhythm of your breathing is most important. If you breathe in for one second or for one repetition of the name of the Supreme, then you should hold the breath for four seconds or four repetitions. Then, when you breathe out, it should be for two seconds or the time it takes you to repeat the name of the Supreme twice. The breathing should be done softly and silently. When you breathe in and out, you should do it so gently that, even if there were a thread right in front of your nose, your breathing would not move it.”  (- Sri Chinmoy, Pranayama. Read More)

3. Meditation on the Heart

It is in the heart where we find it easiest to distance ourselves from our own mind and own thoughts. The nature of the mind is to think, judge and separate. The nature of the heart is to feel oneness, love and identification with a vaster consciousness.

We can just concentrate on our own heart beat and try to imagine our whole sense of being is located in the heart. If you find helpful you could visualise a beautiful garden or light within your heart centre. Try this Meditation on the Heart Lotus Video

Related

• Quotes on Meditation
• Introduction to Meditation
• Meditation Music

photo top Daria, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries.

I have not written on meditation for a while. I have been busy offering free meditation classes in my home town of Oxford and in York. I always learn quite a few things when giving meditation classes. These are some tips which will help learning your meditation.

Regularity.

If we want to enjoy listening to a music concert, we can take part whenever we feel like it. But, if we want to perform in a classical music concert we would expect to practise everyday. To develop our meditation capacity, it is important to practise at least once a day. Sometimes, our meditation, may feel unproductive; it feels like we are not getting anywhere. But, these more difficult times are just as important as the times when meditation seems effortless. We cannot expect to eat the most delicious food everyday, but, still we need to eat everyday. With regularity, and if possible, punctuality, we will be able to make the fastest progress.

Meditating with others.

To meditate with others, we can benefit from their silence and their focus. We consciously or unconscioulsy benefit from the meditative consciousness that builds up. So these group sessions can be beneficial to our own practise.

One Four Two exercise.

In Meditation, Sri Chinmoy describes this powerful breathing exercise.

The rhythm of your breathing is most important. If you breathe in for one second or for one repetition of the name of the Supreme, then you should hold the breath for four seconds or four repetitions. Then, when you breathe out, it should be for two seconds or the time it takes you to repeat the name of the Supreme twice. The breathing should be done softly and silently. When you breathe in and out, you should do it so gently that, even if there were a thread right in front of your nose, your breathing would not move it.

In normal breathing both of our nostrils are usually functioning. But when we breathe properly through alternate nostrils, we get immediate relief from mental anxiety, worries, depression and many other things that cause disturbances in our nature. Alternate nostril breathing is a most important breathing exercise. We start by using our right thumb to close our right nostril. Next we breathe in with the left nostril, silently repeating the name of God, Supreme or puraka, just once. Then we close the left nostril with the fourth finger of the right hand, and with both nostrils closed, silently repeat the name of God, Supreme or kumbhaka four times while holding the breath. Finally we lift the thumb from the right nostril, still keeping the left nostril closed, and exhale, repeating God, Supreme or rechaka twice. (from: Pranayama)

I find it very helpful for meditation. It gives my mind two things to focus on:
My breathing and counting the mantra. I find this very effective for absorption in the meditation exercise.

Like all meditation exercises, it is important to not just do this mechanically. It is not like counting sheep when we are trying to get to sleep. We repeat the mantra with soulfulness and the aspiration that the mantra embodies a certain quality. You can choose Supreme, Aum or anything that inspires you most.

• An Introduction to Meditation
• Basic Steps of learning meditation

Readers Question: Can you recommend some meditation music you mentioned in this post Introduction to Meditation

These links will help provide some inspirational music for meditation

• Flute Music for Meditation by Sri Chinmoy m4a
• Esraj by Sri Chinmoy – haunting, tradition Indian instrument
• Sitar music by Adesh Widmar

Other Links of Meditation Music

• Meditation Music at Radio Sri Chinmoy
• Relaxation Music

Using Music For Meditation

I often use music whilst meditating. It has to be music composed and performed in a meditative consciousness. It is not the music that excites and stimulates, but the music that inspires us to dive deep within.

Music can be useful if you meditate in a noisy environment (e.g. student flat) The right kind of music can also help still the mind.

The power of soulful / spiritual / meditative music is that it has the capacity to awaken our inner aspiration. It is this inner cry that is the most important aspect of meditation.

Meditation and music is quite a personal choice, but it is well worth exploring.

Related

• Basic steps for learning meditation
• Things I have learnt from meditation