Part 3
Sushumna application means that the breath is flowing equally through both of the nostrils. When you have learned to understand the basic breathing exercises, then you should pay attention to the breath flowing through the nostrils. When you become sensitive to the flow of the breath, you will usually find that one of the nostrils is blocked. The right channel of breath is called Pingala and the left is called Ida. These are the heating and cooling systems in your body; right and left act to balance heat and cold respectively.
Sometimes one of the nostrils flows excessively. Those whose left nostril flows excessively are depressed, emotional, thinking about death and negative things, feeling insecure, and crying frequently without any reason. Those whose right nostril flows excessively think of doing active things, such as drinking or doing sex all the time. For this reason, a meditator knows how to balance those tendencies.
There are subtle points on this subject described by the great sages for the sake of students who are genuine. The sages say that by focusing your mind on the bridge between the two nostrils that you can bring your breath under conscious control. Unless you bring these two vehicles of inhalation and exhalation under your conscious control the mind will be controlled by unregulated breathing.
When you focus your mind on the bridge between the nostrils, your mind becomes aware of which channel of breath is flowing. With this awareness you can establish a change in the flow of the breath. For meditation, neither left nor right channels should be dominant, but a natural balance should be established.
Balance means that you allow the breath to flow freely and equally through both nostrils. If you are inhaling from both and exhaling from both, you cannot think of anything negative. Your mind will find this experience delightful, because it is not being affected or disturbed by irregularities in the breathing process. You are then in a state of joy; you will notice an inexplicable joy. Such joy has no external cause; it does not come from the love of any object. It is called love without an object. When the mind attains such a state of temporary joy called Sushumna application, you can easily lead the mind into meditation.
Some days you think your meditation was very bad and others days you think it was wonderful. The reason for these fluctuations is your breathing pattern. Your breathing can be affected by your eating habits, your sexual habits, or by your sleep habits. The four forces of food, sex, sleep, and desire for self-preservation can change your breathing behavior. Your breathing pattern can be affected negatively by irregularities or an excessive way of pursuing food, sex, sleep, or self-preservation.
Because of this, you are afraid all the time. These are useless fears that are very dangerous, for fear invites danger. Fear is that which has never been examined, and fear means that we are trying to escape, but we don’t need to. We can regulate these four fountains of the emotions: the urges of food, sleep, sex, and self-preservation.
Then the next thing to attend to is your constant involvement with your mental activities, emotions, and thoughts. When you think of something you take action, you assume that you are one hundred percent right. Your reason does not control all your actions―you just do them. This will not happen if you learn to not identify yourself with the objects of your mind. The whole problem is that you constantly identify yourself with the objects of your mind. That is why you forget your true self, your real self. The moment a thought comes into your mind, it over whelms you. Your thoughts lead you―your mind, action, and speech―the way they want. They control you.
You need to learn to watch your thinking process. You can decide that whatever comes into your mind, you will just tell yourself to let go. In order to do that, you will need a point of focus for the mind.
If you are physically sick, then the navel center (manipura chakra), or the solar plexus is your meditation point. If you are very emotional, then you can concentrate on the heart center (anahata chakra), the space between the two breasts. If you are intellectual and always want to reason or intellectualize, then the space between the two eyebrows (ajna chakra) is your focus. If you are an artist or a dancer, or if you are creatively inclined, the hollow of the throat (vishuddha chakra) is where you concentrate. It is not good for you to choose the center of yourself; you should let your teacher guide you. Then focus your mind on the proper chakra or point and decide not to identify yourself with your thought patterns.
The first day, you may have perhaps two percent success; the second day, perhaps five percent success. Slowly you will learn that you have isolated yourself from your thoughts―you no longer identify with them. Then you are in change of yourself and no longer randomly led by the thought patterns.
This can be explained by the following simile: You are going to fetch medicine for your bedridden mother, and on the way you suddenly encounter a red light at the intersection. Many people get lost at this point. They forget to cross the road when the light turns green because they get involved with the things going by―new faces, new cars, etc. The green light is meant to give you a chance to cross the road and do your duties. But we become lost in the world; we forget our aim in life. Our minds are scattered by the charms and temptations of the world. We give value to the things of the world and forget our aim in life. Life should not be ruled by don’ts, restrictions, and limitations; there should be some understanding, some knowledge, and strength within.
Learn to witness your thinking process. This is a key point. Be a witness. When you learn to witness something then you can really enjoy and understand it. But when you get involved and you identify yourself with the thoughts, then you forget your true self.
If you start the process of self-therapy you will gradually fathom all the levels within. This is very helpful and healthy, because a time comes when no one else can help you. At the time of transition, of death, no therapist can help you. At that time you cannot speak or communicate with anyone―not your doctor, your friends, your wife or husband, your children or other dear people. At that time your tongue does not move, your eyes want to see but there is a haze over all, and darkness creeps upon you and takes over. What are you doing to prepare for that day? If you learn how to not involve yourself with the objects of the world, then that transition from life will become easy.
Meditation means physical stillness, serene breath, and freedom from identification with the objects of the mind. You come to understand the self and the not-self, and you learn to enjoy the here and now. However, doing meditation for five minutes a day and then being a monster the whole rest of the day is not going to help you.
Meditation in silence should lead you to meditation in action during the day. Because a spiritual teacher tells you to meditate for five or ten minutes, you expect yourself to be transformed into a god, but this is not possible. If your are a monster twenty-four hours a day, then five minutes of meditation cannot transform your life. If a hundred teachers tell you that you can transform yourself with such an approach, they are liars.
Five or ten minutes of meditation is very healthful provided you also commit yourself to being aware of meditation in action throughout the day and wherever you go. You should be aware of the goal of not getting involved and identified with the objects of the world, the feelings of like and dislike, and the thought patterns in the mind. You cannot do anything efficiently if you get involved. You become biased and prejudiced and your effectiveness is lost. Learn to practice meditation in action.
Meditation therapy is the best of all therapies, but some people are not prepared for it. Preparation is part of meditation. That preparation is part of meditation. That preparation starts with having good food habits, adequate exercise, and an understanding of your relationships with others. You can discard your obstinancy, become gentle with others, and at the same time do your duties in life. That is how you begin the process of Meditational therapy.
Reprinted from Dawn magazine, Vol 7, No. 1