Meditation and Pranayama

One area I've been seeing measurable results with is my sitting meditation. Meditation was always a wishful thought for me. The cliche-sage in Freddyworld was always able to sit for long periods of time, though Freddy never was... Every once and a while, I would bust out my Japa Beads, do seven rounds of whatever given mantra, and then sit for 10 minutes, 10 MINUTES OF TORTURE!!!

The problem was I was doing it once in a blue moon, or maybe I'd get on a kick and do it once or twice a week for a month, or something to that effect. I'd feel real proud when I finished because I'd endured the torture, like it was some bizzare experiment in austerity in my otherwise hiedonistic lifestyle. I was truly missing the point.

Now I sit every day for ten minutes and a couple of times a week for thirty to forty five minutes.
* I sit on a hard chair with my back straight and hands resting on knees. The stiff postur gives an additional element to be conscious of, and provides a signal when my mind drifts. If my thoughts begin to run away with me, I slouch. If I don't notice my mind, I notice the slouch.
* I do pranayama with a mantra to keep count, 4 count breath in, 4 count hold, 4 count breath out, 4 count hold.
* The mantra I use to keep count is: Om Mani Padme Hum, which translates to "Hail the jewel in the lotus". Not only does it keep a great 4 count, but it is also a very potent mantra.
* Practice makes perfect it gets easier with time.

Frustration is antithetical to the process. A tug of war with the mind is to be avoided, it's a losing battle. Thoughts will happen, the immediate goal is not to "stop thought," but to create an awareness of the mind. When a thought enters my consciousness I acknowledge it, and let it go. I try to avoid the "train of thought," one thought just linking on to another, onto another and so on. It gets easier, dare I say pleasent! I can do my 10 minutes now without slouching once, after about 20 minutes my mind begins to get restless, at 30 minutes I'm perservering.

I think sitting is one of the most important ingredients of preparation for the Great Work. We can only access the true will by cutting through all the other illusions we confuse with our will. No matter what, I get my 10 minutes a day in. If I don't have time for my full ritual, I do my LBRP to clear my space, and then sit.