Meditation Exercise

I tried this in class six times before it worked (so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work for you the first time!) – but I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that when it finally did, it happened for my best friend.

The idea comes from Satchidananda, who suggests meditating on a rose while holding one in your hand.

At first, the object of the exercise is to maintain an image of the rose in your mind – and obviously, it’s very helpful to look back at the rose as the image in your mind begins to fade. Learning to hold the mental image steady takes concentration: mental exertion to hold your focus on the rose.

Thereafter, meditation – seeing what your intuition has to tell you about the rose – takes less mental effort.

Meditation exercise:

Without hearing words in your mind:

First, contemplate the rose with each of your five senses separately: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Presumably you don’t know what a rose tastes like, nor am I suggesting that you literally find out – only that you imagine (intuitively) what it MAY taste like, what it MAY sound like as it grows – hopefully you get the idea.

Then see what memories the rose conjures up for you.

Lastly, image being the rose.

If it wasn’t obvious, I’m suggesting that you contemplate the rose using what Raja Yoga refers to as your sub-conscious or lizard mind, instead of your conscious thinking mind (if you hear words in your head, you’re in your conscious mind; I believe Qigong refers to Subconscious and Conscious mind, as Mind and Brain, respectively).

So here’s what happened to my friend last night:

I don’t know what he sensed when he was contemplating what the rose may taste or sound like, but when he got to the memory portion of the exercise, he had vividly clear childhood memories of his mom’s garden – and when he got to the “imagine you’re the rose” part of the exercise – he did; he “saw” his mom holding a watering can above him – watering him.

My friend was fairly deep into his sub-conscious mind at that point. What Truth did he discover about himself during that five-minute meditation? Only he knows.

Raja Yoga is universally applicable, but individually practiced.

God bless, Allan

July group class schedule