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Three Levels of Sub-Conscious Mind

An experienced meditator passes through three states of awareness before completely settling his or her mind. The three states correspond with our three sub-conscious functions: bodily operation, memory and identity.

The longer you hold your focus on a single object, the deeper you settle your sub-conscious mind (read: the calmer & less stressful you feel!):

Initially, you train your mind to “sit”! The most active sub-conscious mental function is the first to calm down: bodily sensations and functions. Eventually, this initial phase of meditation (Dharana) relieves desire.

Next, you train your mind to “stay”! As desires fade and you’re able to concentrate for longer periods, memories that may trigger negative reactions begin to fade. Eventually, this interim phase of meditation (Dhyana) relieves sorrow.

After that, you lose conscious track of the distinction between you, the image in your mind, and the actual object of your focus! You effectively intuit the essence of (“become one with”) the object of our concentration! This final phase of meditation on an object (Samadhi) eliminates fear.

Thereafter, you enjoy the bliss of bathing directly in consciousness, undistracted by your otherwise constantly-functioning mind!

Meditation isn’t easy, but neither is suffering.

August 2017 class schedule

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Mind Control – Step #1

In order to control your mind, you have to understand experientially how it functions!

Begin by verifying for yourself, that you can categorize each of your thoughts into one of five types:

1. Correct – these are verifiable by observation, inference or authentication

2. Incorrect – these are caused by misperception

3. Imagined – these have no basis in reality

4. Neutral – these are simply observations, or perceptions without judgment [your conscious mind is always on, but when its not interpreting, imagining or remembering, it idles like an engine in neutral: the state of mindfulness and meditation]

5. Remembered – these are impressions that remain of the other four.

August ’17 class schedule

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Parkinson’s – WTF?!

meditation parkinsons

I had lunch with a dear friend whom I haven’t seen in eight years. He’s developed Parkinson’s – I suspect as a consequence of a severe concussion he got when he slipped and fell in his driveway.

When I last saw him, he was wearing an odd-looking pair of glasses to correct his double vision, and he had a mild tremor. I’m sure everyone thought at that point that he was on the mend and the worst of the accident was behind him.

An accident caused, as my personal-injury lawyer friend would say, “without contributory negligence!” – to frankly, one of the smartest, kindest people outside my immediate family that I’ve ever met.

We had lunch weekly for almost ten years. We didn’t agree much in those early years about politics. In my mind, he’s always been a staunch liberal – but not for his own sake! His interest has always been in leveling the playing field for people not able (for whatever reason!) to provide for and protect themselves.

Some would say that my friend is an earthy-crunchy kinda guy. THIS is the guy whom Mother Nature, Karma, or Whatever-you-call-it decides to saddle with Parkinson’s?! Yeah – there really seems to be no justice.

Buddy, you probably won’t, but I encourage you to tag yourself somehow herein so that anyone reading this can follow you online. I’m honored to call you a dear friend – and equally saddened for you Pal. May Whatever-YOU-call-it level your playing field before you pass-on from this realm.

Remember the Samurai who lived a lifetime in the last few minutes of his life – literally, as was he was walking through a garden on his way to the spot where he was about to formally commit Hari-kari. His senses came alive: he smelled the dampness in the air; everything appeared brighter, crisper; he heard his own soft footfalls; and felt the gentle wind against his skin.

Buddy – be the Samurai. I love you.

Here’s a link to a Parkinson’s blog about the benefits of meditating. May you know your own source of solace and comfort always.

Meditation, Yoga, and Exercise in Parkinson’s

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What Happens After Our Heart Stops Beating?

yoga

My undying gratitude, love, respect and admiration for the teacher who’s influenced my understanding of the science and philosophy of Raja Yoga the most: Edwyn F. Bryant, Rutgers University Professor, Religions of India.

For the past 14 years my personal practice has centered on the first half of The Yoga Sutras: the practice, and the science behind it; specifically, the attitude, conduct and exercises that facilitate meditation and produce a healthy body/mind.

It’s only recently – now that I am convinced beyond doubt that consciousness is NOT a mental function – that I’m drawn back to what attracted me to the practice in the first place: a search for answers.

The realization that consciousness is indeed “of a different dimension” begs ALL SORTS of other – literally unanswerable – questions.

The only way to verify the existence of consciousness is to realize that without it, you wouldn’t know that you were alive, let alone reading this! Beyond that – and the MANY inferences readily drawn therefrom! – we are each left to decide for ourselves – on faith – answers about the purpose, origin and end of this life, including the wicked-awesome intangible part without which we wouldn’t be aware of sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch for starters!

Frankly, realizing the existence of consciousness begs the more pertinent question: What happens AFTER our heart stops beating?

Here’s the gist of Raja Yoga’s perspective:

For all intents and purposes – as far as our body/mind is concerned – consciousness, the awareness OF our thoughts, is immutable and eternal; it never changes – though obviously, what we’re aware of changes constantly.

Yogis believe that:

• Consciousness remains unaffected by anything – including the passing of our body/mind (i.e., consciousness IS eternal – period). It’s the only “thing” that’s truly intangible, or of a different dimension, and thus not subject to karma;

• The subtlest energetic aspect of our body/mind – the aspect of each of us that’s closest to consciousness itself (think, “unfilled memories” or “karmic triggers”, intuitively the least changeable aspect of our “tangible” selves) somehow survives the passing of our body/mind;

• Further, that somehow our über-subtle, energetic “bag-o-memories” a) remains intact; b) is absorbed back into the swirling energetic ether around us; and c) is reanimated in another life-form – simultaneously with its coming to life and becoming in-filled with consciousness. The time, place and circumstances of that happening is determined by the energetic nature of each unique “bag-o-memories”. [Remember the natural law of karma: EVERY cause has an effect; these “unfilled memories” represent the “cause” side of the equation!]

That’s a bit of a stretch for me; not that it makes ANY difference to THIS body/mind – but it seems logical if not inspiring and hopeful, and would explain the existence of child prodigies!

I will say that IF you truly begin to believe that there IS a part of you that survives the death of your body/mind, time takes on an entirely different perspective, and stress virtually fades away. 😉

Fortunately, each of us gets to decide what our purpose is while we’re here and what, if anything, happens to us after our heart stops beating. Raja Yoga (meditation) provides answers to YOUR questions. Practicing calms your mind and deepens your intuitive understanding of the world around you.

Namaste, AAD

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Religion and Spirituality are NOT Mutually Exclusive!

Religion and spirituality are NOT mutually exclusive. OMG, nothing could be further from the truth!

Raja Yoga is a personal, spiritual discipline: a code of conduct, exercise and meditation that will turbocharge your existing religious beliefs, and/or drive you into the nearest temple, church or synagogue!

There’s an aspect of YOU that’s IMMUTABLE!  It literally NEVER changes; as far as your body and mind are concerned, it IS eternal! Yet without it, you wouldn’t know you were alive! And btw – you won’t find it mentioned in any anatomy book:

Your consciousness: the awareness OF your thoughts.

You exist in three planes: body, mind & consciousness. Raja Yoga is a practice in better understanding the subtlest aspect of ourselves – and in so doing, coming to a better understanding of the nature of life.

The discipline of Raja Yoga deepens self-awareness and THAT will cause you to seek answers to your own personal questions – and likely lead to a belief in, if not a deepened connection with your understanding of the source of everything.

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Meditation Exercise

meditation

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

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The Samurai’s Last Steps

universal consciousness

There’s a scene in a novel I read recently [it may be in Clavell’s Shogun] where a Samurai is minutes away from publicly committing suicide – an honorable way to die for a Samurai: the ultimate sacrifice made willingly for his liege.

In his last moments of consciousness, the Samurai turned his attention away from his conscious thoughts to his typically subconscious actions, heightening the experience of his body/mind’s last sights, sounds, smells, and physical sensations.

The truth is we’re all traveling our own version of the Samurai’s path – and have been since birth. Yes, our own end is coming. That’s a Truth: something we know with absolute certainty in the pit of our stomach, intuitively, instinctively without engaging our mind.

Controlling your thoughts

The message here is, don’t ignore the fact that you’re dying – albeit, hopefully not in the next few minutes! For God’s sake, embrace it: knowingly, willfully and consciously live every moment as if you were that Samurai taking his last few steps in this body/mind.

Raja Yoga is the science of meditation, a practice in quieting your thoughts to experience a heightened sense of awareness and ultimately attain a deep intuitive understanding of the nature of the universe – and, in the process, heightening your appreciation of self and others!

Post body/mind

Some people believe that consciousness – the awareness OF our thoughts – survives the death of our body/mind. The theory is that:

  • consciousness never changes – the penultimate goal of Raja Yoga is to prove to the individual student beyond a shadow of a doubt that unlike your body and mind which can be controlled at a sub-cellular level – consciousness can’t be affected at all. It’s of a different, subtler dimension or energetic frequency. Yours is the same today as it was the first time you opened your eyes, though obviously WHAT you’re aware OF changes constantly!
  • consciousness exists – but it never changes, it doesn’t “do” anything; thus, it’s NOT a mental “function”; however, without it you wouldn’t know you were alive, let alone reading this!
  • consciousness is individual and universal – consciousness OF our thoughts is IDENTICAL, although our thoughts are different!

Bottom line – and here’s where FAITH comes in: what happens to our individual, unique consciousness when our body/mind dies?

THAT’s the $50 question folks! Raja Yoga leaves it to each of us to contemplate and decide for ourselves. That entirely individual aspect of the practice is what makes it universal: Raja Yoga is NOT a religion; however, recognizing a) there’s only one Truth, and it doesn’t matter how you get to it – and b) that faith is a source of tremendous personal strength and courage, Raja Yoga promotes faith: encouraging us to devote our love and lives to something other than ourselves.

This is part of the philosophy or spirituality behind the science of meditation: the act of literally trying to draw closer to consciousness, or in practical terms, to realize the miracle, unity and interconnectedness of all life, thereby honoring yourself, and all that have come before, and will come after you.

In short, “Love all. Serve all.”

Namaste, Allan

Group class schedule

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Experiencing Amma’s Embrace

receiving Amma's message

Last year when friends asked if I wanted to accompany them to receive an embrace from Amma, I politely declined, thinking “that’s pretty far out there even for me!”

A year passed, our friendship deepened, and they asked again. This time my ego thought “I’ll go and be supportive; I’ll hug the dear, sweet woman for all the joy and love she brings others – and I’ll be able to buy those mala beads I can’t find anywhere else!”

Btw – it doesn’t cost a dime. Amma’s international organization (amma.org) which donates millions of dollars to charities – I suspect annually – invites and welcomes EVERYONE to receive her embrace for free.

Amma’s accomplishments are hugely inspiring: she’s helped countless people, directly and indirectly – all SELFLESSLY. THAT, my friends, is evidence of the power of yoga – yes, Amma teaches yoga!! God, I can’t wait to learn more about HER yoga (though I suspect it’s her interpretation of Patanjali’s yoga)!

Yes, a year ago I was a skeptic, but that was before witnessing this 64 year old, somewhat physically infirm woman (I suspect from thirty years of literally sitting and consciously hugging millions of people from sun up ‘til sun down – never turning a soul away, and without taking a break!!).

During the embrace which seemed to last the better part of a minute in my case, I felt as if nothing existed other than the hug itself – and believe me, I didn’t want to let go!!

At the end, she whispers something to you – not in a language that you’ve necessarily heard before – but one you understand on an intuitive level. It’s a deeply personal, internal type of experience.

I completely understand the adulation, love, honor, and respect that her followers and devotees have for her – and to a person – and there were 5 busloads full of volunteers helping, facilitating the event – they were each exactly as you’d expect: lovingly respectful. There were probably 1,000 people there (Radisson in Manchester, NH) waiting to be embraced, or shopping the Indian food and wares for sale that help support Amma’s efforts (I bought six beautiful, handmade sets of rosewood prayer beads for $12 each!)

My speculation: in the same way that some of us are born with or predisposed to certain physical and mental attributes (strong or weak; tall or short; blonde or brunette; sighted or blind), like an Olympic athlete in her event: spreading love, Amma seems to have been born predisposed in such a way that consciousness shines much more readily through her than the rest of us!

My favorite tee shirt of the day sums up Amma’s message:

“LOVE ALL. SERVE ALL.”

God bless Amma and all of us. Allan

Current class schedule

 

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Mystical Experiences

The third part of Patanjali’s outline – after describing the act of meditation – offers a laundry list of mystical experiences that advanced yogis have had – including the ability to communicate with animals and become invisible to others!

It’s fascinating that such mysticism is an aspect of one of the six mainstream Indian philosophy systems! This stuff is real folks! A rabbi told me recently that there’s an entire sect of the Jewish faith that follows such a mystical path to this day!

My favorite online Raja Yoga resource, Swamij.com – says “the true yogi sees these as nothing but subtler clouds of attraction that are impediments to [enlightenment].”

Edwyn Bryant, Rutgers professor says “real yogis neither aspire for such powers nor, if they possess them as unsought by-products of their practices, display them for cheap adulation.”

I don’t expect to make myself invisible to others anytime soon – but after 14 years of meditating, I am getting pretty good at communicating with Penny!

Meditation – who knew?!

Group class schedule