Marblehead School of Raja Yoga
Self-awareness and meditation – group, private and online classes
If you live in 01945, step outside for a minute.
Feel the warm sun and cool breeze on your skin and note the other more subtle sensations that tell you instinctively that apple-picking season is right around the corner.
Express appreciation for the awesomeness of the moment – and then send prayers and positive energy to those of us who are suffering – the folks in Texas come readily to mind today – realizing that not everyone is as fortunate as you are.
We’re all in this together.
I’m the Johnny Appleseed of consciousness. I introduce people to an aspect of themselves they rarely pay attention to: the difference between their thoughts and the awareness OF their thoughts – the latter being their consciousness.
Consciousness is as distinct from our thoughts as our thoughts are from our bodies!
We have 4 Moving Parts…..
Three that perform a single function in sequence:
We all have four perpetually moving “parts”: two physical and two mental. The energetically densest three: our heartbeats, breaths, and thoughts all “function” similarly: singly, consecutively and hopefully constantly!
And one that does a myriad of things simultaneously:
Our second mental part is our sub-conscious mind: it runs silently in the background; it’s the part that runs the ship, and is responsible for sensory processing, bodily function, memory and the root or “I am” level of our ego. It takes care of the walking, talking, and chewing so that we don’t have to! Be thankful we can’t “hear” our sub-conscious mind because it’s doing countless things simultaneously – the cacophony of mental commands would literally dive us insane!
Recognizing the difference between Conscious and Sub-Conscious mind:
The initial phase of practicing mindfulness or Raja Yoga is learning to recognize – and experience – conscious and sub-conscious mind separately. The former we interact with; the latter is only verifiable by its actions. In other words, everything other than the thought in our head is evidence of our sub-conscious mind functioning.
For example, we know our sub-conscious mind is functioning when we see our fingers move as we type: our conscious mind thinks a word, and our subconscious mind – the silent part responsible for bodily function – receives and relays the message to our fingers. That energetic communication and processing is generally done largely without our awareness!
….And One Intangible Part
Consciousness is the awareness OF what we’re thinking – period.
Consciousness NEVER changes, though obviously, WHAT we’re aware of changes constantly. For all intents and purposes our individual consciousness is eternal (it’s the origin of what’s commonly referred to as our spirit or soul; however, the existence of consciousness is readily verifiable: without it, you wouldn’t know that you’re alive, let alone reading this!)
Raja Yoga – an Alternative View of Sacrifice
Raja Yoga predates religion as we know it. It developed at a point in human history when it was common to sacrifice living things to appease a litany of gods. We eventually we figured out that such “external” sacrifice only works 50% of the time (think flipping a penny). However, true “internal” sacrifice or literally giving of ourselves: our time, effort, blood, sweat and tears – is rewarding in a deeply meaningful way 100% of the time. Selfless givers gain.
At the end of the day, the biggest benefit to practicing Raja Yoga – living mindfully or consciously – is that with time, we begin to see ourselves differently. Accepting the reality of the distinction between thoughts and the awareness OF thoughts literally changes our paradigm of life: we realize the existence of another dimension – and that it’s a part of us!! Life seems more miraculous and deeply spiritual. As we meditate, we draw closer to our immutable essence experiencing a deepened sense of contentment, understanding and acceptance.
A New Way of Seeing Ourselves
As consciousness becomes a bigger part of our self-image, the reflection in the mirror and voice in our head occupy less of our attention – dropping stress levels precipitously!
Perhaps most importantly, realizing the intangible nature of our own consciousness engenders faith its source, and faith begets serenity, courage and wisdom!
Meditating isn’t easy, but neither is suffering.
Blessings, Allan
I’m aware that since my mom died three months ago I haven’t been practicing what I preach: peace of mind.
I AM quicker to anger. I AM drinking and smoking more – moderated somewhat by more exercise and meditation. Worse, I have to remind myself more often what’s really important.
Well-intended friends have offered hugs, practical advice, pseudo-counseling – even hypnosis – to help nullify my recent moodiness and impatience.
Here’s the thing: we ALL suffer, and clearly sometimes more than others. Suffering is a natural consequence of our ever-changing universe and body/mind.
No matter how enlightened we like to think we are, we all experience physical and mental pain and pleasure in equal measure. One of my teacher’s teachers – a Master Raja Yogi (think Buddha meets Hercules) physically collapsed when he received news that his daughter was missing and presumed dead in an earthquake.
At times it does take Herculean or godlike effort to subdue desire and emotion – which ignite thoughts – which trigger actions. But the fight is worth it because our behavior is what worries us most!
After 60 years of often desperate searching, I attest that NOTHING I’ve encountered comes close to relieving stress better than the combination of Raja Yoga and time.
If I live long enough, mom’s passing won’t be my last life-altering blow. My current short temper will subside and my already broken heart will mend again. In the meantime, to anyone I’ve been less than kind to of late, I’m sorry.
Namaste, Allan
Meditation takes discipline. It’s simple but not easy: literally all you do is focus on something for awhile – period.
Why bother?! For starters, the effect can be a self-induced, peaceful trance from which you arise recharged and refreshed.
Experienced meditators settle through four progressively subtle, calmer states of mind. The initial state, Dharana, coincides with settling the most active aspect of our sub-conscious mind: the part that controls bodily function.
Technically, during the first three levels of meditation, we hold an object still in our conscious mind while sub-consciously contemplating it. Remember, our conscious mind communicates in words; our sub-conscious mind communicates in images and sensations. Meditation is about witnessing those otherwise sub-conscious images and sensations – in a controlled setting of our own choosing!
It doesn’t matter what we contemplate with our conscious mind as long as we do so non-judgmentally. Meditation is an exercise in deepening our sense of intuition; it is NOT an exercise for our thinking, conscious mind – that was the focus of the last meditation prep exercise: distinguishing between our conscious and sub-conscious mind.
Devout yogis hold God in mind as they meditate; however, I suggest that students start with slightly more mundane, tangible objects like a flower or their favorite cereal!
The initial stage of meditation, Dharana, brings an end to destructive desires, though as with everything, practice makes perfect!
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.
Welcome everyone! Stretch, breathe and relax!
15 classes weekly
2 – 4 classes daily
7pm class daily
211 Essex Street – Swampscott – 01907
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.
