Step 1
Sit down. Consciously choose your seat. It is necessary to bring the body into one place so that you can develop the ability to focus the inner workings of the mind. Place your legs and feet in a comfortable cross legged position. Sit on a pillow or cushion so that the hips are raised slightly higher than the knees, so that stress to the back is diminished. Or, you may want to sit on a chair. Rest your hands on the thighs, palms up or down or in the lap. If your palms are resting in your lap, place your active hand on top of the passive hand with your palms up. Relax your elbows and shoulders. Your spine should be as vertical as possible. In meditation practice, your spine is like an antenna, enabling you to pick up and to transmit cosmic frequencies beyond the ordinary sense perceptions. Your spine should be unhindered and as extended as possible. Relax your face. Allow the jaw to release, and the chin level with the floor with your eyes gently closed. Once you have chosen your seat, then move to the next step.
Step 2
Be still. Do not change or doubt your choice of seat for the remainder of your practice time. Keep your seat. Stick with it. This is a very important part of the practice. Do not move the outer, voluntary muscles of the body. This will keep the mind from being drawn outward and will give it a chance to move on its inward journey towards the source, which is joy. So choose your seat, sit still, and now you are ready for the final step.
Step 3
Give the mind something to focus upon so the thinking, or fragmenting, of the mind becomes lessened. Use the breath as the focus. It is easily available, moving in and moving out of the body. Feel this breathing in the area of the abdomen, where there is a gentle rising and falling as the diaphragm muscle moves with each incoming and outgoing breath. Feel this action each time the breath passes in or out of the body. Don’t try to control the breath. Just observe it, watch it and feel it. Don’t you breathe! Instead, allow the breath to breathe your body, and watch it or witness it as it is happening.
You may want to silently repeat a mantra with each incoming and outgoing breath. This is very helpful in directing the mind towards its source, which is cosmic awareness. Use the mantra LET-GO. Silently say the words LET GO with the passing of each breath: breathe in “LET,” breath out “GO.” Let there be a continuous movement of breath through the body and thoughts through the mind while you let go of identification with your body and mind by letting go of each breath and each thought, allowing Self-realization to arise.
So sit, be still, and watch by focusing on witnessing the passing breath. No teacher can tell you what you will experience in your meditation practice. That experience is yours alone. These are only instructions. Let go of expectations. Let go of anything that may be holding you back from Yoga, Love, joy and happiness. Sit with this practice of letting go for as long as you wish. Be diligent, be devoted, be spacious, be open, begin…
Words by Eva Lucie Daniela
Jivamukti Yoga Method - All rights reserved.