As shared in earlier posts, I have been experimenting with Meditation lately. After reading a few articles on internet, and watching a few Pranayama videos on youtube, I had developed a Pranayama regimen for myself, and was following it daily (More, here.)
It had been a good progress and relief. And then I stumbled across something called Isha Kriya by a gentleman called Sadhguru.
While talking about Isha Kriya, somebody on a meditation forum was saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Good enough, I said.
Over the last one month, I have been practicing Isha Kriya one time a day. I see that it is bringing me more authority over mind. But we will come to that later.
A thought experiment to set the context first: Think about this. What we have accumulated over our lifetime can be ours, but it can not be us. There is a difference in possessing something and being something.
Our body is mostly an accumulation of the food we have eaten, over our lifetime.
Our mind is mostly an accumulation of all the experiences we have had, over our lifetime.
They are most certainly ours, but not us.
A bit about Isha Kriya now.
Isha Kriya is a 15 minute long, guided meditation tool, developed by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, based on the meditation principles of ancient Indian sages. It invokes the Manipuraka Chakra - a point in the body just below the navel, where all the energy channels are supposed to be meeting.
The Kriya is essentially divided into 3 sections:
1. The guided breathing ~ 7 to 8 minutes:
Sadhguru asks the Yogi to sit in a cross-legged position, close their eyes, and have a mild focus between the eyebrows, with head facing upwards. Then the Yogi should start to concentrate on their breathing.
With each inhalation, the Yogi has to mentally repeat, "I am not the body."
With each exhalation, the Yogi has to mentally repeat, "I am not even the mind."
This cycle of guided inhalation and exhalation goes on for 7 to 8 minutes.
2. Invoking the Manipuraka Chakra ~ 2 minutes
The second segment is about repeating after the guide, the simple mantra 'Aaaaa', 7 times. According to Sadguru, this activates the Manipuraka Chakra of the body, which helps in spreading the message,"I am not this body, I am not even this mind" across the body, through our energy channels.
3. Doing Nothing: ~ 5 minutes
The third part is the most passive of them all. The Yogi has to sit with their eyes closed and their faces upturned, while the Sadhguru recites a few stanzas of Bhaja Govindam, by Adiguru Shankaracharya. I find this part the most peaceful - when most of the thoughts in my head vanish and I just sit there, enjoying an ancient Sanskrit Poem.
Link to the Isha Kriya: Here.
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Now, coming to my experience of doing Isha Kriya daily for last one month:
I think the first benefit that I could sense was that this daily routine added calmness in my thoughts. Essentially this 15 minutes of conscious breathing exercise that calms one down, and brings down the stress levels - especially the third part of the Kriya.
Delving deeper, I think this routine has given me slightly more control over my thoughts. Knowing that I am not this body is a realization in itself no doubt; but this thought about me not being my mind does open a new degree of freedom for me. All the thoughts, all the past experiences, all the stress and all the happiness are mine, but they are not me. Disassociating myself with my body and my mind frees me up and helps in giving a better, more relaxed perspective to life.
I intend to continue practising Isha Kriya daily. Will update my future experiences in later posts.
TLDR; I seem to have stumbled upon a powerful tool for enhancing mental strength.
-
Alok
May 5th, 2019
It had been a good progress and relief. And then I stumbled across something called Isha Kriya by a gentleman called Sadhguru.
While talking about Isha Kriya, somebody on a meditation forum was saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Good enough, I said.
Over the last one month, I have been practicing Isha Kriya one time a day. I see that it is bringing me more authority over mind. But we will come to that later.
A thought experiment to set the context first: Think about this. What we have accumulated over our lifetime can be ours, but it can not be us. There is a difference in possessing something and being something.
Our body is mostly an accumulation of the food we have eaten, over our lifetime.
Our mind is mostly an accumulation of all the experiences we have had, over our lifetime.
They are most certainly ours, but not us.
A bit about Isha Kriya now.
Isha Kriya is a 15 minute long, guided meditation tool, developed by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, based on the meditation principles of ancient Indian sages. It invokes the Manipuraka Chakra - a point in the body just below the navel, where all the energy channels are supposed to be meeting.
The Kriya is essentially divided into 3 sections:
1. The guided breathing ~ 7 to 8 minutes:
Sadhguru asks the Yogi to sit in a cross-legged position, close their eyes, and have a mild focus between the eyebrows, with head facing upwards. Then the Yogi should start to concentrate on their breathing.
With each inhalation, the Yogi has to mentally repeat, "I am not the body."
With each exhalation, the Yogi has to mentally repeat, "I am not even the mind."
This cycle of guided inhalation and exhalation goes on for 7 to 8 minutes.
2. Invoking the Manipuraka Chakra ~ 2 minutes
The second segment is about repeating after the guide, the simple mantra 'Aaaaa', 7 times. According to Sadguru, this activates the Manipuraka Chakra of the body, which helps in spreading the message,"I am not this body, I am not even this mind" across the body, through our energy channels.
3. Doing Nothing: ~ 5 minutes
The third part is the most passive of them all. The Yogi has to sit with their eyes closed and their faces upturned, while the Sadhguru recites a few stanzas of Bhaja Govindam, by Adiguru Shankaracharya. I find this part the most peaceful - when most of the thoughts in my head vanish and I just sit there, enjoying an ancient Sanskrit Poem.
Link to the Isha Kriya: Here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, coming to my experience of doing Isha Kriya daily for last one month:
I think the first benefit that I could sense was that this daily routine added calmness in my thoughts. Essentially this 15 minutes of conscious breathing exercise that calms one down, and brings down the stress levels - especially the third part of the Kriya.
Delving deeper, I think this routine has given me slightly more control over my thoughts. Knowing that I am not this body is a realization in itself no doubt; but this thought about me not being my mind does open a new degree of freedom for me. All the thoughts, all the past experiences, all the stress and all the happiness are mine, but they are not me. Disassociating myself with my body and my mind frees me up and helps in giving a better, more relaxed perspective to life.
I intend to continue practising Isha Kriya daily. Will update my future experiences in later posts.
TLDR; I seem to have stumbled upon a powerful tool for enhancing mental strength.
-
Alok
May 5th, 2019
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