Wed. Sep 13
A very productive exploration last night in the Wednesday evening meditation group at Higher Self Traverse City. Our meditation exercise was alternate nostril breathing, an ancient practice that has unfolded into numerous current forms. This practice increases and balances prana, the essential life force energy. We explored the beginning stages of the specific alternate nostril breathing process I’ve found most powerful.
We began with the process as outlined in this Youtube video, then added holding full breath. There are more additions to this process that bring more prana to the system, but those are best explored in-person. It’s important that this starts and ends with the left nostril.
I’m beginning a pranayama group that will explore this further, send me a note if you’re interested.
Wonderful to see this have an immediate impact on people who haven’t tried it before. This is a meditation technique that can form an excellent base for your daily practice.
Wednesday Sep. 7
Just returned from months of intense practice and study involving hatha yoga, meditation, vedanta, and Sanskrit. Full of energy and invigorated with new daily practices. In the meditation session we tried a variation on the standard meditation practice done at the Sivananda ashram where I was:
- Sit straight and still
- Breathe deeply and consciously, then slow and calm the breath, remaining conscious of every inhale and every exhale.
- Focus attention at either the Ajna chakra between the eyebrows or the Anahata heart chakra
- Visualize a white light or a deity or some important figure
- Repeat your mantra with every inhale and every exhale. If you don’t have a personal mantra use “OM”
As we discussed it’s difficult to hold all this together at once. I find it interesting how it targets our main senses that distract us: sight, hearing, touch. And keeps the mind so busy that mental distractions must fade away.