Yoga is proliferating in the USA like wildfire. There are more than 1,000 varieties. Many more are cropping up each day.
How to make sense of this growing phenomenon? People who are new to yoga and meditation practice find it very hard to choose which method will do them the most good. Recently, a yoga teacher, who was my student in the past, asked me how I meditate and furthermore what kind of meditation I do on a daily basis. Since it was an excellent question, I wanted to tell him my personal preference. He also wanted me to know whether I follow the traditional method of Patanjali as stated in the Yoga Sutras (500 B.C.) or a mixture of other meditation techniques popularized by gurus and practitioners. I told him I combine my yoga asanas with different meditation practices that help me to calm down, live each day fully and enjoy the present moment.
With that, I indulged him with my daily practice of meditation. I start with 20 asanas, beginning with toes and going through all parts of my body and finally standing on my head. Then I go through the technique of systematic relaxation of nine muscles of the body. I start with my fists by tightening them and relaxing them by breathing in and out for a few minutes. I tell myself that it feels good. Then I close my eyes tight and relax them by breathing in and out and tell myself that it feels good. During the next step, I give a big grin with my lips and then relax myself by breathing in and out. Again I tell myself that it feels good. I continue the exercise by raising my chin to touch my chest and then relax by breathing in and out. Again I tell myself that it feels good. I perform the same procedure of tightening and relaxing my shoulder blades, my lower back, hips and then ending in the relaxation of my legs and toes. I tell myself that it feels good. After relaxing each muscle of my body then I start with my meditation routine.
Meditation 1:
I close my eyes and rest my hands. Then, I concentrate on my toes and tell myself that they are fully relaxed. There is no tension. And then I tell myself to concentrate on my feet. There is no tension and they are fully relaxed. And then I concentrate on ankles. There is no tension, they are fully relaxed. Then I go to my lower legs and tell myself that they have no tension. They are fully relaxed. Then I concentrate on my knees and tell myself that there is no tension they are fully relaxed. Then I concentrate on my upper legs and tell myself that there is no tension, they are fully relaxed. This is followed by my hips which are totally relaxed. Then I concentrate on my lower back and tell myself that it is fully relaxed. Then I concentrate on my stomach and tell myself that it has no tension and is fully relaxed. I move on to my chest, which has no tension, and is fully relaxed. Then on to my shoulders, arms and fingers which have no tension, they are fully relaxed. Then I concentrate on my neck and chin and tell myself that they have no tension and are fully relaxed. I concentrate on my lips and cheeks and tell myself that they have no tension and are fully relaxed and I end up concentrating on my eyes and forehead and tell myself that they have no tension and are fully relaxed. Finally, I concentrate on my entire body and tell myself that it is fully relaxed.
Then I look at my entire body from a distance and tell myself that my body is light like a feather. It is weightless like the wind. It is floating like a cloud. There is no tension in any part of my body, it is fully relaxed.
I add to it the final meditation which will be described in my next Yoga Life column. Enjoy doing the ones described above.