Part 2: Nithya Yoga - The Ultimate Practice for Mind, Body and Being🔗

What is the authority on which this statement is made?

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says that every baby that comes into this world is an expression of this blissful state of meditation. Newborn babies come into this world with a high level of consciousness but through societal conditionings, upbringing and lifestyle we pollute their state of pure awareness.

Children, as they grow up, will constantly be expressing their natural state of bliss. They are more or less in ecstasy. We observe them spinning around, we see them dancing and jumping all over the place. They laugh and giggle for no obvious reason at all. As adults, we suppress their joy. They are told, 'Don't spin!' 'Stop jumping!' 'Stop laughing!' 'Be quiet!' We have somehow forgotten this

natural energy, this naturally uninhibited, blissful state that we all expressed as a child and still have within us*.* It is, however, lost under all the suppression and conditionings we also received as a child.

According to the Upanishads, the oldest treatise on spirituality, we have five sheaths termed as kosha in Sanskrit. These five sheaths encase our atman, our Self. They are in order of subtlety:

• 1) annamaya kosha (physical body),
• 2) pranamaya kosha (pranic body),
• 3) manomaya kosha (mental body),

4) vijnanamaya kosha (knowledge body) and finally;

5) anandamaya kosha (bliss body).

The presence of the anandamaya kosha (bliss body) is further proof of the fact that our very nature is bliss. It exists within us. It is always there. However, it is more or

Bliss Is Our Nature and Our Birthright

The aim of Nithya Yoga is to teach us how to use the tools given by Patanjali in the most effective way. How to groom our body-mind to experience, sustain and express the energy of enlightenment.

The modern mind demands a modern approach.

One of the important teachings that R a g h u p a t i y o g i e x p r e s s e d t o THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was that Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga was never meant to be practiced in a step by step, linear progression. Over the years, many have misinterpreted Ashtanga Yoga as being a step by step process, whereby a practitioner must master one step before attempting the next step.

Patanjali has used the word ashta-anga (8 limbs), not ashta-pati (8 steps). He has done this with a purpose. All 8 limbs have to come together simultaneously for progress to happen. Science and spirituality, matter and energy are like the two legs of one body. If only one leg is developed at the cost of the other, then there will be lopsided growth. Therefore, a typical Nithya Yoga class is structured in such a way that we work on all eight limbs simultaneously.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM states that if one were to practice Ashtanga Yoga in this linear progression, it may take the practitioner lifetimes to reach the final outcome; the eighth step samadhi (bliss).

Samadhi is not an end result. Samadhi is not an explosion of bliss that happens to a favored few. In very simple terms, whenever we live with awareness in the moment, totally and completely absorbed in whatever we are doing, we are in samadhi. For example, whether cooking, writing, studying, playing with our kids, dancing or whatever, we are in the present moment. We are in the 'now', which is the only thing that is truly available to us. During such moments, we experience this state of samadhi or bliss. When this state is a continuous 24/7, 365 day experience we call it enlightenment.

In a Nithya Yoga class, instead of practicing with the understanding that samadhi or bliss is some far off goal we have to work hard to attain, the minute we walk into our class and center ourselves, we start with the idea that we are bliss and throughout the session, we deepen this understanding that we are bliss. Every technique employed in a Nithya Yoga class is practiced with this strong understanding. This has a tremendous effect on our unconscious zone. Faulty perceptions are cleared, engraved memories are melted and energy blocks are removed. There is a complete harmonious flow in what we think, perceive and do.

When we start our practice with the understanding that we are blissful by nature, a deep transformation happens within us. We change our perception from seeing ourselves as lacking in energy or in a state of dis-ease to realizing ourselves as vibrant, blissful energy sources. Therefore, 'we are bliss' becomes our very experience and expression.

We start with the body and link it to the mind, through the breath. When we do the postures (asana) with the appropriate breathing (pranayama), our focus is

Ashtanga Yoga does not mean eight 'steps'. It means eight 'parts'

speak, think and live all of our truths. 3) Non-stealing (asteya):

When do we steal? When we feel that someone else has that which we want but which we do not have or not to the extent that we desire, we are tempted to steal. Stealing is not merely limited to taking away a physical possession belonging to someone else. It can also include taking away their personal space and energy.

Additionally, if someone confides in us and we share a person's information with some other, we're stealing away that person's trust. We are stealing that space that has been entrusted to us.

If we look upon stealing as some rule we can't break, simply our minds look for opportunities to break it. Most of the times, when we make a decision to steal, it is usually a rash, unaware decision made from our unconscious. These decisions are made in the level of instinct.

When we practice yoga with complete awareness, we begin to operate from intuition. We are filled with a blissful peace. We experience a fullness that wipes away all sense of lack. We are never in want. So, non-stealing happens naturally. It is not a law imposed on us that needs to be obeyed out of fear of punishment.

4) C e l i b a c y (brahmacharya):

Commonly, when we hear the word brahmacharya, immediately we associate it with the practice of celibacy. 'Nothing could be further from the truth,' says THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM. Brahmacharya is the most misunderstood concept. It does not imply abstinence from sex. As the very word suggests, brahma means 'reality' and charya means 'to walk'. In other words, the period of brahmacharya is to live with reality; to renounce what we don't have, which is all our fantasies and live happily with what we have, which is reality.

What about married couples? Do they suddenly become unsuitable candidates for the ultimate experience because they are married? Consider the fact that most yoga masters were and are grihastis (householders).

Forcing the practice of celibacy (as erroneously understood) upon a person will just result in suppression. Sexual suppression will cultivate fantasies, lust and perversion in a person. The inner pressure so created will be like a volcano waiting to erupt at the slightest provocation.

Celibacy or sexual restraint is not an enforced rule one must adhere to in order to be successful in spiritual life. By practicing yoga we can begin to understand what our body needs and

1) Cleanliness (saucha):

Through the practice of Nithya Yoga, we realize that cleanliness is both of the body and mind. All aspects of cleanliness at a physical, emotional and psychological level are taken care of.

The practice of asana, pranayama and dhyana will ensure that we are clean from the inside out and outside in.

Each and every chakra relates to some particular emotion. When these chakra are cleansed through active meditation, we throw out the emotional grime.

Just like we take our shower everyday to clean our bodies, so too, through meditation we take a 'bliss shower' to cleanse our inner space.

Cleanliness of the body, mind and spirit happens through the practice of yoga.

2) C o n t e n t m e n t (santosha):

Contentment is a state of being 'enough unto ourselves'. So, external things or persons are no longer needed. Contentment is an acceptance of what we have at any given moment.

Through the practice of yoga, we become filled with peace, silence and energy. It is an automatic process. In a sense, we become so full of ourselves that we drop the continuous habit of seeking attention from others; we stop craving for more and more.

Contentment is a silent expression of our gratitude to Existence for whatever we have.

3) Self-discipline (tapas):

Many people understand tapas as penance or rigorous practices. Tapas means cleanliness, purification. When we do tapas, we are creating the conditions for the inner fire to cleanse us. Tapas also means the ability to persevere, to be committed to whatever we do.

4) Study of spiritual teaching (svadhyaya):

Sva means 'self' and adhyaya means 'inquiry'. In other words, means self-study or taking the journey inward. Anything, be it a book, a svadhyaya lecture, a seminar, a group discussion, an incident or a situation that helps us to learn more about ourselves is svadhyaya.

Traditionally, it meant the study of scriptures or spiritual books. When we do this, a deeper awareness of the self dawns within us and automatically we feel inclined to live in further awareness. Therefore, the desire to study additional spiritual teachings is kindled in us.

5) Surrender to God (ishwara pranidhana)

Ishvara pranidhana means that we must do our best in whatever we undertake and leave the consequences to Existence or God. It implies surrender to the Ultimate. If we stick to the spirit of yoga, we can understand that God is our pure inner self.

Niyama

By far, the most beautiful and deep truth of yoga that was revealed by Raghupati yogi to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was that, 'any movement if practiced with a particular idea, belief, awareness or intention is yoga'.

During His early days of training with Ragupati yogi, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was taught asana to help prepare his body to hold the tremendous energy of enlightenment. Apart from yoga asana, Raghupati yogi would instruct THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM to do other rigorous exercises. Raghupati yogi would instruct him to climb 20 stone pillars that were part of the temple. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM could never understand why Raghupati yogi would force him to climb these pillars. He would question Raghupati yogi as to why he was making him do such things. Raghupati yogi would answer, 'For any purpose that you bend or move your body, that purpose and that memory will be completely inserted or recorded into your body and mind. It will become a memory, a samskara and will start to express.'

Raghupati yogi meant that the way in which you choose to move your body or the yoga asanas which you choose to practice are not too important. The practitioner's awareness and intention while performing the asanas is what really matters.

Raghupati yogi would at times tell THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM to be silent and be peaceful. Then he would immediately instruct him to run around the 25 acre temple with that idea. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM used to think this was quite contradictory; the yogi asking him to be in silence, to be peaceful and then getting him to run? However, by the time THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM had finished running, that idea, that peace would be deeply rooted and recorded in his system.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says, 'Our body itself is made out of memory. Our muscles store memory. Whether we believe it or not, accept it or not, we are an expression of our own self-hypnosis. Any way you move the body with a faith that this or that will happen in you, simply it will start expressing in you.' He goes as far as saying, 'Even when you sit, if you observe closely, so many physical movements are happening inside your body. Therefore, ordinary sitting, if you strongly believe that by sitting you will have health, and you sit just for health, simply that health will happen in you.'

In the West, too much of a disease-asana connection has happened; meaning that there is a lot of advice pertaining to which asanas we should practice to address certain ailments or disease. In an entire 24 hours, we can see that we do so many movements apart from our 90 minute yoga class. How do we come to the conclusion that only the movements done in our yoga class are can be healing? THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM always says, 'if you just sit and observe closely, you can see that so many movements are happening in your body. Therefore, even ordinary sitting can be healing. If you sit and strongly believe that you will have health just by sitting, simply

Sit and Be Enlightened.

that health will happen to you.'

It is not mastery of asana or pranayama that provides the bliss in the path of yoga, but the intention with which we do something and the awareness while we are doing something that is responsible for making us experience the state of nithya ananda.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM has said many times, 'I am not here to add more movements to your life. I am here to add life to your movements'.

We add life and awareness to all movements and techniques practiced in a 90 minute Nithya Yoga class. We work on strengthening and experiencing our very innate nature which is bliss.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM has said before, 'simply sit and be enlightened'. According to him, we already are enlightened, we just don't know how to express that energy. Nithya Yoga gives us the understanding and the tools to enable us to experience and express that energy. After maintaining a consistent practice, we realize that one can simply sit and experience this also. We can sit still and know that we are God!

The Nithya Yoga Practice

At the commencement of any Nithya Yoga class, we start with a passive centering meditation. Passive meditation can be described as one that doesn't require physical or active use of our body. Passive meditation is generally a meditation whereby you can rest with yourself. Usually done in a sitting position, with eyes closed, it promotes a very relaxing and calming effect. Passive style of meditation is perfect before bedtime.

Most students, when they come in to do their daily yoga class, will more often than not be rushing in from somewhere else at the last minute. They may have come directly from work, or they may have just dropped their kids somewhere or they may even be coming to class fresh from a conflict they have had with another.

Therefore at the beginning of the class, students are asked to sit comfortably in sukhasana (cross-legged on the floor) and simply bring the awareness to the subtle breath entering and exiting the nostrils. Their focus which has been directed outwardly for a large percentage of the day, is immediately turned inward.

Centering Meditation

Why Dynamic Meditation?

Almost all of us carry the impressions of the previous night or the happenings of the day to our yoga class. If they are negative, it is like an energy block in our system. If we don't clear this first in a direct and effective manner, whatever we may do throughout our yoga session will not have the result that should be there. On the other hand, if we walk in brimming with positive energy, the yoga session will help intensify that feeling.

Take a situation like this. If we need to carry sand to our house, we take a container that is big and empty so we would be able to collect sand quickly and with less effort. Similarly, when we clear muck in our inner space, through dynamic meditation, we will benefit enormously from our daily yoga session. We will be able to take in more with less effort and energy. Progress will happen at a faster pace.

With this new approach to the understanding and practice of yoga, a whole new pathway can be created by the mind at the level of brain neurology.

In one of the most stunning studies in the field of cognitive science, neurologist and neuro-psychiatrist Dr Richard Restak has expounded on the plasticity of the human brain. What is this plasticity? It is the brain's inherent capacity to adapt to change. Till recently many neuro-scientists believed that brain plasticity largely ceased by adolescence or by early adult hood at the latest. The common theory was that the brain became fixed in its structure and function. Not anymore.

Genetic mapping, imaging techniques and studies in psychopharmacology have led to an unprecedented understanding of how the brain works and how we can affect its functioning. In the language of yoga, earlier long-standing assumptions have been made to do a headstand!

The physical brain of man a century ago and the one today is very different. Neurologists report that new synaptic connections and neural pathways have formed a new layer called the cerebral layer.

How and why has this happened?

There has been an enormous and dramatic change in human lifestyles in the last century. Like no other time in human history, mankind has been flooded with a bewildering array of stimuli. We have had to cope with the boom in information technology, handling the flood of images through the print and visual media, be victims of violence and mayhem on a dayto-day basis and witness some extraordinary events in our collective history.

Dynamic Meditation Nithya Dhyaan (Life Bliss Meditation)

These dramatic changes have led to coping behavior at the level of neurons and synapses. The scientists concluded that the brain never loses the power to transform itself on the basis of experience. Thoughts, feelings and actions determine the health of our brain. Our belief systems are greatly responsible for the experiencing of well-being. What we hear on a daily basis gets recorded in the brain and an electro-chemical circuit is established.

Training can activate a distinct population of neurons and lead to a gradual strengthening of their connection. In fact just by training, we can bring about changes in key areas of the brain. These changes are evident even a year after the training has stopped. Therefore, engraved memories, s a m s k a r a , do have physiological support. If the information input is positive, then it transfers itself at the deepest level into a source of empowerment. Otherwise, it can be a source of energy disruption and depletion.

It is very difficult to cut across this cerebral layer and clear the numerous energy blocks through mild means, which is what most traditional practices of yoga are. By beginning the class with a dynamic meditation technique, we open ourselves to a powerful, swift and effective way of clearing all the physical and psychological toxins from our system. It is similar to the effect sweeping a room with a vacuum cleaner as against using a traditional broom.

After the centering meditation, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's revolutionary Nithya

Dhyaan (Life Bliss Meditation) is practiced at the commencement of every Nithya Yoga session so students are able to achieve the following;

i) The energy blocks which manifest themselves as toxins at the physical level and emotional grime at the mental are removed, ii) The dormant nadis (energy channels) are reactivated and revitalized, iii) An abundance of energy is made available to them, and iv) Nithya Dhyaan allows students to unclutch from the mind so that one can start moving beyond it. Unclutching from the mind influences the rate at which the physical body can rejuvenate, transform and set itself free from the clutches of physical and mental disease. Samskaras

Nithya Dhyaan Explained

Before we explain what Nithya Dhyaan is, we would first like to give a brief background about how this revelation happened to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM. Post enlightenment, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was in silence for an extended amount of time, doing research on meditation techniques, to see how he could reproduce the same experience that happened in him, in others.

The first outcome of his research was the Ananda Spurana Program (Life Bliss Program Level One) where he worked on the seven energy centers (chakra) and devised a meditation technique to energize and cleanse each of the energy centers. This was followed by the Nithyananda

this question was raised again and again, he started pondering over it. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM pondered deeply to come up with a technique which is a complete representation of his philosophy, teachings and his experience. He had envisioned a meditation technique, which is holistic and complete by itself and instead of focusing on any particular aspect of the being; it should work on the entire being to transform it and make is ready for the ultimate experience to dawn. And one day, this meditation technique Nithya Dhyaan (Life Bliss Meditation) was revealed to him in a flash. In an instant, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM could clearly see the different parts of this technique; how each part relates to the other and helps one to raise the individual consciousness. This was all visualized by him in his inner space. We can say that Nithya Dhyaan is

For the first seven minutes we will sit in vajrasana with our eyes closed and our hands on your hips and breathe chaotically. Normally in our body, the energy flows from the sahasrara chakra (crown center) to the muladhara chakra (root center). We sit in vajrasana because this posture helps with the upward movement of energy.

Inhale and exhale deeply and chaotically and completely focus on the breathing. Our entire being should become the breathing. Breath is the best place from where one can start any spiritual practice. There are different kinds of meditation techniques. Some techniques focus on witnessing, some focus on repeating a word or a mantra, however, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM suggests that the breath is the best place to begin any spiritual practice.

We have two types of systems in our body. One is voluntary and other is involuntary. The movement of hands and legs is an example of voluntary action. When required, we can move our hands and legs, but we cannot directly control the functioning of our brain, or beating of our heart. Those movements are involuntary movements.

Breathing however, is one system that is voluntary as well as involuntary. Even if we are not aware, the breathing mechanism never fails. We don't stop breathing when we focus our attention on something else, otherwise that would be a calamity. Likewise, we can also control our breathing. The whole science of Pranayama emphasizes on control of breath. We can breathe deeply, slowly as and when required. We can hold our breath for long durations or even stop breathing for few minutes. The breath is a link between our voluntary and involuntary systems.

We can never stop breathing and die because then it would be a fight between our survival instinct and our will. Our survival instinct is much stronger than our will. In fact all involuntary movements in

Part One - CHAOTIC BREATHING:

our body happen due to the survival instinct. We are living due to our very desire to live. Our very breathing happens due to the desire to live. We might not have observed but our quality of breathing changes depending on your state of mind. Our emotions have an impact on the breathing process. When we are in anxiety our breathing changes, when we are angry our breathing changes and if we are aroused sexually our breathing changes. When we are in love there is a qualitative change in our breathing. Our breathing is directly related to our emotions and it continuously changes as and when the state of the mind changes. When we are in tension the normal advice given is to take a deep breath. The moment we take a deep breath we feel light, more relaxed and the tension releases. Mind and breath are closely inter-related. We can see that when we stop breathing, it becomes very difficult to think. Breath becomes the fuel for the mind. Actually in Sanskrit we use the word Prana. Prana does not directly mean breath. It means the energy that flows through breath. That energy itself is the life force.

The pranamaya kosha or the breath sheath is the where all of our desire memories are stored. Depending on our desires, our prana, the breath gets modulated. Our breathing and our desires are tightly coupled. It can be observed that when we have too many desires we breathe very fast and heavily. When we have few desires, we breathe in a more relaxed way. As the breath and the mind are inter-related, changing one automatically changes the other. We have already discussed how our emotions affect the breathing pattern. Likewise, if we were to control our breathing or bring about some change in our breathing pattern it will directly have an impact on our emotions; our state of mind.

All of our memories are stored in our muscles. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM strongly believes that if some part of our body is amputated, we would eventually lose the memory related to that part of the body. We can do this small experiment. We can try remembering some past incident in our life without remembering our form. It is impossible. Our form is necessary for us to remember any incident in our life because all of our memories are stored in our form.

We have suppressed many emotions in our being and as a result we are not able to breathe normally. We always breathe shallow. When we breathe shallow, we never release these suppressed emotions and memories that are stored in our muscles. The breathing never touches each and every part of the body. We always breathe in a fixed pattern. Our past samskaras, our past memories which are suppressed in our Being create a particular type of breathing pattern in our system. And as a result we attract similar emotions and samskaras. Anything within our system has a survival instinct. So anything that is suppressed in our system creates favorable circumstances for it to stay and grow inside our system. If we have suppressed anger in our system, it will keep surfacing itself and create a breathing pattern for its survival. This is a vicious cycle. Our breathing is nothing but a cumulative effect of the past samskaras.

Nithya Dhyaan begins with chaotic breathing. We have to breathe as deeply as possible and as chaotically as possible. Our entire being should become the breathing. Understand that the breathing has to be deep. The chaotic breathing should not be shallow. The deep chaotic breathing will start releasing the tension in our muscles and body parts and will start releasing the engraved memories. Normally our muscles are always under stress. Chaotic breathing will loosen the muscles and start clearing the samskaras.

Each emotion within us gives rise to a particular breathing pattern. If you observe children, they breathe deeply and blissfully. They don't breathe shallow. But as they grow, they get conditioned by the society, by their pains, pleasures, guilt's, beliefs, stress and other emotions and the quality of the breathing totally changes. Now if we have to shake this pattern; something that has been created due to the emotions suppressed in our system for so many years, we have to insert chaos and we have to create turmoil. Inserting another pattern is not the solution. We have to create utter chaos in our system to dig out all the past impressions. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM does not recommend any rhythmic breathing pattern like pranayama in this meditation, just chaotic breathing.

This chaotic breathing will destroy all of our past samskaras. It is like shaking a tree with dead leaves; all the dead leaves will fall down. Similarly, chaotic breathing is like shaking our suppressed system. All the past engraved memories will be released.

Deep chaotic breathing will also infuse tremendous oxygen and release carbon dioxide from the body. It creates hyperventilation as a result we will feel more vibrant and fresh. Through the increased intake of oxygen in the blood, automatically all the body parts become alive and that creates more bio-energy in the body cells. Normally we always feel ourselves as heavy dead mass and that is because our body is never alive. It is always under stress and tension and something that is tense can never be alive. If the body is made alive with increased flow of oxygen, we will start feeling light, then we will start experiencing ourselves as energy rather than matter. We feel heavy because of the engraved memories.

In fact, in some Buddhist monasteries they use this as a technique to ordain people as monks in the monastery. After you are done with your spiritual disciplines, you are made to walk on grass. If you make a path (grass below your feet dies), then you are not initiated as a monk and more spiritual discipline is prescribed. A person with less samskaras will never make a path on the grass when he walks because he always feels light within his system. The burden of engraved memories is less. With

In the second step, stay seated in vajrasana, form chin mudra with your fingers and place your hands on your knees. Chin mudra is the hand gesture where you touch the tip of the thumb with the tip of the index finger. The other three fingers remain unfolded. The chin mudra helps to maintain a balance in the energy flow in the body and keeps the energy within the body by creating a circuit. It prevents the energy from being dissipated out of the body.

In this posture, we should produce a humming sound as intensely as possible, as loudly as possible and as lengthily as possible. We should put our complete awareness on the humming. We should become the humming.

Humming reduces our inner chatter. Continuously there is talking going on within our minds. We may not be talking to anybody external but internally there is always something that is going on. Humming is an excellent technique to reduce this inner chatter. Normally people find it very difficult to sit without thoughts.

When we suddenly venture into meditation in our middle age, the first thing we would notice is resistance from the mind. Mind will revolt because it does not want to sit silently. When it has been habituated to run for so many years and suddenly it is made to sit silent, obviously it will revolt. In fact people often complain that in an attempt to be thoughtless, they encounter more thoughts. Mind is not accustomed to be silent for so many years and any initial attempt to make it silent is like swimming opposite to the river current; obviously the river is going to protest. This is the time when most people simply give up drop meditation because they become discouraged. They think that meditation is not possible at all for them. However, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says that this is the experience of all the seekers initially. At first we have to make the effort and this very effort is what THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM defines as tapas (austerity). If we feel discouraged by the initial resistance, then we can never succeed.

THE NITHYA YOGA PRACTICE

Part Two - INTENSE HUMMING:

There is a mythological story where all the gods and demons are together trying to churn the ocean to extract divine nectar. To their surprise the first thing that comes out after the churning is deadly poison. Later many other things appeared as a result of the churning and finally the last thing to come was divine nectar. This is a very metaphorical story which has a deep significance in the process of meditation. When the mind is churned in the process of meditation to extract the experience of enlightenment, the first thing to come out is always the negativity that was suppressed in the past. We should not feel discouraged because this is an indication of progress that the negativity is been thrown out. We should continue our effort with the meditation until we experience the supreme state.

In this initial stage when the inner chatter can potentially bother us, intense humming can be an extremely useful tool. It helps us to silence the mind. Our inner chatter is created between the manipuraka chakra and the swadhistana chakra. This area is also called as hara. When we hum intensely, so intensely that we create the vibration of the humming right below our navel, then we stop this process of continuous inner chatter. It is like shaking the hara. So the humming should happen from below the navel.

The inner chatter is the sole reason for the mind. Mind is nothing but the inner chatter. And through humming when the inner chatter reduces, automatically we start progressing towards no-mind. We start experiencing a different dimension of our Being.

A good car driver always knows intricate details about his car. Like the noise the car makes at different speeds. If there is any malfunction in the engine and the car noise changes, a good driver immediately senses that and takes corrective action. The passengers won't realize anything but a good car driver certainly will.

Similarly, when we start practicing this meditation regularly, based on the intensity and the quality of our humming, we can start understanding our body functions well. If we over eat certain kinds of foods that do not suit us that well, we will see a difference in the quality of our humming. Automatically, we would adjust our body's needs to make sure that the humming is smooth.

Humming gives us an insight into the subtle vibrations of the body and helps us to take corrective action if necessary. It happens automatically and need not be enforced. Our body and the mind are always out of sync. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM always tells people that if our body is here then it's almost certain that we are not here. Our mind is always hovering all over the place. Our body has its own innate intelligence which is functioning all the time. It's just that the mind refuses to corroborate with that intelligence. It forces the body into certain actions which later on manifests as disease. Disease means absence of ease. If

the body is made to run forcibly, then it is going to revolt some time or the other.

So many times we overeat. The body is giving us the signals that it is full however, the mind is not satisfied. It wants more. And then it goes on filling the body creating more and more damage. The repercussions are then felt later. Creating a harmony between the body and the mind is important for going beyond both. Else we would be caught in this psycho-physical entity and transcendence would be difficult. Humming is one of the best techniques to make a bridge between the body and the mind.

Humming allows us to feel our body as energy. The moment we start humming we start feeling light; as if we are floating. We don't feel the heaviness in the body because humming matches the vibrations of the mind with the vibrations of the body. Body and the mind become harmonious and we start experiencing ourselves as energy.

In this step, we will put our lips together and produce the sound 'Mmmm…' from inside. If we were to put your face inside an empty aluminum vessel and make a humming sound, the sound generated will be similar to this. Note that this is not 'Humm…' or 'Omm…', it is simply keeping your lips together and producing 'Mmmm…' sound.

The humming should be as lengthy as possible between breaths; it should be as deep as possible (from the navel center) and as loud as possible. There is no need to make an effort to take in deep breaths as the body itself will take breaths when needed.

We shouldn't become tense however, just do it in a relaxed manner. We should immerse our whole being and energy into creating this vibration. Try to minimize the gap between the humming sounds. After some time, we will feel that the humming continues without our effort and that we

In this step we can continue to sit in vajrasana or sit crossed-legged if that is more comfortable. In this part of the meditation, we will put our awareness on each chakra (energy center) starting from the muladhara chakra (root center) to the sahasrara chakra (crown center).

We have seven energy centers in our body and we need to understand the meta-physical location of these seven energy centers.

Our personality is made up of three bodies or shariras. The physical body (sthul sharira), mental body (sukshma sharira) and the causal body (karana sharira). Similarly there are three states of consciousness. The waking state, the dream state and deep sleep. Beyond these three bodies and the three states of consciousness lies the true self or Atman, whatever you may choose to call. In Sanskrit we call the supreme state as Sharira Traivalaxana, Panchakosha Teetha, Avastha Trya Sakshi (Witness of the three bodies, beyond the five sheaths and the witness of the three states of consciousness).