The Architect and the Path by Swami Rama From: The Essence of Spiritual Life

The Architect
When a human being learns to seek religion not in gods, but in his own potentials, then he will know that he is great and that within his greatness lies his happiness. When he rapidly unfolds the chapters of life’s manuscript, of which he himself is the author, he begins to realize who he is.
You are the architect of your life. You build your own philosophy and construct your own attitudes. Without right attitudes, the entire architecture remains shaky. Once you realize this fact, you will look within.
Once you turn your focus inward, the process of transformation will begin, and naturally you will become aware of many levels of consciousness. You will find that the capacity to know yourself is within, and this realization will become a source of fulfillment to you. The sages in the past have experienced this fact, and have documented their experiences.
Unfortunately, people in the modern era do not know how to benefit from the wisdom of the sages. As a result, people are still searching for happiness in the external world.
If you study life’s journey, when you start unfolding yourself and experiencing life and its necessities, you will find throughout that life is full of changes and modifications. Let you learn to enjoy life from moment to moment and do not worry about the future. If you take care of your present, the future will be at your disposal, and one day you will find out that you are the architect of your life.
The Path
The path of Truth is narrower than the needle’s eye and as sharp as a razor’s edge.
When you start expanding your consciousness, you will come to know that on the path of spirituality there is always guidance from the unknown. We have come from the unknown and we will return to the unknown. We remain in the known for only a short time, but the unknown is always with us. Therefore, we should rely on the unknown. If we are treading the path of light, and if by chance, by mistake, by ignorance, or even by bad habit, we commit mistakes, we will return to the path again, because of the guidance from the unknown.
When you study you will find many paths and many ways and methods. All roads lead to only one goal. If you practice and learn to follow one path for a few days, and after some time follow another path, and then after a month follow another one, that is not going to help you.
When you are searching and seeking, you should be doing it honestly with your full strength—not halfheartedly.
If your dearest one stands in the way of Self-realization, tread over him, forsake him, go beyond. If your beloved stands in the way of Self-realization, cast her aside. Your trusted friend is Truth and Truth alone.
O Lord, make me not stumble on the path of Truth.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

The chief organ controlling the breathing process in our body is the diaphragm, a muscle just underneath the ribs, separating the chest cavity from the abdomen. Ideally, the diaphragm contracts so that we may inhale fully even into the lower lungs. The diaphragm relaxes to push against the lower lungs so that the exhalation from this part of the lungs may be complete. A child at birth breathes diaphragmatically, but later forgets this natural process. One has to re-train himself to breathe correctly.

In deep and correct breathing, no pressure should be felt in the lungs, and no tension should develop. Breathing should be relaxed, so that a feeling of rejuvenation can be experienced.

Diaphragmatic breathing is taught in (a) Makarasana, the crocodile position, lying on one’s stomach, and is practiced further in (b) Shavasana, corpse position, as well as in sitting and standing positions.

To learn the practice, lie on the stomach. Heels slightly apart; tips of the big toes slightly touching; or in whatever way the legs feel relaxed. Cross the right arm over the left and place them in front of you, so that the upper chest is slightly uplifted off the floor. You may then rest the forehead n the forearms near the wrist joints. Keep the neck straight and let the shoulders relax.

Bring your awareness to the breathing process. In this position, it is not possible to do chest breathing. Observe the flow of breath. Observe the gentle rise and fall of the stmach and the navel area with the smooth flow of the breath.

Let there be no jerks, no breaks, in your breathing. Let it flow like a smooth stream. Let is slow down. Observe the gentle flow, along with the rise and fall of the stomach and the navel area. Take note of the breathing process. Resolve to breathe in this way at all times.

After doing this practice for 5 to 15 minutes, turn over on your back in the shavasana position (turn from the left side). Continue to breathe and observe the process of the diaphragm relaxing and contracting (the rise and fall of the stomach and navel area).

Place your left palm on the chest, right palm on the stomach. No movement should be felt under the left palm; the right palm should feel the rise and fall smoothly, without a jerk, without a break.

Let uniform breathing develop, the length of the inhalation and the exhalation being equal. When this practice has been mastered, one graduates to 2:1 breathing (where exhalation is twice as long as inhalation), but not right away.

When one breathes only diaphragmatically at all times, it is considered that the practice has been mastered.

YOGA MEDITATION

Yoga Meditation is the art and science of systematically observing, accepting, understanding, and training each of the levels of our being, such that we may coordinate and integrate those aspects of ourselves, and dwell in the direct experience of the center of consciousnes.
Yoga Meditation is not actually a separate aspect of Yoga, due to the fact that Yoga is meditation. However, the phrase Yoga Meditation is being used here to discriminate between Yoga Meditation and the now popular belief that Yoga is about physical postures. Yoga or Yoga Meditation is a complete process unto itself, only a small, though useful part of which relates to the physical body.

In the Yoga Meditation of the ancient living schools, systems and traditions (http://sribinduyogameditationcenter.blogspot.com/), one systematically works with senses, body, breath, the various levels of mind, and then goes beyond, to the center of consciousness. The science of Yoga Meditation as taught by the ancient traditions is already a whole, complete science that has been torn into smaller pieces over time. Individual parts have sometimes (unfortunately) been cut out from the whole of Yoga Meditation, given separate names, and then taught as unique systems of meditation. The perspective of Yoga Meditation here is that it is not a pasting together of disparate Yogas, but an already unified whole that we might call Yoga Meditation, or simply Yoga.

Yoga Meditation as taught in such ancient traditions is holistic in that it not only deals systematically with all levels, but also involves a broad range of practices, the various aspects of Yoga, as well as the preparatory practices leading up to Yoga. Yoga Meditation also explores all of the levels of reality and self-construction, including the gross (vaishvanara), subtle (taijasa), causal (prajna), and the absolute (turiya), as reflected in Pranava Mantra. Finally, Yoga Meditation leads one to the direct experience of the absolute, pure, eternal center of consciousness.

The root meaning of Yoga Meditation lies in the meaning of the word Yoga itself, which comes from "yuj" which means "to join," to bring together the aspects of yourself that were never divided in the first place. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a primary source of learning the practices of Yoga Meditation.

In the tradition, Yoga Meditation is not limited to just the Yoga Sutras, but also includes Vedanta, Tao, and internal Tantra, while also acknowledging that the practices are also contained in many other sources. The teachers of the tradition may emphasize or draw on some of these (or other) sources, matching the teachings with the student. Yoga Meditation also involves the practice of Kundalini.
Yoga Meditation is not a religion, although some of the principles are contained within the various religions.

Five ways to practice: Breathing.

Diaphragm: Place your attention in the area of the diaphragm, in a palm-sized space, just below the breast bone। Allow the inhalation to flow in unison with the sound Sooooo... of the Soham mantra. Allow the exhalation to flow in unison with the sound Hummmm... of the So Hum mantra. Observe the feel of the motion from the inside, and allow there to be no pauses between breaths. Inhalation naturally transitions into exhalation, and exhalation naturally transitions into inhalation. The breath will naturally become smooth and quiet. The sound of the Sohum mantra will gently regulate the speed of the breath.

Spine: With inhalation, allow your inner attention to move upwards with Sooooo..., from the base of the spine to the top of the head। With exhalation, allow your inner attention to move down with Hummmm..., from the top of the head to the base of the spine. You might also look for a thin, milky white stream flowing there with the breath, though that is not necessary if you do not see such an image. Once again, you gently transition between breaths, with no pause between the breaths.

Chakras: Similar to the breath along the spine, allow your attention to flow with So Hum mantra between two chakras, or energy centers that may be needing special attention or balancing। For example, inhale from the navel center to the heart center, and exhale from the heart to the navel; or inhale from the heart center to the eyebrow center, and exhale from the from the eyebrow center to the heart. Whichever two chakras are used, the inhalation is upwards, and the exhalation is downwards.

Nostrils: Place your attention at the bridge of the nostrils, feeling the touch of the air moving in and out of your nostrils. Coordinate the inhalation with the sound Sooooo... of the So Hum mantra. Coordinate the exhalation with the sound Hummmm... of the Soham mantra. If one nostril seems to be flowing less freely, it is good to place the attention on that nostril. When both nostrils flow freely, there is a joy that comes, and the mind wants only to do meditation. It is called sandhya, the wedding of the sun and the moon (ha and tha of hatha), of ida and pingala, the left and right energies of the subtle body. This allows energy to flow in the central channel sushumna.

All three methods above: Sequentially do each of the three practices above with So Hum mantra, starting with breath awareness at the diaphragm, followed by the breath along the spine, and then breath awareness at the bridge of the nostrils. Divide the time approximately evenly between the three, or however feels comfortable and natural. Remember, the difference between the So Hum mantra methods is the placement of your attention, while you continue to breathe smoothly, quietly, and with no pauses between breaths.

Training the breath:

As you allow your mind to flow with the Soham Mantra, also gently train your breath। This breath training has a tremendous effect on calming the mind.
No pause: Allow there to be no pauses between breaths। Inhalation naturally, smoothly transitions into exhalation, and exhalation naturally transitions into inhalation.
Silent: The breath itself is quiet, with the sound of the mantra only remembered internally.
No jerkiness: Gradually eliminate any jerkiness or irregularities, so that the breath is smooth. The bumps in the breath come from the mind, and calming the breath will in turn calm the mind. Slow: A comfortably slow breath is very beneficial। The rate of the mantra in the recording will bring your breath to a comfortable rate.
Diaphragmatic: Breathe with the diaphragm muscle, the large muscle connected all the way around the inside of the lower rib cage. The muscles of the lower abdomen and the upper chest are not needed to breathe diaphragmatically.

Chakra Meditation - Bhuta Shuddhi (Purifying the 5 Elements), by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Bhuta Shuddi is an ancient Chakra Meditation of Yoga and Tantra practice through which the five elements (bhutas) are balanced or purified (shuddhi). This is a very useful practice, whether you think of it as preparation for Kundalini awakening, or simply as a practice for feeling balanced, centered, or tranquil, etc. (One of the two foundations of Yoga is Abhyasa, practices seeking of tranquility; Yoga Sutras). For the Chakra Meditation of Bhuta Shuddhi, it is necessary to understand how the five elements relate to the chakras. The five bhutas are the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space, and they operate in conjunction with the lower five chakras (at subtle level they are called tanmatras, which are part of tattvas, or subtle constituents). The sixth chakra is of mind, and is beyond or prior to the bursting forth of space, air, fire, water, and finally earth. Consciousness itself (or whatever you want to call it) is prior to, or the source of manifestation of mind, and is the seventh chakra (surely there are other chakras, including between sixth and seventh, but the bhuta shuddhi practice itself need not focus directly on these).
Alignment of the five elements: The five elements align with, and operate from the five lower chakras, along with the ten indriyas and a seed mantra for each।. In systematic Chakra Meditation, you progressively move attention through the chakras, along with awareness of the nature of each chakra.
Method of practicing Chakra Meditation - Bhuta Shuddhi: There may be many methods of purifying the five elements, ranging from meditative practices (including Yoga Nidra) to various forms of ritualistic practices. With some reflection it makes sense how it is that many practices might have such an effect. The Chakra Meditation method presented below (Bhuta Shuddhi) works directly with attention on the chakras, balancing the subtle forces of the five elements through the use of the bija (seed) mantras of the chakras. Before doing the Chakra Meditation - Bhuta Shuddhi practice itself, it is useful to do some stretches or hatha asanas (postures) followed by some form of physical and psychic relaxation practices. This helps prepare the mind to be able to focus on the chakras.

TANTRA

Tantra is a holistic approach to the study of the universe from the point of view of the individual: the study of the macrocosm through the study of the microcosm. Tantra draws on all the sciences - astronomy, astrology, numerology, physiognomy, physics, chemistry, alchemy, Ayurveda (the traditional medicine of India), psychology, mathematics, geometry, and so on - to provide a practical means of realizing the highest ideals of philosophy in daily life. Instead of separating and categorizing the different areas of human knowledge, Tantra draws them together. Tantra studies the tree of life itself instead of limiting itself to any single branch of the tree. This tree is a microcosm, a great organization of diverse elements linked together by a unifying law (dharma) that is inherent in their very nature. Tantra seeks to understand this law. The aim of Tantra is to expand awareness in all states of consciousness, whether waking state, dream state or sleep state. To accomplish this we need a kind of "deprogramming" and "reprogramming" of our human computer. Our birth in a particular place and time gives us our primary programming, influenced by heredity and environment. If we are content with the results and live our lives without too many problems, then we will see no need for change. But when we experience great difficulties in life or begin to seek something beyond our limited "program" then we need a way to alter it. Tantra provides the methodology and the tools for this work. Tantra teaches us to identify the various factors that influence our thoughts and feelings and to transcend the obstacles to our evolution arising from ignorance, intolerance, attachment to our animal nature, and selfishness. By refining our thoughts and feelings by means of these Tantra practices, we learn to create peace, harmony, and order within ourselves and the external world. Tantra thus promotes a one-pointedness and centeredness that help us to free the consciousness from limitations. The universe is a product of two opposites: the static principle (rest, shaktiman, powerholder, Shiva) and the dynamic principle (movement, energy, power, creativity, Shakti). The external part of everything is the creative aspect, and inside every dynamic creation is the static aspect. The play of Shakti has no beginning or end. Although it is restless, the energy moves in an orderly cycle, alternating periods of motion and rest. Energy undergoes many changes, gets distorted and then it reorganizes itself during the period of rest. Thus a continuous process of creation, preservation and destruction, reorganization and re-creation goes on forever. Tantra believes that as long as the phenomenal world exists, it is the Universal Mother who is the creator, preserver and destroyer. Thus in Tantra she should be worshipped as an aspect of the Divine. The motivating force behind this eternal play of the illusory world of phenomena is the power of desire (ichcha-shakti). This desire is present in the one who is without attributes, the nameless and formless aspect of the divine (Brahman). Tantra accepts desire as the prime motivating force of the universe, so it does not ask its' aspirants to renounce desire. Many other spiritual sciences advise the avoidance of desire, which they claim leads to bondage and is an obstacle to achieving higher consciousness. They try to overcome desire through ascetism. Yet one is left with the paradox that to achieve desirelessness, one must have a strong desire to be without desire.
Tantra asserts that desires are natural and that as long as we are embodied, we will have them. Our sense organs serve as windows through which desires enter. The constant presence of desire arouses a yearning and love for the desired object. Most desires center on the physical body and its comforts. People become slaves to their instincts, which constitute the lower part of the personality and fall prey to agitation, loneliness, anxiety, dissatisfaction, selfishness and misery. Tantra offers practical tools for reprogramming the mind and our desires. By means of physical and ritual cleaning, breathing exercises (pranayama), contemplation, visualization (of yantras and deities), repetition of a mantra (mantra japa), Tantra helps to unfold our divine nature.