Sadhana Guide: For Pilgrims to Kauai’s Hindu Monastery

`9. Preparation for Meditation Sadhana`

Sadhana Practice§

The seven-step preparation for meditation is designed to withdraw your energies from external consciousness at the beginning of a meditation. It is to be done utilizing the Shum-Tyeif language. The seven steps are: 1) Assume a meditation posture with a straight spine and head balanced on top of the spine. 2) Regulate the breathing through a simple pranayama. 3) Feel the warmth of the body. 4) Feel the nerve system of the body. 5) Feel the spiritual energy in the center of your spine. 6) Withdraw energy into the spine. 7) Experience awareness aware of itself. §

Coming out of meditation, we perform this process in reverse beginning by feeling the power of the spine. §

A fuller explanation, including the Shum-Tyeif name for each step, is given below in the Supplementary Reading.§

Quote from Gurudeva§

Meditation is a long journey, a pilgrimage into the mind itself. Generally we become aware that there is such a thing as meditation after the material world has lost its attraction to us and previous desires no longer bind us to patterns of fear, greed, attachment and ramification. We then seek through philosophy and religion to answer the questions, “Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?” §

Supplementary Reading§

Twelve Shum Meditations, Part Four: Preparation for Meditation§

`Going In`

līshūmnambī §

MEANING: Ideal meditation posture, in which the spine is straight and the head is balanced on top of the spine. §

PRACTICE: Sit with the spine straight and the head balanced on top of the spine. Inwardly observe this posture and adjust the body to be poised and comfortable. Feel the muscles, bones and the nerve system. This posture is possible sitting in a chair, on a cushion, or on your knees. Ideally, a competent meditator will be able to cross the legs for meditation, either in full or half lotus. The hands are held in the lap, the right hand resting on the left, tips of the thumbs touching softly. In all cases, the posture should be natural and easy, and not cause discomfort, which is distracting during meditation. Look inwardly at the currents of the body. Observe their flow. §

BREATHING: Breathe from the diaphragm in a relaxed manner without counting.§

kalībasa §

MEANING: Regulated, diaphragmatic breathing, known in Sanskrit as pranayama. §

PRACTICE: Become aware of your breathing and consciously regulate it. Eyes are slightly open, crossed and looking at the nose.§

BREATHING: Breathe with the diaphragm, expanding the abdomen when you inhale, rather than the chest. On the inhalation, slowly count to nine, hold one count, then count to nine again as you exhale, softly contracting the abdomen as you expel the air. Breathe through the nose. The exhalation should be the same length as the inhalation. At first, the count may be faster than the heartbeat, but as the meditation continues, the two should ideally become synchronized.§

VISUALIZATION: While counting the breath, mentally pronounce and simultaneously see the colors of the first eighteen images of Shūm, the first nine with the inbreath and the second nine with the outbreath. This sādhana is called sīflīmf in Shūm. The colors are: ī, bright yellow; , soft pink; ing, soft blue; ling, bright turquoise; lī, bright violet; nī, rich yellow, ka, rich turquoise; sim, bright pink; vūm, rich purple; reh, bright orange; tyē, rich orange; ā, rich blue; bī, bright blue; ū, soft ivory; na, soft green; sī, bright red; dī, bright green; shūm, soft lavender.§

ālīkaiīshūm §

MEANING: The kuṇḍalinī’s psychic heat felt as meditation begins.§

PRACTICE: Feel the warmth of the body, in the head, through the torso, the hands and the legs. Begin by locating ālīkaiīshūm inside the body, then gradually become conscious of it emanating out through the skin.§

BREATHING: Continue the same count. On the inhalation, slowly count to nine, hold one count, then count to nine again as you exhale, softly contracting the abdomen as you expel the air.§

līūnasī §

MEANING: The feeling of energy, your life force, flowing through the network of nerves within your physical and subtle bodies. These nerves are called nāḍīs in Sanskrit.§

PRACTICE: Feel your nerve system, all those thousands of miles of nerve currents throughout the body and the psychic nerve system within and around the body. Feel the energy flowing through this vast network. §

BREATHING: Continue the same count. On the inhalation, slowly count to nine, hold one count, then count to nine again as you exha le, softly contracting the abdomen as you expel the air.§

simshūmbīsī» §

MEANING: Simshūmbīsī» names the area of fourteen strong psychic nerve currents of the subsuperconscious state of mind running along the spinal column. Simshūmbīsī» is often referred to as the source of all life energies within man. As a command used in meditation, it refers to the yoga of feeling the actinic energy within the spine. This is the pure life force flowing through the spine out into the nerve system.§

PRACTICE: Become aware of the actinic energy within the center of your spine. If necessary, move the torso back and forth slightly to locate the spine. Do not try to manipulate the spinal forces, such as lifting the kuṇḍalinī, rather simply become conscious of the already-existing power within the spine.§

BREATHING: Breathe in a normal and relaxed manner without counting.§

nīkashūm §

MEANING: The yoga of withdrawing the energy into the spine through the use of prāṇāyāma, breath control. §

PRACTICE: Draw the energy from the five senses inward and upward in a systematic way. On the first inbreath, bring awareness into the left leg, all the way to the toes, and on the outbreath slowly withdraw the energy from that leg into the spine. Repeat with the right leg, left arm (all the way to the fingertips), right arm and finally the torso (from the base of the spine slowly upward through the entire torso).§

BREATHING: Breathe in a normal and relaxed manner without counting.§

kaīf» §

MEANING: The singling out of your pure awareness, allowing for the prolonged experience of being aware of being aware.§

PRACTICE: Be aware of just being aware. Achieving this, you will be aware without any object, feeling or thought. Experience kaīf» even for a brief time, and you feel renewed, clear-minded, centered.§

BREATHING: Breathe in a normal and relaxed manner without counting.§

In coming out of meditation the steps are repeated in reverse order. The return to normal consciousness through these same steps is quicker than the internalizing practice. §

simshūmbīsī» §