Meditation Made Easy Page 10

  What Sabrina was doing was playing with the mantric quality of speech, meaning the vibration itself and how it feels in the human body. The main difference between her playing and your meditating with a mantra is that in meditation, you let the mantra fade away and then follow it into the silence, whereas Sabrina was much more interested in dancing with the sound. One thing I learned from her that day was how much OM there is in MOM and MOMMY, something I'd never realized before. OM, as you may know, is one of the great mantras used in yoga and all the Himalayan meditation traditions, including the Tibetan.

  In meditation, one tool or technique you can use is listening to the sounds of the alphabet in a special way. Basically, you think a vowel or syllable and let your attention synchronize with its rhythms; then you listen to it fade away. The sound gives you something to focus on that is pleasing in the way that music is pleasing, making you more aware of the silence that comes afterward. In this way, you learn to be alert to emptiness and silence.

  Sound is handy for setting up a condition of “delicious underloading of the senses” that is so enjoyable in meditation. You can hum or think a sound at any level, then sit back as it fades. The next few paragraphs show you how to do that. Letting a sound remind you of silence is one of those things that's easier done than said.

  Quietly and leisurely, say the vowels and let yourself become comfortable with them. You use them constantly in speaking and thinking, but take a moment to get used to them in a meditative mood. Explore various ways of saying and thinking the vowel sounds. Notice that you can think a sound, then listen, and there is a feeling of the sound's echo or afterglow.

  Identify the vowel sounds you feel best with and make a note of them, for you will use those sounds to construct your mantras. When you think in words, the sound is there but you usually are not listening to it; you are aware of the meaning of the words. In mantra meditation, you use the ability to think in words and the auditory sensory pathway as a focus for attention.

  As with listening to music, feeling subtle sensations and vibrations in the body has a strong kinesthetic component.

  Technique

  CHANT THE VOWELS

  TIME: 1 minute to 5 minutes.

  WHERE: Anywhere you don't mind being heard.

  Chant the vowels of any language you know, in any order. Have an attitude of curious exploration and simple pleasure. It helps to give yourself permission to feel childlike and mischievous.

  After you get some vowels going, begin to pay attention to the roundness of the sounds, and to the movement in your mouth as you shape the sounds. It's fun.

  Each vowel resonates in a different place in your skull and in your body.

  Stay with one pitch and slide through the vowels.

  Then let the tone change, like a song, and play with going up and down.

  If you are playful, you will probably make up your own variations. Experiment with chanting softly, then really belting it out.

  Add any consonants you like. For example, if you are chanting “Ah,” notice what happens if you add y to get a “Yah” sound. If you are chanting e sounds or i sounds, feel what happens when you add mmmm or n.

  In English, -ing is added to many verbs to indicate ongoing action. Chant-ing, breath-ing, sing-ing, play-ing. Check out what happens to your chant when you add the “ing” sound to any vowel.

  Many people find that chanting the vowels clears the head in just a minute. It is refreshing, relaxing, and energizing. Letting the voice relax helps make ordinary speaking seem more pleasurable.

  Variations

  LISTEN TO SILENCE

  TIME: Half an hour.

  WHEN: At four in the morning, or in nature (for example, in the mountains), or in a silent cathedral.

  Silence has a music to it. You can sometimes hear it when you are in a silent area of nature. Sometimes you can hear it in the still time several hours before dawn, even in an urban area.

  Do a breathing awareness technique or any other meditation to get in.

  Then simply listen. Put your attention into your ears, very gently. In the silence, the ears seem to open up and become intensely receptive.

  The silence can seem like a hum, a vibration, a pure clear emptiness that is somehow harmonious, or simply vast.

  People describe it as sweet, clarifying, musical, comforting, slightly terrifying, electrifying, and enlightening.

  Sometimes it's like a prolonged “ing” sound, or high-pitched “eee” sounds, or a hiss. (The sound is different from tinnitus, which is a ringing in the ears caused by nerve damage or high blood pressure.)

  LISTEN TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MUSIC IN THE WORLD

  TIME: 10 to 30 minutes.

  Scout out the most beautiful music available to you. You can select pieces you already love, or you could make a project of asking everyone you know, “What is the most beautiful music you have ever heard?” Include in your hunt the resources available in your community: concerts, recitals, choirs, temple services, the records and tapes in libraries.

  Then arrange to be able to listen to this music, every day for a week if you can. If you have access to a sound system, get enough music for ten minutes to half an hour a day for a week. The ideal would be to have an appointment with yourself to listen every day, at the same time of day if possible, and to continue for about seven days. Do what you can. If you do not have a sound system, maybe you know someone who has a good one and a collection of music, and you could go there.

  If you are in a room with a stereo, sit in a comfortable chair in the sweet spot, if you can. Or sit between the speakers. Arrange not to be disturbed, and make a commitment to stay with the exercise, to stay attentive and with your feelings, no matter what happens. Open your ears and heart to the music and let yourself melt.

  As you listen, give over with your entire being to the movement of the music. Surrender to the rhythm. Give your body to the melody and the pulse. Let the music carry you away.

  Listen at moderate volume part of the time. Then listen at low volume, then at extremely low volume for one or two minutes. Then sit and simply listen to the silence for about three minutes.

  Sit upright and fairly erect the whole time you are listening. If you want to, check in with your breathing as you listen, but mostly, let the music be your meditation.

  You could use classical music of any kind, chanting, jazz, Brazilian, or anything else that is to your taste. But see if you can explore new realms.

  In doing this simple exercise, you will develop good habits that will carry over into your other meditations. You will also work through some of the obstacles you might encounter in meditation. Because you are just listening to music, you are less likely to try to resist thoughts or emotions; the music will just carry you. You also will give yourself a chance to get used to sitting in a chair being in rapture for an appointed time.

  This is an excellent way to begin meditation, and you can do it for a week, a month, a year, a lifetime. The total attentiveness during, and the silence after, makes it meditative.

  AH HUM MEDITATION

  TIME: 5 to 10 minutes.

  Sit upright in a comfortable position. It is preferable to have back support and for the feet to be flat on the floor.

  Let the eyes rest while looking ahead and slightly downward. Then let the gaze expand. Allow your peripheral vision to open up to perceive the space to the left and right and above and below. When your eyes feel like it, allow them to close, and for a few moments continue to appreciate the sense of space around you. Resonance takes place in space, as when you are singing in the shower.

  Remember a time when you said Hmmmm, or call up the experience of saying Hmmmm to yourself in a natural way, so that you know this is a sound originating from within yourself. Play with the sound a little, and listen with your body for where it resonates and where you would like it to resonate.

  Then add one or more of the vowels, a, e, i, o, u, to the middle. Ham, heem, hiem, hom, hoom, hum. Explore which of th
ese appeals to you the most. Give primacy to discovering which of the sounds or combinations pleasure you. There will be a sense of charm, or pleasure. The choice is the same as when you select certain pieces of music to play. All beings know what music they like. Wolves and whales know what sounds they want to sing. Feel free to follow your instincts. As you play with sounds, you will start to get familiar with a sense of guidance from within your own body. It is very simple, just the sense of pleasure or comfort or excitement of the sounds. Sounds can be relaxing and exciting at the same time.

  Select any two or three of these sounds (such as ee-ah-um) that strike your fancy and say them to yourself quietly for a minute. End with the…mmmm sound, but begin with anything you like.

  Continue saying the sounds softly, listening to the rhythm and music of the vowels. Let yourself feel the resonance of the humming in your body.

  Allow the outward sound to fade away as you continue to listen to it inwardly. Simply intend that the sound continue, but do not put any effort into it. Be willing for it to continue or not. If it continues, you enjoy the quiet vibration of the sounds; if not, enjoy the silence. The effort in this step is less than the effort of moving your eyes to read this page. It is a simple intention that the mantra, or the resonance of it, or the hum of it, continue. Then you simply listen to the mantra, or to the way it changes, or to the absence of the mantra. It's okay for the mantra to go away. At that point, do what you want; do you want to listen to the absence of the mantra, perhaps a sense of inner quiet, or do you want to listen to the mantra some more?

  Let any part of the sounds expand or contract—that is, take a longer or a shorter time phrase. If your sound is am-ah-hum, then the central “ah” could go on and on at times, as if you will never get to the “hum.” That's fine. It's also okay if you think the mantra once at the beginning of the meditation, then don't think it again for five minutes. Just pay attention to the space between sounds. Be that leisurely. There is no rush to return to the sound, and there is no rush to finish a thought you may be absorbed in.

  Continue this way for five minutes. Then check to see that there is no strain anywhere in your body and that you are not furrowing your brow to concentrate. Make sure that you are not trying to block out thoughts or outside noises.

  Over a period of days, you can increase your time from five to ten minutes. As long as you feel easy during meditation and great afterward, you can go on for up to twenty minutes—although I would prefer that you take at least a month to reach that level. I don't recommend ever going longer than twenty minutes. Sound meditations are intensely relaxing and awakening, and gradualness is everything. You want to take your time getting used to the intensity of relaxation that this type of meditation can produce.

  Variations

  RA-MA MEDITATION

  It can take several weeks to get into the Ra-Ma meditation. Proceed with infinite leisure. Do one step until it becomes automatic, then proceed to the next.

  In ancient Sanskrit literature, this meditation would be described in one sentence: Meditate on Ra in the area of the top of the mouth; meditate on Ma in the area just behind the genitals. Here is what it looks like as a step-by-step instruction.

  As you breathe in, notice how delicate the touch of air is as it flows over your sensitive membranes. Everywhere breath flows, molecules of you reach out to meet molecules of the air, sampling and savoring it. Breathe in your normal way; simply pay special attention on the inbreath, and rest on the outbreath. Your body is already alert to the blessing of the incoming air, so simply be with that alertness. Join with your body as it rejoices in the gift of life.

  Give yourself a few minutes to fall in love with the inbreath.

  Then, when it feels natural to do so, let the attention rest in the open space of the mouth. Even with the mouth closed, there is a womb there, an open space capable of generation. It can generate speech and sound. The mouth shimmers with potential, with everything yet unsaid or unsung. Enjoy that empty space between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. As you get used to attention resting in the mouth, feel around for where specifically it likes to rest: the top of the tongue? the roof of the mouth? the back of the throat? Give yourself a chance to discover.

  There are in the body many little centers of delight; they are like sofas for attention to rest on—places you can snuggle into, places that attract attention for any reason, places where the sensations are somehow different.

  One of them is in the top of the mouth, the palette, and from there it extends upward into the brain.

  Another is the area of the body around the genitals. Breathing with awareness, notice where in the vicinity of the genitals your awareness can rest. Is it in the genitals themselves or in the space just behind them? As you continue breathing, allow your attention to be attracted to that subtly delightful area. These may be the same areas that call out to be touched in lovemaking. They may be areas you have not discovered yet. They may be areas that you want to have touched only by breath. Remember, meditation is an embrace of everything human, all of yourself, everywhere in your body. You are in the privacy of your own body; no one else knows what you are feeling.

  Get used to alternating attention between the mouth or palette and the genitals. Take as much time as you want to get used to this: days, weeks, months, years. Over time, allow this alternating to go with the breath. Again, this may take time. You have time. Proceed with infinite leisure.

  Consider the sound “Ahh.” Open the mouth slightly and let “Ahhhhhhhh” resonate in your mouth. Or you could use the sound “Raa.” It is the sound the Egyptians used for the sun god. The “rrr” sound adds a little juice. Use whichever you wish.

  Now let the “Ahhh” sound or the “Raaa” sound be internal, something you hear inside, with subvocal speech.

  Consider the sound “Ma” or “Maaaa.” Give yourself time to become intimate with this sound. It is easy for babies to make. It is the primordial sound of the feminine. Then rest and enjoy the flow of breath. At each step, ease off and rest in yourself, then proceed. This way, you will not develop the habit of concentrating. You want to let your attention get the feeling of enjoyment and ease at each and every step. You proceed with such leisure that the mind of itself wants to move to the next step.

  In some moment when you have been enjoying all the above, let attention sway between Ra and Ma, the mouth and the genitals area. Be alert to the vibrations of Ra in the mouth and Ma in the genitals.

  Explore the alignment of your head. Sometimes leaning forward slightly makes for a more intense experience.

  Then begin to pause at the end of the inbreath and savor the vibrations.

  Exhale and pause and attend to the vibrations.

  NOTE

  Getting into Attention

  PAYING ATTENTION WITH LOVE

  Meditation is a lot about attention, all the ins and outs of it. Paying attention is similar to loving—if you love someone, or something, you have attention for her or him or it. It is a delight to pay attention. It's easy.

  The word attention is etymologically related to tenderness. Attention, tender, tend to it.

  In the outer world, we pay attention: we are interested, we feel wonder, appreciation, curiosity. When you pay attention to yourself, you use the same attention and let attention be tender. Loving attention is a tender appreciation of your humanity—all the paradoxes and complexities of your incarnation.

  Enrich your attention continually. Let yourself learn to love from everything you do: music, art, literature, love relationships, meditation, children, playtime, parties, study. You can learn to love yourself and be tender toward yourself by having friendships with people who are healthy human beings.

  MEDITATION IS BEING WITH WHAT YOU LOVE

  Meditation techniques are ways of paying attention to life that you never tire of. It's obvious, if you think about it. How else could people meditate for years? All meditation techniques are derived from ways of paying attention that worked so
well, that were so delightful, that someone just fell into them naturally. Meditation is not rocket science. It is surrender to love. What are meditation techniques? Breath, listening to internal music, paying attention to light and to the Light of Awareness, movement itself. Meditation techniques are things you would delight to attend to for years.

  The whole idea of a breath meditation is to fall in love with breath. Love is a state of perceiving great value in the beloved. In meditation great value is experienced in the things everyone takes for granted: the air we breathe, space, sound, light, movement, gravity, existence.

  Always remember, have it as your touchstone, that meditation is being with that which you love. Your path in meditation will emerge from exploring what it is you love to pay attention to. The skills of attention are the skills of rapport and intimacy with the self.

  WHAT DO YOU REALLY LOVE?

  What do you really love doing? What images, activities, people, come to mind? What remembered sense impressions do you hear or feel?

  It could be anything. You could be in any time of your life past or present, in any country, alone or with someone or many people. Go with whatever pops into your mind right now and let the memory become vivid.

  Which of your senses are most active? Which senses bring you the greatest joy? What do your eyes see, your ears hear, your body feel when you are in the midst of that joy? Let yourself become completely immersed in the experience. Take as long as you like.