These exercises are more advanced than simply sitting in silence, but are not so advanced as to be reserved for those who have made a serious commitment to meditation. If you are finding them beneficial and would like to take the next step, you might want to check out organizations that teach advanced techniques. I have been using techniques for almost forty years that were taught to me by Self Realization Fellowship (founded by Paramahansa Yogananda) and love them very much, but there are certainly many other techniques available. If you would like to try mine you can get lessons at http://www.yogananda-srf.org/tmp/meditation.aspx
While meditation in the Managed Stage was about learning the basics and using it to relax, it is time to direct the efforts toward much deeper results. To do that, we need to explore more advanced techniques as well as a more committed approach to them. One such advanced technique is called “The Practice of the Presence of Peace.” The idea is based on the practices of Brother Lawrence, a 17th century Carmelite monk.
Practicing the presence of peace means to not just cultivate it during your meditations, but to hold on to it throughout the day, returning to meditation whenever you feel it has gone away.
As one gets skilled at simpler forms of meditation, the ability to focus becomes strong. As you develop the power to focus it can be directed at the flow of energy and information itself. Pranayama is an ancient Yoga technique for exactly that purpose. Pranayama means control of the energy in the body, and its direction upward through the spine to the brain. Practicing it gives you direct control of the very source of the problem. It is the most direct approach to turning bipolar disorder into Bipolar IN Order.
Many people think that Pranayama means to control the breath. It is understandable how such a conclusion could be made, since beginning exercises focus on the breath and its relationship to the flow of energy in the body. Although focusing on the breath will lead to some control of Prana, it is more effective to focus on the flow of Prana itself.
The breathing exercises in this lesson are simple forms of Pranayama. Practicing them will help you to gain control of the flow of energy and information directly and may be the most powerful tools in your toolkit.
We have all had the experience where we were so engaged with thoughts or a project that we didn’t even hear something. It is as if our sense mechanism was disconnected. Unfortunately, we had no control over it happening and it could have created a problem. Wouldn’t it be great if you could learn to do it at will? You can.
The concept of disconnecting our senses has been around for a very long time. It is called Pratyahara. Pratyahara is from the oldest language known to man called Sanskrit. Those who created the word were highly developed at achieving such an ability and developed many methods to do it.
Pratyahara is one of the key steps in Patanjali’s Eightfold path to enlightenment written around 500 B.C. It is also one of the keys to achieving Bipolar Self-Mastery. Being able to completely control the flow of energy and information to the point of shutting it off entirely is one of the most powerful tools there are.
A companion exercise to Pratyahara is to be able to do the opposite while holding on to peace at the same time. The goal of Self-Mastery is to be able to experience every flow of energy and information and have the ability to choose how to react to it, not simply make it go away. Practicing the Presence of Peace during that flow gives you that power. The combination of Pratyahara and Practicing the Presence of Peace gives you complete control over every experience.
Comments are closed.