Basic Meditation Questions Answered

By Vishal | No Comments

One of the local TV channels recently interviewed my guruji. Here’s an excerpt of the interview in which he answers basic meditation questions.

Question: We have seen many people sitting with closed eyes. Is this meditation? Then what is meditation?

Guruji: When you close your eyes and sit still, then your mind gets dragged from the outer world to your inner self. Once in your inner world, the thoughts reduce and slowly by practice, you reach a thoughtless state. This thoughtless state is meditation. Only the awareness that “I am living today, now and here” remains. This is meditation. But we cannot say that all those who sit with closed eyes do meditation. Only those people who live in their day to day life with non-attachment can attain this state.

Question: What are the simple techniques to reduce thoughts during meditation?

Guruji: The time, place, surroundings and the natural environments should be congenial to meditation. It is best to meditate in the early morning before sunrise on empty stomach. One can reach thoughtless state easily if one gets up in the Brahma Muhurta (4 to 6 am), attends nature’s call, bath etc., drinks water does yogasana and pranayama and then sits for meditation. Majority of yogis believe that doing Kapala Bhati, Nadi Shodhana or Anuloma-Viloma pranayama before meditation is better. As the local environment casts a lot of influence on your meditation, it is essential to choose a quiet place with fresh air.

Question: Would you please tell us something about the appropriate sitting posture, place and time for doing meditation?

Guruji: A meditator should sit erect so that the spinal chord will be straight and perpendicular. Appropriate postures are:

Padmasana – Site erect with head straight. Keep the palm on both knees and do Jnana Mudra by joining fore finger to the thumb and close your eyes. This is the best pose. You can also keep your hands one upon another on your lap.
Vajrasana – One can also sit in Vajrasana and meditate.

If these two asanas are not possible, you can choose Ardha Padmasana or Sukhasana. If you are not well and cannot sit on the floor, you can use a chair, but sit straight without leaning on the back of the chair with feet on the floor and hands on your thighs. Among these, there is nothing like the best pose and the worst pose. You select whichever is convenient to you depending upon the nature of your body.

Most appropriate time for meditating is when the mind is calm and peaceful. If the stomach is empty, it is better, and there should be good ventilation and availability of fresh air.

Question: Whether children can meditate?

Guruji: Certainly children too can meditate. After the age 8-10 they can practice meditation. Trataka Dhyana, concentrating on the flame of a candle is good for children. By this, their intelligence, memory power and patience increases.

Question: Whether Guru is necessary for meditation?

Guruji: It is the tradition of the Himalayan yogis to receive “Ghyana Deeksha” (Initiation) from a suitable Guru. Due to this, will power and interest in meditation certainly increases. Meditation without Guru may deviate towards fickle mindedness. Guru is not utterly necessary. But is the belief of Indians that any learning without a proper Guru is incomplete.

Sri Devababa, fondly called Guruji by his devotees, heads the Shri Shakti Darshan Yogashram in Kinnigoli, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.

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