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The meditations I use in group-guided sessions are dependent on a proficiency in some basic procedures (techniques, or exercises) that develop within one a deeper capacity to know, to feel, and to act in the meditative state. I here list these basic procedures and in the next text the meditations that are built upon them. [All these methods are copyrighted by Hari, Robert Campagnola, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and may not be reproduced without acknowledgment of their source.]

Techniques:

* Relaxation: The first, foremost, essential, necessary, and most satisfying procedure is that which begins all meditations -- relaxation. Without being totally relaxed and free from stress, demands, anxiety and so on, one cannot concentrate on expanding awareness and deepening consciousness. Relaxation is the key to all progress and if one is proficient in the art of relaxing alone, one can make great progress. In this technique, one sits still, lets go of all tension, and simply is. In such a state one can do any of the following procedures and mediations. One can do it sitting, standing, reclining, or in the lotus posture. One starts at the top of the head and relaxes each and every part of the body from the top down. It is too long to repeat here in words; therefore creating an instructional recording is essential to learn this technique. The essence of it is to have relaxation flow down from the top of the head through the whole body and out the holes that are created at the end of the toes where Mother Earth absorbs all stress and tension.

* Brain Balancing: Most of us have unfortunately developed a distinct division between the right and left side of our brains. This delineation causes, respectively, segregation between the female intuitive functions and the male rational functions of the brain. In an aware and healthy state, this division does not exist. It is very useful for our development to integrate these two hemispheres. In this technique one moves a small, ping-pong like ball in a semicircle from one ear to the other over the top of the head, but within the brain itself. In other words, one moves this small ball from one side of the brain to the other and by so doing strengthens the brain and integrates the two halves. It is very effective and one even feels somewhat tired after doing it. Therefore it is an exercise.

* Whole Body Ball Balancing: In this technique we do the same thing as the brain balancing but within the torso of our bodies from one side of the body to the other with a larger ball. One can send the ball directly from one side to the other and break down the barrier between the energies in our body (see "Whole Body Balancing" below).

* Feeling Energy: To do advanced visualizations, one has to know how to feel energy. We start this by learning to be aware of our hands. We let them hang by our sides and we concentrate on them and become fully aware of them. When we are fully aware of our hands, we can hold them facing each other about one foot apart and start to gradually bring them closer. At one point we should be able to feel the energy that is coming from both hands as a kind of force between them. This is the introduction to feeling energy. The next step is to stand in front of a person, just to their side, around 6 feet away, and gradually bring your right hand (if you are a right handed person) towards one of their chakras until you can feel their chakra energy. You can also stand face to face with someone and bring your hands towards their outstretched hands until you feel the energy from their hands. All of these techniques give one a taste for feeling the energy of other humans. When you get good at it you can feel the energy of other creatures and things.

* Chakra Breathing or Energy Sucking: A lot of meditations require that one move energy in the form of a color or an image from one place to another. Sometimes we bring energy in and sometimes send it out. Although this can be done with the hands, as we saw in the previous section, it is sometimes better to do it from a chakra directly. To bring energy into a chakra one can imagine, or visualize, that one is breathing into that chakra just as one breathes in through the nose. When we suck air into our lungs through the nose or mouth, we are creating a situation within us that moves the air where we want it. One can do essentially the same thing by sucking energy into a chakra. The exercise is to "breathe" through the chakra (but without the lungs and air!) by sucking in the energy that is available all around us into the chakra and then gradually letting it go out of the chakra. One can do this with each chakra in the body and it is a very good method of cleansing and balancing chakras. It is a wonderful way to become aware of one's own chakras and their functioning.

* Whole Body Balancing: Just as we suffer by not having an integrated brain function, we similarly suffer when one side of our body is energetically out of balance with the other. The feminine right side of the brain translates to the left side of the body and the masculine left side of the brain translates to the right side of the body. For the most part, men are stronger on their right side and weaker on the left and vice versa for the ladies. In this exercise we create a thin sheet that separates us in half, that is, a sheet that goes down through the middle of our heads and bodies to the floor. In this state of being divided in two, we bring energy into our crown chakra using the technique of chakra breathing or energy sucking. We then become aware of which side the energy is filling up. Again, most likely men will naturally fill up their right sides while women will naturally fill their left sides. Whichever side you fill is your strong side -- it does not have to be according to the norm. To create a balance in the body, you then suck the energy from the predominating side of the body to the weaker side and fill the weaker side with energy. Next, while holding the energy in the weaker side, bring down more energy through the crown chakra and fill the original side again completely. When you can no longer bring down more energy, dissolve the thin sheet that separates the two halves of the body and let the energy from both sides mix. You can also mix them a little yourself with the whole body ball, but usually they mix quite nicely all by themselves. Now relax, for your body is in a good energetic balance.

* Feel Your Body, Part 1: Many spiritualists feel that their bodies are an unimportant accessory to their spiritual development and therefore they do not consider them as significant parts of their spiritual energy. However, when one is aware of how the spiritual energy creates and flows within all aspects of our existence, connecting with our own body becomes a joy. In this technique, which is listed last since it turns into a meditation when done properly, one simply feels one's body. Feeling the parts of the body means to place all of one's awareness and concentration on that part and simply feel it. One is aware of how that part is situated, what sensation it feels, and its general state. Sitting comfortably in a chair, one starts by feeling the toes of each foot. One then feels the foot itself, the sole, the ankle, the calves, the shins, the knees and so on, part by part, until one gets to the top of the head. By feeling the body in this way, one comes in contact with it. Often the body gives us feedback as to what it needs, or the wrong things we are doing with it, or it even gives us some advice! By the time one reaches the top of the head, one is usually in a deep meditative state one would imagine only possible by meditating on something cosmic.

The next post will describe some meditations.

Here I will give a brief summary of the different meditations. All are done with the eyes closed unless otherwise stated. Having beautiful and peaceful meditation music helps enormously. I recommend certain of the CDs of Logos (Stephen Sircard) or Michele Pepe, all of which are available through our Russian publishing company.

Meditations

* Feeling: Stand with your arms to the side, slightly outstretched. Perform relaxation. Bring down white energy through the crown chakra (sahasrara) and fill your body with it. Do the same with gold energy. Do the same with pink energy. Feel yourself light and filled with love. Absorb the energy of love that is everywhere in the universe. Be aware of the energy of your heart. Feel the light and love in your heart. Visualize the person you love the most before you. Feel the love coming from them and send them your full love. Be secure in this love and thank them for it. Holding this love in your heart, think of the person who has hurt you the most in your life. Release all the pain associated with this person by letting go of it as you forgive them completely. Let the pain float off into space, never to return again. Fill yourself with love. Relax.

* Canceling the Negative of the Past (I Refuse to be a Prisoner of the Past!): Sit peacefully. Perform relaxation. When you are completely relaxed, intend that you will now erase the negative events of the past. Think of an event or action you did that was unacceptable to you. Own it. Cross out the image and feeling of that event with a very large painted white X. Let the event image fade away never to return again. Repeat this with every negative event in your life, with everything you have done that you considered wrong, and with every person who has hurt you or who you have hurt. Keep X'ing out all of these situations until you can no longer think of any more. Give thanks. Relax. Be Happy.

* The Meeting of Heaven and Earth: Standing position with arms slightly outstretched. Perform relaxation. Be aware of your root chakra (muladhara). Absorb the energy of Mother Earth into that chakra and bring it up to the solar plexis (manipura chakra). Hold it there. Absorb the energy from the cosmos through the crown chakra and bring it down to the solar plexus. Again recall the energy from Mother Earth. Let the energy of the heavens and the energy of the Earth meet in the solar plexus and merge. Be strong in the solar plexus. Give thanks to heaven and earth. Relax.

* The Tree: Standing position. Perform relaxation. Be aware of your root chakra (muladhara). Visualize yourself as a tree whose roots go from the root chakra down into the earth. Create a system of roots from the bottom of your tree-self into the earth that are thick and strong and that root you solidly into the earth. Feel totally grounded and in contact with the brown and fertile energy of the earth. Turning your attention upward, visualize your tree-self absorbing the rain and sun from above and that your branches and leaves are reaching out towards the sky in full bloom and glory. Stretch out as far as you can go. Now look upon your tree-self as a complete tree with solid and strong roots downward and a thick, luxurious green umbrella of branches and leaves above. Meditate on yourself as this beautiful tree and give thanks to the sun, rain, and earth. Relax.

* I Am: Sitting position or standing position. Perform relaxation. Be aware of your heart chakra and heart region. It is here that your energy center, your spiritual essence is strongest. Visualize energy coming out of your heart as an effulgence of colors and light rays. See it spreading out in all directions with a dazzling array of shining vibration. This is your energy; this is you. Simply feel this. Say deep within your heart three times, "I AM." Understand that you are that essence within. Stay in this state for as long as you can. After some time, before you lose this feeling, simply open your eyes and stay in this state as long as you can with wide-awake awareness.

* Creating a Pyramid Space: Sitting position. Relax. Create around you a pyramid with lines or poles attached to each other at the corners. Have the pyramid end with its peak somewhat over your head. Make sure it is a proper pyramid shape. It does not have to be solid but must have its form delineated by lines or poles or something that you can keep constant. You are sitting in the middle of this pyramid. You feel safe and secure in this pyramid. No one and nothing can enter into this space unless you wish. Feel powerful in your pyramid. Bring down power into your pyramid from the heavens. Fill the space within the pyramid with power. Next, fill the space with beautiful colored crystals that flow around you like snow and fill the space completely. Sit within the beautiful colors and vibrations of these soft crystals. Absorb this energy. Think of those who you love the most. Let their love enter your pyramid. Offer them your love from that pyramid. Sit there as long as you want. Relax, and open your eyes keeping that pyramid around you.

* Drop in the Lake: This meditation is very hard to do alone. It is meant to reveal to you your innermost desire that is often hidden to you by requesting the heavens to send information about this desire in the form of a raindrop. The purpose is to be aware of your deepest desire. Sitting or lying position. Relax. Imagine yourself going to a most wonderful place. Create through visualization a lake that is crystal clear and warm and calm. All around this lake are mountains filled with green trees and flowering plants. The mountains around the lake all end at the lake so the lake is totally surrounded by mountains and no one or nothing can come there. You are lying within this lake, floating on the water. Feel totally secure and peaceful. Feel that the lake is an extension of your consciousness. Become one with the water in the lake and feel your consciousness expand into the water. Float peacefully without any desire or expectation. Do not visualize or create anything, but simply let one drop of rain fall into the lake from the heavens whenever the heavens let the drop fall. This drop contains that which you desire the most. Feel what the drop is and understand what it is telling you of your own deepest desire. Respect that revelation. Come out of the meditation back to where you sit or lay.

* Kundalini Awareness: Sitting position, but with a very straight spine. Relax. There is a place halfway between the anus and genital and about one or one and a half inches up where the kundalini resides. Be aware of that place. Feel the energy there like a ping-pong ball in size. Simply be aware of the energy that resides dormant there by concentrating fully on that place without any deviation. When you feel it very strongly and are very aware of the power there, gradually bring that energy up the back of your spine to the solar plexus area. Let is stay there and energize the solar plexus. Do not do more than this now. Release this energy and relax. On another occasion, repeat the same procedure but bring the kundalini energy as you can up to the throat chakra. If you can do this easily, continue until the energy flows out the top of your head. Allow the energy to flow out the top of your head and to fall down around the sides of your body. Absorb that energy again into the place where from where it comes and continue to experience this in a type of fountain of energy that is flowing up, out, around and down into its resting place. Do this for some time. Relax.

* Kundalini Chakra Cleansing: Sit, relax and be aware of the kundalini center as in the previous meditation. Bring the kundalini energy up to the solar plexus (manipura chakra) and let it fully energize that chakra. Bring it up to the throat chakra, vishuddhi, and let it fully energize that chakra. Bring the energy out of the throat chakra and send it outside your body to the solar plexus chakra in a loop that goes back up the spine to the throat chakra. Keep this energy loop going for some time till you feel you have done it enough. Create another loop between the ajna chakra (forehead) and the manipura (solar plexus) and keep this going for some time. Let the kundalini energy return to its source as you relax.

* Feel Your Body, Part 2: Download the meditation that is available on the lectures download page of this web site. The complete meditation is there. It includes many of the previously described techniques and meditation.

Next: Tuning