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We unravel the profound mysteries of Sri Vidya with the guidance of Swami Jagadatmananda Saraswati. Swami Ji is one of the Trustees of Sruti Seva Trust, Chief Advisor, and teacher of Vedanta and Sanskrit at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Anaikatti, Coimbatore. Swamiji in his purvashrama was a Sri Vidya Upasaka and he was initiated into Sri Vidya and Jyotisha Shastra in the year 1991 by H.H. Balasubramanya Gurukkal of Perur. Swami Ji can be contacted at [email protected]
Memories from Arsha Vidya Gurukulum, Anaikatti
I keep coming back to this conversation with Eliud Kipchoge. This man has been wisened and hardened by his training. What discipline!
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21 Days to a You [Day 14]
Resolve to push your limits today as we do a longer session.
Double the time that you have been practicing for the last two weeks.
If it was 5 mins - make it 10. If it was 10, make it 20.
We will focus on two meditation aspects.
1. The object of meditation will remain the breath but we will do more of 'Observing' and less of 'waiting'.
What that means is that don't artificially deepen or soften your breath. You goal is only to observe.
If you are anxious and the breaths are short, then so be it.
2. Involve other sensations in your body but resolve to not act on them.
If your nose itches, don't move your hand to scratch it. Observe the sensation as just another mental movement.
If you want to move your leg to a more comfortable position - don't- instead, observe.
The purpose here is not to suppress sensations.
It is to strengthen our resolve on the one hand and to reduce the importance that we give to temporary, fleeting emotions on the other.
It is ok to be a little uncomfortable in some sessions. It is ok to push your limits.
Carry this resolve into the rest of your day.
Meditation is a practice. It will need skill but it will also need discipline before it becomes a part of your life.
Until tomorrow.
If distraction is our default mode, Meditation is the simplest way to get back some semblance of control over our attention.
Not taking sleep seriously is one of the worst things you can do for your daytime attention span.
However trivial a task may seem, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing with full attention.
21 Days to a You [Day 13]
Let's do a short self-inquiry based on the 1st verse of the Advaita Vedanta text "Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka" (दृग्दृश्य विवेक), also known as the "Discrimination between the Seer and the Seen."
This is what the verse says:
Look around - whatever you see is being perceived by the eye. Thus the eye becomes the Seer and the external world becomes the Seen.
Whatever the eyes see is perceived by the mind. Thus, the mind becomes the Seer and the eyes become the Seen.
Stay with this thought.
And now, explore that you are aware of the mind's modifications also. So eventually the mind also becomes the Seen from the perspective of Consciousness.
And yet, the Consciousness itself can never be seen or pointed-out. It is forever the Seer.
21 Days to a You [Day 9]
Getting a taste of Self-inquiry
With our attention slightly more refined since last week, let's do some self-inquiry practice today
As you sit down, and observe your breath, gently ask yourself.
Who is observing the breath?
The intuitive answer is - "I am"
So go deeper, and search for this 'I'. Where is it?
Aim to go beyond the physical sensations. Looking at your hand and feet and saying, this is me - well, it is a valid but superficial answer.
Remember, we are trying to reorient the way we experience the world.
And so, in terms of your experience, where are you? Who are you?
The location of "I" is as important as its qualities.
Do you feel located in the mind?
If so, then where is the mind - inside you? Isn't that a paradox?
Self-inquiry is a tricky switching of perspective so don't strain your mind.
The direction these practices are pointing towards is the existence of you as the everpresent, never-changing Consciousness.
If it feels too abstract, come back to the breath observation.
Stay with a refined awareness of all that you notice.
Is there a single 'space' in which all experiences are happening?
Are you separate from that space?
Stay with these questions as you go about your day.
Create one fixed time per day where you will meditate (come what may) and some additional flexible breakpoints spaced throughout the day when you will check and reorient your mental state.
To find out the pause between the movements is Meditation.
To attempt living in that pause is Meditation.
To get lost in the thoughts and then come back to the point of observation is Meditation.
![21 Days to a You [Day 8]As we start on the 2nd week of our 3-week growth. spend some time to Reinforce the that yo...](https://img3.medioq.com/108/015/120852021080159.jpg)
21 Days to a You [Day 8]
As we start on the 2nd week of our 3-week growth. spend some time to Reinforce the that you set on the first day.
This time, I want you to go a bit deeper than merely looking for benefits.
Answer these 3 questions for yourself.
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." - Albert Schweitzer
The Start Small Meditation Framework How to Build a Sustainable Meditation Practice and Overcome Obstacles
https://deepakatri.com/from-excuses-to-execution-how-to-build-a-sustainable-meditation-practice-and-overcome-obstacles/
21 Days to a You [Day 7]
On the final day of our 1st week of practice, let's change things up.
Borrowing a leaf out of Stoic practices, we will try Negative Visualization today.
In other words, think about what could go wrong.
![46.9 percent of waking hours are spent lost in thoughts. [Harvard University research]Thinking about something other tha...](https://img4.medioq.com/787/973/119522887879739.jpg)
46.9 percent of waking hours are spent lost in thoughts. [Harvard University research]
Thinking about something other than what they’re doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes people unhappy.
Where is your mind right now?
21 Days to a You [Day 6]
Mental noting is a mindfulness meditation technique where we try to label experiences as they arise.
It gives the mind an additional anchor, lowers distraction and grounds you into the practice.
21 Days to a You [Day 5]
Incorporate sounds into your practice
After focusing on the breath for the previous days, let's point our awareness towards sounds.
Close your eyes, open up your awareness and mentally note what sounds are coming to you.
Check their qualities.
The cruder parameters: Volume, pitch, texture
And the subtle ones: How they make you feel, the images they invoke, the memories they build up.
![21 Days to a You [Day 4]Opening your eyesLet's try something new today. by meditating with our eyes open. This might...](https://img3.medioq.com/134/945/118159091349452.jpg)
21 Days to a You [Day 4]
Opening your eyes
Let's try something new today. by meditating with our eyes open.
This might appear distracting, but it is the fastest way to incorporate meditation into rest of your day.
Sit in your usual posture but with eyes open.
"Why would anyone choose to look at this vast sky through a straw" - Sam Harris
![21 Days to a You [Day 3]Deepening our breath focus. Today, let's go a step further in refining our attention. Collec...](https://img5.medioq.com/142/003/117453231420038.jpg)
21 Days to a You [Day 3]
Deepening our breath focus.
Today, let's go a step further in refining our attention.
Collect all sensations related to your breath.
The sound, the cold feeling of inhaling, the warmer exhale, the movement.
Broaden up your awareness to include all.
Don't strain. Instead, try to receive the breath.
See if you are (artificially) waiting for the breath.
Relax that expectation. Don't lean forward. Let it come to you.
As you gather all sensations in your Awareness, gently try to check the space in which they are all appearing.
Retain your breath anchor but also shift to the perspective of this mystery we call 'Consciousness'.
If it feels too abstract, come back to the breath.
Keep at the practice.
Return when you get distracted. Stabilise when you are feeling at home.
Until tomorrow.
Read some heavy books just for discipline.
Do some heavy lifting just to know that you can do it.
Pick up a hobby where you are an absolute beginner, just to get over the resistance.
Train your mind as you train your body,
21 Days to a You [Day 2]
Today, we start our first session.
We notice our breath.
Seems simple (and is!). But here are four tips to make it easier.
1. Choose your most natural focal point.
Breath is just another object of meditation that is being used here to refine your attention.
It does not matter whether you select the location as the tip of your nose, your chest or your stomach's rising and falling.
All are fine.
2. Count as you breathe.
During our initial sessions, we will find how quickly our attention gets dragged away from our breath.
We get spaced out or lost in thoughts. Adding support will help you.
Mentally count as you breathe in.
Mentally reverse count as you breathe out.
3. Change your pace to stay alert.
When breathing becomes monotonous we drift away.
The moment you feel attention slipping away, change your pace.
If you were breathing deep, do a few shorter breaths.
If you were doing shorter ones, then do a few deeper, drawn-out breaths.
4. You will get distracted.
Expect that. Be vigilant but not stressed.
When it eventually happens, just get back to breathing. Without any judgement.
Getting lost is the practice. Finding your way back is the journey.
Listen more if you want to speak better.
Read more if you want to write better.
Open your Awareness, if you want to live better.
Don't stumble through life in a daze.
21 Days to a You [Day 1]
Set Your Intention.
Articulate it in your own words and then write it down.
Feeling distracted and directionless?
Here are 5 rules for a happy & fulfilling life, filled with purpose :
1. Pay Attention
It is astounding how many of us pass through life without ever going deeper into experience.
Everything, from good to bad, is interacted only from the surface.
Train yourself to pay attention to each moment.
2. You can always start again.
Does not matter what happened yesterday. You are always free to reinvent yourself.
Sure, the starting point may differ from those around you. But the race was never with them.
3. Pick up a hobby
Have an activity that you do only for the joy of doing it.
No expectations, no revenue charts, no expectations of validation. Just do it.
4. Invest in your health
The worst thing is realising too late that you have done irreparable harm to your body or mind.
Right from today, keep your health at a priority.
5. Figure out your energy sources and energy drains.
What gives you joy? Expand on those areas.
What sucks out your energy? Stay away from those moments, people & activities.
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We unravel the profound mysteries of Sri Vidya with the guidance of Swami Jagadatmananda Saraswati. Swami Ji is one of the Trustees of Sruti Seva Trust, Chief Advisor, and teacher of Vedanta and Sanskrit at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Anaikatti, Coimbatore. Swamiji in his purvashrama was a Sri Vidya Upasaka and he was initiated into Sri Vidya and Jyotisha Shastra in the year 1991 by H.H. Balasubramanya Gurukkal of Perur. Swami Ji can be contacted at [email protected]
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