MEDITATION (following pranayama)
If you have already learned any meditation style then use what you know. Otherwise I recommend the traditional So'ham mantra meditation. Place your attention in the area of your heart and...
- Mentally repeat "So" with every inhale.
- Mentally repeat "ham" with every exhale.
note: For some reason both Muktananda and Yogananda taught Americans the reversed form which is called Hamsa or Hong Sau. For years I used the Hong Sau version as taught by Yoganada, but when I discovered the traditional So'ham method I found it to be far superior. Finally, I discovered that soham is taught at the Himalayan institute and the Bihar School of Yoga in India.
If you want to learn more about traditional kriya yoga and meditation techniques, then look to the books of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. The book Meditations from the Tantras is my recommendation as the best book to learn about traditional meditation.
Although Muktananda taught the Hamsa version in his book I am That, in this letter to an "Advanced" student he taught the So'ham version.
**********Great Article*********
I found a great article in the archives of Yoga Magazine about Ajapa Japa. Read The Original Ajapa Japa by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
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