Deep Meditation Video 9 min Joel P.

ABOUT DEEP MEDITATION

Deep Meditation uses a particular sound vibration called a mantra, repeated silently in the mind, to bring the mind to stillness. We will use the mantra “AYAM”, also pronounced "I AM", for this meditation. For the purposes of our meditation, the mantra has no meaning in any language. Deep Meditation is for practitioners ages 13+ of all levels. For children under 13, use the Breath Meditation instructions instead.

IMPORTANT

Meditation is generally very safe, but do not meditate if contraindicated by a recent concussion, neurological, or psychological condition. Check with your doctor if you're not sure. Also, recreational drugs and alcohol are not compatible with deep meditation, so only practice if your system is clean. Prescription drugs are different, so continue to follow your doctor's instructions on those. During meditation stop immediately to deal with any emergencies such as a fire or health issue, and never do anything that is uncomfortable for you. By using this website for instruction, you take full responsibility for your own health and safety.

PREPARE

Wait at least an hour after vigorous activity or eating before meditating, and wait until the next morning if it's within an hour of your bedtime. Use the routine timers function of ragingbhakti.com or get a clock to peek at near the end. 20 minutes of meditation, plus a few additional minutes for rest, typically 5 to 10, works best for most people, but reduce the meditation time down to as little as 10 minutes if you are very sensitive to meditation. Use props and back support as needed to help you sit upright comfortably with neutral spinal alignment.

PRACTICE PART 1 (≈1 minute)

Close your eyes, and for about a minute, just relax, gently observing and allowing any thoughts or tensions in your body to pass without any resistance. Taking this time to settle in is important, as it allows you to go deeper in meditation faster in the next step.

PRACTICE PART 2 (remaining time)

Gently repeat the mantra "AYAM" in your mind. The sound will effortlessly find its own speed of repetition and level of clarity or fuzziness. The mantra can be experienced on many levels in the mind and nervous system, even as a stream of sound, so let the process unfold naturally and effortlessly without minding the speed or clarity, so long as you are repeating "AYAM" in whatever clear or faint, fuzzy, or subtle form it becomes, and not some other sound entirely such as "AYEEM" for example. Whenever you realize that you are off the mantra into a stream of thoughts, bliss, other sound, or other experience (whether mundane or profound), gently favor the mantra repetition, not engaging with or trying to force out other thoughts or experiences, as these things are normal parts of effective meditation and can be present with the mantra. Each time you return to favoring the mantra, do so at a level of clarity or refinement that feels easiest. If you are in pain from an injury, feel uncomfortable tension or pressure, or you experience thoughts that are so powerful and disruptive that you cannot favor the mantra easily, then passively observe the pain, tension, or thoughts without engagement or analysis until the obstacles dissolve to the point that it feels easy to pick up the mantra again. If the problem is related to how you are sitting, sit differently or lie down if you absolutely must, elevating your head and back with pillows, etc if possible. Never force the mantra or do anything uncomfortable for you. Meditation is not a forced concentration exercise, it is an easy and enjoyable process of favoring a mantra, losing it, and coming back to it when you realize you have lost it. If you really need to interact with someone or respond to something important, do so, then continue your meditation for the remainder of the time alotted, counting the interruption as part of the practice time. If the interruption takes longer than the alotted time, rest at the first available opportunity.

REST

After meditating, make sure that you take a few additional minutes to rest without repeating the mantra, optionally lying down, still with eyes closed. Your nervous system needs time to process the inner purification it just experienced, so failure to take adequate rest can leave you feeling spacey or cranky, and that's not fun at all! After resting, go out and engage in the world, enjoying life with the extra calm, clarity, energy, and creativity gained. Meditation serves as an excellent preparation for activity, so go do something!

REMINDERS AND ADJUSTMENTS

● Your thoughts are just thoughts. Your emotions are just emotions. They are not you, they can't hurt you, and they don't define you. Allow them to pass without engaging with them. No analysis, no judgements, no worries.
● Your practices, not experiences, lead to spiritual progress. Don't judge your sessions based on any spiritual experiences (visions, etc.) or the lack thereof. The best indicator of progress is how you feel throughout the day, and how life improves over the long term with steady practice.
● Don't use effort trying to repeat the mantra constantly. Gently favor it over other experiences and easily come back to it when you have lost it. Losing the mantra is part of the process.
● Don't intentionally locate the mantra anywhere in your body.
● If you feel irritable or get a headache after meditating, you could be forcing the mantra, you may need extra rest after meditating, or you may just be very sensitive to mantra meditation. Be easy with the mantra (gentle favoring), take as much rest as you need afterward, and reduce the time to as low as ten minutes until you feel good after meditating. If you are extremely sensitive to mantra meditation, practice breath meditation or passive awareness meditation temporarily until the sensitivity subsides enough to continue your deep meditation practice.
● Never repeat the mantra out loud
● Make sure that you get plenty of daily grounding activity such as walking and physical exercise

BUILD A PRACTICE

To build a practice, meditate twice every day, optimally first thing in the morning before breakfast and before the evening meal. If you can't do one of your sessions, just meditate for a few minutes to honor the habit and refresh your nervous system. You can meditate in any safe place, even noisy places, just favor the mantra over any distractions.

NEXT STEPS

After practicing deep meditation for at least a month with good results and stability, you may add spinal breathing pranayama to take your practice to the next level.

SOURCES/RESOURCES

● Yogani's original Deep Meditation Lesson (AYPsite.com)
● "Deep Meditation, Pathway to Personal Freedom" by Yogani
● AYP Plus - Access all AYP publications, plus premium practice support on the AYP Plus forum.