Breath Awareness In Meditation
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Turiya is the highest state of mind possible. It is the seventh level of breath awareness in meditation. Since the beginning of life, the child learns how to move, not how to be still. The yogi learns how to be still. It can take many years to learn how to be still. Most teachers of meditation teach the student breath awareness before leading the student to more advanced methods of meditation. Deeper states of meditation simply cannot be reached without awareness and control of the breath. The mind identifies with the outer world, and in order to be aware of that which is beyond the mind, perfect stillness and tranquility must be achieved.
The first thing to become aware of is the breath. Many people wonder why their meditations are not more powerful or deep, but usually it can be traced back to the fact that they are not, nor have ever been, aware of the breath. Awareness of the breath is the first movement of the mind inward.
The following is a series of steps inward in breath awareness:
1. Find a comfortable posture.
2. Develop calm, serene breathing.
3. Develop a calm and steady mind.
4. Control the conscious mind.
5. Control involuntary processes and the unconscious mind.
6. The mind becomes aware that it is conditioned by time, space and causation. Train it to become aware of the now, an essential part of understanding eternity.
7. Turiya is attained, the highest state of bliss, peace, happiness, and wisdom.
The mind forms habits, ruts that it uses for thought processes. Meditation is not about allowing the mind to wander aimlessly, but harnessing the mind and making a conscious effort to coordinate the body, the breath and the mind. In teacher/student traditions, the teacher waits until there are signs in the student of body/ mind stillness and serenity of the breath. When the student has successfully stilled the mind and body, more advanced states are taught.
For the beginner in meditation, it is common for him or her to experience elevated itching, twitching, muscle spasms, and pain. These may be movements that there was no awareness of before. All of these movements are caused and reflected by the untrained mind. No act is independent. The mind moves first, and then the twitching or itching ensues. When the student has learned to be still in the mind, the body becomes still as a result. In meditation, the first thing one must do is learn how to sit still! This is a tall order for some people.
Breath awareness prepares the student for higher levels of consciousness. A one-pointed mind is absolutely necessary before meditation can truly take place. Just closing one’s eyes and trying to think of nothing is not meditation. That is preparation for meditation. Pranayama can be the doorway to true meditation.
Sushumna is the name of the central nadi. It is also the name for “joyous mind.” There are techniques for developing sushumna, which is the prerequisite for true meditation.
1. Concentrating on the bridge between the two nostrils
2. Doing pranayama exercises and using the jalandhara bandha
3. Meditating on the chakra system
To reach the state of turiya, one must consciously still the mind through true meditation. The meditation posture used is vital to attaining perfect stillness. Yoga can be practiced as a first step to becoming more conscious of our body’s posture. Then we can concentrate on our breathing pattern through pranayama yoga. Pranayama breathing is a kind of breath meditation where diaphragm breathing is utilized to activate energy in the chakra system. The energy travels through the nadis, particularly the sushumna nadi which is the central nadi. Practicing the pranayama technique through diaphragmatic breathing meditation and jalandhara bandha is the daily activity of the hindu yogi. Breathing meditation as a breath science has recently become of interest to science. The benefits of deep breathing are far reaching.