The Significance of Meditation Rituals

One of the good things to come from these Covid19 restrictions is online yoga classes! I have utilised this opportunity to attend Yoga in Daily Life classes with experienced teachers interstate to help learn and grow.

At the end of a meditation practice in our Yoga in Daily Life Classes we chant AUM and Shanti. We bow our head, rub the palms to make them warm then place them over our face and eyes. Finishing with the hands in prayer position at the heart and Hari OM.

I know why I teach like this. But just to double check I asked a more experienced teacher why? Their answer was new to me! Then I mentioned it to Swami Gopal and he gave a different answer again! So here is what I've collected to date to share this amazing knowledge of yoga with you.

SANKALPA

When the mind is transitioning from one state to another, it is then that the boundary between the conscious and subconscious mind is more open. This is an opportune time to remind ourselves of what we would like from this life and repeat our sankalpa. After practicing meditation, but before externalising the senses or before opening the eyes is a time of transition. It only needs a moment, before AUMing or after AUMing or when you've bowed forward, to give little more strength to your sankalpa by remembering and repeating it to yourself at this time.

Sankalpa = Kalpa means vow. San means a connection with the highest truth. Sankalpa is therefore a vow we make to help guide us to the highest truth. Generally, when we look to our heart something will make itself known. A sankapla can start with something small or something that helps us fulfil our purpose for being here in this life. It is formulated as a short, clear and positively phrased sentence that we call upon to remind us of our true nature and guide our choices.

PRANA

Prana is energy, vitality, power. Prana is the foundation and essence of all life; the energy and vitality that permeates the entire Universe. Prana flows in everything that exists.

Furthermore, Prana is the connecting link between the material world, consciousness and mind. It is what makes life on the material level possible. Prana regulates all physical functions ... read more

One of the 5 Upa Pranas is KURMA - Blinking
This Upa-Prana functions in the area of the eyes, controlling opening and closing of the eyelids. The energy of this Upa-Prana is active when we are awake and is revitalised when we sleep.

After meditating when we rub our hands to warm them up then place the palms over our face and eyes we are reactivating the kurma prana to help with the transition from closed to open eyes. This has the effect to help balance and strengthen this prana.

CHAKRA

The Manipura Chakra (the Navel centre) is described by Swamiji in his book 'The Hidden Power in Humans' as the "Cosmic Door" because it provides an entry for numerous astral powers. This gate must be well maintained otherwise unwanted influences may slip into our subtle bodies unchecked corrupting our understanding. The Bhuta (element) of this chakra is Tejas (fire). Keeping the fire burning is how we can make sure nothing harmful comes to us from the astral world. Nothing should pass through this gate without first being purified.

The Tanmatras (principle ideas or primordial causes) combine and re-combine in different ways to produce the elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether, which make up the gross universe perceived by the senses. The senses (smelling, tasting, seeing, touching and hearing) play their part by coming into contact with the objects and carry impressions of them via the corresponding elements to the mind (manas) which receives and arranges them into a precept.

The Tanmatra of the fire element is Chakshu (eyes, seeing), hence the ritual. At the end of the meditation practice before we externalise our awareness the rubbing of the hands and cupping of the eyes activates the fire element of the Manipura Chakra. This fire purifies our perception of the external before entering the mind.

MUDRA

A mudra is a physical position that creates a certain effect on the nervous system, emotions, mind and psyche. Many mudras you will already know from your Yoga in Daily Life classes.

After meditation, we rub the palms place them over the face and eyes, then bring the hands to prayer position at the heart space either before or after bowing forward.

The palms together in prayer position at the heart space is Anjali Mudra. You may have heard Vishwaguruji talk about how this mudra connects and balances both sides of the brain (effectively balancing the head and the heart). It also brings balance to the nervous system. (The right side of the body is directly connected with the sympathetic nervous system and the left side with parasympathetic nervous system = right hand is right side, SNS & left hand is left side, PSNS).

By the rubbing of the palms together to create the sensation of warmth we are stimulating and amplifying the energies, then finishing with the palms together in prayer position the balancing connection is sealed.

After the morning meditation anjali mudra seals the sadhana (practice) by creating a clear start of the day ahead of us mentally, emotionally & spiritually.

After the evening meditation the same clean start for the rest of the night is brought on by neutralising the mental and emotional turmoils we have encountered during the day.

Thus we enter the next phase of our lives with a clean slate with our head and heart harmonised.

HEALING ENERGY

Our hands are tools for healing. All of us have the healing energy in our hands. When we rub our hands together creating warmth, we are awakening the healing energy in our hands. Then when we place our warm hands over our face and eyes it is the act of giving a blessing to our selves.

In this short excerpt from a Satsang, Vishwaguruji demonstrates how we can experience this energy. Don't be shy to follow his instructions to experience it for yourself!