Ajapa Japa - Stage 1

Ajapa Japa is a preparation practice for Kriya Yoga. This repetition practice brings mental peace and onepointedness of mind and leads directly to meditation. There are 4 stages for the practice of Ajapa Japa. There is not much difference between the stages, but do take a few weeks on each, because the differences are important.
In stage 1 we merge the mantra Soham with the breath, in stage 2 we merge the mantra Hamso with the breathing process. In stage 3 the mantra is seen as seperate mantras. In stage 4 the mantra will merge with the breathing process forming a continuous cycle.