Hello again and welcome.
Welcome to our further exploration of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra.
These explorations are brief,
They're around 9 to 11 minutes,
So that you're able to work with them and engage with them wherever you are.
This is the wonderful thing about Kashmir Shaivism,
It's totally doable.
Wherever you are,
You can do the practices.
So this Dharana is about focusing on one spot.
So take a comfortable posture.
I'm going to sing the Dharana for you,
Then give you the translation,
Then we're going to do the Dharana together.
Bhagatva bhrukshepa setunah nevikalpam manah kritvah savudvesa vagudgamah Having filled the muradhanta with pranic energy quickly,
Between the eyebrows,
Contracting between the eyebrows,
One should free one's mind of all thought constructs.
Consciousness will then rise higher than that Dvabhada Shanta,
And there will appear the sense of omnipresence.
So remember these scriptures are ancient,
And sometimes they sound pretty mystical.
They're also very practical.
The Vijnana Bhairava is giving you a map,
It's giving you different practices through which you can expand your consciousness.
This is why I love the Vijnana Bhairava.
So this practice is about letting your Shakti,
Letting your energy rise up to between the eyebrows,
To between the eyebrows.
What's known there as muradhanta,
It's like a confluence of energy.
You want to bring your awareness between your eyebrows.
It's not necessarily holding the breath.
What you're doing instead is focusing very strongly on the Ajna Chakra,
Bhrukshepa,
You're right here between the eyebrows.
You need to focus there.
Then when you focus there,
Just see what happens to your awareness.
No need to push anything.
Once the awareness is between the eyebrows,
Just focus as much as you can and see what happens.
So let's begin.
Breathing in.
Let the energy rise up between your eyebrows.
Close your eyes if it's easier.
And now breathe out,
But keep the energy there between the eyebrows.
Remember this is not about pranayama.
This is not about controlling the prana.
It's about focus.
Focus.
Focusing on the area between the eyebrows.
Just breathe normally.
Focusing on the area between the eyebrows.
Muradhanta.
It's like a bridge for the energy.
Now feel the energy rise higher than the eyebrows,
Up to above the head.
Stay there.
If you have done the Dharana well,
There will be no thought constructs.
And now relax.
Breathe naturally.
We're going to do the Dharana again.
But let's just have a little rest before we do it again.
Remember a lot of these practices can be done with the eyes open or the eyes closed.
If you want to really focus in on the energy without sensory distraction,
Then often it's a good idea to have the eyes closed.
So again.
Breathing in.
The energy rises up to the middle of the eyebrows.
Focus the energy there and then breathe normally.
But keep the focus between the eyebrows.
Now inhale.
The energy rises up above the eyebrows,
Over the top of your head.
Keep your breathing natural.
Feel the expansion.
Feel the thought constructs stop.
And now relax.
You can open your eyes.
We're going to do this one more time.
Welcome to Kashmir Shaivism.
An inner mystical path.
You can be doing these practices and nobody is going to know.
The only ones who are going to know are those who have worked with the practices themselves.
This is a wonderful way to raise your consciousness during the day.
It's immediate.
All you have to do is do it.
So again.
Gently close your eyes.
Inhale.
Bring the awareness between the eyebrows and you feel the energy stopped there between the eyebrows.
Breathe normally.
The energy is held at the eyebrows by your awareness.
Where awareness flows,
Energy goes.
And now on the inhale,
The energy moves up above the head,
Above the head.
Feel the stillness.
The thought constructs have stopped.
This is a place of merging with awareness.
And when you're ready,
Relax.
So there you have it,
Dharana 8.
The only thing I would say is,
Best not to do this while driving or operating heavy machinery.
I say that a lot.
But when we're going to move into expanded consciousness,
It's a good idea that we do it in a place where we know we're not going to be in some sort of risk.
When we're driving,
Best to watch the road.
Operating heavy machinery,
Best to focus on that.
But if we're sitting somewhere quietly,
Like in our beautiful living room,
Fine.
We can do the practice.
So there you have it,
Dharana 8.
It's a pleasure to be sharing these with you.
And I'll see you again very soon.
