Welcome.
In this meditation,
We will cultivate Smatva Bhavana,
A steady,
Balanced presence of heart and mind.
Let's begin by settling into your seat.
Sit upright,
Yet relaxed.
Let your lower body be rooted like a tree,
While your upper body,
Shoulders,
Chest and neck are free like its branches.
If lying down,
Allow the body to rest with awareness.
Take a slow,
Smooth breath in and exhale gently,
Letting the body release into stillness.
Let your shoulders and face soften and feel your whole body settle,
Supported by the earth beneath you.
Now,
Bring awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Feel the movement of prana rising and falling like waves upon the ocean of being.
With each exhale,
Soften.
With each inhale,
Feel quiet energy moving through you.
Steady,
Gentle,
Timeless.
This practice cultivates a steady presence,
Embracing highs and lows without clinging.
It is not about being carried away by emotions,
But remaining grounded in joys,
Sorrows,
Pleasures and pains.
In the Bhagavad Gita,
Krishna says,
Smatvam Yog Uchayate Evenness of mind is yoga.
Smatvam Yog Uchayate This balance is unwithdrawal,
But full presence without resistance or attachment.
Bring to mind a simple image,
A lamp or candle flame in a windless place.
As the Bhagavad Gita says,
Just as a lamp in a windless place does not flicker,
So the yogi whose mind is steady remains unwavering in meditation.
Imagine your mind like that flame.
Steady,
Clear,
Calm,
Unmoved by passing thoughts or emotions.
Each return to this steadiness cultivates Smatvabhavna,
The ability to remain balanced through joys and sorrows,
Highs and lows.
Bring attention back to the breath.
Let it flow naturally,
Each breath as a gentle wave coming and going.
Beneath the waves,
Feel the calm depth of the ocean,
Vast and still.
This stillness is always present.
It's not created,
Only returned to.
This is Atma,
The deeper Self,
Pure awareness,
Unshaken by thought or emotion.
To close,
We repeat the mantra Sat Chit Anand.
Sat refers to truth,
The unchanging reality.
Chit is pure consciousness.
Anand is joy.
Repeat softly,
Sat Chit Anand.
Sat Chit Anand.
Sat Chit Anand.
Allow the mantra to dissolve into silence.
This practice is not about stillness,
But about Stirbhav,
Inner steadiness through every change.
Take a deep breath in,
And a slow,
Easy breath out.
Begin to move your fingers and toes.
When ready,
Let your eyes open gently,
And feel yourself grounded,
Present in this moment.
Thank you for practicing.
Namaste.
