Peaceful Meditation On Still Water

Tune into the stream of peace that is always present, flowing in through the crown. Visualize a still pool of water, using long, smooth breaths to maintain a still surface. Train the mind to abide in this state of peace, with the Om Shanti mantra.

Transcript

This is Living Lightly with Jenny Light,

Yogic Philosophy,

Guided Meditations and Pranayamas.

Please subscribe for all future podcasts.

Welcome to today's session.

Enjoy.

Tuning into peacefulness and maintaining it,

That is the practice today.

James Twyman,

Who's the peace troubadour,

I went to a couple of his concerts.

He sang peace songs and went all over Europe and in one of his books he said that peace is always present but sometimes hidden.

I think that has resonated with me,

That peace is always present.

It's just that we've lost how to tune in,

We've lost the tuning.

We've listened more to the ego restlessness than we have to tune into that peace,

That stream of peace and light that's always coming in through the crown of the head.

As Jesus said,

You just need to be receptive to it,

You just need to be open to receive.

And how many times do we close ourself off?

Many times do we shut off that stream of light,

That peace,

That consciousness that's constantly flowing in.

There's never one second when you are not in that flow,

It's just that you've shut it off through belief of being small,

Through any mental agitation or closing the heart because you think you're not good enough or any other thing that you're facing at the moment and all you need to do is to open the heart and receive.

But that takes a bit of training.

Tuning into that stable,

Peaceful frame of mind and that state of being that's constantly streaming in and then maintaining it.

So we're always going through world changes.

This is a world of flux,

It's a seemingly chaotic world,

But everything is done to the letter of God's law,

It's all perfect.

It just seems to be difficult at times,

Only because there's stuff that's coming up from within to be addressed.

That's why it seems difficult.

So in a way what is external,

It's pressing your buttons and bringing it up,

Is actually for your benefit.

But it's to maintain that evenly peaceful state of mind,

Even during all of the world changes that's going on.

We're all going through different stages of alleviation from lockdown and whatever ramifications there are after that,

The world has changed,

I believe,

For good.

But we need to do our part now in maintaining that as that peacefulness in the inside.

Because you can affect hundreds of people just by carrying your peace.

Not a word needs to be spoken,

Nothing.

But you can affect so many people.

So as ambassadors of peace,

Which you are,

Just by meditating,

You're ambassadors of peace,

You're changing the world.

So having that calm,

Stable frame of mind,

And it's the soul in the journey of life,

Not letting yourself get carried away,

The mind may nevertheless be controlled.

Each day in meditation you're given another aspect.

It's never the same meditation twice.

Even if you repeat the formula of a meditation,

It's never the same thing that comes up twice because you're being schooled in your meditation practice to then control the mind.

Remember,

You are not the mind.

You're not this body.

You're not the character.

You're not the mind.

You're not the breath.

You're pure soul lessons.

You're not the ego.

The mind must be taught to regain its natural power of abiding in the soul's tranquil state.

So working with tuning into that peacefulness and maintaining it.

Getting yourself ready for your meditation posture by making sure that the spine is straight and your consciousness becomes centered in the spine when you move the spine to the left,

To the right,

Until you're aware that you are sitting in the center.

So take your consciousness from the left to the right,

Left to the right,

And finer and finer movements until you feel that your consciousness is centered in that shaft of light in the spine.

Visualize that in your spine you have that connection upwards through that channel of light that's constantly flowing in through the crown of the head.

That is the practice today.

So first of all,

We're starting with a prayer.

Divine Father,

Make us receptive to thy peace.

Let us feel thy peace in the fiber of our being,

Filling our hearts to overflowing with thy peace.

Om Shanti.

And being aware of that shaft of light in the spine and opening the skylight and the crown of the head to allow spiritual sunlight to flow into your shaft of light in the spine.

Flowing in through the crown of the head,

Filling the brain and the spine.

Paramahansa Yogananda said that the spine and the brain are the altar of God.

This is where you meet.

Just being aware of the body breathing in and the body breathing out.

Breathing in that flood of pure white light flowing in through the crown of the head from the highest.

And breathing out a peacefulness.

Just a calming balm on the spirit.

A calming balm that allows the body to relax any extraneous muscles that are not required for sitting upright.

A breathing in a long peaceful breath and a balm of peacefulness as you breathe out.

A long breath.

Now we're going to use the mantra Om on the inhale and Shanti which means peace in Sanskrit on the exhale.

So breathing in is a mental mantra of Om visualizing that shaft of light and the flood of beautiful spiritual light of a thousand suns flowing in through the crown of the head.

Om on the inhale,

Shanti on the exhale.

Calming down the nerves of the body breathing in Om,

Breathing out Shanti that flows over the nerves of the body as a soothing balm.

Breathing in,

Mental mantra Om resonating in the spine.

Breathing out Shanti flowing through the brain.

The epicenter of the nervous system of the body.

Visualizing that coolness of peace.

Playing around the inside of the skull and over the whole brain as if a wave of light were flowing over the brain.

Om on the inhale,

Shanti on the exhale.

Making the breath in and out long.

So the body breathes in this time incorporating a pause after the inhale.

Focusing on that flood of light through the crown of the head and a sense of gratitude before allowing your mental mantra Shanti to play over the brain.

Another couple of breaths with a sense of physical focus before we shift our attention.

And then we'll shift our attention,

Same practice,

Om through the spine but this time focusing on the shaft of light of the astral spine.

Having the six main chakras and the flood of light coming in through the crown,

Sahasra raha.

So it's Om in the astral spine stimulating the chakras and Shanti focusing in on that flow of spiritual light of a thousand suns in from the crown of the head.

You may feel as if the crown of your head has opened up and it has become a larger space.

This time changing the focus to allow the word Shanti to play as calming wind through the heart.

Calming the nerves,

The feelings of the heart.

The mental mantra Om breaks any chains that you had self created to limit yourself and Shanti then brings the balm of peace playing through the heart.

And then changing your focus to visualize a still pool of water in a forest.

Reflecting the stillness of the forest as a perfect reflection in this still pool.

Notice that as you breathe in there may be a slight ruffling of the water that when you retain the inhale surface of the pool is still.

Learn to breathe in and to breathe out so that your breath is so smooth that the surface of the pool doesn't ripple.

The pool remains as clear as a mirror reflecting the trees and the open sky.

That the surface of the pool becomes a sheet of light.

So monitoring your inhale and exhale to be long and smooth and monitoring the depth of peace that is just between the breaths.

The inhale is smooth and long.

The pause after the inhale contains the peacefulness as you're learning to hold on to that vibration of peace.

And then your exhale is long and smooth over the surface of the water so that the surface of the pool remains as a still sheet of light.

So that you learn to contain that focus of peace and ride the awareness of any restlessness that tries to intrude that you're holding it back like the wall of water in the Red Sea.

That you're holding it back.

That your focus is not on the restlessness if it arises but merely on the containment on holding on to that vibration of peacefulness.

Long smooth inhale.

The surface of the water remains as a sheet of light containing the peacefulness that you have received.

And then letting that peacefulness flow out through your entire being so that it flows out with a peacefulness unruffling any sense of restlessness within.

Let your awareness of the sheet of light on the surface of the water be your indicator of attaining that vibration of peace that you have tuned in and maintained it.

And each breath is a fresh do over,

A fresh attempt.

You're in the University of Life.

You're in training.

Each breath is a fresh attempt to tune into that vibration of peace that is flowing through,

That is always there.

And to hold on to it,

Congratulating yourself for each second that you hold it.

And each breath is a fresh attempt as you gain your spiritual muscles by trying.

And then opening your spiritual eyes to look at the pool of light in front of your eyes and notice how still it has become.

Feeling the forest around you as stillness,

That you are the epicentre of that stillness.

That stillness,

That peacefulness constantly flows through the whole of creation,

Through nature and through you.

Realising that flow of peace that is flowing in and into your heart.

Allowing the forest scene to recede and be aware of being expansive in space.

In all directions there is only peace,

A peace that is emanating from within.

And using the mantra Om Shanti to quietly expand your consciousness,

Spreading over the whole of space.

And being open to receive that frequency of God's peace that is constantly flowing in.

That you are buoyed up,

You are healed,

Supported in that flow of peace.

If you are receiving with a tiny thimble that will be filled.

If you are receiving with a cup that will be filled.

If you are receiving with the whole of your being then you will be filled,

Filled with the peace of God.

And then being aware of being as a flower,

Receiving the rays of spiritual light,

Drinking in that light and that peace.

And then letting that picture of yourself as a flower be superimposed upon your physical frame.

Breathing in peace and breathing out peace.

Letting your peace flow around the world.

Bringing solace and comfort into receptive hearts.

Breathing in peace and breathing out your peace upon the world.

As if you were breathing onto the waters of the world.

Bringing peace in a very visceral level to receptive hearts.

And then being aware of your physical frame and before we come fully back into this world again we are using the affirmation shanti so bringing hands into praying hands towards the heart and it's shanti that's sung.

I'll sing it for you so that you can copy.

Repeat after me.

Om shanti shanti shanti.

Repeating.

Om shanti shanti shanti.

And bring the heel of the hand from the heart to the brow.

And again we're doing our om shanti.

Om shanti shanti shanti.

Bringing the hands back to the heart.

One last time.

Om shanti shanti.

And then just letting the hands relax into the lap.

Feeling into the balm of peace that is in the mind,

In the spirit and in the physical body.

Gently opening fingers and closing moving fingers and toes and just when you're ready opening the eyes and coming back into the room.

I wish you all the power in the world to maintain that evenly peaceful state of mind.

Om shanti.