Namaste and welcome back.
In a bustling city,
There lived a man named Raman.
Raman was a householder,
A husband and a father of two children.
He led an ordinary life,
Managing his family,
Working diligently and fulfilling his responsibilities with unwavering dedication.
One day,
While walking through a park,
Raman met a sage named Ananda.
Ananda was known for his wisdom and his deep understanding of Vedanta.
His presence exuded a sense of serenity and knowledge that drew people from all walks of life.
As they struck up a conversation,
Raman shared his admiration for the sage's wisdom and asked,
Sage Ananda,
I am a householder and my life is filled with worldly responsibilities.
How can I apply the teachings of Vedanta in my daily life?
Ananda smiled warmly and replied,
Dear Raman,
Vedanta is not confined to ashrams or monasteries.
It can be embraced by individuals leading ordinary lives like yours.
The path to self-realization is not exclusive to renunciates.
It can be walked by householder practitioners as well.
Raman was intrigued and asked,
But how do I integrate these profound teachings into my everyday existence?
Ananda offered his guidance,
Saying,
The first step is to recognize the unity of Atman with Brahman,
The oneness that underlies all of creation.
Understand that the same divine essence that exists within sages also resides within you and every living being.
This realization can serve as the foundation of your daily life.
Raman contemplated Ananda's words and thought about his daily routines,
Interactions,
And responsibilities.
He realized that at the core of every person and situation,
There was a shared consciousness,
A universal essence that connected everyone and everything.
Ananda continued,
In your daily life,
Practice self-inquiry and self-awareness.
Reflect upon your thoughts,
Emotions,
And actions,
Asking yourself whether they align with the values of truth,
Love,
And compassion.
By doing so,
You can gradually let go of ego-driven desires and attachments.
Over the months that followed,
Raman began to incorporate self-inquiry into his daily routine.
He approached his work and family responsibilities with a newfound sense of mindfulness and presence.
He sought to be of service,
To show kindness and compassion to all,
And to recognize the underlying unity of Atman with Brahman.
Raman discovered that his daily interactions with family,
Friends,
And colleagues took on a deeper significance.
He saw opportunities for self-realization in his everyday life.
From the way he cared for his children,
To the manner in which he treated his co-workers.
Ananda observed Raman's transformation and said,
You see,
Raman,
Vedanta is not about escaping the world.
It is about transforming your perception of it.
By living a life of virtue,
Love,
And self-awareness,
You are applying the teachings of Vedanta in the most profound way.
As time passed,
Raman continued his journey of self-realization within the fabric of his daily life.
He realized that every moment,
Every interaction,
And every responsibility could be an opportunity for spiritual growth.
Raman's family and friends noticed the change in him and found inspiration in his commitment to living Vedantic truth.
He became a source of wisdom and support for those around him,
Demonstrating that path of self-realization was accessible to all,
Regardless of their life circumstances.
And so,
In the bustling city,
The story of the householder and the sage served as a reminder that Vedanta could be applied by individuals leading ordinary lives,
Allowing them to transform their daily existence into a journey to self-realization.
This story illustrates how the principles of Vedanta can be integrated into the daily lives of individuals leading seemingly ordinary lives,
Emphasizing the importance of recognizing the underlying unity of all beings and applying self-inquiry and self-awareness in daily life.
With this,
Let's prepare to sleep.
Now,
Before we get started,
Just take a moment or two to get comfortable lying in your bed.
Make sure you are under the covers.
If you do fall asleep during this practice,
And even if you don't usually go to sleep on your back,
I would like you to begin the practice by lying flat.
Maybe your knee is slightly bent.
You can keep a small pillow under the back of your knees if you like.
Just lie flat on the bed in supine position.
Now gently close your eyes and start taking a few nice big deep breaths,
Breathing in and out through the nostrils only.
As you inhale,
Feel that whole body is getting healed,
And with exhalation,
Feel that all the cares,
Tensions and worries from the day are flowing out.
Let go of the deep breaths now,
Releasing any tension from your entire body.
It is not necessary to deliberately release tension in each part of the body.
Just develop the feeling of total relaxation.
Just enjoy that feeling of letting go,
Body is relaxed,
Sinking into the bed beneath you.
We are going to have a simple practice to wind down.
Just follow along with the voice and the instructions.
Try not to overanalyze or intellectualize the instructions.
Now gently shift your awareness to your surroundings.
Start to notice all the different sounds present here.
Without getting struck with any one particular sound,
Try to keep your awareness moving from sound to sound.
Observe one sound,
Notice it,
And then move to the next sound.
Observe this sound,
And then move to other sound.
Like this,
Keep your awareness moving from sound to sound.
Keep the awareness moving from sound to sound.
And try to find the most distant sound which you can hear.
Let go the sound awareness and feel your body from within.
Now,
We begin body scan.
I will name a body part.
You just become aware of that body part,
Feel it,
And then just move to the next body part which is named.
Become aware of the right hand,
Right hand thumb,
Fingers of right hand,
Whole right hand,
Whole right arm,
Right shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Whole right leg,
Right foot,
The toes,
Now left hand,
Left hand thumb,
Fingers of the left hand,
Whole left hand,
Whole left arm,
Left shoulder,
Left side of the chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Whole left leg,
The left foot,
The toes,
Feel the both legs together,
The buttocks,
Stomach,
Chest,
Back,
Shoulder blades,
Arms,
The neck,
The head,
Forehead,
Eyes,
Nose,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Mouth,
Lips,
Chin,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole neck,
The whole back,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body,
Again we will go through the whole body,
This time a little more slower and in detail,
Starting with the right hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger,
Fingers and thumb together,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper part of the right arm,
Right shoulder,
Right armpit,
Right side of the torso,
Right side waist,
Hip,
Right thigh,
Kneecap,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Fifth,
The whole right side of the body,
From toes to the fingers,
Fingers to the toes,
The whole right side of the body,
Now go to the left hand,
Become aware of the left hand thumb,
First finger of left hand,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger,
Fingers and thumb together,
Palm of the hand,
Back side of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper part of the arm,
Left shoulder,
Left armpit,
Left side of the torso,
Left side waist,
Thigh,
Kneecap,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Left foot heel,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fifth,
Whole left foot,
The whole left side of the body,
From toes to the fingers,
Fingers to the toes,
The whole left side of the body,
Now to the back,
Become aware of the lower back,
The right buttock,
And the left buttock,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
The whole back side together,
Now go to the top of the head,
The crown of the head,
Forehead,
Both sides of the head,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The space between two eyebrows,
Right eyelid,
Left eyelid,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right side cheek,
Left side cheek,
Bridge of the nostrils,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Upper lip,
Jaw,
Tongue,
Lower jaw,
Lower lip,
Chin,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Chest,
Right part of the chest,
Middle part of the chest,
Left part of the chest,
Upper part of the belly,
Middle part of the belly,
The navel area,
Lower part of the belly,
The whole of the right leg,
The whole of the left leg,
Both legs together,
The whole of the right arm,
The whole of the left arm,
Both arms together,
The whole of the back,
Buttocks,
Spine,
Shoulder blades,
The whole of the front,
Abdomen,
Chest,
The whole of the back and front together,
The whole of the head,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body,
Become aware of your breath now.
Just feel the flow of your breath,
In and out through the body.
The breathing is natural,
Automatic.
We are not trying to change the rhythm of the breath.
We are not doing it.
Just witnessing the breath.
Maintain the awareness of breath.
Dual awareness of breath.
Now,
Keeping the awareness on the breath,
Start mentally counting down your breath from 54.
As the breath comes in,
Count 54.
As it flows out,
54.
Breathe in 53.
Breathe out 53.
Like this,
Continue.
Not trying to fall asleep,
Just counting down the breath.
And knowing that,
It really doesn't matter too much when the sleep comes.
As you lie there in this way,
Both the body and the mind are getting all the rest that they need.
If you lose track of the countdown,
Come back to 54 and start over.
