Namaste and welcome back.
In a serene forest,
There lived a contemplative sage named Vidya.
Vidya was renowned for her deep wisdom and her ability to guide seekers on the path of self-realization.
She had dedicated her life to the pursuit of truth and self-inquiry.
One day,
A young traveler named Ravi came to the forest seeking guidance.
Ravi was in search of answers about the purpose of life and the nature of reality.
He had heard of Vidya's wisdom and hoped she could illuminate his path.
Vidya welcomed Ravi and asked,
What brings you to this tranquil forest,
Dear traveler?
Ravi replied,
I seek to understand the mysteries of existence,
To know the truth about the self and the world.
I wish to find the ultimate reality.
Vidya noted and said,
To find the truth you must begin with the self-inquiry,
Atma-vichara.
Just as you need a mirror to see your reflection,
You require a mirror of self-reflection to understand the nature of the self.
She handed Ravi a small,
Polished mirror and continued,
When you look into this mirror,
You see your own reflection.
Similarly,
In self-inquiry,
You turn your attention inward and examine your thoughts,
Feelings,
And experiences to uncover the truth of your own nature.
Ravi took the mirror and gazed into it.
He saw his own image and he realized that the self-inquiry was like looking deeply within himself to understand his inner being.
Vidya explained,
As you engage in self-inquiry,
You may ask yourself,
Who am I?
What is the source of my thoughts?
What is my true nature?
These questions help you unravel the layers of the ego and the illusions of the material world.
Ravi immersed himself in the self-inquiry,
Spending hours each day reflecting on these profound questions.
He delved into the depths of his consciousness,
Seeking to understand the source of his own existence.
Over time,
As he engaged in self-reflection,
He began to experience moments of clarity and insight.
He realized that his true nature was not bound by limitations of the physical body and the ever-changing world.
He uncovered the unchanging eternal self,
The Atman,
That resided within him.
Ravi's inner journey led him to the profound realization that the Atman was not separate from the ultimate reality,
Brahman.
He experienced the unity of the self with the ultimate reality,
Just as the reflection in the mirror was one with the person gauging into it.
Vidya,
Pleased with Ravi's progress,
Said,
Through self-inquiry you have discovered the eternal truth,
The unity of Atman with Brahman.
Just as the mirror reflects your image,
Self-inquiry reflects the truth of your inner being.
Ravi felt a deep sense of fulfillment and gratitude for Vidya's guidance.
He realized that self-inquiry was not just a mental exercise but a profound journey of self-discovery,
A mirror that reflected the ultimate reality within.
As Ravi continued to explore the depths of his own consciousness,
He shared his insights and experiences with others who sought the path of self-inquiry.
The forest became a place of contemplation and self-reflection,
Where seekers from near and far came to discover the mirror of self-realization,
Just as Ravi had done.
And so,
In the tranquil forest of self-inquiry,
The mirror of self-reflection continued to guide countless seekers on the timeless journey of self-realization.
This story illustrates the practice of self-inquiry or Atma Vichara in the Vedanta philosophy.
It emphasizes the practice of looking inward to understand the nature of the self and the ultimate reality,
Much like using a mirror to reflect one's own image.
Self-inquiry is the tool for uncovering the profound truth of the self and its unity with the Supreme Reality.
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,
Hip,
Thigh,
Kneecap,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Left foot heel,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth 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,
Upper 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.
