Meditation

Good company is one of the mainstays of yoga. Learn how gathering with other seekers in a yoga study group can inspire us to explore the deeper possibilities of yoga, helping us reach beyond asana practice to expand our view of lifestyle, yoga philosophy, and meditative practices.

Do you ever feel the need for a visual image to help you focus in meditation? Yantras—sacred geometric diagrams—offer a visual framework for focus. Rolf Sovik explains the inner meaning of different shapes in a yantra and suggests ways to incorporate elements of a yantra into your meditation practice.

When your sitting pose is comfortable and steady, it allows your energy to flow more easily and your meditation practice to blossom. Rolf Sovik offers simple tips on how to adjust your alignment, so that your posture becomes a gateway to the quiet, illumined spaces within you.

The mantra is like a bridge on which meditators cross the river of life and eventually reach the other shore—the state of highest consciousness. Swami Rama explains how mantras help us to penetrate and fathom the various levels of the mind so we can attain the deepest states of meditation.

Transform your life and transfigure your mind with the practice of purashcharana, a time-honored approach to intensifying your meditation practice. Rolf Sovik explains how to undertake a purashcharana from start to finish, including the prerequisites, how to overcome obstacles, and ways to deepen and enhance your practice.

Practicing svadhyaya (self-study) helps us identify and remove obstacles to our spiritual growth. Learn how the two key aspects of svadhyaya—japa (mantra repetition) and scripture reading—engender inner awareness, a positive outlook, and clarity in setting our priorities.

A special meditation practice called a purashcharana (step forward) illuminates the unlit corners of our mind, enabling us to see and conquer self-defeating tendencies, even as these tendencies attempt to hijack our practice. In this engaging story, Swami Rama discovers that when we fully commit ourselves to the practice, it bears the optimal fruit.

How can we tell if we are making progress in our meditation practice? Pandit Tigunait describes the signs that show we are moving forward and offers suggestions on how we can further deepen our practice.

Before you begin your daily meditation, befriend your mind and connect with your inner teacher through the process of introspection. Swami Rama explains how the more we know about our mind, the greater the mastery we will have over the world around us.

“Our problems are not bigger than us. We are bigger than our problems.” How can we make lasting changes? Learn the practice of active vairagya—uncoupling from negativity so we can recouple with our higher self.

Hailed by the sages as the heart of the Vedas, the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra can help you tune into the healing force that is always at work within you, supporting your growth, lifting you up in times of trouble, and reminding you of the higher aim of life. In this article, Rolf Sovik unveils one of yoga’s most powerful, nourishing mantras.

Illumine your mornings and evenings with quiet joy by practicing the time-honored Gayatri mantra. Embodying the collective wisdom of the entire Vedic revelation, the Gayatri mantra leads us toward self-realization. Rolf Sovik explains the symbolism of the Vedas, gives a detailed explanation of the mantra, and offers a short practice.