WHAT IS MEANING OF OM NAMO SHIVAYA, HOW TO DO MANTRA MEDITATION, OM NAMO SHIVAYA MANTRA

MEDITATION WITH OM NAMO SHIVAYA

MEANING OF MANTRA

It means “I bow to Shiva.” Shiva is the supreme reality, the inner Self. It is the name given to consciousness that dwells in all. Shiva is the name of your true identity- your self.


Pronounced as Aum Num-ha Shi-why

Om Namah Shivaya is known as the great redeeming mantra also known as five-syllable mantra

According to Hindu mythology there are three Gods who run this creation.

The Brahma – who creates the universe,
The Vishnu – who preserves the Universe and
The Shiva- who in the end destroys the universe.

Among the three deities, Shiva, though considered as destroyer, also symbolize the – the inner self which remains intact even after everything ends.

In this mantra the chanter (one who repeats the mantra) bow to Shiva- his true self.

Om Namah Shivay is a very powerful mantra. It has been said about this mantra that if this mantra vibrates continually in your heart, then you have no need to perform austerities, to meditate, or to practise yoga.

To repeat this mantra you need no rituals or ceremonies, nor must you repeat it at an auspicious time or in a particular place.”

This mantra is free of all restrictions. It can be repeated by anyone, young or old, rich or poor and no matter what state a person is in, it will purify him.

HOW TO DO MEDITATION WITH OM NAMAH SHIVAY


Sit in a comfortable and peaceful place and position.

Start repeating the mantra in your mind or loudly with the same speed as you talk:Om Namah Shivay (Aum Num-ha Shi-why)

To repeat any mantra as already mentioned in General Rules : one should repeat it with full awareness of its meaning.

Repeat ‘Om Namah Shivay’, with the feeling that you are bowing to Shiva – your true inner self.

Repeat this mantra with respect. The inner self is the form of God in you. So as you say ‘ Om Namah Shivay’ i.e. “I bow to Shiva’; you are actually bowing to God – The great almighty.

The repetition of the name of God is equivalent to be merged in his very being. When you repeat God’s name in your mouth, in one way, you experience the God itself.

Just repeat this mantra with faith and it’s powerful phonetic vibrations will start doing miracle for you.

HOW TO DO MANTRA MEDITATION IN DAILY LIFE


(1) Choose a mantra.

(2) Allocate 30 minutes for mantra meditation. Though early morning or late evening is best time, you can chooses any time as per  your convenience. 

(3)In those 30 minutes, 20 minutes will be for chanting (repeating)  the mantra and the last 10 minutes for being watchful of your inner consciousness.

PROCEDURE OF MANTRA MEDITATION

(1) Sit comfortably at a quiet place.

(2)Close your eyes.

(3)Start chanting the mantra (either silently or loudly ).

(4)Repeat the mantra with faith and respect.

(5)Repeat it with the full awareness of its meaning.

(6)Keep chanting the mantra for 20 minutes.

(7) After 20 minutes….
stop chanting. Be quiet. Keep sitting silently.

The mantra will keep echoing in your mind for some more time. Just be watchful of what happens inside you.

Don’t judge, act or react. Just be aware of all that is happening inside you. Just be a witness of all your emotions, feelings, and other activities in and around you.

You will feel a sense of calm and bliss.

All thought activities will start decreasing and eventually come to a stand still.

Slowly slowly open your eyes and move out of the meditation.

This Mantra Repetition is an extremely powerful and widely used meditation technique which will deepen your meditation practice in almost no time.

When you begin meditating this way on daily basis, slowly you will start experiencing a thought free mind –  a state of choiceless awareness.Your true self will be revealed to you.

Please remember that the 10 minutes watchfulness after the 20 minutes of chanting is a must.

Later you may increase your timing. But the ratio between chanting and witnessing should remain as 2:1.

WHAT IS SOHAM? HOW TO DO SOHAM MEDITATION? WHAT IS NATURAL MANTRA, UNDERSTANDING SO HAM MEDITATION

WHAT IS SOHAM

The natural mantra which repeats itself
It is natural mantra ,Pronounced as So Hum

Great mantra which repeats itself in all of us !
This the the natural mantra – Soham .


This mantra is  So’ham – the natural mantra, the mantra of your true self. It does not belong to the East or the West or to any religion.

So’ham  is the inherent in everybody, in all of us; it repeats itself continually, along with our breathing.

It is said that as long as this mantra keeps going on inside us, there is life in the body. As soon as it stops, we are no more.

UNDERSTANDING SO HAM MEDITATION

In order to understand So’ham,  we have to look at our breathing process. During breathing  we inhale air and  exhale air.

If you closely observe your breathing process, you will find that as your breath goes out and comes in, it produces two tiny sounds of syllables.

The breath goes out with the sound ‘ so’ and comes in with the sound ‘ham’.

But some people feel comfortable with reverse sound order

“The breath goes out with the sound ‘ ham’ and comes in with the sound ‘so'

I will says whichever way you feel comfortable, is your way. That will work for you.

And to me, it’s seem very natural explanation as whenever I meditate using So’ham I get this feeling that my inhalation is producing the sound ‘So’ and exhalation the sound ‘ham’.

I think it’s just a matter of belief.

So’ham is also known as Hamsa mantra. So’ham and Hamsa are the same mantra.

The breath is exhaled with the sound Sa and inhaled again with the sound ham.

Therefore, the empirical individual always repeats the mantra Hamsa. (or Ham’So)

We all have to be our own light in this path of spirituality. Take your own time, research a bit if you want, consult others and choose the path most suitable to you. We all are different. So are our needs and opinions.

See for yourself now ! Observe your breathing and notice the sound of ‘so’ and ‘Ham’. You will see that breath is coming out with the sound ‘So’ and coming in with the sound ‘ham’

Every time the breath goes out and comes in, one repetition of the So’ham mantra takes place. Whether one is a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu  or a Musilm, one repeats this mantra unconsciously thousands and thousands of times every day.

THE MEANING OF SOHAM MANTRA

The meaning of So’ham is “I am That”. Through these two syllables, we contemplate our oneness with the supreme consciousness.

Through the ever going process of breathing, our ‘self’ keeps repeating this mantra –  I am that.

SOURCE OF SOHAM

The heart is considered as the source of So’ham. It is from the heart that the syllables of ‘So’ and ‘Ham’ arise, and again in the heart that they subside.

If you observe your breath, you will notice that it arises from within with the sound So’, goes out of the body to a distance of about twelve fingers, and dissolves there.

A fraction of a second later, the inhalation arises with the sound ham and goes back into the body. It merges in the heart for a split second and then arise again in the form of ‘So.

WHAT IS PAUSE BREATH AND SPACE OF TRUTH

Between the inhalation and the exhalation, there is a fraction of second which is absolutely still and free of thoughts.

It is the same moment of pause that I explained in Pause breath method of Deep Breathing  . That space is the space of the truth.

When you breath in and out, listening the ham  and so, you should focus on that space for as long as it lasts.

As you practise the technique, the space will gradually expand.
Observing the So’ham is a natural Sadhana, a natural yoga.

SOHAM IS AJAPA-JAPA

It is known as ajapa-japa, the unrepeated mantra repetition.

Since So’ham goes on within you all the time, you do not have to make an effort to repeat it.

All you have to do is become aware of it. You do not need any faith. You just have to watch the space of truth.

Since this technique is very subtle, you have to practice it for a while in order to understand it.

HOW TO PRACTICE SOHAM

Whenever you sit quietly, follow your breath and listen to the mantra. If you do not immediately become aware that the mantra (So’ham) is repeating itself, you can repeat the syllables along with your breathing. So’ during exhalation and ham’ during inhalation. 

In a few days you will be able to synchronize the mantra with your breath. Soon you will begin to hear the mantra naturally. If you practice it for a while, you will experience the self.

SOHAM RECOMMENDED IN ANCIENT TEXT

The practice of So’ham is recommended in the Upanishads and the Vedas.

It has been said about So’ham that :
Watch the So’ham. Those who contemplate So’ ham ceaselessly, discarding worldly entanglements, they attain the supreme state and their worldly bondage is destroyed.

While repeating So’ham, keep in mind that the goal and practice of So’ ham are the same.

So’ ham means “I am that,” and if you practise it with complete concentration, being aware of the breath coming in and going out, you will experience That (which is nothing but your true self).

The truth is that you do not really have to practice it, because you are already That.

The practise of So’ ham is a matter of understanding. You are not required to repeat it . It is already going on in you. You have to just watch and listen it.

Just watch the breathing process, listen the So’ham and realize the true self present in you which always says ‘I am that’

HELPFUL TIPS FOR VERY EFFECTIVE MEDITATION

HELPFUL TIPS FOR VERY EFFECTIVE MEDITATION

Practice 3 conscious thoughts 

to super accelerate your meditation practice everyday

The first thought is

(1) Be kind towards everybody

If you are not kind enough with your neighbors, if you do not love your fellow human beings, if you are not thankful to God for all things that he has given to you – then forget about meditation. 

It has no use for you and no meditation technique will help you.
Before doing meditation it is necessary that we have a feeling of true compassion for the whole universe.

 And when I say ‘Whole universe’, I really mean it. It means a feeling of compassion for all. For each and every living and non-living being in this universe irrespective of your own relation with that being.

 A feeling of love, compassion and kindness for everybody. Just be loving to your friend, your neighbors, your colleagues, your parents, your relatives and…… to your enemies and your competitors too !! Yes I mean it.

It may sounds quite odd, but it is the experience of millions of people who have meditated. With a bitter heart and animosity for someone, we simply can’t meditate . It is simply impossible. I’ll try to explain it:-


Second thought is :

(2) Thank God for everything you have :

This is the second thing to do. Once you have spread the thoughts of goodwill to whole universe, just be thankful to the universe. Be thankful to everybody for helping you at any point of time. Be thankful to God for all that he has given to you.
Have a feeling of gratitude for all that you have gotten. There are so many things in your life for which you should be thankful to God.

Thank him for the present day he has given us, thank him for the pleasant wind outside, thank him for trees, for sky, for the breakfast you have in the morning, the lunch in office and dinner at home. Thank him for giving you wonderful friends, a loving spouse, and a lovely child. Thank him for the beautiful music, the sun rise, the baseball, the TV, DVD, the Car, the bus, the fruits, the day free of traffic jams !

Well the list is endless. 95% things in our life are all right. Forget about the rest 5%.
If you find it difficult to find anything good in your life for which you should be thankful to this universe please read this inspiring verse

Think About this
Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight;
Just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.


Should you find yourself stuck in traffic; don’t despair.
There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.


Should you have a bad day at work;
Think of the man who has been out of work for the last three months.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad;
Think of the person who has never known what it’s like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend;
Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for -15.00 to feed her family.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance;
Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror;
Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking “what is my purpose”;
Be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities;
Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!

Should you decide to tell the above to a friend;
 You might brighten someone’s day!

 After reading the above inspiring verse, I hope you must be aware of so many things for which you should be thankful to God. So thank him and proceed to third step.

After becoming compassionate and thankful to the universe for all that it has given to you, come to the third step. This third step is unique and very helpful.

The third thought is:-

(3) Just remind yourself that you are an ordinary, simple person.
It may sounds strange. But it is not. I am using the words ‘remind yourself’ .

You may say ,Hey! I am not an ordinary and simple person. I am so talented, so intelligent that only yesterday Boss gave me an appreciation letter recommending my out of turn promotion. Only because of my idea and original planning, my company could execute that different project in time.

 How I can be an ordinary person. I have been a consistent topper in my academic years. Well, there may be many ordinary and simple person but I am certainly not one of them. 

I am so intelligent, so beautiful and handsome, so rich! How can I call myself simple and ordinary when I am not?
If you are experiencing the same feelings as above or similar to that, let me tell you a truth:

” THERE IS NO PLACE FOR EGO IN MEDITATION.”
Meditation, rather, will melt your ego and make you a down to earth person.

Yes ! you are important There are many achievements, many great qualities, many awards and success stories which can be attributed to you.

But tell me – does they really matters?

One of the most important quality in the world is to become truly simple and down to earth without pretending.

Our life on earth is limited. There was a time when you were not there. Then you came in this world. And you are here, living life to its fullest, facing and solving its problems. And a day will come when you will no longer remain on earth. Death will end your small journey of life.

In between these two days of birth and death there is a life which you have to live. Just think ! How many people will remember you after your death. Rest aside your death, if you are working, how many people will remember you after your retirement. Very few ! and if they do, they’ll do it only for a few days !

Life is just like that. Tell me for how many times you remember those colleagues who have long retired. I can bet, seldom or never we remember them. It is not that we do not like them or respect the good work they did in their time; the thing is that every day comes with new sets of problems.

We all spend our day in solving these newer sets of problems that we have no time to remember those who have worked with us in the past. It may sound bitter but the same thing will happen in your case too. You may be a brilliant and outstanding person.

You may have the uncanny ability of solving the problems in the blink of an eye. You may be the most successful and intelligent person in your entire country.

However, remember this :

At present you are facing and solving ‘a particular set of problems’ that have arisen in a ‘particular period of time’.

In future in ‘an another set of time’, a ‘very different set of problems’ will arise and there will be people who’ll solve them. Only when a difficult problem having a precedent in the past will pop up, then somebody will remember you and say ” hey this is similar to the one that Johnny had solved 5/10/x years ago !”

Why I am telling you all this ? I just want to familiarize you with the ephemeral character of life. In the ultimate analysis nothing is going to matter. The truth is that no matter how important, affluent and successful we are or how ordinary, failure or simple we are, we all will be forgotten by generations to come.

But don’t take it as a bad thing. After all we ourselves have forgotten all man of past. Except a few rare great personalities like Lincoln, Gandhi & Jefferson etc how many men or women of 17th or 18th century are in our memories ? They all have been buried in the past.

And sooner or later, one day we’ll also be forgotten by future generation. Yes there will be some exceptions. Some great men and woman among us. But tell me honestly, how many greats of past are remembered by us ? 

We remember them whenever there is a need to take some inspiration from past. We remember them on their birthday or on their martyr day. But all in all, our ‘present day’ life is full of its own quota of ‘day to day’ problems that most of us will spend our life in solving them.

Remember the immortal saying of Professor William James – ” The keenest desire of human being is the desire of becoming important”
Everybody wants importance. So don’t expect that you will be considered a VIP forever. There were VIP in the past. There are VIPs in present (you may be one of them) and there will be VIPs in future. And this’ll go on and on.

Actually our existence is just like an ocean. You are a wave of the ocean. You may be the most powerful, most thunderous, most beautiful and most inspiring wave of this ocean. But in the ultimate analysis you are just a wave. 

And the destiny of a wave is to merge again into the ocean. One day your little wave will also merge in the ocean of existence. Contemplate on this and understand the reality. We all are simple and ordinary in front of this huge cosmic play that is going on.

The socialism is disappearing fast. After USSR, China has also started adopting the capitalist way. It might happen that one day there will be no country left professing socialism. 

But the greatest socialist phenomenon will remain in this world and will continue making everyone equal. Do you know what is it ? It is … Death.
Death does not discriminate between poor or rich, healthy or ill, king or pauper. It makes everybody equal. All who have died are equal. Contemplate on this stark reality. Understand the ephemeral character of life.. and remind your self that you are a simple and ordinary person.

Take some time from your busy life and contemplate over this fact. Do it now.

Let me summarize all that I have described above. Before doing meditation, sit quietly in a comfortable position in a silent place. Then do these three contemplative acts:

(1) Be loving to all – Spread thoughts of good will to each and everybody in this universe. Remove all kind of animosity and hatred from your heart.

(2) Be thankful for all that you have gotten – Say thanks to God for all the good things he has given you. If you are an atheist, be thankful to the universe. Almost 95% things in our life are alright. Forget about the rest 5%.

(3) Remind yourself the ephemeral character of life – Life is small. We are just like a wave of ocean that will merge again into ocean.

Doing this three emotional contemplation will immensely help you in meditation. They will have a very cleansing effect on your internal being. 

You will be able to achieve meditative state very quickly. You will experience a deep mental peace. 

Though these 3 things are not meditation, they make the meditator highly receptive to all positive gain he/she will draw in meditation. 

I strongly recommend you to do these contemplative acts before meditation .