Hong-Sau Technique for Meditation

[Gurudevi]

By ~Gurudevi, Shri Swami Maha-Shaktiananda
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"As a boy, Paramahansa Yogananda used to practice it for hours at a time. He experienced soul consciousness…and a higher reality took over…oneness with God.

I have practiced the Hong-Sau technique daily since I was a teenager. Practice it as much as you want to and you will be amazed with how good you will feel.

Sit upright with a straight spine, and relax your body. With your eyes closed, look at the point midway between the eyebrows on your forehead. Inhale slowly, counting to eight. Hold the breath for the same eight counts while concentrating your attention at the point between the eyebrows. Exhale slowly to the same count of eight. Repeat three to six times.

After inhaling and exhaling completely, wait for the next breath to come in. When it does, mentally say Hong (rhymes with song). Then, as you exhale, mentally say Sau (rhymes with saw). Hong Sau is a mantra (Sanksrit term). It means 'I am He' or 'I am Spirit'.

Make no attempt to control your breathing. Let flow completely naturally. Try to feel that your breath itself is silently making the sounds of Hong and Sau. Initially try to feel the breath at the point where it enters the nostrils. Be as attentive as possible. If you have difficulty feeling the breath, you can concentrate, for a while, on the breathing process itself, feeling your diaphragm and chest expanding and contracting. Gradually, as you become calmer, try to feel the breath higher and higher in the nose.

Be sure that your gaze is kept steady at the point between the eyebrows throughout your practice. Press very lightly on your closed eyelids with the tip of your middle fingers. This helps your eyes to inwardly focus on the five pointed bright star surrounded by a beautiful gold ring of light [inner focus of the third eye] and brings the mind's attention to a restful state.

If you find that your mind has wandered off, simply bring it back to an awareness of the breath and the mantra. By concentration on the breath, the breath actually diminishes; its gradual refinement leads naturally to an interiorized meditative state. Practice this technique as much as you like. "

~~Om~~Shanti~~Bliss~~