MEDITATION WHICH DOESN'T FOLLOW YOGA

The following steps developed over a period of years. I started by doing a simple type of meditation -- counting breaths 1-10 -- often taught to beginning students by Zen and yoga instructors. The steps I added seemed to be a natural outgrowth of the various spiritual paths and psychological theories I was investigating at any given time.

These steps incorporate elements of Hinduism, yoga, Buddhism, Zen, Judaism and Christianity, among religions, most particularly the meditational aspects thereof; for Judaism that would be the Kabbala, and for Christianity, Christian mysticism. The steps also utilize many of the spiritual insights of Ken Wilber. The psychological elements come from Mr. Wilber, and from the field of NLP.

To the extent you are an experienced meditator, you could incorporate a greater number of the following steps. For a beginner, starting with the counting breaths 1-10 method would be the way to go.

I am unable to really guide you as to what steps were added in what order. If you familiarize yourself with all the steps by reading them a few times, probably it will become clear to you while meditating what steps to add when.

Definitions
Beginning breathing
Meditation
Post meditation breathing
Walking meditation

ONE = an awareness of being the entire phenomenal universe (and the non-phenomenal universe also, whatever that may be!), in other words, the state of unity and god consciousness posited by all spiritual traditions

ROW = rest of the world. In the context here of meditating, it really means the rest of creation, everything other than my own psycho-physiological organism. And when I say "my" view or "my" abdomen, etc. it has its normal meaning, that of my own psycho-physiological organism.

see...hear = a spiritual exercise mentally invoking each of the following elements of awareness, which together encompass all of reality: see, hear, smell, taste, touch, body, emote-fear, emote-feel, ego, superego, id, everything-ever-forgotten, everything-ever-repressed, sense, think, emote, body, think, do, say, think, think, say, do, no-do, no-say, no-think, no-think, no-say, no-do, know, shiviti, full shma-haolom, full shma-haolom.

The acronym for the see...hear is shsttbeeesieestebtdsttsdnnnnnnksss.

--often, but not always, the steps through the emote-feel are done with envisioning a universal front to back timeline

--this front to back timeline has the past extending out from just outside the back of my body, to my rear, to the left and to the right of me to infinity; the present inside me and extending out to infinity at my body width to the left and right of me; and the future extending out from just outside the front of my body to the front, to the left and to the right of me of me to infinity

--often, but not always, the steps from ego until the end are envisioning a universal right to left timeline

--this right to left universal timeline has the past extending from just outside the right side of my body to the front, to the rear and to my right to infinity; the present inside me and extending out to infinity at my body width to the front and rear of me; and the future extending from just outside the left side of my body, to the front, to the rear and to my left to infinity

--also note that many people ordinarily have a timeline left to right, but I've changed mine from right to left; it may be the case that a true "spiritual" timeline always would go from right to left (or maybe just the opposite of a person's normal consciousness timeline?)

--both of these universal timelines are done from the simultaneous perspective of all animals, people and inanimate objects ever extant in each of the past, present, and future portions of that timeline

shiviti = shiviti adonoy lnegdee tameed, I Set the Eternal One Before Me Always

shma haolom = the regular Jewish shma prayer, but instead of yisroal, change to haolom, so it goes Shma Haolom Adonoy Elohanu Adonoy Echawd.  This change takes it from a Judaic-centered prayer ("Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One") to a universalistic one ("Hear O World, the Lord our God, the Lord is One").  Additionally, the translation, or meaning, which I ascribe to this prayer is not the aforesaid traditional one, even as modified.  Instead, I understand it as "Listen, you, all you who worship and seek, All that is -- Everything -- is One."  Rabbi Ted Falcon taught this more metaphysically-oriented meaning.

shmasas = an acronym for a litany of health wishes for myself; since the issues are specific to me, the reader can design one for him- or herself

visualize = see in your mind's eye, or in front of you, as appropriate to the exercise or your own inclination; as meditational depth or experience progresses, in addition to visualizing there may also be experienced auditory or especially feeling components

--when visualizing Hebrew letters of a phrase, as in the shiviti and the shma haolom, I am also mentally "saying" to myself the corresponding sounds of that part of the phrase

--sit with a straight back, hands in the following position (called a "mudra"?):

--left hand palm up, with the top side of left hand fingers resting on top of palm-side right hand fingers, first knuckle from nail of left middle finger resting on back of first knuckle from palm of right hand middle finger, thumbs lightly touching and making a circle

--the inside edges of both hands resting lightly somewhat below the naval, or wherever your arms reach to be comfortable in the shoulders and elsewhere

--watch and count the breaths, with each breath in = a count and each breath out = a count

--during breaths 1-9 (that is, in and out four 1/2 times) the breath is viewed flowing in and out from my mental eye ("my position"), the abdomen expanding on the in breath and contracting back in on the out breath (this abdomen based breathing is the proper way to breathe, taught by yoga instructors, and will be assumed to be the way of breathing throughout these instructions)

--breath 10 begins from my position exhaling, then for a split second add the ROW position as ROW inhaling breath 1 ("its" abdomen expanding out, as visualized, and eventually felt), and that movement of the inhaling ROW abdomen would occur simultaneously to my exhaling breath 10 (and my abdomen contracting back in); then quickly switches fully to the ROW position

--the next breaths 1-9 are from ROW position, "it's" abdomen visualized, and eventually felt, as expanding and contracting (which would, of course, be the opposite of what my physical body is doing at any given point)

--at breath 10, reverse the switch, that is, begin from ROW position exhaling its breath 10, then for a split second add my position as me inhaling breath 1, which would occur simultaneously to ROW exhaling its breath 10 ("it's" abdomen contracting back in at the same time as my abdomen is expanding); then quickly switch fully to my position

--from my position, do breaths 1-10, then another set from 1-9

--at my exhale breath 10, as before, start with my position, add ROW, then switch fully to ROW inhale breath 1

--continue from ROW position breaths 2-10, then do another set 1-9

--on ROW exhale breath 10, as before, start with ROW position, add my position, then switch full to my inhale breath 1

--continue breaths 2-10, do another set 1-10, then another set 1-9

--at my exhale breath 10, as before, start with my position, add ROW, then switch fully to ROW inhale breath 1

--continue from ROW position breaths 2-10, then do another set 1-10, and a final set 1-10

--This is done as a timed meditation

--at one point I meditating for 25 minutes, but now do it for 14 1/2 minutes sessions

--until some facility is reached with the procedures detailed below, it may not be possible to get through them all in less than the time you allot for the meditation, so just do as many as can be done in the available time

--I "look" down from my position at the first chakra, the base of spine/anus, where I see an upside down yellow triangle, and say "yellow" to myself

--then look at that triangle from the ROW position

--then look at that triangle from both positions at once

--then I and ROW together become ONE as the yellow triangle, being aware of its being the storage place of the spinal kundalini

--alternating between my position, ROW, both at the same time and being the chakra itself, visualize four tube-like branches (called "nadis"?) coming off of it, one upwards from the top, one to the left from the left side, one to the right from the right side, and one coming forward the bottom front of the triangle

--as the four nadis are visualized I mentally count them off, so I'm saying "one, two, three, four" to myself

--from the ROW position, do the same number of full breaths (in and out counts as one breath) as the number of nadis, here that being four, visualizing, and eventually feeling, the ROW abdomen expanding and contracting with each breath in and out; to keep track, I count each breath in = as the number and each breath out as "and", that is, 1-and, 2-and, 3-and etc

--primarily from my position, but also alternating a bit to ROW, both at the same time and being the chakra itself, do the see...hear

--have an awareness of this chakra corresponding to Wilber level one, work/exchange of material goods; as such, be aware that the elements of the see...hear from the beginning through "body" are particularly associated with this chakra

--next, me and then ROW (sometimes it may be first ROW, then me) look at the first chakra and at the same time also now see the second chakra (the genitals) in the form of two white spheres, and say "white" to myself; from each position I internally say "yellow white" as I see the first two chakras

--then look at the second chakra from the underside, in other words from the position of the first chakra, being aware of the spinal kundalini rising from its base location to the second chakra

--I and ROW together become ONE as that second chakra,

--alternating between my position, ROW, both at the same time and being the second chakra itself, visualize six nadis coming off of it, all the ones on the first chakra, plus one going backwards from the base of that chakra and one going downwards from the base of that chakra

--as the six nadis are visualized I mentally count them off, so I'm saying "one, two, three, four, five, six" to myself

--from the ROW position, do the same number of full breaths (in and out counts as one breath) as the number of nadis, here that being six, visualizing, and eventually feeling, the ROW abdomen expanding and contracting with each breath in and out

--have an awareness of this second chakra corresponding to the sex/breath/power aspect of Wilber level two

--from the ROW position, looking at me, do the see...hear; be aware of all the ways the world sees/interacts with me and what it may think of me; also be aware that the "emote/fear" element of the see...hear is particularly associated with this chakra

--me and then ROW (sometimes it may be first ROW, then me) look at the first and second chakras and at the same time also now see the third chakra (stomach/guts) in the form of a bright orange triangle, and say "orange" to myself; from each position internally say "yellow white orange" as that position sees the first three chakras

--then added to the third chakra, above and off to the side of the bright orange triangle, is one black 3D swastika (the form that was an ancient holy symbol before the Nazis appropriated it)

--go back and forth from the point of view of the triangle to the swastika to the triangle to the swastika and so on

--then added, at the height of the swastika and opposite it above the triangle, is a second 3D black swastika

--go back and between the POV of each swastika to each other and the point of view of each swastika to the triangle and the point of view of the triangle to both swastikas

--then added, at the height of the two swastikas and equidistant from each of them, is a third 3D black swastika

--go back and between the POV of each swastika to each other, and each of the three swastikas to the other two swastikas, and each pair of swastikas to the third swastika, each swastika to the triangle, and the triangle to all three swastikas

--then look at the third chakra from the underside, in other words from the position of the first chakra, being aware of the spinal kundalini rising from its base location to the third chakra

--alternating between my position, ROW, both at the same time and being the third chakra itself, visualize ten nadis coming off of it, all the ones on the second chakra, plus four more nadis which come out diagonally to the top right, top left, bottom right and bottom left

--as the ten nadis are visualized I mentally count them off

--I and ROW and all the points of view of all the swastikas and the triangle together become ONE as that third chakra

--from the ROW position, do the same number of full breaths (in and out counts as one breath) as the number of nadis, here that being ten, visualizing, and eventually feeling, the ROW abdomen expanding and contracting with each breath in and out

--have an awareness of this third chakra still corresponding to the emotional intercourse ("gut feelings") aspect of Wilber level two,

--do the see...hear from a position where the "watcher" is outside me and the ROW, in other words it's the Witness, viewing me and ROW, but mostly viewing me and then "thru" me viewing ROW; be aware of all the ways I interact with the world and how well I may be doing in that regard and what I think of the world; also be aware that the "emote/feel" element of the see...hear is particularly associated with this chakra

--me and then ROW (sometimes it may be first ROW, then me) look at the first, second and third chakras and at the same time also now see the fourth chakra (heart) in the form of a Star of David with a flame inside it, and say "star" to myself; from each position internally say "yellow white orange star" as that position sees the first four chakras

--be aware that the color associated with this chakra is blue

--be aware of the spinal kundalini rising from its base location to this fourth chakra

--alternating between my position, ROW, both at the same time and being the fourth chakra itself, visualize 12 nadis coming off of it, all the ones on the third chakra, plus one additional one pointing straight down and one additional one pointing straight up

--as the twelve nadis are visualized I mentally count them off

--I and ROW together become ONE as that fourth chakra,

--have an awareness of this fourth chakra corresponding to the Wilber level three, especially the "belongingness" aspect

--experience a thought of the time in my life when that type of belongingness was felt the strongest

--from the ROW position, do the same number of full breaths (in and out counts as one breath) as the number of nadis, here that being twelve, visualizing, and eventually feeling, the ROW abdomen expanding and contracting with each breath in and out

--do the see...hear from a position where the watcher is still the Witness, viewing me and ROW, but mostly viewing ROW and then "thru" ROW seeing me; be aware of all the ways the world sees/interacts with me and what it may think of me; also be aware that the "emote/feel" element of the see...hear is particularly associated with this chakra

--me and then ROW (sometimes it may be first ROW, then me) look at the four chakras and at the same time also now see the fifth chakra (the throat) in the form of a purple, amorphous energy field, and say "purple" to myself; from each position internally say "yellow white orange star purple" as that position sees the first five chakras

--be aware of the spinal kundalini rising from its base location to this fifth chakra

--alternating between my position, ROW, both at the same time and being the fifth chakra itself, visualize 16 nadis coming off of it, all the ones on the fourth chakra, plus one additional one next to each of the diagonal nadis

--as the sixteen nadis are visualized I mentally count them off

--I and ROW together become ONE as that fifth chakra,

--have an awareness of this fifth chakra corresponding to the Wilber level four, ego, mutual personal recognition and esteem

--from the ROW position, do the same number of full breaths (in and out counts as one breath) as the number of nadis, here that being sixteen, visualizing, and eventually feeling, the ROW abdomen expanding and contracting with each breath in and out

--do the see...hear from a position where the watcher is the universal front to back timeline through id, and the universal right to left timeline from everything-ever-forgotten to the end of the see...hear; it's as if that timeline is the cause of all the rest of creation, all the rest of creation emanates from it; be aware that the "ego superego" elements of the see...hear are particularly associated with this chakra

--me and then ROW (sometimes it may be first ROW, then me) look at the five chakras and at the same time also now see another chakra (the eyes) (this may actually not be a chakra, just another position I added, so I won't number it); from each position internally say "yellow white orange star purple" as that position sees the first five chakras

--be aware of the spinal kundalini rising from its base location to this eye chakra

--there are no nadis associated with this chakra

--I and ROW together become ONE as this eye chakra,

--there is no breathing associated with this chakra

--do the see...hear from a position where the watcher is me centered in the solar plexus

--this location is experienced as the cause/emanating source of a joint front to back/right to left universal timeline on which I rest, as well as of the higher levels above

--me and then ROW (sometimes it may be first ROW, then me) look at the five chakras (and the eye chakra) and at the same time also now see the sixth chakra (the forehead), and say "know" to myself; from each position internally say "yellow white orange star purple know" as that position sees this chakra and all the chakras below it

--be aware of the spinal kundalini rising from its base location to this sixth chakra

--alternating between my position, ROW, both at the same time and being the sixth chakra itself, visualize 2 nadis coming off of the sixth chakra, one to the right and one to the left

--as the two nadis are visualized I mentally count them off

--I and ROW together become ONE as this sixth chakra,

--have an awareness of this sixth chakra corresponding to Wilber levels 5/6

--from the ROW position, do the same number of full breaths (in and out counts as one breath) as the number of nadis, here that being two, visualizing, and eventually feeling, the ROW abdomen expanding and contracting with each breath in and out

--do the see...hear from a position where the watcher is at the same time from my position watching the forehead chakra as the location into which the universal energy is pouring, and, as the forehead chakra itself; be aware that the "know" element of the see...hear is particularly associated with this chakra

--me and then ROW (sometimes it may be first ROW, then me) look at the six chakras (and the eye chakra) and at the same time also now see the seventh chakra (at the top of the head); from each position internally say "yellow white orange star purple know" as that position sees this chakra and all the chakras below it, and say the shiviti to myself

--the steps prior to saying the shiviti to myself may, as facility is gained with this process, wind up being in a split second blur

--be aware of the spinal kundalini rising from its base location to this seventh chakra

--alternating between my position, ROW, both at the same time and being this seventh chakra itself, visualize one thousand (or a countless number of) nadis coming off of the seventh chakra, splayed out like a crown

--I and ROW together become ONE as this seventh chakra

--have an awareness of this sixth chakra corresponding to Wilber levels 6/7

--there is no breathing associated with this chakra

--do the see...hear from a position where the watcher is at once this seventh chakra and a joint front to back/right to left universal timeline on which I rest, both being the joint cause/emanating sources of my psycho-physiological organism and all of physical creation, which is represented as a place between the seventh chakra and the joint timeline between my stomach and solar plexus; be aware that the "shiviti" element of the see...hear is particularly associated with this chakra

--next me and then ROW (sometimes it may be first ROW, then me) look at the seven chakras (and the eye chakra) and at the same time also now see the eighth chakra (a sort of universal chakra glow surrounding my body); from each position internally say "yellow white orange star purple know" as that position sees this chakra and all the chakras below it

--be aware of the spinal kundalini rising from its base location, out the top of the head, and then to this entire eighth chakra

--there are no nadis associated with this chakra

--I and ROW together become ONE as this seventh chakra

--have an awareness of this sixth chakra corresponding to Wilber levels 7/8

--the steps of this eighth chakra through this point may, as facility is gained with this process, wind up being done in a split second blur

--say the shma haolom to myself twice

--there is no breathing associated with this chakra

--do the see...hear from a position where the watcher is in rapid succession and then simultaneously, all the prior positions and all the elements of the see...hear in each of the parts of the joint front to back/right to left universal timeline; be aware that the "shma haolom" element of the see...hear is particularly associated with this chakra

--do a see...hear on the shma haolom

--there is no watcher, no "from" position, it being done as an embodiment of being the Shma haolom

--this corresponds to Suchness, ONENESS, the Wilber level 8 causal

--do a modified see...hear as follows:

--who "sees" what, not me (actually here and following, not [my first name])

--who "hears" what, not me

--who "smells" what, not me

--who "tastes" what, not me

--who "touches" what, not me

--who "body's" what, not me

--who "emote fears" what, not me

--who "emote feels" what, not me

--who "ego's" what, not me

--who "superego's" what, not me

--who "id's" what, not me

--who "everything every forgotten's" what, not me

--who "everything every repressed's" what, not me

--who "sense think emote body think" what, not me

--who "do say think" what, not me

--who "think say do" what, not me

--who "no-do no-say no-think" what, not me

--who "no-think no-say no-do" what, not me

--who "knows" what, not me

--who "shiviti adonoy lnegdee tameed" what, not me

--who "Shma Haolom Adonoy Elohanu Adonoy Echawd" what, not me

--who "Shma Haolom Adonoy Elohanu Adonoy Echawd" what, not me

--until the end of the meditation period as signified by the bell or other alarm being used, just watch the breath or otherwise remain in the state I am in...

--sometimes also, or instead of, count the breaths, using the 1-and, 2-and method or, one breath in-and-out = 1 method

--if counting either way when the bell rings, continue the count until 10 (or 12 if counting to 12) is reached

--when the timer rings, make sure I am still sitting with back straight, then watch and count, from my position, 12 breaths, with in=1, out=2, etc; in other words, six full breaths

--sometimes do another 1-12, which will result in a deeper state for a longer period after regular everyday activities are resumed

--sometimes do a third 1-12, which will result in the deepest state for the longest period after regular everyday activities are resumed

--sometimes counts are 1-10, that being Hindu/Buddhist practice and 1-12 being more a Jewish number to count to

--roll shoulders backward three times (counterclockwise if looking at me from the right side) and three times forward (clockwise)

--slowly arise from the meditation posture

--with an erect posture, place the hands and arms in what is perhaps my minor variations on the traditional Zen walking meditation posture

--left hand in a gentle fist around the left thumb, palm inward

--right hand palm down wrapping the left hand

--elbows at a 45 degree angle and extended out to the sides so the two arms form a straight line

--hands resting gently against the navel, or wherever resting them would allow the elbows to remain at a 45 degree angle

--for three minutes, do a walking meditation, in a clockwise direction, around the edges of the room

--start walking from the left of the location you sat during meditation

--unless other breathing instructions are specified, the default breathing pattern for this walking meditation is two inhales followed by three exhales

--each inhale is one step, each exhale is one step

--so inhale/step, inhale/step, exhale/step, exhale/step, exhale/step

--at the beginning, I take what I am seeing with my physical eye and internally visualize it in thin strips going backwards and forwards around the edges of a rectangle which is my mental field of vision

--these strips become interlaced in an up and down woven pattern

--all the strips flow out from the center of a cornucopia/volcano

--letting that image fade, begin counting and holding breaths, at the rate of one count per step, as follows:

--inhale on one step, hold for a count of four (four steps), then exhale for a count of two (two steps)

--inhale for a count of two (two steps), hold for a count of 8 (eight steps), then exhale for a count of four (four steps)

--inhale for a count of three (three steps), hold for a count of 12 (twelve steps), then exhale for a count of six (six steps)

--inhale for a count of two (two steps), hold for a count of 8 (eight steps), then exhale for a count of four (four steps)

--inhale on one step, hold for a count of four (four steps), then exhale for a count of two (two steps)

--this 1-4-2 ratio is the ultimate goal, but the beginner may need to start with a 1-2-1, then 1-2-2, etc ratio and build up to 1-4-2

--the up and down scale of the inhale being for 1, then 2, then 3, then 2, then 1 steps can be expanded to go to four, five however many steps the person is capable of

--also, a variation would be, do the 1-step once, the two-step inhale twice, and the three-step inhale three times

--until the timer rings, continue the walking meditation using the default breathing pattern

--when the timer rings, continue walking in the circle until I reach the point I started, which was directly left of the location I sat during meditation

--face east

--press palms together, thumbs resting against my chest, so that the top of my fingers is about the height of the bottom of my throat

--bow from the waist slightly (1/2 " or so) down and then up, always in that same easterly direction, as follows:

--once with awareness of bowing to all that's in front of me

--once with awareness of bowing to all that's in back of me

--once with awareness of bowing to all that's to the left of me

--once with awareness of bowing to all that's to the right of me

--once with awareness of bowing to all that's above me

--once with awareness of bowing to all that's below me