When I meditate more than an hour per day, I sleep less. During yoga and meditation retreats with many hours of daily practice, I notice an even more substantial drop in the time needed for sleep. And it isn’t just me. Meditators all over the world have the same experience. But is there solid science…
If you can’t sit still, your meditation will be frustrating. Every time you move, you will lose the thread, and your mental state will never deepen. Unfortunately, having difficulties staying still is typical for beginners. The good news is that if you are motivated enough, there is a quick way to overcome that restlessness and…
Ajapa Japa is a meditation technique specific to Satyananda yoga. It combines ujjayi pranayama, awareness of pranic channels and chakras with the mantra Soham. Swami Satyananda’s Ajapa Japa comes in different forms. There are versions suitable to beginners and practices that are better for confirmed practitioners. The origins of Satyananda’s Ajapa Japa Swami Satyananda was…
What are brainwaves, and what can they tell us about meditation? That is what I am exploring in this intriguing post. As it turns out, understanding brainwaves can give us a better sense of what meditation does and how it acts on different levels of our psyche. What are brainwaves? There are about 100 billion…
A lot of people have visions during deep meditation. Seeing vivid images with closed eyes can be profoundly inspiring but sometimes also upsetting. You may ask yourself why you see visions during meditation and if they mean something. You may wonder how the images you see fit into your practice and how to relate to…
Antar Mauna is a powerful form of meditation made famous by the Indian yoga master Swami Satyananda. It consists of several distinct techniques that you practise in a sequence. Each step trains your mind differently. The meditation helps you undo identifying with your mind’s content and instead connect with the peaceful silence underlying all thoughts. …
Dozing off while meditating can be both frustrating, embarrassing and demotivating. When you take time off to work with yourself, and you end up napping, it can feel like you are wasting your time. So how to stop falling asleep while meditating? Here are 15 tried and tested strategies to stay awake during meditation. Feel…
You have taken up meditation. But your thoughts are going off in all directions, and it seems an impossible feat to stay focused. You start doubting. To stay motivated, you need verifiable signs that you are on the right path. But how do you know you are really meditating? Everyone who meditates has wondered…
Yoga poses are just a thin slice of what there is to yoga. Still, poses are the sole focus of most modern yoga styles. The widespread overfocus on posture is frustrating for any practitioner wishing to explore the deeper states within reach of yoga. Though it might be challenging to find a yoga studio where…
Tratak is a concentration-based meditation. To practice it, you fix your gaze on a point. You direct your attention towards your concentration point, and you keep bringing it back to it. If done correctly, you will be able to strengthen your focus, and your mind will slowly move towards one-pointedness. Instructions for tratak seem straightforward…
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