Aum is one of the most popular chants in India. From time to time Osho has suggested many ways of doing it; if done properly, it can be a door to silence.

A caution from Osho: A mantra has to be chanted and then dropped. A mantra is complete only when you can drop it. Do not cling to it!

Here we discuss one of the ways of chanting the Aum mantra.

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Real strength is not what the physical eyes perceive. Real strength is the inner strength, the true self of the being. And the secret to this is the inner stability or sthirta. Strength is a very deep and subtle concept and is not just about physical appearance.

It is that which is sthir, which is silent, is pure energy. Just by the strength of one's sthirta one develops the capacity to draw any kind of force inside.

We now give you an intense and very effective technique for building the real strength which is all about maintaining inner silence, the technique of "Sound of the Inner Void."

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

In the true sense, cosmic consciousness and the life force emanating from it through the medium of the will is the source of life. But in creation, breath is the chord that ties the soul to the body. When breath stops, the body is just an inanimate corpse; the nervous system no longer works, the mind is extinguished, and life (as we understand it) comes to an end.

On the physical level, the breath is the manifestation of more subtle energies of the subtle bodies of the being. The breath itself is not cosmic energy. The cosmic energy in fact breaks up the breath into the force that can be used by the body to sustain it, and it is the same same energy that forces out of our body, the unwanted residue of unedible mass that has accumulated therein.

(See also: Meditation and Relaxation, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Osho has used dance as a meditation because he says that dance is the only activity in which the ego can disappear easily. But dance can only become meditation if the dance is not contrived. Dance is good in itself - as far as it goes. After it, you will feel fresh, young. But it is not meditation yet. The dancer must go, until only the dance remains.

So what to do? Be totally in the dance, because division can exist only if you are not totally in it. If you are standing aside and looking at your own dance, the division will remain: you are the dancer and you are dancing. Then dancing is just an act, something you are doing; it is not your being. So get involved totally, be merged in it.

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

This is a meditation to create a new rhythm in your life. Remember: such a lovely beginning will certainly make you love everybody. You will breathe love. Your very vibe would be that of love. The magnet of love will work wonders - you will get back love a thousand folds. There can be no other more powerful meditation than love. Love Is God.

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

As we exhale, not only do we throw out carbon dioxide from our system, but also mental and emotional impurities. Here, Swami Kriyananda speaks of a breathing technique that will help overcome negative moods

When a deliberate effort is made to absorb "prana" from the air that we breathe, then breathing can give us psycho-spiritual benefits as well. There is an intimate connection between the mind and the breath. When we are emotionally disturbed, the flow of energy in the body is also disturbed, and the effect on the breath is instantaneous: The breathing becomes erratic and rapid.

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Morning is the best time for all meditative methods. It is the time when the whole existence is waking up and one can try different methods. It is the time when the whole existence is waking up and one can try different methods of meditation.

The moment you wake up, get connected with your being. And the best way to get connected is to become aware of your breath. Watch your breath - coming in, going out. Watch it. Don't breathe, just watch. Passive watching. Listen to the soft and subtle sound of the movement of your breath.

(See also: Morning Meditation, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

According to the renowned German scholar Max Mueller, the study of mental states is unique to India. He also opined that ekagrata or one-pointedness that India spoke of was unknown, and to a large extent, incomprehensible to the Western world. And this viewpoint holds true even today.

Dhayana or meditation is a state of concentration or mental activity in which the mind can stay focused on an object chosen for concentration without wavering and without getting distracted. When we are engaged in an activity, which will increase our attention span on `our chosen object of concentration' then we are trying to generate a meditative experience by improving our concentration or attention span.

(See also: Meditation and Concentration, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Morning is the best time for all meditative methods. It is the time when the whole existence is waking up and one can try different methods. It is the time when the whole existence is waking up and one can try different methods of meditation.

The moment you wake up, get connected with your being. And the best way to get connected is to become aware of your breath. Watch your breath - coming in, going out. Watch it. Don't breathe, just watch. Passive watching. Listen to the soft and subtle sound of the movement of your breath.

(See also: Morning Meditation, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Are you relaxed when you are relaxed? Most people are not! Relaxing does not mean dumping yourself into your Grandpa's rocking chair. That is dumping . You do not have to fall into something to relax, but if you do not make it a habit to relax, soon you will be falling all over the place!

(See also: Meditation and Relaxation, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

The best form of visualisation is when you try and affirm your oneness with the Divine Spirit. Sit, relaxed and comfortable, in a chair with your spine straight, or on a mattress in the meditative/cross-legged posture. Focus your gaze on the area of the third eye in between your eyebrows.

This in yogic terms is the seat of concentration and will power. Fill your heart and your mind with the joy of God or any other happy feeling that you are able to relate with. Know yourself to be a being of light. Forget the heaviness of the body. See yourself surrounded by this ball of light. It is immersing you in its warmth and permeates you into the space around. This light is the presence and consciousness of God.

(See also: Meditation and Visualisation, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Men of great success have been men of great concentration. Success does not come from outside. It is right within your brain. When a brilliant thought /idea strikes you, it needs to be nurtured and reared with patience, will, focus, and determined action. Only then will the tiny seed of an idea truly flower into a vibrant plant. The entire basis of the flowering is the mind and its powers.

Concentration involves a honing in of the attention so that one's entire field of attention is thrown into whatever it is that one is doing. Concentration entails a focusing of energy-the energy that influences all our actions in life.

(See also: Meditation and Concentration, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

The increasing power of inhalation or exhalation is associated with the strengthening of upward or downward currents of energy in the spine.

The balance of these two currents results in a state of mental poise, and in a deepening inner awareness. When the two currents are perfectly balanced, even the movement of physical breathing is stopped. Only in breathlessness is one able completely to concentrate the mind.

The practice of kumbhak, or forcible retention of breath, is done for brief periods in order to focus one's mind on a particular thought or state of consciousness.

(See also: Breathing exercises, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

There are eight kinds of prayanams in Hatha yoga . However before doing these eight pranayams we need to do Narishodhan pranayama..

The most crucial thing is to learn doing pranayam in its correct method. This pranayama is best done early in the morning on an empty stomach or in the evening, after at least 4 5 hours after lunch.

Instructions and benefits for:

-       Narishodhan pranayama

(See also: Pranayama, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

We will now explain some pranayams of Maharishi Patanjali.

Patanjali kriya gets rid off all negative emotions and feelings and negative energies. It also strengthens the mind and the five 'prans' in our body (pran, apan, saman, vyan and udan). The five 'kosh' or bodies (annamay kosh, pranamay kosh, manomay kosh, vigyanmay kosh and anandmay kosh) within us are also purified with these pranayam.

Practise of these pranayam leads one to a thoughtless state (where one is without any thoughts) or the state of meditation.

Instructions and benefits for:

-       Bahyavriti Pranayam

-       Abhyantarvriti Pranayam

-       Stambhvriti Pranayama

-       Bahya-abhyantar visyakshapy Pranayama

(See also: Pranayama, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

Which is the "right" meditation technique right for me?

There is no "right" meditation technique for everybody. Some techniques work better for certain people while other techniques work better for other people. The important thing is to find what works for you.

Read more here: » Meditation: Which is the right meditation technique right for me?

What are the different meditation techniques?

Meditation involves concentrating on something to take our attention beyond the random thought activity that is usually going on in our heads. This can involve a solid object or picture, a mantra, breath, or guided visualization.

Read more here: » Meditation: What are the different meditation techniques?

As a common precursor, when you sit down to practice exercises in concentration and contemplation, precede your sessions with a prayer to God or Guru, and invoke their presence and Grace.

Smile and fill your heart with a recollection of joy and happiness that you may have experienced in the past. Feel God's light suffusing and relaxing the entire body, and gently, rhythmically, slow down the process of breathing. It always helps to keep your eyes shut and focused on the area of the third eye. Closing the eyes ensures stillness of the mind. The attention should always be turned inward, that is, we should try and lose awareness of our bodies and feel the consciousness being sucked into the vacuum-like depths of the eternity.

(See also: Meditation  and Concentration, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Meditation and Breath

Meditation is the practice of turning the attention from outer awareness to inner concentration. In the practice of Kundalini Maha Yoga, meditation is much more than a relaxation technique. It is a way of easing resistance to the ascent of the Kundalini energy by quieting the fluctuations of the mind. Of all the forms of meditation, meditation through attention on the breath is the simplest and most direct way to Self-realization.

Read more here: » Kundalini Maha Yoga: Meditation and Breath

Visualisation is the process of focusing your concentration on an image of what you want and seeing it as already having manifested. It is a ritual of going in into the inner recesses of your mind, and with the power of the subconscious mind, causing the manifestation of the desired object, instance or circumstance.

Visualisation resembles our familiar habits of fantasies, daydreams, and imaginations but entwines a certain discipline into them. Visualisation is not imagination, though the dividing line is very subtle. Imagination is an outward projection of the mind and has its foundation in desires and emotions.

(See also: Meditation and Visualisation, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Morning is the best time for all meditative methods. It is the time when the whole existence is waking up and one can try different methods. It is the time when the whole existence is waking up and one can try different methods of meditation.

The moment you wake up, get connected with your being. And the best way to get connected is to become aware of your breath. Watch your breath Ð coming in, going out. Watch it. Don't breathe, just watch. Passive watching. Listen to the soft and subtle sound of the movement of your breath.

(See also: Morning Meditation, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)