Category: dhyana

How Twice-Daily Dhyāna Ripens Naturally into Samādhi in a Busy Modern Life

In today’s hurried world, extended meditation for many hours or days is simply not practical for most people. Life is full of responsibilities, work, family, and unavoidable mental engagement. Because of this, the idea that only long retreats or extreme practices can lead to Samādhi often feels unrealistic. What I have gradually understood through my own experience is that one hour of Dhyāna twice a day, done daily and sincerely, is a powerful and sufficient alternative.

This understanding did not come from theory alone, but from observing how my body, breath, attention, and awareness actually behave over time.

Morning Dhyāna and the Role of Preparation

In the morning, I do not jump directly into sitting. Before one hour of Dhyāna, I spend about one hour in prerequisite practices—yoga āsanas, prāṇāyāma, and spinal breathing. The purpose of this is not to chase energy experiences or force breath retention. It is simply to remove resistance.

Normally, there is some natural resistance in the system for blissful awareness or prāṇa to flow freely from bottom to top. Daily life, posture, emotions, and habitual tension all contribute to this friction. When I do āsanas and breathing practices, there is a mild, structured effort that loosens this resistance. It is not violent forcing, but it does gently push the system out of inertia.

Once this movement happens, the system seems to learn the pathway. For some hours afterward, awareness flows more easily on its own. During Dhyāna, breath often becomes extremely subtle or even halts naturally, without any intentional breath holding. This makes breathless Dhyāna happen effortlessly.

However, I have also observed that this “habit” of easy flow does not last forever. After daily activities or after about 24 hours, resistance slowly returns. This is not failure or regression—it is simply natural entropy. That is why refreshing the system every morning with yoga and prāṇāyāma is helpful. Just like bathing or brushing teeth, it is daily hygiene for awareness.

Over time, as practice matures, dependence on preparation may reduce by itself, but there is no need to force that conclusion.

Empty Stomach vs Light Food

I also noticed something subtle but important. Sometimes, when I meditate after eating fruit or a light meal, Dhyāna does not deepen as much. Other times, surprisingly, a light meal actually matures Dhyāna.

The reason became clear: digestion pulls attention and energy downward. On days when awareness is already very sharp or over-concentrated in the head, a light meal helps redistribute energy and soften excess intensity. On other days, especially when clarity is needed, an empty stomach allows awareness to gather more cleanly.

So food is not an enemy or a rule—it is a fine adjustment knob. The important thing is that I still sit for the full one hour regardless of depth or outcome.

Fixed One-Hour Sitting: The Real Training

Sitting for one full hour whether Dhyāna matures or not turned out to be crucial. This habit trains something deeper than concentration—it trains non-dependence on experience.

Some days Dhyāna deepens quickly. Some days it feels flat, dull, or neutral. Still, I sit. This teaches the system to stay without bargaining, without checking results. That kind of staying is what allows deeper states to appear naturally later.

Not every sitting is meant to be deep. Some sittings are meant to remove the need for depth.

Evening Dhyāna Before Sleep

In the evening, I again sit for one hour just before bed. This sitting has a different role. It is not for sharp clarity or effortful depth. It is for dissolution.

If sleep comes during evening sitting, that is not failure. It means the nervous system feels safe enough to let go. Awareness hovers at the edge of sleep, effort drops, and many subtle shifts happen below memory. Sometimes Dhyāna matures quietly; sometimes sleep takes over. Both outcomes are correct.

Morning practice gathers.
Evening practice dissolves.

Together, they bracket the entire day so that nothing accumulates.

Chakra Contemplation Without Forcing Breath

In Dhyāna itself, I found that chakra contemplation from top to bottom works best for me. This is not intense visualization and not breath control. It is simple contemplation—allowing awareness to rest at each level.

Because there is no forced breath retention, respiration sometimes halts on its own. This happens not by intention but because attention becomes continuous and relaxed. Breathlessness appears as a by-product, not a goal. This spontaneous breath-hold is transient and accompanied with blissful constriction on contemplated chakr.

Over time, the sense of moving through individual chakras sometimes disappears. Instead, all chakras feel connected like a single vertical string, with awareness resting on the whole axis at once rather than on a single point. This is a sign of integration, not a new technique.

Inclusion of Ajñā Chakra

When Ajñā is gently included—eyes closed, gaze naturally upward without strain—along with awareness of the whole vertical axis, or any specific activated chakra, Dhyāna often becomes thoughtless, breathless, and quietly blissful. Ajñā here is not a peak or target, but a stabilizer. Agya chakra is the real site of these spiritual qualities.

Nothing is forced. There is no staring, no tightening, no effort to hold the state. That is why it feels safe and complete.

Throat (Neck) Area Prominence

Recently, I noticed that prāṇa sometimes seems to rest more around the neck or throat area, with a blissful and breathless quality. This is not something I try to create. It appears naturally as tension releases at that junction between head, chest, and breath.

The important thing is not to cling to this sensation or localize attention there. It should be included but not emphasized. Over-attention can subtly stall integration.

Why This Practice Can Ripen into Samādhi

Through all of this, one understanding became clear:
Samādhi does not come from chasing depth or extending duration. It comes from familiarity and non-preference.

By sitting twice daily:

  • whether deep or shallow
  • whether alert or sleepy
  • whether blissful or neutral

awareness slowly learns to rest without conditions.

Extended hours of meditation may force surrender, but daily repetition teaches surrender. Teaching lasts longer.

In a modern life, one hour in the morning (with preparation) and one hour in the evening (with surrender) is not a compromise. It is a realistic, intelligent, and complete path.

Final Understanding

  • Preparation removes resistance; it does not push prāṇa.
  • Breathlessness in Dhyāna is natural when effort drops.
  • States come and go; the habit of sitting remains.
  • Integration matters more than intensity.
  • Samādhi will not announce itself—it will be recognized later, quietly.

The most important thing I have learned is this:

Use effort where effort belongs, and stop effort where it must end.

From there, practice ripens on its own.

Chapter 29: Quantum Darśan — When the Restless Vacuum Becomes the Universe and the Mind

1. Nothingness Is Never Truly Empty

We often imagine the universe beginning from absolute nothingness. But in science, “nothing” is never truly nothing. Even when space seems blank and silent, it silently vibrates with subtle energy, just like a quiet room that still contains faint echoes, hums, and air movement if we listen closely.

In physics, this restless background is called the vacuum. It is not dead space but a dynamic field filled with tiny fluctuations. Nature does not allow perfect stillness.

Just like a calm ocean that always hides currents beneath its surface, the cosmic vacuum is a sea of invisible ripples. This restlessness is the root of creation.

2. The Vacuum as a Restless Ocean of Possibilities

Even when the ocean looks calm, beneath it are vibrations, pressures, and flows. Similarly, empty space is never truly empty—it is saturated with quantum fluctuations, gentle energetic waves that appear and disappear.

Nature forbids absolute zero movement. Just as the ocean can never freeze completely still, the vacuum cannot reach zero energy. This impossibility is not a flaw; it is the creative power of existence.

These vibrations are the seeds of galaxies, just as subtle thoughts are seeds of personality.

3. How Energy Hides Inside the Vacuum

Now imagine pushing a beach ball underwater. The harder you try to hold it still, the more energy it stores. The moment you release it, it explodes upward. Trying to force perfect stillness creates hidden energy.

The same happens in the vacuum. When space is pushed toward perfect equilibrium, it stores tension inside itself. This hidden tension is called vacuum energy.

Sometimes the vacuum holds so much suppressed energy that it becomes unstable. This unstable condition is called a false vacuum, similar to supercooled water that remains liquid below freezing temperature but holds immense latent energy, waiting to release the moment it is disturbed.

This false vacuum is the root of cosmic inflation.

4. The Sudden Birth of Inflation

When the false vacuum could no longer sustain its unstable stillness, it snapped into a more natural and stable state—just as supercooled water instantly freezes when triggered.

This cosmic “snap” released the stored tension in an explosive expansion of space itself. Like a balloon that suddenly finds a weak spot and expands violently in one direction, the universe expanded unimaginably fast.

This era is known as cosmic inflation.

5. When Tiny Ripples Become the Architecture of Creation

Before inflation, the vacuum contained tiny quantum ripples, quiet and harmless like small waves on a still lake. But the hurricane of inflation stretched those ripples into giant waves. These waves carried different energies in different regions, becoming the blueprint of the universe.

Just as waves crashing on a shoreline sculpt beaches and carve patterns in sand, the stretched fluctuations shaped the large-scale structure of the cosmos. When inflation ended and space cooled, these amplified ripples condensed into matter, stars, galaxies, and clusters. Galaxies are, therefore, frozen echoes of the universe’s earliest vibrations.

6. The Vacuum as the Womb of Matter and Mind

If the universe can create everything from a restless vacuum, then nothing about us—neither the body nor the mind—is separate from the cosmos.

Just as galaxies existed as hidden ripples inside the dark vacuum of the early universe, our thoughts, emotions, and personality patterns exist as subtle vibrations in consciousness before they take visible form.

The “empty” vacuum is a womb, not a void. Likewise, the silent mind in yoga is not dead space but pregnant with awareness. The potential for life, thought, identity, and creativity rests in an unseen background, just as the galaxy rests in the vacuum before appearing.

7. Yogic Analogy: The Mind as a False Vacuum

In human life, our mind is never truly empty, just like the cosmic vacuum is never still. It is quantum reality. Even when we sit silently, there are subtle thoughts and impressions (saṁskāras) vibrating beneath awareness like tiny ripples.

When we force absolute thoughtlessness, we create more inner resistance—just as forcing vacuum stillness stores energy. A meditator who tries too hard to be “calm” builds hidden stress, like the universe storing energy in its false vacuum. Just as the false vacuum of the early universe suddenly released its trapped energy and burst into cosmic inflation, the human mind can also explode into giant waves of disturbance when one enters deep meditation incorrectly or forcefully. If subtle inner impressions are suppressed rather than gently observed, they accumulate tension the way vacuum energy builds up in an unstable state, and when this tension finally releases, it may erupt as emotional breakdown, hallucination, confusion, ego-inflation, or even madness. Proper dhyāna does not push the mind into silence by force; it allows the mind to settle naturally into stillness. This is why Yogic texts emphasize correct practice, clear awareness, and the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher, so that suppressed thoughts do not become cosmic-scale “mental inflation” inside the practitioner. True meditation is a relaxed descent into natural clarity, not a violent attempt to shut down the mind.

A person who suppresses emotions may appear peaceful but is inwardly packed with unprocessed impulses, just like supercooled water that looks quiet but holds explosive potential. When the mind can no longer sustain this artificial silence, it either breaks down or breaks through—snapping into deeper relaxation, tears, creativity, or insight. This moment mirrors the false vacuum collapsing into the true vacuum, triggering cosmic inflation.

However, this inner “inflation” of the mind can become controlled, creative, and deeply transformative when it unfolds correctly through proper guidance and authentic practice. Just as cosmic inflation did not destroy the universe but shaped galaxies when its energy settled naturally, meditation can expand our inner impressions into wisdom, clarity, and creativity when the mind is not forced into silence but gently allowed to open. When thoughts are released consciously instead of being suppressed, they do not explode as madness; they blossom into insight. Proper dhyāna amplifies the mind’s subtle currents in a harmonious way, turning unconscious material into awareness, confusion into understanding, and latent potential into higher intelligence. In this way, deep meditation becomes not a breakdown, but a breakthrough—an orderly expansion of consciousness that reshapes one’s inner world just as the universe evolved through cosmic inflation into magnificent structure.

This natural control of the mind arises through non-dual darśanas such as Śarīra-Vijñāna Darśan and Quantum Darśan, where the mind is not treated as a personal burden but recognized as a universal activity present in every quantum expression of existence. When our thoughts are accepted as part of the same fluctuation that exists everywhere in the cosmos, they are no longer suppressed or resisted; they gently release themselves into the inner “true vacuum” of awareness, little by little, without shock or force. In such non-dual vision, mental energy settles gradually, just as the universe relaxed out of inflation into stable structure. But when many thoughts are continuously suppressed through forced meditation or rigid control, their load keeps increasing like a building false vacuum, storing more and more tension until it bursts unpredictably as emotional breakdown, fear, ego-madness, or psychological collapse. This is the fundamental danger of suppression—its energy does not disappear; it accumulates. It is just like controlled energy release from aviation fuel that allows an airplane to fly steadily, whereas sudden, uncontrolled release of the same fuel causes explosion, fire, and destruction. In the same way, a mind guided by non-dual understanding evolves creatively, while a suppressed mind can erupt destructively.

Thus, just as the cosmic vacuum released its energy gradually to form stars and worlds, our emotional and psychological energy can also transform into clarity, awareness, and wisdom when it is allowed to release naturally instead of being forced down. When thoughts are accepted and observed without judgment, they dissolve into understanding the way cosmic tension dissolved into creation. But when the same inner energy is violently suppressed in the name of silence or control, it does not disappear—it becomes unstable, storing pressure like a false vacuum that can collapse without warning. Forced suppression may look peaceful on the surface, yet it hides dangerous intensity underneath, waiting to erupt as breakdown, confusion, fear, or madness. In the same way that gentle energy release builds galaxies while an uncontrolled explosion destroys, a relaxed, non-dual approach to the mind creates inner evolution, while forceful suppression risks psychological disaster. True meditation does not choke the mind; it liberates it.

8. The Subconscious and the Cosmic Blueprint

The tiny subconscious ripples within us, magnified during intense yoga, meditation, or life experiences, later shape our personality—similar to how quantum ripples stretched by inflation shaped galaxies.

Just as deep yoga expands old impressions and stabilizes them into clarity, the universe stretched fluctuations into cosmic structure and stabilized them into matter. Galaxies are the frozen patterns of primordial fluctuations; our personality and behavior are the frozen results of our subconscious vibrations.

Both journeys—the cosmic and the psychological—begin from restless “nothingness” that must release itself through creative expansion rather than forced silence.

9. Quantum Darśan — Consciousness as the Ground of All

The vacuum that generates the cosmos is not a dead backdrop; it is the field within which all possibilities exist, waiting to manifest. Yoga calls this ground Brahman, the silent witness behind all movement.

Quantum physics and yogic wisdom meet on the same foundation: everything in existence is a single reality expressing itself in different forms. What we call the universe is consciousness first becoming energy, that energy condensing into matter, and matter eventually organizing itself into life, brain, and mind. As awareness grows, the mind begins to recognize its source, and experience returns back into consciousness again. In this way, the same fundamental stillness expresses as vacuum, becomes the universe, evolves into living beings, and finally reflects back as thought and awareness. All forms are simply different stages of one reality unfolding and returning to itself.

Final Realization

Real stillness is not forced emptiness but natural settling.
The universe expanded to relieve its tension; awareness expands in meditation to relieve psychological tension. Creation—cosmic or personal—arises not from dead emptiness but from a fertile depth of subtle vibrations.

One-Line Essence

The cosmos and the mind both emerge from a restless emptiness that naturally transforms into creative expansion.

When Darkness Turns Peaceful: The Quiet Maturity of Dhyāna

Today, I felt the Kundalini stationed at the navel chakra. I rose a little late, around 6 a.m., and practiced spinal breathing, my Guru-given poses and pranayama, along with some self-devised postures and a top-to-bottom chakra meditation—without holding the breath as daily routine. Soon, enough yogic pressure built up to launch dhyāna.

I sat in vajrāsana, keeping my eyes turned upward toward the eyebrow center, and even beyond—straight up toward the unlimited height of Ekārṇava. The breath gradually became regular and calm, though not completely suspended as on previous days.

The śūnya dhyāna was deep, with occasional flashes of my Guru Nārāyaṇa’s image—alive and radiant. Guru Tattva is not actually outside but within. When one turns inward, it naturally emerges from inside. It is the intermittently appearing image in the mind during dhyāna that keeps the mind from wandering—by focusing it upon itself until it finally dissolves into Brahman. In a way, it acts like a cargo vehicle of the mental world, carrying awareness directly toward Brahman.

That is why many religions give prime importance to the Guru. They design their lifestyles to encourage introversion and dhyāna, allowing a stable Guru-image to form within the mind itself. However, for this process to become truly effective, there must be a suitable person embodying divine qualities—only then can he or she become a true Guru. In the absence of such a living master, divine idols may serve as substitutes, though they cannot compare to a living Guru, who is like an animated idol of God, and therefore far more transformative.

The Guru principle is revered in every sect and religion, but it seems that Sikhism understands the essence of Guru Tattva most profoundly.

I felt that just as Kundalini energy nourishes the chakras within the body, it also nourishes the chakras beyond the body, extending infinitely into śūnya. The same Kundalini that maintains physical vitality also helps transcend the body, merging into the endless expanse of Ekārṇava śūnya.

Today, I gave priority to the nourishment of śūnya rather than to any specific chakra. Still, the intermediate chakras seemed to receive their share of energy naturally whenever it was directed upward toward Brahman. I could sense the energy supporting the area behind the navel chakra along the spine, while the other chakras felt calm and balanced—not blissfully inflamed like the navel center.

Yesterday, my energy had settled at the Anāhata chakra. It had descended gradually—from Sahasrāra downward—each day resting at the next lower chakra. A day earlier, I had also conserved Mūlādhāra energy, which perhaps rose swiftly to the navel. This rapid movement might be due to the role of descending energy; although all energies rise from Mūlādhāra, the descending current seems to return from Sahasrāra like the monsoon rains returning from the mountains. When the forward and returning monsoons (the western disturbance rains) meet over an area, they bring catastrophic rainfall. Similarly, when descending and ascending energies meet at a chakra, they cause its profound activation, often producing a mental upheaval that can be difficult to control at times although quantum darshan helps in it.

In any case, śūnya dhyāna was peaceful. Later, I tried focusing directly on the navel chakra to give it an extra boost. The breath then turned irregular, as if adjusting itself to channel energy into the navel center. When I shifted my focus back to the Ājñā chakra, the breath again became calm. After a few such cycles, I gently ended my dhyāna and stood up to begin my morning routine.

There comes a time in meditation when bliss fades, and only silent awareness remains. I am experiencing this now—no bliss, but a completely still and neutral space. I can’t even call it darkness, because darkness usually frightens or repels one; yet I feel the exact opposite. I find perfect peace there, a deep relief from the agitation of breathing. At first, this may seem like something is lost—but in truth, it marks the maturity of dhyāna.

Earlier, the mind sought experiences—light, warmth, or waves of joy. Darkness felt empty and unsettling. But when the storms of breath and thought finally rest, perception changes. The same darkness no longer threatens; it simply is. Nothing outside has changed—only the seer has.

This is the quiet flowering of awareness: peace without excitement, clarity without effort. Even without inner light or sensation, a subtle luminosity begins to shine—the light of knowing itself.

When this awareness deepens, life feels transparent and gentle. Speech, work, and movement unfold within the same still space that once appeared only in meditation. There is no need to hold awareness—it holds itself. I am still waiting for that stage to blossom within me.

In this simplicity lies the true radiance of dhyāna: not a blaze of visions, but a calm seeing that never leaves, even in the heart of darkness.

Awareness at the Anahata Chakra – Healing Through the Goddess Within

I began my yoga practice at 5 a.m. today. The air was still, mind silent, and body ready. After spinal breathing, I moved through guru-given yoga and my own selected set, including chakra meditation from top to bottom — without holding breath. These days I avoid breath-holding to prevent excess head pressure. Yet I’ve realized there’s no real need to fear it; the head has an incredible capacity to bear and balance the force of prana.

Once, during a dream-state gastric uprising, I experienced immense head pressure, momentary choking, and a transient rise in blood pressure — but the body adjusted beautifully. It reminded me that a well-practiced body knows how to balance itself. So, my preparatory yogic routine continued for about an hour and a half — enough to create the internal yogic pressure required for launching into dhyana.

I know this yogic pressure is temporary. It gradually dissolves into the luminosity of dhyana, just like gas slowly burning out from an LPG cylinder. And when that inner fuel finishes, the practitioner naturally returns from dhyana — first through strong internal contractions from lower to upper area of body backside as to facilitate the movement of energy in the three main spinal channels, followed by the gradual deepening of breath. When the breath returns to normal, the eyes open by themselves. The same happened today.

During dhyana, Vajrasana again gave an excellent starting response. Subtle breathing began automatically at the Ajna Chakra and continued for quite long. Yet all along, I felt a kind of sexually blissful senation at the Anahata Chakra. I was including this bliss within my Ajna-to-Muladhara meditation line, so both centers — Ajna and Anahata — were simultaneously satisfied. No other centres seemed power hungry. Later, I shifted my dhyana solely to Anahata. The awareness deepened there, but the main purpose of dhyana — the realization of Shunya (void) — was not completely fulfilled there. So, I again combined both Ajna and Anahata awareness together.

I recall a Kriya Yoga expert once said that “spinal meditation alone can’t grant liberation.” He emphasized that Ajna Chakra meditation includes the whole spinal system. Today, I understood his point deeply — indeed, every chakra of the backbone is reflected within Ajna. Yet, even knowing this, my sensational awareness remained localized at the rear Anahata Chakra, unwilling to move elsewhere, although breathing awareness was on agya chakra.

Yesterday my focus was at Vishuddhi Chakra, where I had a throat infection. That infection cleared today, but the infection and along with it the energy had descended to the chest. This shows how sensitively these inner sensations mirror physical conditions — a subtle diagnostic test and often a healing mechanism. Still, medicines nowadays help more directly, supporting this inner process. In ancient times, diagnosis and healing through awareness given the form of the Goddess held prime importance, as there were not so many worldly facilities available.

As I visualized the Goddess at the Anahata, the rising sexual bliss from the Muladhara seemed to empower Her presence. I could faintly see Her fighting demons — symbolic of microorganisms — within my chest. It felt as if the Anahata Chakra itself had become a Lingam, the real blissful lingam now manifesting only there.

After about thirty minutes, when my legs cramped, I slowly shifted to Sukhasana, minimizing body movement while keeping awareness rooted at Ajna to avoid breaking dhyana. I then sat for another hour, not breaking earlier feeling that Shakti was healing my heart center and its connected tissues.

Towards the end, a magnificent experience unfolded — a clear perception of Shunya, more radiant than yesterday. It felt as though I was seeing the infinite sky directly above, though my head was hardly tilted upward.

Reflections:
The heart center feels open today — calm, luminous, and healing. The Shakti there is gentle yet profound. Awareness no longer seems confined to a point but spread like the sky itself. Every breath now feels like a hymn in the temple of the heart. Moreover, I was quite busy intellectually yesterday, so it seems that heavy intellectual work facilitates dhyana; however, it can also take a toll on the body’s health.

The Fiery Grace of the Goddess Within

A Morning of Dhyana and the Awakening of the Red Shakti

In spiritual practice, every dawn brings a new mystery. Sometimes the journey unfolds gently — like a soft sunrise — and sometimes it roars like a divine storm within. This morning’s sadhana revealed one such fierce and purifying play of Shakti — a meeting with the Red Goddess who dwells in the Vishuddhi Chakra, cleansing and transforming with fiery grace.

The Dawn of Practice

Today, I rose early at 4:30 a.m., drawn by the quiet pull of dawn. My sadhana began with spinal kriya breathing, followed by Guru-given light postures and pranayama. Then came chakra meditation — top to down — and finally, a few self-learned postures that felt natural in the moment.
By around 6 a.m., the body was prepared, the breath steady, and the awareness ready for dhyana.

Breath at the Ajna — The Seat of Silent Fire

I sat first in Vajrasana. The breath gradually calmed and anchored itself at the Ajna Chakra, mostly at its back side though still connected to the front. The sensation there was unique — a broad, dull, yet blissful inflammation, carrying a subtle sexual tone.

It felt as though that area alone was breathing, consuming the prana, while the rest of the body remained still and breathless. With each inward pulse, it seemed to feed on the breath, performing some mysterious, vital work known only to itself.

My face had turned slightly upward, and the neck tilted back just enough to make my inner gaze face infinite space above. Though the tilt wasn’t physically great, the awareness itself had turned upward in surrender to infinity.
The mind was silent. The dhyana deepened.

The Shift and the Hunger of Vishuddhi

After some time, I brought my head slightly down, eyes closed, gaze fixed in a gentle squint at the eyebrow centre. The meditative current continued unbroken. I occasionally scanned all chakras — each felt fresh and content — all except the Ajna, which alone still hungered for breath.

I let it feed as it wished until, after a while, awareness shifted to the throat region, where the oral and nasal passages meet the back wall. That area, too, began consuming breath, drawing pranic nourishment like a thirsty desert drinking rain.

Then the current descended into the Vishuddhi Chakra. There, the energy found the greatest hunger — something was out of order. The Shakti refused to move further; she had work to do there. She lingered — healing, transforming, purifying.

The Vision of the Red Goddess

As the process intensified, the sexual-type bliss grew stronger. Suddenly, a vivid image of the Goddess appeared within the throat region — fierce and radiant.
She wore red garments, her many hands adorned with red bangles, worn along most of the length of her forearms, clashing and ringing as she struck at tiny rascals — perhaps microorganisms — symbols of impurities. Her lion roared beside her, aiding her divine battle.

Her face was fearsome, glowing with red anger, lips painted crimson, thirsting to devour the darkness. Her long, dishevelled hair flew in all directions as she fought relentlessly. Her terrifying feminine roar in high pitch was heart shaking.

Then the sexual energy from the Muladhara rose to support her — surging upward, fueling her divine rage and purpose. The scene grew ever more intense — the Shakti rising, transforming, conquering.

When I visualized the same Goddess at the Muladhara, she rose in even greater ferocity, bursting upward through the spine. The body, caught in this inner battle, grew exhausted. Dhyana slowly came to its natural end.

A Symbolic Offering

As the awareness returned outward, I found myself instinctively walking to the chemist’s shop and buying Betadine gargle — as if to offer a worldly weapon to the Goddess, aiding her fight within me.
Perhaps she was cleansing not only the spiritual but also the physical battlefield.

Thus ended today’s dhyana — a fierce yet purifying encounter with the Red Goddess of the Throat, the living embodiment of transformation and sacred fire.
Each such meditation reveals that the Divine Feminine is not distant or abstract — she is alive within, tirelessly healing, balancing, and guiding the evolution of consciousness.

Guru Parva Grace and the Deep Descent into Dhyana

Today is Guru Parva — a day soaked in subtle grace. Perhaps that’s why dhyana came with such ease and depth. Truly, Guru Tattva is omnipresent and omnipotent, guiding from within when outer guidance rests.

I woke around 4:30 a.m., calm and receptive. Instinctively began deep spinal kriya breathing for about twenty minutes. Then I read a few blog posts — words that perhaps tuned my consciousness higher. After that, I shifted into chakra meditation, moving awareness from crown to base, up and down for about twenty minutes. The movement of prana created the right yogic pressure — a preparatory current that automatically launched me into dhyana.

At first, I sat in Padmasana, but it remained a preparatory phase. Then I shifted to Vajrasana, and the change was instant — deep dhyana dawned naturally. Maybe Vajrasana truly suits me best. I laughed inwardly: “So, my name must be Premyogi Vajra.”

What followed was one and a half hours of continuous, breathless dhyana.
In the beginning, energy was high in the upper chakras. The in-breath was imperceptible, and the out-breath only faintly perceptible — as if nature herself was drawing energy downward in a balancing act. Gradually, prana descended through Vishuddhi and Anahata, though not distinctly separated. The awareness of subtle pulsations grew clearer in the lower regions — a breath of energy, not air.

A key realization emerged — never force stillness. Allow the body micro-movements to release strain. When I released effort, breathing softened further, and bliss deepened.

My neck bore much strain, holding the head’s weight. Tilting it slightly left eased the flow; then returning to center or right as needed — a gentle, intelligent cooperation between body and consciousness.

Later, when Vajrasana made the limbs numb, I slowly shifted to Sukhasana. Instead of distraction, dhyana deepened further. Sometimes I lowered the head, sometimes kept it upright or tilted slightly upward. Sometimes back full straight with natural curve, sometimes loosening it little. These spontaneous maneuvers tuned the current like a musician refining his note.

For Ekarnava Dhyana, keeping the head gently dropped with closed eyes gazing upward toward the Ajna Chakra worked best.

When Sukhasana tired, I moved into Siddhasana. Here bliss magnified again — energy dipped lower, steady and full. The ankle pressing Swadhisthana, and the other pressing Muladhara, created a perfect circuit and sensational points to concentrate energy more there. The microcosmic orbit activated naturally, the energy revolving in serenity.

Later, I attempted to lift energy back to Ajna Chakra as an experiment, but it felt stressful. The energy preferred to stay grounded, working in silence. So I let it remain, continuing Ekarnava Dhyana as it was. However, prolonged ekarnava dhyana shifts energy up slowly again. It’s good switch to direct energy rather than directly manipulating.

However, in the lower chakras, dhyana became more witnessing than transcendence — not Nirvikalpa, but a subtle purification. Hidden emotional imprints arose as faint, heartfelt memories — gently surfacing and dissolving. It felt like inner cleansing, a self-healing of the soul.

When calls began coming and bathing time approached, I slowly rose. This time, not with repentance — but with deep satisfaction and fullness.

Perhaps this was the fruit of integrating sitting meditation with working meditation in recent days. I noticed a clear truth:

When dhyana is practiced after days of worldly indulgence, the preparatory phase is longer.
When practiced regularly, with no lingering desires, dhyana launches instantly — like a rocket already fueled by purity.

Today’s experience was not just about time or posture. It was about effortless descent into grace — a reminder that Guru Tattva lives within, guiding from breath to stillness, from effort to surrender.

Moreover, after bathing, I had practiced all the remaining major asanas to rebuild the inner energy for the next meditation session during the day. To avoid too much pressure building up in the head, I slightly turned my hands and feet — especially the front parts of the feet — outward and downward, as if pressing the ground with paws during each pose. This simple adjustment had a wonderful effect. It helped the energy move down and kept me well-grounded, preventing any heaviness or excess pressure in the head.

When Breath Dissolves: A Real Experience of Deep Dhyana, Prana Movement, and Silent Awakening

Sometimes I feel a quiet repentance for breaking my breathless Dhyana for small worldly reasons—like taking a meal. Yesterday evening, after many days, I found myself alone in perfect silence, almost like being in a forest retreat.

For the first hour, my breath was irregular, sometimes resembling Kapalbhati. It felt as though the Pranas were adjusting themselves, preparing for breathlessness. I broke this preparatory phase two or three times by standing up, changing asana, or making small neck movements. Once, I even went to the kitchen to check if my dinner had arrived. When the tiffin man called to say his scooty had broken down, I told him not to worry—I suddenly felt grateful, as this delay gifted me more time for Dhyana.

The Deepening Stillness

I sensed that my difficulty in entering Dhyana might be due to sitting in Padmasana, so I shifted to Vajrasana. To my amazement, within fifteen minutes, my breath began to calm and regulate on its own, and Dhyana deepened.

Because the state was still fragile, I remained extra alert—aware that even a slight movement or swallowing of kuf (phlegm) voluntarily could disturb it. As I allowed it to deepen, my legs slowly became numb. I tolerated it patiently and then changed posture to Sukhasana with utmost care, keeping awareness steady on breath and movements minimal. Interestingly, as blood returned to the legs, the Dhyana deepened further.

Soon, my neck began to stiffen. I gently alternated between left, right, and central positions, staying for a while at each position as per guidance of dhyana without losing awareness. This small movement stabilized the Dhyana even more.

The Movement of Prana

It felt as if imperceptible breathing currents were flowing through different chakras—sometimes at the rear Ajna, sometimes Vishuddhi, sometimes Anahata. Later, while in Siddhasana, subtle activity appeared even at Swadhisthana and Muladhara, though faintly. I couldn’t easily focus at the Navel Chakra, though a very slight alignment was felt there too. However, while trying dhyana later on after dinner, energy had seemed focusing more on naval chakra.

It felt as if a blissful yet mildly tired sensation was developing at certain chakras that needed attention. When I focused on that sensation during inhalation and exhalation, both breath and awareness seemed to converge there naturally.

During inhalation, as energy rose from that chakra, my attention simultaneously descended onto it—like the merging of Prana (upward force) and Apana (downward force). I realized this might be what ancient texts refer to as the union of Prana and Apana during deep Dhyana.

When I heard the tiffin man’s voice in the kitchen, I replied without seeing him—calmly, directly, without disturbance. There was still some very light mental activity, but it was stable and non-chaotic, like thoughts moving in slow motion and dissolving soon—either directly or after transforming into two or three subtle thoughts, often of the meditation image or Guru form.

The Silent Ocean Within

I started mental chanting of “Ekarnava,” connecting with the sense of the endless, wave-less cosmic ocean. The vibration of the mantra felt alive and meaningful.

Later, as I tired in sukhasana and again shifted to Siddhasana for grounding energy in the lower chakras, mild fatigue appeared in this asana too after sometime. The call of dinner tempted me to end the session. I finally rose, already grounded and centered, without losing worldly balance.

A subtle repentance followed: why didn’t I just change posture and raise the energy again, instead of ending the Dhyana altogether? Hunger had already faded due to the deep state, and I could have continued longer. But I accepted that perhaps the energy had already been sufficiently expended.

Dinner was light, taken without much appetite—very different from the earlier days when I felt strong hunger after immature Dhyana. It seemed as if the body’s energy for digestion had been diverted toward Dhyana.

Interestingly, I usually enter Dhyana more easily after meals, but this time, in an empty stomach, the state felt more genuine and spontaneous. Taking a meal may make energy forcefully downward and so calming breath and awareness just like artificially. After dinner, I couldn’t re-enter the state, perhaps because the accumulated Yoga Shakti had already expressed itself.

Short vs. Long Immersions

Many yogis say short, regular sittings are better than long, infrequent ones. Yet, occasional long immersions, supported by daily shorter Dhyana, have their unique benefits. This session reaffirmed that balance is key—neither suppression of the body’s needs nor indulgence in them.

That night, I also had faint dreams of talking with subtle beings or spirits—not vivid, and not much memorable but peaceful and meaningful in their own way.

Reflections

Looking back, I realized a few gentle truths:

  • Dhyana never truly breaks; it only shifts form.
  • Body needs are not obstacles, but part of the spiritual rhythm.
  • Repentance arises from attachment and ego; gratitude dissolves it.
  • The movement of Prana among chakras is self-guided, not to be forced.
  • After-effects like calm hunger or subtle dreams are natural signs of internal rebalancing.

A simple reminder arose within:

“Let what was revealed in stillness spread through movement also.”

Every act, even eating or walking, can then continue the same Dhyana in motion.

Diwali Week: A Yogi’s Practical Insights Through Temple Experiences

This Diwali week, after a long journey, I visited my ancestral home and stayed there for several days. It was a joyful time — being again with family, relatives, and friends, celebrating the festival of lights in full enthusiasm. Yet along with the outer joy, many new practical yogic experiences unfolded naturally.

I was so involved in the living flow of the festival — meeting people, travelling, helping family, and feeling the spirit of Diwali — that I could not write them down then. But within those days, in between the busy movements, I received sharp insights that no book or teaching could give. These experiences came in the most natural settings — especially when I got moments of solitude inside the city temples while my family was shopping nearby.

Day 1 – Durga–Bhairav Temple: The Dual Anchor of Meditation

On the first day, after dropping my family at a city shopping complex, I went straight to a Durga temple.
There, in front of the large and powerful idol of Maa Durga, I sat in padmāsana. The moment I closed my eyes, deep stillness descended. Soon, the breath became effortless — almost absent — and I entered Kevala Kumbhak, the natural breathless dhyāna.

At intervals, I opened my eyes and looked at the idol. Every single glance into the serene face of Durga instantly deepened the state again, as if the outer image was helping the inner form stabilize. The image remained alive even after closing the eyes, glowing vividly in the mental screen — not as imagination, but as a living vibration.

In front of Durga’s idol was a smaller statue of Bhairav. When the attention slightly tired or mind became neutral, I gazed at Bhairav’s image instead. Strangely, his gaze and energy acted as another anchor, rekindling the stillness from a different polarity — sharp, grounding, and stabilizing.

Thus, I discovered a beautiful rhythm: when Durga’s compassionate presence began to feel saturated, I turned to Bhairav’s fierce calmness; when that too reached a plateau, I returned to Durga.
It was like alternating currents of Shakti and Shiva, feminine and masculine energy, balancing and sustaining each other — a living demonstration of Ardhanārīśvara tattva.

Perhaps this is the deeper reason why Durga and Bhairav idols are placed together in many temples. For ordinary devotees, it represents protection and blessing. But for a yogi, it becomes a direct energetic mechanism — allowing both polarities of consciousness to support dhyāna.
The ordinary mind may see the idol as an object, but the yogic mind perceives it as a mirror of consciousness.

I realized that idols (pratimā) are not merely symbolic or devotional aids — they are scientific instruments of meditation. For a sincere meditator, the benefit is immediate and measurable: the mind falls into stillness the very moment one connects with the living image. That is direct proof, not belief.

Others, who approach idols only through tradition or emotion, also receive benefits, though subtler and delayed. But to a real yogi, the result is instant — the statue becomes alive, the mind becomes no-mind.

Evening – Shulini Sister Temple: The Silent Pindi and the Deep Breathless Stillness

In the evening of the same day, when my family again went for shopping, I visited Shulini Mata’s sister temple.
The environment was deeply sattvic like earlier temple: gentle movement of people, occasional ringing of the temple bell, mantra chants from distant devotees, the fragrance of burning incense, oil lamps glowing in rows, and from time to time, the conch sound from the priest echoing through the hall.
Each element seemed perfectly tuned to draw the consciousness inward.

The main deity was not a fully personified idol but a stone pindi — a simple mound of stone representing the goddess. Silver eyes were fixed on it, with tiny black dots marking the pupils, and a nose faintly carved in the middle. Despite this simplicity, or perhaps because of it, the image radiated immense power.

As I sat before it, the same Kevala Kumbhak arose again naturally — effortless, spontaneous, and prolonged. The experience was even deeper than in the morning. I remained in vajrāsana for forty-five minutes to an hour. My legs went numb, yet the body felt weightless, pain absent. Awareness remained centered, breath minimal, mind absorbed in the living vibration of the pindi.

That evening, I learned that personification is not necessary for divine connection. Even a symbolic form — if approached in stillness — can become a complete doorway to samādhi.
What matters is the state of mind, not the complexity of the idol.

Day 2 – Shani Temple and Saraswati Painting: The Spontaneous Prāṇāyāma Emerges

The next day, while on the way to relatives’ home, my family again stopped for shopping. I dropped them out of the car, parked it safely, and started searching for a new temple — a change that could help me enter deeper dhyāna again without feeling bored. It made me realize that the more temples there are, the better it is for a seeker; one can keep visiting different temples daily and repeat the cycle once all have been covered. This means it is good, both socially and economically, to build as many temples as possible. That is exactly why we see countless temples in pilgrimage towns. Some people may ask, “Why so many? Why not just one?” But human likings differ — just as there are many kinds of sweets, not only one. The same principle applies here. I found a Shani temple nearby and decided to sit there for a while. The main sanctum was closed, but on the outer wall was a small painting of Goddess Saraswati. I sat on the cool marble floor and used that painting as my dhyāna anchor. As concentration deepened, something remarkable happened: effortless rhythmic breaths began — not forced, not practiced, but arising on their own. Each inbreath was imperceptible; each outbreath carried a subtle sound — like a soft, continuous “gharr” vibration, resembling bhrāmarī prāṇāyāma but much subtler and self-born.

The awareness stayed steady, and the breath pattern continued automatically — a clear reminder that real prāṇāyāma is spontaneous, not mechanical.

Scriptures mention countless types of prāṇāyāma and their benefits, but the essence is often misunderstood. The yogi who practices Kundalinī Yoga eventually discovers that these classical prāṇāyāmas are natural by-products of inner awakening — not techniques to be imitated but symptoms of true meditative absorption.

When energy begins to move naturally through the channels (nāḍīs), prāṇa itself reshapes the breathing pattern according to the need of inner transformation. Trying to imitate these states from scriptures — without the foundation of dhyāna — may give some outer sensations, but they are superficial.
Such imitation can even give illusion of attainment — a feeling that one has mastered all prāṇāyāma — while in truth, the deeper awakening remains untouched.

Therefore, one must understand that the real prāṇāyāma of the scriptures refers to the spontaneous phenomenon arising during deep kundalinī sādhanā, not the deliberate breathing exercises often mistaken for it. I don’t know, but perhaps these superficial forms of prāṇāyāma gradually lead to deeper dhyāna, either in a worldly or spiritual way. One may also become accustomed to them, so that when spontaneous prāṇāyāma arises naturally, it doesn’t come as a shock. Therefore, even these external practices should be taken positively.

Summary Insight

Across all these temple experiences, one truth became clearer:

  • Idols, images, and symbols are not only external aids but also living focal points for consciousness.
  • The feminine and masculine energies (Durga–Bhairav) act alternately to balance the mind.
  • The form of deity — whether human-like or abstract — is secondary; the stillness it invokes is the real prāṇa.
  • True prāṇāyāma, like true samādhi, happens naturally in the state of inner silence.

These few days of Diwali brought me both family joy and spiritual refinement. I returned back with a deep gratitude — for the divine presence that works through simple images, through silence, through breathless stillness, and even through the seemingly ordinary circumstances of daily life.

In this way, the festival of light truly became a festival of inner illumination.

Some Days the Door Opens Differently

Yesterday my yoga practice took me effortlessly into breathlessness, the kind of inner stillness where thoughts dissolve and awareness shines clear. Today, I tried to repeat everything step by step: jal neti for cleansing, gajkarni and throat cleaning, kapalbhati, anulom vilom, neck tilts, shoulder rotations, even extra asanas like snake pose. Yet the result was different. I could only reach a state of sloughed breathing that gave me a witness-like dissolution of thoughts, not the entry into pure awareness I tasted before.

This difference made me reflect. Maybe I did not need all those kriyas today, or maybe a cleansing like dhauti would have been more suitable, though I skipped it for lack of time. It feels that on some days only certain procedures are required, while on other days the body asks for different ones. The variation could be due to the changing needs of our organs and systems. Some mornings the nose demands special attention, on others the throat, and sometimes the stomach, especially if there has been a lot of talking or heavy, spicy, non-satvik food.

Slowly I am learning that yoga is not about mechanically repeating a routine but listening to the day’s condition. A quick body scan is enough to know: if the nose feels heavy, jal neti or kapalbhati clears the way; if the throat feels coated, gajkarni and water do the healing; if the stomach is sluggish, agnisar or a light abdominal pump is more useful; if stiffness sits in the shoulders, a few rolls or a cobra stretch is all it takes.

Alongside the body check, the mind too has its rhythms. On days it races, anulom-vilom or bhramari brings calm. On days it feels dull, kapalbhati or surya bhedi lifts it. Sometimes thought quiets enough for witness-consciousness, sometimes it melts completely into pure awareness. Both states have their value, both are steps on the path.

What I also realized is the importance of how we close practice. After any cleansing or pranayama, the system is charged. If I rise immediately, restlessness lingers. But if I sit quietly for about five minutes and just watch the natural breath without control, everything settles. This simple breath-witnessing grounds the energy, normalizes heart and prana, and seals the benefit of the practice.

The learning is clear: don’t chase the same state every day. Let the body and prana guide you. Sometimes purification itself is the achievement, sometimes breathlessness and silence arrive. Yoga is not a fixed door but many doors, and each morning a different one may open.

Journey of Nada, Keval Kumbhak, and Deep Dhyana

I noticed that during deep meditation, when I enter keval kumbhak — spontaneous breath suspension — even ordinary external sounds like people talking, mantras, or conch blowing affect my meditation profoundly. The stillness of the mind in keval kumbhak makes these external sounds feel amplified, not terribly but blissfully and calming down breath to enter deeper dhyana, almost like they are resonating inside me. Within these sounds, mind dissolves and these sounds even dissolve into nirvikalpa quickly. At first, I wondered if this was the same as Nada, the inner sound described in Nada Yoga.

After reflecting, I realized there’s a subtle difference. Nada is internal, independent of the outside world, and arises naturally from the flow of prana and consciousness. What I was experiencing with external sounds was similar in effect, but not true nada. The external sounds were acting as triggers or anchors, deepening dhyana, but they are not generated from within.

Interestingly, I once had a glimpse of true internal sound — an extraordinary OM-like vibration that was blissful, deep, and sober, like so called voice of God. That experience felt completely different: it was independent of external stimuli, and I could feel consciousness itself vibrating in resonance. That is what Nada truly is, and it shows the mind is capable of perceiving the subtle inner universe.

Many practitioners wonder if keval kumbhak alone, with its associated void, is enough for final liberation. I found that the void from keval kumbhak is indeed sufficient. The stillness, non-dual awareness, and temporary dissolution of the sense of “I” create a direct doorway to nirvikalp samadhi. Nada is helpful, as it deepens and stabilizes meditation, but it is not essential for liberation.

I also noticed that in my practice, my strong meditation image of Dada Guru already acts as a powerful anchor. The image generates concentration, subtle energy, and devotion, which naturally lead to deep absorption. In this case, keval kumbhak arises spontaneously, the mind enters void, and bliss is already accessible. Nada may appear, but the image alone is sufficient to stabilize meditation.

Here’s how I conceptualize the stages of my meditation experience:

  1. Meditation Image as Anchor:
    My Dada Guru image keeps the mind absorbed and generates subtle energy. External sounds or nada are optional at this stage.
  2. Keval Kumbhak:
    Spontaneous breath suspension creates extreme mental stillness. The void arises naturally, and subtle mental vibrations may appear.
  3. Void:
    The mind experiences non-dual awareness. Mental fluctuations stop, bliss arises, and the mind is ready for advanced stages.
  4. Nada:
    Internal sound may arise spontaneously, guiding deeper absorption. It enhances meditation but is not mandatory for liberation.
  5. Integration:
    Meditation image, void, keval kumbhak, and nada work in harmony. The mind achieves stable absorption, preparing for continuous nirvikalp samadhi.

Practical Insights from My Experience:

  • External sounds can deepen meditation, but true Nada is internal and independent.
  • Keval kumbhak is a powerful catalyst, but Nada does not require it to arise.
  • A strong meditation image can serve as a complete anchor, making external Nada, even internal nada optional.
  • Liberation ultimately depends on stable void and absorption, not phenomena like sound.

Daily Practice Direction:

  • Let your meditation image anchor your mind effortlessly.
  • Allow keval kumbhak to arise spontaneously; do not force it. However, in yoga, both views about keval kumbhak are valid. Patanjali-type Raja-yoga teachings emphasize that kumbhak should arise naturally as the mind becomes still, while Haṭha Yoga texts say that by learning uniting prāṇa and apāna through practice, one can also enter it willfully. In practice, a middle way works best: slight, gentle regulation of breath helps balance prāṇa and apāna, after which kumbhak may either happen spontaneously or be entered at will. Forcing is harmful, but skillful tweaks to breath, as hinted in the old texts, can make keval kumbhak accessible immediately.
  • Observe any inner sound that appears, without grasping or expectation.
  • Bliss and absorption will deepen naturally; Nada will appear when awareness is refined.

Through this journey, I learned that meditation is a play of subtle energies, awareness, and devotion. External triggers help, inner phenomena inspire, but ultimately, it is the mind’s stillness and refined awareness that open the doors to the ultimate experience — nirvikalp samadhi.