Lesson 24 - The Gift of Giving and Receiving
An Introductory Course, Designed and Written by Guru Rattana, Ph.D.
Kundalini Yoga and Meditation synchronize us with universal energies and help us cultivate a conscious connection with the Divine. The rest of our day flows when we have established this connection and synchronization. This is what synchronicity is all about.
Devotion Completes Sadhana
We always begin our morning practice by chanting ONG NA MO GURU DEV NA MO, which opens us up the infinite vibration within us. We attune and balance our body and mind with Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. We consolidate and anchor our transformed vibration with deep relaxation.
We end our sadhana by chanting "May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you and the pure light within you, guide your way on," followed by 3 long SAAAAAAAAAAT NAM's. I always like to add "God bless this Earth with peace," and "May I be a woman of love, that others may experience love in my presence."
Our final act is to humbly surrender to the Truth and bring ourselves into a state of gratitude and prayer. Gratitude and prayer anchor the divine vibration into our being for the day. It is interesting to note that the effects of our morning practice last a lot longer when we complete with prayer, devotion or Bhakti.
The following meditation is a form of prayer that can be done after any other meditation, and before or after chanting "May the long time sun" and long Sat Nams.
Meditation for Gurprasad
(Taught by Yogi Bhajan December 14, 1977)
Sit comfortably in meditation pose and cup the hands together at heart level, palms up, upper arms pressed against rib cage, eyes 1/10 open and allowed to close. Feel that you are asking for a blessing from God. Keep making your spine straighter - (a crooked spine will make one crooked, even in prayer).
Feel that something is dripping to you from the heavens: - the light of God, the flow of life, the supreme energy - whatever you believe in. Jesus Christ is sending you cookies! Or Moses. Or Santa Clause. It doesn't matter.
Feel something is dropping from above into the cup of your hands. Lower yourself into this hallucination until you start feeling it as a reality. Get into your very simplicity - just ask for simple grace. Do it for just 3 minutes - it cannot be done for a long time. But do it as best you can.
Note: There is a slightly different version of the same meditation - time unlimited and the following comments:
Gurprasad means "gift of the Guru". As you practice this meditation, feel yourself showered by all the blessings of heaven - health, wealth, happiness, your ultimate caliber and capacity. Just let it happen. Fill your heart and soul with all the bounties of nature. Simply meditate on the boundless flow of the Universal Soul, and feel a deep inflow of spirit. This is a very restful posture. The subtle pressure against the meridian points in the rib cage gives immediate relaxation.
Comments by Yogi Bhajan:
Let us become old, old human beings, centuries old. We used to draw ourselves onto our knees - we never used to stand up in our cave and we had some kind of hair things where we used to sleep, curled up like a dog. Have you seen a dog sleeping? That was the human way of sleeping. Early in the morning a human being would not get up - he would crawl on his knees, come out and sit on his heel or stretch his legs forward. I'm telling you the original, comfortable way of prayer. In Islam they still do it. In their prayers, this prayer exists: At first, everything is an imagination, like a blueprint. Then you start feeling the experience and it becomes the reality. That's the difference between imagination and reality. Just be simple. You are not simple. That is why it is hard for you to concentrate.
The Purity of the Breath
There is something very beautiful and serene about the breath. The breath is our life force. The breath connects us to all that is. The breath is pure energy. Physical sensations connect with reality. Mental thoughts distance us from reality. Our goal in working with the breath is to develop a sensory awareness that connects us with the most primal reality and energy of life. Being present to our breath in our body is one important way to cultivate this awareness. In this meditation we want to simply be with, expand and relax with the purity of the energy and the wave of the inhale and exhale.
The Essence of Prayer and the Breath
This meditation connects us with the essence of prayer, which is to tune into and synchronize with the reality of the universal balance of giving and receiving.
The breath is one indicator of our ability to give and receive. We can monitor where we are at in the give/receive dynamic by observing our breath. Simply be with your breath and observe the length of both your inhale and your exhale. Often one or the other is favored or longer than the other. Those prone to give more than they receive will often exhale longer than they inhale. Those who are prone to receive more than they give often inhale longer than they exhale. If you have a very shallow breath and have a tendency to hold your breath, fear may be blocking both giving and receiving.
We can work with our breath to re-establish a balance between giving and receiving. If you feel that you give more than you receive, this may be substantiated by a shorter inhale. (Keep in mind that there are no firm rules. There are many dynamics at play.) But using the breath as a guide, maybe you have to allow yourself to receive more. If your inhale is short, practice inhaling deeply and allowing your breath into your belly and lower lungs, not just into the upper lungs.
If you are holding back on your exhale, practice freely releasing the breath on the exhale. Give back all the air that you have received. The more we exhale, the more room there is to receive new air in our lungs. We can experience with the breath that the more we give, the more we receive.
If you have a problem opening up your breath, try the exercise for emotional balance given in Lesson 4. The breath automatically becomes long and deep after a few minutes of this pose.
The Dynamics of Prosperity
Those who have practiced this meditation report that it uncovers the dynamics of prosperity and manifestation. The following are some of the insights that can come to us as we practice this simple meditation:
- What we want and what we are willing to give back must be balanced. To effortlessly receive we must effortlessly give.
- We must "Be home now" to receive. Grounding is facilitated by feeling the sensations of solidity and stability in our body.
- The space of grace is the most powerful arena of manifestation. When we give up control, let go and let God, there is no resistance to both giving or receiving.
- Humility is another key to prosperity. One of the ways we co-create with the universe is to release our limited concept of control. Simply giving and receiving from the Source, the unknown, delivers us to a place of peace.
- There is power in the purity of presence. Simply being present to our own purity and simplicity opens us up to the universal Source.
Guideline and Intentions
Here are a few more guidelines or intentions related to giving and receiving that you can use while practicing this meditation.
- Manifestation happens in the present. Monitor and align your energies now. Do not wait to give back or to receive. Keep your energy moving at all times.
- Monitor and release all should's, obligations, owing, control, manipulation, guilt, fear, and coercion. All of the above prevent us from aligning with and flowing with the universal energies.
- Gratitude and appreciation are keys to the flow of prosperity. Gently hold and nurture what you have with gratitude. Everyday enjoy the sacredness and preciousness of your gifts.
- Being in the flow tunes us into the ever-changing nature of the universe. Every moment evolves and changes. Let go and move with the spontaneous unfoldment.
- Be generic - give and receive love, kindness, purity, and essence energy. Don't be attached to a specific person or situation. If you want to attract a partner, send out and receive love, caring, kindness, sharing, and aliveness.
- Ask for what you want, but let go too. Don't suppress your desires, but don't be attached to them either.
- Monitor your comfort zone. Give and receive only what you feel comfortable with, then gradually expand your comfort zone.
- Be unconditional, unspecific and unlimited. Trust and surrender.
- Give to everyone. Make no exceptions. You might exclude yourself.
- Feel coziness, peace, warmth, serenity, calmness and satisfaction - this is how we can be found and attract what we want.
Testimonial
The following is a wonderful testimonial from one of my students - Leo. He shared the following results from practice of this meditation:
For the last few weeks, I've been doing the Smiling Buddha Meditation (Transitions to a Heart Centered World - p.155) followed by the Meditation for Gurprasad. Why isn't this Mandatory??!!! I find myself experiencing a fundamental shift in my beliefs and energies. My definitions of prosperity, how I relate to it, how it happens - all these things and more are being changed, challenged and transformed.
This has, in many weird ways, been the most prosperous month of the year despite an exceedingly low income this month. Not only have I magically been able to buy small gifts for everyone on my list, pay the bills, and have food in the house, but I've also had a Bakers Rack, a desk chair, a new pair of hiking boots and $20 literally dropped in my lap by unknown benefactors.
Not that I'm saying "meditate and KA-CHING!" I was raised in that whole holiness = poverty mentality that pervades most Irish Catholic families. My experience with this meditation is cool, interesting, surprising and a whole lot more. I've almost turned it into a walking meditation as I go about my daily business.
On the inhale, I imagine every good thing flowing into me, particularly through the solar centers. ( By the way, shoes and bakers rack were two things I actually did imagine) And then on the exhale, I imagine all those good things flowing out from my Heart into the world around me. Sometimes I find myself offering that breath as a blessing for an individual I may encounter along the way.
While I truly am grateful for the new stuff, the greater work is happening within me. There is no hesitation, impatience or balking on my part. I simply am getting off to feeling myself in the middle of the flow of the moment. It's probably the first time I find myself sitting in God's Hands without feeling uncomfortable about it.
I'm not sure how much of my fiscal poverty is attributable to poverty of spirit, but I think, thanks to my daily Gurprasad, that I'll never really feel poor again.
This Breath is for you, BABY!
Sat Nam, Leo
After that who could resist doing this meditation, which takes only 3 to 5 minutes daily? I couldn't resist. I am now practicing it daily. It is already working for me too.
Love to all
Light to all
Peace to all