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atanas
Bulgaria
3 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 14 2013 : 05:34:13 AM
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Hi all,
I recently found that site and liked the "I AM" meditation very much because of it simplicity. Just wanted to ask how fast I should mentally say "I AM". Somehow I naturally say "I" on the inhale and "AM" on the exhale. This is the way I feel it most comfortable. However, as the breath slows down, the gap between "I" and "AM" widens, and I'm actually saying two words with a big pause between them instead of the phrase - I AM.
Is that alright, or what's the right way to go about it?
Thanks a lot! |
Edited by - atanas on Mar 14 2013 06:30:15 AM |
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mathurs
United Kingdom
197 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2013 : 06:21:34 AM
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Hello Atanas!
Welcome to the forum.
Try and not focus on your breath. Just say I am - comfortably. It will all soon fall into place. Maybe try saying "ayam" rather than Iam and see if it makes a difference.
But really everything is alright so long as you are easy with it.
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2013 : 08:56:49 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by atanas
Hi all,
I recently found that site and liked the "I AM" meditation very much because of it simplicity. Just wanted to ask how fast I should mentally say "I AM". Somehow I naturally say "I" on the inhale and "AM" on the exhale. This is the way I feel it most comfortable. However, as the breath slows down, the gap between "I" and "AM" widens, and I'm actually saying two words with a big pause between them instead of the phrase - I AM.
Is that alright, or what's the right way to go about it?
Thanks a lot!
Perfect!
Here is Yogani's lesson on this:
http://www.aypsite.org/106.html
Some systems of meditation involve using mantra with breath. The approach in these lessons is to not do that. So, no, it doesn't matter if the mantra is with the breath or not. We just let the breath go in meditation and don't mind what it is doing. The reason is we want the mantra to be free to change naturally in speed of repetition and degree of clarity so the mind is free to go to stillness easily. We want meditation naturally leading the breath, not the other way around. If we favor the breath leading the mantra, we will drift into pranayama mode of cultivating the nerves on a less subtle level than the mind will go if given the opportunity in deep meditation. This is a fine point that is easy to miss. It will become clearer when we enhance the mantra, giving it more syllables. |
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atanas
Bulgaria
3 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2013 : 10:10:12 AM
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| Makes sense. This is very helpful, thanks! |
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Yogaman
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2013 : 3:23:20 PM
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| Thanks Shanti, I was wondering about this as well. I seem to want to naturally say I Am with exhales. Trying to gently ease myself away from that. |
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atanas
Bulgaria
3 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2013 : 06:13:05 AM
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| My awareness sticks like a magnet to the breath. Maybe because I have been doing breath awareness meditation for quite some time. Now I find difficult to follow the mantra without being aware of the breath. The workaround I found is to repeat I AM quickly enough until I lose the breath and then I can slow down the mantra a little bit. But from time to time I stick to the breath again which is annoying. Hope this settles down after some practice. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2013 : 4:48:52 PM
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Don't try to deliberately dislodge the mantra from the breath. That's too much effort. Easily favor the mantra, and if the mantra happens to correspond with the breath, that is totally fine. The sound, repetition and rhythm of the mantra will change on its own accord--just by virtue of the technique of easily favoring the sound--you don't have to put extra effort to slow it down.
Less is more.  The genius lies in the simplicity of surrender...not in the management or regulation of the mantra's trajectory.  |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2013 : 5:08:53 PM
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Hi Atanas,
Don't worry about the sync. If we get too mindy with trying to not sync the two it will become an obsession, an inner struggle. Better to be easy about it... if we become conscious of the sync, we put our attention on the mantra and keep going. And one day it will take you by surprise when you find the mantra and breath are not in sync. Or it may stay in sync forever, it does not matter, what matters is keeping the focus on the mantra, letting the mantra lead the meditation and being easy about going back to it when we became aware that we are off it for any reason, be it lost in thoughts or in sync with breath or lost in samadhi. |
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Trying
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2013 : 1:14:37 PM
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| For my part I find matching the mantra with the breath is taxing. I try to say the mantra in my mindstream, which I feel higher in my head. Otherwise I feel the mantra in my mouth. |
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How fast I should say "I AM" mentally?
