Namasté: I honor, respect, recognize and bow to the Light in me and you.
This sacred gesture, used in many yoga practices, meditations and prayers, holds a secret wisdom. When your mind and senses bow to the Heart Chakra the union between body and Soul is achieved. The key, however, is to go deep into your Heart Chakra where your Soul glows its life-giving presence, bringing breath and heart-beat to your body. Why does one need to go deep into the Heart Chakra and how does one achieve this? The reason for going deep into your Heart Chakra is to guide your senses that are controlled by your mind (and also control your mind) into your Heart. When your senses are only aware of the life around your body, your senses cannot be fully aware of your Soul in your Heart Chakra. Your senses must be withdrawn. In Yoga this is called “Pratyāhāra.”
By withdrawing your senses, your mind’s awareness turns inward. To withdraw the senses and still be in the mind is not pratyāhāra . True pratyāhāra is withdrawing the senses from the outer story of separateness, into the inner Truth of oneness that glows in your heart. The experience of oneness is held in the Heart Chakra, not the mind. The feeling of pure love reveals that you are in oneness. This Love is not based on images in the material world, but is the pure, true love between body and Soul, creation and Creator. When the mind and its minion senses are gathered together and guided inwards, the gifts of the senses are now in a different reality. This reality is called oneness, the innerworld, intuition, Soul, spirit, the Divine, union, source, etc. The more focused your mind is in its ability to gather your senses, the deeper, purer and truer your experience of oneness (love). When your senses finally enter your Heart Chakra, your senses are more in your control and become calmer. The secret to this whole process of pratyāhāra, and going into the Heart Chakra, requires humility. The ego is the personality that the mind creates through the senses. Humility is when the ego is willing to change. The aspiration to transform and discover a new perspective of oneself and life is also humility.
So how does one achieve pratyāhāra , humility and a focused mind, in order to discover what is inside the Heart Chakra?
A very special technique came to me in my mid 20’s when I had reached a stage in my life where I was humbled and willing to change. This humility came forth due to the death of my parents in an aviation crash when I was a teenager and my sister’s murder shortly thereafter, resulting in my many illnesses and the loss of my will to live. With these techniques, by bowing into my heart, I discovered the purpose for life and found self-love. The process of this technique begins with any beautiful feeling such as Love. The ability to feel this feeling is already in you. It is the presence of your Soul in your Heart Chakra. When you feel love and other beautiful feelings, you will feel your true self. The image of all beautiful feelings is light.
Heartfull® Meditation Mental Centering™ Technique by Savitri (1½ minutes)
Sit erect with your eyes closed. With your middle finger of each hand touching the front of each armpit, trace a horizontal line to the center of your chest. With the middle finger of your right hand touching your skin, you will feel a sensitive area on your sternum. Massage gently for a few minutes. This is your Heart Chakra, the doorway to your Soul. Imagine light glowing lovingly in your Heart Chakra.
- With your eyes closed, place your hands with the sides of your fingers together, slightly cupped, on the right and left sides of your head, facing your ears. Your hands should be approximately 3 inches away from your head.
- Exhaling, move your hands forward and together in Namasté, not more than 1 inch away from your face, with the tips of your thumbs at the same level as your eyebrows.
- Inhale. On the next exhalation move your hands down slowly to your Heart Chakra
- As you do this, imagine your mind following a straight line in the center of your body and offer your mind to your heart.
- Say inwardly, “I offer my mind and senses to my loving Soul within.”
- Do this technique 3 or more times and breathe slowly and peacefully.
Benefits: Increases pratyāhāra, concentration and focus, intuition, self-love, respect, and awakens your conscience. This brings calmness to your mind and body because of your Soul’s presence.
Notice that at the end of this technique your hands end up in Namasté. These are the exact energetics of what happens when you say Namasté or bring your hands together in prayer. Your mind withdraws its ego perception of others and bows inside your Heart Chakra. The true perception your Soul holds is now visible to you. Now your mind recognizes the love and light in everyone because it is awakened to the love and light that is in your own heart. The first level of enlightenment is keeping this connection consistent. Hence, do Mental Centering as often as you need throughout the day.
Respect is the foundation of yoga. The gesture, Namasté, is the action of self-respect and respect for others. The union between mind, body and Soul is self-respect, which reveals the feeling of love. Through this love your Soul can shine freely through your body to others. Let the secret gift of Namasté bless your yoga journey on and off the mat. Namasté.
© Copyright 2016 by Savitri. All rights reserved for all content. Heartfull® Meditation and technique trademarked by Savitri. Savitri is the founder of Heartfull® Meditation & Lifestyle, and co-founder of Alive & Shine Center and The College of Purna Yoga®. For 3 ½ years she co-hosted the Alive & Shine Radio Show with Aadil Palkhivala. She began as a 25 year old housewife praying for truth and understanding for the incomprehensible events of her life. When she was 11, a serious head injury put her in a coma. As a teenager, she was orphaned with the sudden death of both her parents in a plane crash. A few years later, while she was majoring in computer engineering, she experienced the shocking murder of her sister and shortly thereafter her best friend died of AIDS. This led to life-threatening illnesses and near-death experiences. Since 1995, her sincere desire for truth led her to create Heartfull® Meditation. Its emphasis is on uniting with unlimited love (our true essence) using unique active meditation techniques. These techniques helped her to come alive and shine, blessing her with her beautiful daughter, Zenia, and are used by students around the world. She says, “Heartfull Meditation taught me how to live life, not run away from it.” Savitri’s sincere love and prayers for her students creates profound changes in their lives. Learn more at www.AliveandShineCenter.com or www.Heartfull.life