is in your name. The practice of meditative repetition of your name helps you to accept and love yourself, as well as get closer to understanding your divine Higher Self. Try it.
59. Conscious Breathing – Conscious Living
Sathya Sai Baba often preached a meditation called "So-Ham." I think it's safe to say that this was the most important meditation technique he taught. Sathya Sai Baba never said that he taught Kriya Yoga, but in fact he taught various elements of this great tradition.
So-Ham meditation is one of the most important practices of Kriya Yoga. The first sound "So" means God the Father. The second sound "Ham" comes from the word "aham," which means the individual Soul. This technique is performed as follows: the sound, “So” is mentally pronounced on the inhale, and the sound “Ham” is mentally pronounced on the exhale. During the execution of this technique, it is necessary to be aware of the breathing process.
For this, mentally pronounce “So” on each inhalation and “Ham” on each exhalation.
Since ancient times, the Yogis of India have noticed that the nature and speed of breathing is associated with the emotional state. The simplest example is well known to everyone. A person who is in a state of deep rest breathes slowly and shallowly. A person who is under stress begins to breathe quickly and deeply. Since various emotional states affect breathing, it is logical to assume that mindful breathwork can also affect emotional states.
In ancient times, Yogis noticed that the circulation of vital energy in the body is also associated with breathing. In Sanskrit, life energy is called Prana, in the Chinese tradition Qi. The harmonious movement of vital energy through the body is directly related to the nature of breathing. In order to balance the flow of vital energy in the body, it is necessary to consciously work with breathing, which is why the correct practice of meditation begins with conscious breathing.
Conscious breathing is the key to many things: healing from diseases and gaining good health, peace of mind and inner stability, releasing stress and overcoming depression. All this can be achieved through the practice of So-Ham meditation.
Conscious breathing allows you to gain and accumulate significant vital energy, which can be redirected to the harmonization of family relations and the prosperity of business, creativity, and spiritual practices.
Sometimes in an interview, Sathya Sai Baba was asked the question: is it necessary to repeat exactly “So-Ham”?
In response, he said “in principle, this is awareness of breathing, but what words or sounds you pronounce is not so important. You can say in your own language: "I am God." As you inhale mentally say "I", as you exhale mentally say "God". God is not somewhere far away in heaven, but inside each person, so the meditation "So-Ham" or "I am God" is very important, because it helps to realize God in your heart.”
60. Sathya Sai Baba exclaimed that it is very easy to materialize objects and he can easily teach us
Sometimes in interviews, Sathya Sai Baba showed an unusual sense of humor, but any of his jokes carried the deepest philosophy. Once Sathya Sai Baba invited me and my friend Oleg to a private room. In a mysterious voice, he said that for some reason people are surprised that he materializes various objects, in fact, there is nothing unusual in this. Further, Sathya Sai Baba added that each person has the ability to materialize objects, because each person is essentially God the Creator, which means that each person can create his own reality.
Hearing these words, my friend and I looked at each other in surprise. After a pause, I said that we do not know how to materialize objects. To this Sathya Sai Baba quickly replied that there were no problems, and he could easily teach us. Oleg smiled and cheerfully declared he would like to learn as quickly as possible.
Sathya Sai Baba, as if nothing had happened, raised his right hand, and said that we should carefully observe. He calmly explained that you need to carefully concentrate on the center of the palm, make a few rotational movements and imagine what you want to materialize. Having said these words, Sathya Sai Baba materialized a ring, after which he exclaimed, "you see, everything is very simple." Oleg and I laughed merrily, it was easy, but not for us.
Sathya Sai Baba, as if not noticing our fun, continued, “each of you can do the same. Concentrate, create a thought form, the power of your thought form can do everything, including the materialization of objects. Thought is material, you can materialize in your life whatever you see fit. To do this, you must be aware of your infinite possibilities. You just need to realize that you already know how and can do it. All you need to do is to realize that you are the Creator and can create your reality.”
By this time, Oleg and I were no longer laughing, instead we were astonished as we listened to these unexpected instructions, hardly believing our ears. At first, this conversation seemed too strange and unreal, but then there was a feeling of depth and importance of what Sathya Sai Baba said.
Now I remember this strange conversation with Sathya Sai Baba and reflect on the meaning of his words. All his life he pointed to the infinite possibilities of each of us. His mission was to unlock our divine potential.
What does it mean to materialize objects? This symbolically means that the thought form, born in human consciousness, has great power to create the circumstances of life. It is not so important to physically materialize rings and rosaries, in fact we materialize much more. By the power of thought we materialize our very life.
The life that we live now is the result of our thoughts that we had some time ago. In the same way, the thoughts that dominate our minds now create the life of tomorrow. Each thought is material, the vibration of thought materializes the circumstances of life.
