58. Meditating on your own name helps change your life
The words of Jesus Christ about the need to love your neighbor as yourself are often remembered. Christ said, “as yourself,” which means that you must love yourself first of all. How can we love the people around us if we sometimes don’t love ourselves?
Love for oneself is mysteriously connected with the perception of one’s own name. Think about it, do you like your name? Do you feel comfortable being addressed by your first name? Repeatedly Sathya Sai Baba said that it is very beneficial to meditate on one’s own name.
The essence of any prayer or mantra is the sacred name of God, and this name can be the name of Jesus Christ or Lord Krishna. There is tremendous power in the names of God. In the Vedic tradition, there is an ancient knowledge that all the power of God is in his Holy Names.
Any mantra carries energy power only because it contains the names of God. Sanskrit is the most complex language in its grammar and the richest in its vocabulary; there are not so many names of God as there are in Sanskrit in any other language of the world.
Many world traditions include the practice of repeating the names of God. In Zoroastrianism, there is a tradition of repeating one hundred and one names of God. In some branches of Islam, there is a practice of repeating the ninety-nine names of God. Seventy-two names of God are practiced in Judaism and Kabbalah.
The name that you bear in this life, in fact, is also the name of God. Your divine essence 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.”