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The Daily
Meditator: March 2005
Expanding
Circles Meditation
Dear
Meditator,
Spring weather
is fast approaching for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere,
so I thought it would be appropriate to feature an outdoor meditation
practice of Paramhansa Yogananda's. The Master loved meditating
outside, and this technique helps you commune with the great expanses
of nature.
John Muir said
that the contents of the human soul contain the whole world. Practicing
this meditation helps you consciously affirm, and intuitively experience,
your oneness with Life. While doing this exercise in the California
Mountains, one woman said, "At first I felt as though I were
composing a picture; then suddenly I found I was the picture."
Expanding
Circles Meditation
- Find a pleasant
place outdoors with a distant view and an interesting foreground.
Look also, if possible, for natural movement of some kind—like
a rippling lake or swaying trees.
- Sit down,
close your eyes, and become aware of your body.
- Then open
your eyes and extend your awareness beyond your body just a few
feet to include the nearby grasses, rocks, and insects. Feel yourself
moving and becoming alive in them. Try to feel that you are
in everything you see, as much as you are in your own body.
- Do this for
a couple of minutes. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back
to what's before you.
- Now broaden
your awareness to include the nearby shrubs and trees. Relax and
allow your attention to flow spontaneously, from the closest grasses
and pebbles to the nearest trees.
- Continue
expanding your visual awareness gradually in stages until finally
it reaches the distant ridges and vast blue sky. Feel that everything
you see is part of you. Finally… let your awareness flow
freely to whatever interests it… Feel inside yourself…
the sky… trees… and grasses waving.
- End your
meditation by repeating the following prayer by Swami Kriyananda:
"I feel
myself in the flowing brooks, in the flight of birds, in the raging
wind upon the mountain, in the gentle dance of flowers in a breeze.
Renouncing my little, egoic self, I expand with my great, soul-Self
everywhere!"
Practice Expanding
Circles for as long as you feel inspired. I have used this technique
for several hours at a time in places like the Grand Canyon. For
your first time, however, I recommend trying it for fifteen minutes.
To deepen your experience of Expanding Circles, first practice a
meditation technique like Hong-Sau.
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Man
is not himself only . . .
He is all that he sees;
all that flows to him
from a thousand sources . . .
He is the land,
the lift of its mountain lines,
the reach of its valleys.
Mary
Austin
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From:
With Beauty Before Me © 2000 by Joseph Cornell
Photographs © Robert Frutos |
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From
the Sharing Nature website.
Go to Trail
of Beauty for more photos and inspirational quotes.
May your consciousness
expand into infinity!
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In Divine Friendship,
Bharat Cornell
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Ananda Meditation
Ministry
14618 Tyler Foote Road
Nevada City, CA 95959
530-478-7561 ext 7014
meditation@ananda.org
www.learn-meditation.org
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