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Tips
for Staying Focussed during Hong-Sau
Keeping alert
and totally present during your Hong-Sau practice can be challenging.
At times your mind may seem out of control, racing off in many directions
at once. The two breathing techniques that precede your practice
of Hong-Sau, Tensing and Relaxing and Regular Breathing, are great
for calming your body and mind, and getting you started in a dynamic
way. If you find that you are restless before, or even, during Hong
Sau, you may find it advantageous to practice these preparatory
techniques for a longer period of time.
Practicing the
Energization Exercises before you sit to meditate will also significantly
increase the quality of your meditations. Whether you're feeling
sleepy or too restless, the strong, inward flow of energy
created by these exercises will help you to overcome these obstacles.
To stay more
focussed during your practice of Hong-Sau, try bringing the forefinger
of your right hand slightly toward the palm as you inhale and relax
it back as you exhale. Doing this will help you stay focussed on
the breath and the Hong-Sau mantra. Chanting the Hong-Sau mantra
not only gives the mind a point of focus, it helps to calm and internalize
the prana, or life force. As your energy becomes more interiorized,
your breath will become very quiet, and using the forefinger can
help you distinguish between the incoming and outgoing breaths.
It may help
you to imagine that your inhalation is drawing your right forefinger
upwards, and during your exhalation, the breath is gently blowing
your finger back. (You can make the finger movements very small.
And remember, you are just observing the breath, and not controlling
it in any way.)
To incorporate
using the forefinger in your meditation practice, try first keeping
track of the breath with the forefinger without repeating Hong-Sau.
Once you get a feeling for how the breath and forefinger work together,
add in the Hong-Sau mantra.
It's not required
that you use your forefinger when practicing the Hong-Sau technique.
For example, some people feel that lifting the forefinger becomes
a distraction when they go deep in meditation. But Paramhansa Yogananda
did recommend using the forefinger, and people find it helps
them feel more concentrated and grounded during their Hong-Sau practice.
More on the
Hong-Sau Technique:
• Why
Hong-Sau Works
• Concentration on the Breath
Leads to Inner Stillness
• An Overview of Hong-Sau and Its Advanced Phases
• Relaxation
• Focussing
at the Spiritual Eye
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