Ananda Course in Self-Realization

Lessons in Meditation
Ananda Course in Self-Realization

Lessons in Meditation
Based on the Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda
And His Direct Disciple, Swami Kriyananda

Jyotish Novak

Crystal Clarity Publishers

Nevada City, California
Crystal Clarity Publishers, Nevada City, CA 95959
Copyright 2009, 2006, 1997 by Hansa Trust
First edition 1997. Second edition 2006. Third edition 2009
All rights reserved. Published 2009
Printed in the USA
ISBN: 978-1-56589-177-7

Cover photograph and design by Barbara Bingham

Interior layout and design by Crystal Clarity Publishers

Ananda Church of Self-Realization was founded in 1968 by

Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda.
We are not affiliated with Self-Realization Fellowship.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Novak, John (John Jyotish)

Lessons in Meditation : based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda and his
direct disciple Swami Kriyananda / by Jyotish Novak ; Ananda Course in Self-Real-
ization presented by Ananda Sangha Worldwide. 3rd ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-56589-177-7 (tradepaper)
1. Meditation. 2. Self-realization. 3. Yogananda, Paramhansa, 1893-1952. 4. Kri-
yananda, Swami. I. Ananda Sangha (Organization) II. Title.
BL627.N68 2009
294.5435dc22
2009028989

www.crystalclarity.com
800.424.1055
[email protected]
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Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Lessons
1 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 Learning to Relax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3 Interiorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4 Focusing the Mind: Visualization,
Prayer, and Chanting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5 Expansion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
6 Energization Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
7 Bringing Meditation into Daily Activity . . . . . 123
About Paramhansa Yogananda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
About Swami Kriyananda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Lessons in Meditation 7

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A Course in Yoga
You are about to embark on a marvelous journey, a jour-
ney to the unexplored center of your own self. Along the way
you will discover you have strengths and potentials you only
dimly suspected.
Yoga is an ancient science; so ancient, in fact, that its
roots are lost in the dim reaches of time. We know that it
goes back at least seven thousand years because of prehistoric
stone tablets found at Mohenjo Daro in India depicting peo-
ple in yoga postures. There is a continuous tradition several
thousand years old of scriptural writings on yoga. And yet it
is not merely some hoary philosophy left dusty and tattered
by the passage of time. It is a living tradition! It has been
practiced continuously and refined over centuries. In India
every generation has had its saints and sages. In the twentieth
century there have been several great yogis who have reached
the highest possible state of awareness: Self-realization.
The Sanskrit word yoga means union. In one sense this
union implies a complete integration of our own self, a total
clarity of consciousness. In more expanded states, the yogi
experiences a state of union with every atom of creation. In
a spiritual sense, the yogi achieves a state of union in which the
individual soul merges into God.
8 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

But long before you experience these profound states you

will find extraordinary benefits from practicing the lessons in
this course. Physically, you will experience increasing vital-
ity, flexibility, and strength. Mentally you will be able to work
with more clarity and concentration. Your emotions also will
benefityoull become more even-minded, learn to overcome
negative moods, and develop attitudes which bring true hap-
piness and well-being. You will rediscover a sense of peace and
harmony with the world around you, and your capacity to
give and receive love will expand until it embraces all places
and every living thing. Finally, you will find a joy so profound
that it will seem to form the very fabric of creation itself. Great
truths lie within you at this very moment. You have only to
still your restless thoughts to find all this and more.
Lessons in Meditation 9

Paramhansa Yogananda
and the Ananda Tradition
The material in this course is based on the teachings of
Paramhansa Yogananda. He was one of the first yogis, and
perhaps the greatest, ever to live and teach in the United
States. Yogananda came to America in 1920 in order to address
the Council of Religious Liberals in Boston. He stayed on to
write, lecture, and give classes in yoga. Within a few years
he became an enormously popular figure. His classes were
so well received that crowds had to be turned away even at
Americas largest auditoriums, such as Carnegie Hall in New
York. But Yogananda was far beyond being enamored of
popularity. He came to this country not for fame but simply
to offer the soul-liberating teachings of yoga. In the mid-
1930s he moved to Los Angeles and established a center to
spread these teachings. It was here that he wrote his classic
book Autobiography of a Yogi, which has introduced mil-
lions to the wonders of yoga.
Ananda was started by Swami Kriyananda, a direct
disciple of Yogananda. Kriyananda lived with Yogananda
from 1948 until the great masters passing in 1952. Charged
by Yogananda to do his utmost to make these teachings
available, Kriyananda has spent his life teaching, writing,
and working in countless ways to serve his guru. He has
written over one hundred books and more than four
hundred pieces of music, but perhaps his greatest work
was the founding of Ananda World Brotherhood Village.
Ananda is widely considered to be one the most successful
spiritual communities in the world. It has grown to include
10 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

one hundred meditation groups around the world, as well

as seven branch communities. More than one thousand
resident members live a life based on yogic principles.
Ananda has become a living laboratory to test the
effectiveness of the teachings presented in these lessons.

How These Courses Are Organized

The Ananda Course in Self-Realization is designed to give
you complete instruction and a groundwork for the practice of
meditation, yoga postures, and the yogic path.

The Four Stages

There are four stages to the Ananda Course in Self-
Realization. First come seven lessons entitled Lessons in
Meditation. In this first stage you will learn the basic tech-
niques of meditation as taught by Paramhansa Yogananda.
You will also learn the Energization Exercises, his unique
contribution to the science of yoga. Each lesson contains the
following sections: Principles, Techniques, Routine, and Do
This Now, which is a homework assignment. A typical stu-
dent takes a week or two to complete each lesson.
Stage two of the course is The Art and Science of Yoga: 14
Steps to Higher Awareness. Here the emphasis shifts to a much
deeper understanding of the philosophy of yoga and a thorough
presentation of hatha yoga, the yoga postures. Each of the lessons
contains seven elements: Philosophy of Yoga, Yoga Postures,
Breathing, Routine, Healing Principles and Techniques, Diet,
Lessons in Meditation 11

and Meditation, where some of the techniques learned in stage

one are reviewed and placed in their broader context. By the
end of this stage you will not only have a complete background
in the science and art of yoga, but you will understand how it
can be applied to all aspects of your life.
Stage three, Discipleship, gives you the opportunity to learn
about the guru-disciple relationship and, should you choose,
to become a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. You are then
eligible to learn his advanced technique of AUM meditation.
Finally, stage four, Kriya Preparation, prepares you for
initiation into Paramhansa Yoganandas most advanced tech-
nique, Kriya Yoga. Paramhansa Yogananda described Kriya
Yoga as the jet airplane path to God.

Self-Effort
This course is designed to let you proceed at a pace that
feels natural and comfortable. But it will require effort on your
part. Meditation and deeper spiritual states must be experi-
enced, not merely read about. They cant be appreciated by
mere reading any more than an orange can be tasted by only
studying its qualities. How much effort is involved? This you
must decide for yourself. But any effort you make will pay
dividends very quickly. From the very start you will feel more
relaxed, more cheerful, and more at peace with yourself. All
areas of your life can improve with a surprisingly small amount
of effortless than half an hour per day to start with.

May these lessons bring you great joy!

12 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

Ananda Sangha Worldwide is a dynamic organization

with many teachers who have lived and taught these practic-
es for 40 years or more. If you have any questions about the
course material, or simply want to talk to someone, we are
here to help you.

Ananda Sangha Worldwide

www.ananda.org
[email protected]
530.478.7560

14618 Tyler Foote Road

Nevada City, CA 95959
fax: 530.478.7562

Ananda Course Support

www.ananda.org
[email protected]
530.470.2340
Getting Started

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Lessons in Meditation 15

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What Is Meditation?
Meditation is a state of intense awareness achieved by stilling
and concentrating the thoughts. It is a journey to the center of
our own being, a process so perfectly natural that we dont have
to learn how to meditate. Rather, we have to unlearn those hab-
its and attitudes that keep us from experiencing our natural state
of expanded awareness. We simply need to still the mental rest-
lessness which, like static on a radio, prevents us from hearing
clearly our own natural program. Deeper states of meditation
come automatically as we peel away the layers of tension and
attachments that prevent us from being more aware.
Meditation, like science, is based upon experimentation.
Rather than indoctrinating us with a rigid dogma, it says,
Try this and see what the results are. Science discovers
truths about nature, while meditation allows us to learn
truths about our own nature. Since consciousness cannot be
accurately observed from outside itself, we must find a way
for consciousness to observe itself. In fact, self-observation is
a good definition of meditation. When you meditate, adopt
the methods of a scientist. Your tools, rather than microscopes
and oscilloscopes, are concentration and intuition.
Meditation is not thinking deep thoughts. In fact, true
meditation begins only when thinking ends. To progress in medi-
tation we must put aside the mental tendency to constantly seek
out and solve problems, to worry and plan, to react and judge.
While we are meditating we need to let go of the past and future.

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 16 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

Meditation is not passive, it requires energy and commit-

ment! But it is not physical work either. In meditation, effort
must be applied in a direction opposite to what we are used
to. Our effort must be to relax ever more deeply. We must
ultimately release the tension from both our muscles and our
thoughts. Meditation requires, above all, complete attention.
Meditation is not letting the mind drift in a subconscious
state or float in pleasant daydreams. It is a state of high energy,
of intense awareness. If, at the end of a meditation, you dont
know what happened, then you werent really meditating.
Meditation raises us above both the dreamy subconsciousness
and the restless conscious mind. It brings us in touch with
the superconscious stateacutely aware, intuitively certain.
Profound perceptions come from the superconscious rather
than the conscious mind. When we relax so deeply that we are
able to internalize the energy of the senses, the mind becomes
focused and a tremendous flow of energy is awakened. That
intense energy lifts us into superconsciousness, where our
powers of intuition are fully awake. In superconsciousness we
become aware of realities barely dreamed of before.
While meditation is a continuous process, it can be said to
have three stages: relaxation, interiorization, and expansion. Put
very simply, the process of meditation could be described as:

a) relaxing the body and the mind,

b) concentrating single-pointedly on the
object of your meditation, and
c) expanding your sense of identity until
you realize your unity with all creation.

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Lessons in Meditation 17

Paramhansa Yogananda defined meditation as deep

concentration on God or one of His aspects. As you concen-
trate on God you begin to realize, as all Scriptures teach, that
you are made in His image. You are a child of God and His
kingdom lies within. His qualities are your qualities. His peace
is your peace. His universal love is yours to taste and to offer
to all the world. His joy can make life a priceless gift. Deeper
states such as these do not come easily, however. They require
dedication and discipline. And yet, even a little meditation has
profound rewards. Indias great Scripture, the Bhagavad Gita,
says, Even a little practice of this inward religion will save
one from dire fears and colossal suffering.

Meditation and Health

Meditation has great health benefits. It is one of the best
possible antidotes to the excessive stress of modern life. Stress
pushes the body into a fight or flight response. This can be
valuable for short-term survival, but over the long run, the
resulting hormonal response can cause serious health prob-
lems. Meditation gives us a respite from pressure. As we relax,
the heart beats more slowly and the blood pressure lowers.
Meditation helps retrain response mechanisms so we dont react
as strongly or as negatively to adverse situations. It gives us the
ability to be more centered, to be more in control of ourselves.
Meditation has been found to strengthen the immune
system, which helps ward off diseases before they affect us
and lets us recover more quickly when we do become ill.
Much has been written recently about the mind-body connec-
tion. Meditation helps create a healthy mind, one that is alert,

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 18 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

positive, and calm. This, in turn, produces a body filled with

vitality and health. A master of yoga can control even auto-
nomic processes such as heart rate, pulse, and brain waves.
A meditative life helps foster other aspects of a healthy
life style. The medical establishment has finally recognized
that general health can be greatly improved by a combina-
tion of meditation, proper diet, and yoga postures. Dr. Dean
Ornish has shown that even serious heart and circulatory
problems can be reversed through a careful regime of diet,
meditation, and exercise. Perhaps the ultimate sign of main-
stream acceptance is that some insurance companies are now
paying for patients to learn how to meditate.
Meditation also helps foster a healthy mind. It allows
us to release negative mental states such as fear, worry, and
anger and replace them with positive attitudes. The daily
practice of focusing within gradually gives us control over
the flow of life-force, letting us turn it inward. As a result,
we feel more fulfilled and lose the addiction to constantly
seeking satisfaction from things outside ourselves: from pos-
sessions, or endless entertainment, or drugs and alcohol. The
simple reversal of the direction of life-force has dramatic
results. Far from becoming bored or life-negating, we regain
our ability to find enjoyment in simple pleasures.
During this home-study course you will learn tech-
niques to consciously control the flow of energy (life-force).
This can be used as a powerful healing tool. A member of
the Ananda community had a remarkable experience in this
regard. He was hiking alone on a glacier in Canada. During
the morning he had gone out several miles, intending to
reverse directions after lunch and arrive home safely before

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Lessons in Meditation 19

sunset. But, just as he started his return trip, he slipped and

badly sprained his ankle. Unable to walk, or even to stand,
he knew the situation was serious, unprepared as he was to
spend a night out on the ice. Knowing the yogic technique
of energization (which you will learn in Lesson Six) he sent
life-force to his swollen ankle. After a few minutes the pain
began to subside and after a half-hour he was able to resume
walking. He has always felt that he owes his life to the heal-
ing principles of energy control.

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 20 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

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When to Meditate
For the vast majority of people the best times to meditate
are in the morning just after waking and in the evening before
going to bed. But meditation can be done any time and any-
where you can be quiet and inward.
Plan to meditate every day. Try meditating fifteen to
twenty minutes twice a day in the beginning. You can gradu-
ally increase the time, but dont go beyond your capacity to
enjoy each meditation. Depth of focus is much more impor-
tant than merely increasing the amount of time. As you
progress it is natural to want to meditate longer, and the more
you meditate, the more you will want to meditate!
Choose a convenient time for your meditations. Regularity
is the most important factor, so find a time when you can be
consistent. Creating a habit of meditation is far and away the
most important goal in the beginning. Most people find that
early morning and late evening are the times most under their
control and the least likely to have other demands. These times
are important for other reasons also. In the morning the mind
is quieter, not yet engaged in the busyness of the day. It is
easiest to reprogram the subconscious mind, where habits are
rooted, just after or just before sleep. Also, at these times the
thoughts of people around us are calmer and less disturbed.
It is best to wait at least a half hour after eatingup to three
hours after a heavy mealso there will not be competition for
energy between digestion and meditation.

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Lessons in Meditation 21

Many people also like to meditate before lunch or right

after work. Meditating at these times breaks the cycle of end-
less activity and gets you centered again. A friend who worked
as a nurse in an emergency ward was a near legend among her
coworkers for her ability to stay centered in every situation.
She credited her calmness to her habit of meditating at lunch
and briefly during her breaks.

Where to Meditate
If possible, set aside an area that is used only for medita-
tion. This will help create a meditative mood and, over time,
your special place will become filled with meditation vibra-
tions. A small room or closet is ideal as long as it can be well
ventilated. If you dont have enough space for a whole room,
then set aside a small area in your bedroom or some other
room that can be reserved for meditation. If you can, face east
as you meditate. This helps to align the magnetism of your
body with that of the earth.
Your meditation area can be kept very simpleall you
really need is a chair or small cushion to sit on. You can
enhance the mood by creating a small altar with pictures of
those holy ones who inspire you. Many people also like to
have a small candle and an incense burner. Your altar can be
as simple or elaborate as you like. In any case, your real altar
is your heart.
It is good, occasionally, to meditate outside in nature, but
this should be the exception rather than the rule. Deep medita-
tion demands complete interiorization. There is, in fact, a stage

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 22 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

in meditation called pratyahara, which means to interiorize

even the senses. Yogananda referred to this as shutting off the
sense telephones. So choose a quiet place for your meditation
area, a place where you can concentrate without distractions.
Being able to shut out sounds will help your meditations.
You can purchase inexpensive earplugs at any pharmacy or
sporting goods store. Simple rubber earplugs can be very
effective, but some people find them uncomfortable for longer
meditations. If this is true for you, try foam earplugs. They
dont block sounds quite as well, but they are very comfort-
able. You can also use earphones made to reduce industrial
noise. These are very effective and often the choice of long-
time meditators. If you have difficulty finding any of these
products, write or call us at the number given at the start of
this course, and we can help you.

Posture
There are many ways of sitting for meditation that are
equally good. You can sit either in a straight-backed chair or
on the floor in any of several poses. Two things, however, are
essential: Your spine must be straight, and you must be able to
relax completely.

Proper Posture for Sitting in a Chair

Choose a chair with a straight back and a padded seat. Sit
away from the back of the chair, so there is no pressure on your
spine, and place your hands palms upright at the junction of

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Lessons in Meditation 23

the thighs and the abdomen. Bring your shoulders back a little
in order to keep from slumping. Some people find this a little
awkward at first, but they soon get used to it. A straight spine is
important for complete relaxation. If you slump, skeletal mus-
cles must tense to help support your weight, and a bent spine
inhibits the flow of the subtle energies necessary for deeper
states. Keep the chest upyou might try feeling that there is
a line attached to the chest pulling it upward and forward at a 45
degree angle. The chin should be kept level with the floor.
You may find it helpful to place a woolen blanket or silk
cloth or both over your chair. Yogis recommend this to block
certain subtle magnetic forces in the earth which tend to pull
the energy down. Wool or silk insulates against these forces
just as rubber insulates an electrical wire. Traditionally, yogis
sit on the skin of a tiger or deer which has died a natural death,
but wool or silk works nearly as well. Place the blanket on
your chair in such a way that it extends down under your feet
and up over the back of your chair.

Proper Posture for Sitting in a Chair

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 24 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

Proper Posture for Sitting on the Floor

There are several sitting postures that can be used with
nearly equal effectiveness. The easiest for most people is
a simple cross-legged position using a small cushion. Remember
that it is important to keep the spine straight, the chest up and
the chin level. In the next section of this course, The Art and
Science of Yoga: 14 Steps to Higher Awareness, you will learn
a number of the sitting poses of hatha yoga. For those with
good flexibility the lotus pose is traditionally used for medita-
tion, but be sure that whatever pose you use is comfortable.
It is much more important to keep your mind fixed on God
rather than on the pain in your knees.

Simple Cross-legged Position The Lotus Pose

Beginning Your Meditation

Always start meditation by completely relaxing the body
and mind. Then focus your attention at the point between the

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Lessons in Meditation 25

eyebrows. This area, called the spiritual eye, is a center of great

spiritual energy. Your eyes should be closed and held steady,
and looking slightly upwards, as if looking at a point about an
arms-length away and level with the top of your head.
After you have focused your attention at the point
between the eyebrows, feel that you are sending energy there,
creating an area of great calmness and peace in the brain.
Simply observe your thoughts. Release any thoughts that arise
into the vastness of space. Let go of the past and future. You
can silently repeat, I am peaceful, I am peace. As you begin
to feel the peace of meditation, try to enter into that feeling,
deepening it until it pervades your whole being. Feel peace
spreading out from your spiritual eye and filling your brain.
After some time let it descend, like liquid light, from the brain
to enter every cell of your body. Feel that your whole being is
made of liquid peace. Hold onto this state for as long as you
can, and then gradually feel that you are once again becoming
focused at the point between the eyebrows. Try to maintain
a sense of deep peace as you end your meditation and resume
your daily activities. Feel that your very ability to move and to
speak arises out of this inward state.

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 26 Ananda Course in Self-Realization

B"*$,#%
It is very important that you establish a daily routine of
meditation. As you progress through these lessons you will have
a more complete routine to follow. For now your routine is:

Sit to meditate.

Check to see that your posture is correct.

Relax the body completely.

Concentrate at the point between the eyebrows.

Offer a prayer for guidance and success in your meditation.

Feel a deep sense of peace at the point between the

eyebrows; let this peace spread into the brain and then
throughout the body.

Hold onto this peace as you resume your activities, or, if it

is an evening meditation, as you drift off to sleep.

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Lessons in Meditation 27

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1. Decide what times of the day you will meditateprobably
after awakening in the morning and before bed at night.

2. Decide where you will meditate.

3. Set aside a chair or cushion to sit on.

4. Meditate at the time and in the place you have chosen.

5. Let your first few meditations be guided by using the
Companion Audio Disc, tracks 1, 2, and 3.

B%&"*(+%&.$".?4F%.G"*.H*($@%(
Meditation for Starters, by Swami Kriyananda
How to Meditate, by Jyotish Novak
Awaken to Superconsciousness, by Swami Kriyananda

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all recommended resources

are available from Crystal Clarity Publishers.

See Further Explorations section of this book for further infor-

mation on titles available from Crystal Clarity Publishers.

And visit us on our website: www.crystalclarity.com

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