MASTERING

MEDITATION
 Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2024

https://archive.org/details/masteringmeditatO000unse
Mastering
Meditation

Forrest Knutson
 Copyright © 2023 Forrest Knutson

All rights reserved, including theright to reproduce this work in

any form whatsoever, without permission in writing from the
author, except for brief passages in connection with a review.

Disclaimer: This book is for information purposes only. All

meditative and yogic activities should be undertaken only at the
advice of a qualified physician, and solely at your own personal
responsibility,

Meditative Mellows Publishing

www. meditativemellows.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023912859

ISBN: 979-8-89121-252-7
 CONTENTS

Welcome Back!

What Is Heart Rate Variability Resonance?

Polyvagal Theory Creates a Triune System

Level One Mastery

Kriya Yoga Bliss Program

Chakras Are Projections

OM Japa in the Chakras

Level Two Mastery

Roll-Up of Consciousness

Huna Pathway

The Great Expansion

Fix Your Mind on Me

 The bis cree, Yea
for its leaves
Are green and waving hymns
which whisper Truth!
Who knows the Aswattha,
knows Veds, and all.
- Bhagavad Gita 15:1

-
Chapter One
WELCOME BACK!

Flies what I say at the beginning of each of my YouTube videos

about meditation. | started meditating when I was fifteen, and it’s
been a love affair for over thirty years now. So, when I say,
“Welcome back,” I’m actually welcoming you into this love of
meditation — into the heart of my heart. As the wise man said:

Anything will give up its secrets ifyou love it enough.

Not only have I found that when I talk to the kittle flower
or to the little peanut they will give up ther secrets,
but I have found that when I silently commune with people
they give up their secrets also — ifyou love them enough.
- George Washington Carver

That’s what I want to give to you. All of the secrets of meditation.

It’s so much easier than you might think, because usually tt is
described wrongly, and the science isn’t fully understood or
emphasized correctly.

We want a grand view of meditation, so we'll need to soar way up

above the fray and get the 10,000-mile view! We want to get the big
picture, and then allow this large view to inform all our meditative
endeavors. If we get sucked down into the minutia of meditative
traditions, then it will be easy to get lost. However, once I’ve given
you the mountain top view, you will always have a practical guide,
whatever system you adopt.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Eight Steps to Adept

Hete are the eight steps to becoming your own meditative expert.
They are organized into two levels of mastery. You can easily achieve
the first, and then slowly the second will be revealed to you through
your practice. All of this will be explained in the pages to follow, but
I want to make sure this list is clear in your mind from the beginning.

Level One
1. Resonant Breathing
2. Sitting Very Still (SVS)
3. Four Proofs of Meditation
4. Let Go and Enjoy

Level Two
5. Tranquil Breath
6. Freeze Response
7. Roll-Up of Consciousness
8. Let Go and Expand

It’s Easy

It’s so easy! 1 know that sounds ridiculous when you look around and
try to find your way into meditation for the first or tenth time, and it
doesn’t appear easy or practical at all. Rather, it looks like the isolated
work of mountain-top monks! However, 1 come from a wonderful
householder yogic tradition of meditation, and this really is as easy as
one, two, three.

While videoing my third training, Ta/king With the Higher Seif, I

reviewed repeatedly what I started calling the Enlightenment Pathway
in the brain. | wanted to make sure that in a two-hour video the
science could be easily grasped, and so the program could be easily
understood. When we get the why of something, the doing becomes
rather easy. As I repeated the pathway through the brain again and
again, the underlying message suddenly hit me with such force that I
sat down and absorbed the aha experience for some time. I realized
 MASTERING MEDITATION

that meditation mastery, when you boil it down, involves only these
three processes:

1. Low-Idle-State of the Dorsal Vagal Complex

2. Bliss of the Left Amygdala
3. Expansion of the Right Hippocampus

That’s it! Different meditative traditions will emphasize different

parts of this equation, but closer examination reveals these three
parts in almost every meditative heritage.

Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “You need to get out of your
own way.” That’s exactly what the first leg of the equation is all
about, and what we'll begin to cover below. By getting your body into
the Low-Idle-State, your mind is automatically calmed, and becomes
clear. This then facilitates access to the second and third parts of
Bliss and Expansion, which leads to a lifetime of exploration, and en-
joy-ment.

Most of yoga is the process of getting into the Low-Idle-State, and

is the main portion of the Bhagavad Gita, which describes the wat
against our preoccupation with the outside world: the war of
Kurukshetra. We'll spend most of our time working on this first step,
then launch into parts two and three. Enter the Low-Idle-State, then
wander your way through Bliss and Expansion; that’s the yogic
meditation plan!

As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.

- Rumi

The War of Kurukshetra

The Bhagavad Gita is the most complete yogic epic ever written. It
couches all its ancient yogic knowledge in metaphoric form. Hidden
in these relationship stories is the narrative of the yogi’s spine and
brain.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

The entire Gita epic takes place during a war! Isn’t that how we
feel when we first sit to meditate? I still remember the very first time.
I sat down to face myself, and suddenly all my thoughts rose up to
confront me! My mind had not been nearly so distracted just a
minute before, but when facing myself the mind became rebellious.
LOU

I had none of the insight I offer you here. I thought I had to

struggle and subdue these wild and revolving thoughts. Oh, to have
the technology I so needed! The great sage Vyasa knew exactly our
plight, and his compassion caused him to write the account of the
Yoga-Union process as a wat story.

Fortunately, this war that we can often take too seriously is

nothing but a battle between our three nervous systems. Once we
learn to always choose the correct nervous system, the fight is
essentially over for the other side. Huzzah!

I was blessed to inherit the original oral tradition of Kriya Yoga

from my guru Ashok Singh, who ordained me as a Kriya Yoga guru
in 2017. Ashokji received this wisdom directly from his guru
Maheshwari Dubeyji, who was perhaps the most prolific in the
spreading of the householder meditative tradition in all of India.
Dubeyji was trained by Nitayi Bandhopadhyay, who in turn had
learned the truth from Panchanon Bhattacharya, the prodigy of Lahiri
Mahasaya. It is this ancient practice which forms the core of
everything I teach. Everything I say will always be in line with the
principles and techniques of the original Kriya Yoga as taught by
Lahiri Mahasaya.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

As we pass through the eight steps I’m offering, we'll also make our
way through Patanjali’s six steps of Yogic Union. Patanjali wrote
these as eight steps; however, Lahiri Mahasaya always taught the
older classical yogic system of six steps for a specific reason, which
ll mention later.

10
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Patanjali was a visionary yogic sage and grammatical genius. He

compiled all of the yogic teachings which had been passed down to
him into one extremely concise treatise. Because it was meant to be
so terse, he offers very little in the way of explaining what he means.
It’s helpful to understand that the Yoga Sutras were never meant as a
comprehensive manual, but rather as college cliff-notes to summarize
what you already learned from your teacher!

Six Steps of Yogic Meditation:

1. Asana - stretching and posture
2. Pranayama - controlling the breath to control the nervous
system
Pratyahara - interiorization through the Freeze Response
Dharana - clarity of mind that arises spontaneously
Dhyana - absorption of mind that also arises spontaneously
ae Samadhi - Union or Non-Dual state, achieved by
En
CN
identification with the right brain

Above ts the classical to-do list for every meditating yogi. In

studying this book, you’re going to relearn these steps from the inside
out with a strong medical view, applying an experiential mindset
rather than just a theoretical understanding. If you’ve already learned
some of this material, I invite you to put it on pause, and begin to
explore the eight action steps ’m offering. Leaving behind endless
debates, I invite you to enter the DOLNG of yoga, and find the Truth
from your own experience!

Oh, come with old Khayyam, and leave the Wise

To talk; one thing ts certain, that Life flies;
One thing is certain, and the Rest ts Laes;
The Flower that once blown forever dies.
- Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Quatrain 26

A Medical and Yogic View

What I’ve done in this book is marry the core yogic principles with a
modern medical language. My goal is to show you the cutting edge of
respiratory and brain science, which now reveal what the yogis found
through trial and error so very long ago. Something extremely
 MASTERING MEDITATION

magical happens when you place ancient wisdom into the language of
the new. Suddenly everything becomes approachable. Everything
becomes doable! Everything becomes easy and natural.

In this text you will learn both the modern medical and the
ancient yogic view of the body, mind, and soul. To accomplish all of
this, I stand on the shoulders of giants! Those amazing yogis already
listed, who are my family, and these brave explorers of truth: Dr.
Richard Gevirtz, who teaches at the frontier of Heart Rate Variability
Resonance; Todd Murphy, who follows in the tradition of Dr.
Michael Persinger in the emerging field of neurotheology; and Iain
McGilchrist, who has shown the vast differences in the approach of
the two hemispheres of the brain. It is the pure love of all this which
has given me the secrets I share with you now.

From religion comes a man’s purpose;

from science, his power to achieve it.
Sometimes people ask ifreligion and science are not
opposed to one another. They are: in the sense that the thumb
and the fingers of my hands are opposed to one another.
It is an opposition by means of which anything can be grasped.
- Sir William Bragg

Look to the Doing

In this book Pll be giving you a variety of medical and yogic

terminology, and much of the understandings that come with them
are not available anywhere else. | have gathered all of this in one
place to preserve and create a manual for my students. There is much
to learn and practice, so do not be discouraged if you feel temporarily
rattled or overwhelmed.

If you do feel worried that you are not understanding everything,

simply look to the practices. They are easy and accessible every single
time. That is where we all start. We begin with the techniques, and
the understanding slowly blossoms within us. We’re not meant to
front-load every lesson of this system. By practicing just five minutes
of one little process, you will be winning in no time. When in doubt,
try it out!
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Many meditative systems will ask you to enter into the BEING of
deep contemplation immediately. This is such a huge jump for the
everyday consciousness. Yoga, on the other hand, first gives us the
DOING. As a consequence, there are shifts within the body, which
create shifts within the mind, making it much easier to enter the next
phase of BEING.

The Yogic Experiment

The teachings of India come from yogi families and seers, who would
hand down their teachings, techniques, and philosophies in oral form,
from one generation to the next, often for the benefit of only their
own family. Many of these were collected into fantastic poems that
would metaphorically lock away their confidential knowledge. All
together these are called the Vedas, or books of knowledge, and there
is a traditional way for me as a student to unlock this wisdom:

1. First, I study scripture. This is the truth and understanding of

the Great Ones who have walked the path before me. In an
oral tradition, first I listen to my guru and what he has to tell
me. This is similar to many martial art traditions, which also
include written scrolls and lists which are to be learned by the
student.
N From these teachings I will learn philosophy and technique.
The philosophy forms the framework, and the technique is
the engine inside the frame that makes the philosophy go. |
must try out the DOING.
3. It is not enough that I hear this truth from my teacher, or that
I learn a meditative technique. | can’t just live in my
imagination of these things, but must put the rubber to the
road and apply what I’ve learned. Each day I need to practice
even a little bit of the meditative techniques that I’ve been
taught. This practice will lead to results automatically. Results
are the third step.
4. Now that I have a result, I will return to the ancients: I will
return to the scripture, and to my teacher to understand if my
results are correct.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

This process demonstrates the importance of a built-in feedback

loop: the yogi must learn, apply, receive, then check, over and over
again. In this way the yogi’s own life becomes his laboratory. His
entire life, his endeavors, his mind, his heart, all become his personal
experiment, and bit by bit the results transform him into what he
never thought was possible.

The only journey is the one within.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

The Genius of Yoga Philosophy

Oh, to be a witness of the ages! If we could go back and watch the

great seafarers of Portugal, who gave birth to the deep-sea crafts that
made it possible to circumnavigate the globe, we could experience
the genius of the fishing towns of Portugal! If we could sit in the
back row of the Sistine Chapel and observe as it was completed, we
could be awed by the genius of Italy that produced the artistic
mastery of Michelangelo! Or, if we could watch in Denmark as the
first company was created to form the basis of modern banking, and
marvel at how this brought a greater prosperity to the world than was
ever known before. All countries and cultures provide their own gifts
to the world-collective, enriching everyone with their natural talents
and creativity.

Are there bumps along the road as our world matures? Of course!
But over time we can still marvel at the evolving genius of the ages!

To emphasize this rich mixture of gifts from around the planet,

Mitrananda loved to tell a joke about the difference between heaven
and hell:

Heaven is where the cooks are French, the police are British, the
mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian, and everything is
organized by the Swiss.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Hell 1s where the cooks are British, the police are German, the
mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is
organized by the Italians. Hilarious, and isn’t it grand to laugh at
ourselves?!

Ah, Love! could thou and I with Fate conspire

To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire,
Would not we shatter it to bits—and then
Remold it nearer to the Heart's Desire!
- Rubatyat of Omar Khayyam, Quatrain 73

India’s greatest gift to the world has always been the perfection of
philosophy, offering not one, but six main doctrines: Nyaya,
Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, Sankhya, Yoga, and Vedanta. All of these are
ideas and teachings about the world and the universe, how they work,
and why they work.

Of these six systems, as I mentioned earlier, the Yoga branch

forms the DOING. Instead of merely formulating concepts and
beliefs, the yogi turns his body into a laboratory. The yogi is not so
much interested in what the ideas of the universe are, but focuses
instead on his practice of the meditative techniques, so that he can
perceive for himself firsthand the Source of his soul!

There is tremendous common sense in meditative yogic

philosophy. In yoga, for the first time, seekers are offered an exercise
of the soul which is devoid of a middle-man. No big babu, sitting up
on a pedestal, reciting unrealized truth. Yoga requires no one to
intercede on your behalf. Instead, yoga provides an outline and a
practice which you can then pick up and try for yourself. The Truth
isn’t memorized, or whispered from on high, but rather slowly
reveals itself from WITHIN!

Your vision will become clear

only when you can look into your own heart.
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.
- Carl Jung
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Isn’t this the perfect philosophy for a modern age? Instead of

looking outside for the source of authority, the yogi carefully
cultivates his body and mind until the soul is revealed. In that state,
the yogi himself provides the necessary validation and confirmation
of Truth.

Meditation Is Not Mental Grappling!

Did I mention I also love martial arts? They are formed by traditions
and lineages, with encapsulated principles and learnings, just like the
yogic heritage I received. You didn’t come here to learn a martial art,
did you? Yet you know the Bhagavad Gita is couched in the
metaphors of a war. So, please indulge me for just a minute as | draw
a parallel about battling with absolute ease. Anyone can learn to
brawl. The martial artist learns so much, he hopes to neutralize the
confrontation before it ever begins. The brawler loves to fight, while
the martial artist loves respectful peace.

In studying Shidare Yanagi Ryu Aikibugei with Jeremy Breazeale,

he told us to use the attacker's force against himself, and then strike
him against the largest object in the room. So, what is the largest
object in the room? At this point we students looked around the
room for some minutes to identify the largest object. Until finally, in
exasperation, Jeremy pointed at the floor. When the attacker grabs
you, you control your own form in order to cause control of the
attacker. Then you strike his form against the floor, returning him to
a harmony with the earth.

What a fantastic set of principles! This directly applies to the yoga

you are learning. Sitting comfortably in a completely dark room, you
will come to wonder how you will overcome the enemy of yout
swirling thoughts. vue

Yovas citta vrtti nirodhah

Yoga ts the cessation of the mind whirlpool. - Yowa Sutras 1.2

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

Like the martial artist, you do not begin by fighting or wrestling

with the enemy, but rather by controlling your own body.

What is the largest object in the room for the yogi? The room is
your own body and mind. The largest object that flows through it is
the breath. As so many meditative traditions have pointed out, you
will always begin with the breath.

Don’t seek to struggle with the mind! Just simply use the largest
object of the breath. Many traditions simply watch the breath. This is
a wonderful beginning, which I will take one step further: I will teach
you to control your breath in order to induce Heart Rate Variability
Resonance (HRV-R), almost instantly.

Control] the form of your breath, and you will automatically

control the form of your mind (with a little time). Strike your mind
against the deep brain structures, and suddenly you will return to the
profound harmony of Bliss and Expansion.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Chapter Two
WHAT IS HRV RESONANCE?

What is Heart Rate Variability Resonance, and why should you want
it? HRV Resonance, also known as Cardiac Coherence, is a balanced
and harmonious pattern of heart rate fluctuations. The heart rate
naturally varies up and down between its beats. This has been known
for some time. The Resonance or Coherence takes place when these
variations begin to align with the rhythm of the in and out breath.
The heart rate begins to follow the breath, which forms what is called
Resonance between the two. When these variations become a long,
smooth, rhythmic pattern, it indicates that you have entered into a
state of physiological balance. This is the breakthrough, and the
genius of Dr. Gevirtz and others!

The Low-Idle-State

This physiological state of balance creates in the meditator what I call

the Low-Idle-State. Imagine you are driving your car down the road,
and you slow down and brake at the stop sign. At this point you are
not going to rev the engine while stopped at the stop sign! Rather,
you are going to apply the brake, and allow the car engine to idle. The
motor is still running, everything is still working, but the car retains
an Idle-State, as very little work is then currently necessary.

How often do you sit at the stop signs of life, and rev your engine
to the full? You can be sitting on the couch, not moving a muscle,
and yet the turbine of your mind is spinning like crazy! How’s that
for the mind whirlpool? Anger, frustration, worry, concern, fears, and
an endless litany of words and thoughts run through the mind, as if
 MASTERING MEDITATION

the body car was going at maximum speed! This puts the body in
continuous activation of the Sympathetic nervous system’s fight or
flight response. This also results in causing strain on the body and
mind, leading eventually to physical and mental deterioration.

However, if you can follow the plan below, and elongate your
breath, you will soon induce HRV Resonance, and your body will
stop the continuous revving and activation of the Sympathetic
system.

The Holy Trinity of Breath

I mentioned before that Dr. Richard Gevirtz helped to pioneer the

understanding of HRV Resonance. Sitting in his office one day,
talking to him about breath and yoga, his telephone suddenly rang.
He picked up, and explained to a worried mother with an over-
anxious nine-year-old, how to coordinate with one of his students in
otder to teach her son a Resonant breath pattern. He told me, “I get
these calls all day.” Somehow, the word got out to all the moms in
Southern California: if you have an over-anxious kid that worries too
much, causing nervousness and stomach issues, then call Dr. Gevirtz.
Have the child practice the breath pattern, and the stomach issues
will disappear!

In Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), therapists watch people

who create success, and replicate all of the actions and attitudes
involved in the process. They run the formula continuously, taking
out each part one at a time, until they discover exactly which parts
make the formula work, and which parts are unnecessary. This is
called NLP Modeling.

In modeling the breath patterns of Dr. Gevirtz, 1 formed three

principles which will automatically induce HRV Resonance every
single time. This is extremely important for meditative yogis, who
want to apply a reliable and repeatable breath technique whenever
they sit to practice.

19
 MASTERING MEDITATION

The Holy Trinity of Breath

1. Keep the breath rate under 7 breaths per minute (BPM)
2. Always Make the Outbreath Longer (AMOL)
3. Take out all the pauses between breaths

Any one of these principles has the chance to induce HRV

Resonance in a meditation. Apply all three at once, and Resonance is
guaranteed. First you must ensure that your breathing is long and
comfortable. You want a long, slow breath rate which is under seven
breaths per minute ~— one inhalation and exhalation together equal
one breath.

If you have already been meditating for some time, you will find
this rate to be way too fast. You will need to adopt a breath rate
closer to four or five breaths per minute. If you are just starting out
in meditation, you may find seven breaths per minute a slight stretch,
but very doable.

Swecess leaves clues.

- Tony Robbins

Skipping Forty Years of Meditation

Practicing HRV Resonance every day, it’s as if you are cheating at

meditation. Or at least if you’ve been struggling to enter into peace
and silence in your daily practice, then this technology will feel
exactly like cheating. |

When you walk into a group meditation, and the instruction is

“only watch the breath,’ look around the room and start counting
breaths per minute. Everyone in the room who is new will be
breathing at twelve to eighteen breaths per minute. This may also be
the case for those who have been meditating for several veats. There
is absolutely no way to be deeply peaceful at this breath rate,

20
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Then observe those who have been “watching the breath” for
twenty to forty years. Every one of them will be breathing at seven
breaths per minute or lower. It took twenty to forty years, but the
subconscious finally got the idea, and lowered the breath rate.

You don’t have to endure the grueling process of waiting twenty

years to figure out how to lower your breath rate! Do it now! Lower
the breath rate, establish Resonance, then let go and watch the peace
unfold inside of you!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Skip 40 Years of Meditative Practice

Even Ten Breaths Per Minute Gives Benefit

Dr. Gevirtz suggests a rate under seven breaths per minute, which is
an ideal starting point. However, in some cases of infirmity this won’t
be possible. In cases of illness or delicacy, it is very important to be
kind and patient with the body, and of course consult your doctor to
confirm that this practice is okay for you. Thankfully, some studies
have shown that even ten breaths per minute may be enough to
induce HRV Resonance.

In slowing and elongating the breath, you give the breath time to
go back and forth, stimulating the Sympathetic and then the
Parasympathetic systems in the body. The Sympathetic is your
activating nervous system, and as you breathe in, you stimulate the
Sympathetic. You need to activate the heart and all of the organs, and
yet you don’t want so much stimulation that you are in a constant
state of panic.

In the long outbreath, the diaphragm pushes upwards,

compressing the chest. This proceeds all the way backwards through
the chest cavity, pressing the Dorsal Vagal Complex up against the
spine. This activates the Parasympathetic, which is the system of rest
and recovery in the body. The heart rate then begins to slow,
allowing you to enter the Low-Idle-State. In and out, back and forth,
and with each long outbreath you reinvigorate the Parasympathetic.
The heart rate slows and recovers, and suddenly you begin to
encounter peace.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

AMOL for the Win!

Always Make the Outbreath Longer (AMOL). This one simple little
formula is so powerful! When I teach meditation to a group of
listeners, this is the principle | emphasize: if you make every
outbreath nice and long, you will keep awakening that Dorsal Vagal
Complex, which in turn will awaken the Parasympathetic, and calm
the heart and entire system — every single time!

Take Out the Pauses

A few times I’ve taught principles one and two, and still the
meditator had a difficult time establishing Resonance quickly. When
you keep the breath continuous, taking out the pauses at the top and
bottom of the breath, then you give the body a better chance of
fluctuating between the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic. Then
you can accentuate the Parasympathetic with AMOL, and put
yourself back into a state of deep balance: the Low-Idle-State.

Back-Loaded Peace!

This Low-Idle-State slows down all of the body machinery, and this
begins to reflect back on the mind that inhabits the body car. The
mind begins to calm and clear automatically. This is perhaps the most
important principle as you begin your meditative journey. The calm
of the mind is not front-loaded, but back-loaded.

I wrote in Hacking the Universe, “When the mind fights the mind,
and one mind wins, you’re still stuck with your mind!” When you
struggle and wrestle with your thoughts in meditation, you've actually
missed the entire point of the process of yoga. You were never meant
to subdue the conscious mind with the conscious mind! Rather, you
use the yogic technology of breath control (Pranayama) in order to
induce HRV Resonance. This Low-Idle-State reflects back on the
mind, and the mind is automatically calmed.

aa)
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Like the martial arts principle, you must control the form of your
breath, in order to begin to control the form of your enemy-like
swirling thoughts. Use the largest object in the room of your breath
to strike balance in your body. Then strike-your own emerging mental
clarity against the deep brain processes.

By creating the Low-Idle-State, you will automatically begin to

subdue the conscious mind whirlpool. Look how far you’ve come
already in winning the war of Kurukshetra! Always choose the
Parasympathetic and you are guaranteed victory. Hooray for you!

Resonant Breathing App

To facilitate this process, I am grateful that my developer created the

Resonant Breathing App. By downloading this to your smartphone,
you can follow the easy directions, and the app will help you to find
the breath pattern under seven BPM which is comfortable for you.
This makes learning HRV Resonant breathing so easy. Just follow
along, and you are golden!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Resonant Breathing App

Sage Patanjali and the Yoga Sutras

Patanjali was an ancient yogic sage, who is extremely important to

our yogic heritage. He compiled the Yoga Sutras, one of the
foundational texts of classical yoga philosophy. The Yoga Sutras
outline a very systematic approach to the yogic process and
enlightenment. Unlike the Gita, its wisdom is not couched in
metaphors.

Perhaps one shortcoming of the Sutras is that they are presented

in a stripped-down format. They are meant to serve as cliff-notes in
your exploration of yoga. The task of explaining what they refer to
and what they mean is left to your meditation guru.

bo(as)
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Some say Patanjali put the Sutras together about three thousand
years ago. However, remember that his focus was more to compile
information, and his sources were most likely even older. Oh, yoga!
So ancient as to be ageless! Patanjali defines Pranayama (breath
control) very simply:

bahya abhyantara stambha vritti desha kala

sankhyabhih paridrishtah dirga sukshma
The three pranayamas are exhalation, inhalation, and pausing. Regulated by
place, time, and number, either long or short. - Yoga Sutra 2.50

By controlling the breath in HRV Resonant breathing, perhaps for

the first time you are actually practicing the scientific yogic formula
of Pranayama. Prana means life force, yama means control. You are
beginning to control and gain access to the deeper parts of your own
nervous system, which animates and maintains your life and life
force.

By making the inbreath slightly short, you are lowering the

dominance of the Sympathetic system. By making the outbreath
longer every time, you are accentuating the Parasympathetic system.
This is the yogic science of Pranayama: controlling the breath, and
creating HRV Resonance. This is the meditative science of DOING.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Chapter 3
POBVEANGA THEORY
CREATES A TRIUNE SYSTEM
In the 1990’s Dr. Stephen Porges, a renowned American scientist and
researcher, arrived on the scene. His groundbreaking work
emphasized how the Parasympathetic, your tenth cranial nerve,
divides itself from the brainstem, and travels down BOTH the front
of the body and the back of the body, forming two (poly) separate
Parasympathetic systems. You are not operating only in the
Sympathetic or the Parasympathetic, but rather in a three-part system:
a triune autonomic nervous system is being used to regulate all things
within your bodily car.

Dorsal Vagal Sympathetic Ventral Vagal

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

Ventral Vagal Complex

At the front of the body, you have the Ventral Vagal Complex. This
is the outward channel of the Parasympathetic, traveling straight up
the front of the body from the gut into the face. It is myelinated for
speed, which means that all of the signals that take place in the gut
will travel almost instantaneously into the face! So, if you feel a little
bit of fear in your gut, those signals will immediately be represented
in your face. Others will “see the fear” in you, and will know you
have fear in your gut at that moment. If you ever noticed that
someone could read your mind, most of this comes from recognizing
the subtle cues that take place in the face.

Sympathetic System

Spreading throughout the entire body lies the Sympathetic system,

which is meant to keep everything “on and working” at the
appropriate level. It stimulates the heart to beat, the lungs to breathe,
and so on. You need that to take place in order to live, yet this poor
system is radically abused in the hyper-modern world of continuous
stimulation and worry.

In the jungle, if a tiger comes, you can run like crazy to save your
life. This is the fight or flight response. When the threat is over, you
cool down and recover as you hug your loved ones, and enjoy shelter.
This is rest and rejuvenation. Yet in the modern world, you may have
a one-week deadline at work, with your boss looming over you, and
you panic for an entire seven days! Your rent is due, your relationship
is currently rocky, and your bills are stacking up! Your nervous
system potentially sees all of these as life threatening, and will
continually activate the fight or flight response! This is not what the
Sympathetic system was designed for! Unending stress is not the
norm for our systems.

26
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Dorsal Vagal Complex

Last comes the Dorsal Vagal Complex. This is the second half of the
Parasympathetic system, running down from the brainstem and
resting behind the organs, right on top of the spine. Every night in
deep and restful sleep, you enter this system and engage the Freeze
Response. This FREEZES the body in place as you sleep! This
assures that even though you are dreaming, you won’t be jumping out
of bed, but instead will stay wonderfully and safely frozen as you
dream away.

This Freeze Response further lowers the body’s Low-Idle-State of

rest and recovery during sleep, automatically. Because the body
machinery is in a state of low activity, it can use its energetic and
subconscious reserves to begin bodily cleanup and maintenance. In
the deep Freeze Response, the body uses the liberated energy
reserves to begin to heal itself using the intelligence of the
subconscious.

Cycling Three Levels of the Nervous System

Dr. Porges uses a great example of how you cycle through these three
systems throughout the day. A mother places her resting baby in the
crib and walks away to do some chores. When the baby wakes, he
begins a soft entreating cry, expressed from the Ventral Vagal
Complex, the front channel of the body.

When the mother does not at first respond, then the baby
switches systems, entering the stimulating Sympathetic system. The
wail is now strong, insistent, and angry!

When the mother still does not hear the plea of the child, he
retreats into the Dorsal Vagal Complex, the back channel in the
body, close to the spine. The cry is now a low and long wail, as the
baby preserves energy and begins to enter the Dorsal Vagal freeze.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Polyvagal, Trauma, and Dissociation

When Dr. Porges introduced this triune view of the nervous system,
it became immediately relevant to therapists, who are using it to this
day to great effect. Some of their clients have been through great
trauma, and because of this, they have retreated from their entire
lives, using primarily the Dorsal Vagal Complex at all times, day and
night. This keeps them dissociated and completely out of balance.

This, of course, is not the proper use of the Dorsal Vagal, because
it is not by choice, but is rather a retreat from the messiness and
trauma in the lives of their clients. The solution is therapy to accept
themselves, their lives, and what was, and to reassociate.

Then they can begin cleaning out their past negative emotions and
limiting decisions. Only after reassociating, and then cleaning, can
they begin to use the Dorsal Vagal in a positive yogic way. Just as the
Dorsal Vagal is used effectively for rest and recovery every single
night in sleep.

The trauma patient does not clean the subconscious content

(memory) of negative emotions and limiting decisions inside of
himself. Instead, he runs from it, into the shelter of the Dorsal Vagal,
because the circumstances are so overwhelming at that time.

The yogi begins by cleaning the subconscious (see OM Japa

below), accessing the Low-Idle-State of the Dorsal Vagal, which leads
him into the deep brain.

It is important to mention that these are two entirely different

uses of the Dorsal Vagal, one for treating trauma victims, and the
other for yogic advancement. Some therapists believe that only the
Ventral
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28
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Every night when we sleep deeply, the Dorsal Vagal Complex will
Freeze us in place, numbing the body sensations from our awateness,
so that we can rest profoundly. The yogi learns to enter into this
response consciously. Without this Freeze Response, there is no
sense withdrawal for the meditating yogi. So, while I deeply respect
the Polyvagal therapists, we have, until now, not heard the yogic
point of view.

Why does the baby withdraw into the Dorsal Vagal? Why does the
trauma patient retreat there as well? Because it is the most ancient
and reliable haven from the noise of the outside world. No wonder it
is formed first in the fetus before the other two systems!

Triune Yogic View

We have now covered the three levels of the triune nervous system.
Some yogis may have already guessed the next logical part of this
discussion. These three systems were also felt and named by the yogis
hundreds of years ago as they investigated the body in meditation.
They were then called the Ida, the Pingala, and the Sushumna.
 MASTERING MEDITATION ‘

Ida Channel

You will hear yogis claim that if you want to create something, and
flow creatively, then you must use the cool Ida channel in the
energetic system. These yogis refer to this as the cool channel of the
moon. In our medical view, this is the Ventral Vagal Complex, which
is Parasympathetic, cool, and outwardly engaging or creative.

Pingala Channel

If you want to accomplish anything in the fight of life, then the yogis
say you must use the Pingala channel for success. The yogis feel this
as the warm, sun-like channel. In our medical view, this is the
Sympathetic system, which you use to challenge, fight, and conquer
in the battle of life (tempered by the Ventral Vagal).

30
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Sushumna Channel

Finally, to retreat from the world, turn backward, flow towards the
spine, and so return to the brain and the highest chakras, you must
use the Sushumna channel. The yogis call this the neutral channel:
neither creative-expressive (Ventral), nor aggressive (Sympathetic).
Instead, the energy causes the yogi to be neutral (retreating
backwards). This is, in our medical view, the Dorsal Vagal Complex,
which contains the amazing yogic gift of the Freeze Response.

As you feel these channels of your own nervous system, you may
notice that they fluctuate back and forth. They seem to wind around
the spine, as you can see in the caduceus and in yogic pictures. This is
because of the play of the aggressive left brain, and the expansive
right brain. These two primary functions interplay with the triune
channels, and you are left with the feeling of the revolving caduceus.

Stretching and Mahamudra

Before you begin your meditative sitting, I suggest that you spend a
little time stretching the body in preparation. By elongating the
muscles, you will notice the body becomes much more conducive to
Sitting Very Still. To accomplish this, I would like to introduce a very
simple stretch that Lahiri Mahasaya taught to his students. If you
were going to do just one stretch every day to cover the bases of
unlocking the body machinery in getting ready for meditation, what
would it be? This is the stretch, the great or Maha stretch! I had a
wonderful asana instructor tell me, “Why isn’t this taught in every
yoga studio?!” I wholeheartedly agree.

This is a very different kind of stretching. Usually, we breathe out

and stretch, because we are only interested in the muscles. This
stretch is more for the internal organs, and will also create pressure
along the Dorsal Vagal Complex. That makes this more of an internal
stretch as the breath is held. Because it is an internal stretch, and not
.

outwardly oriented, we need to be gentle with ourselves. Go slow,

easily, and patiently.

3]
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Mahamudra Stretching
dig First, place the left leg out straight in front as you sit on the
floor. Place the right heel into the groin. Take a breath in, and
slowly stretch towards your left foot. If you can only grasp
your knee, then only stretch that far. If you can interlace your
fingers and grasp your left toe, excellent. If you need more of
a challenge, then grasp the whole foot. Keep the stretch as
long as you can hold your breath comfortably. Sit up and
breathe out.
Extend the right leg out straight, placing the left heel into the
groin. Breathe in and stretch forward as before. Hold as long
as you can hold the breath comfortably. Sit up and breathe
Out.
Extend both legs out straight on the floor. Breathe in and
stretch forward. Hold as long as you can comfortably hold
the breath. Sit up and breathe out.

This is one round of Mahamudra. Before your best meditation,

three rounds of Mahamudrta are recommended. At times when you
aren’t feeling well, or if there is any disturbance in your energy, then
more rounds are recommended.

Stretching Increases Arterial Health

More than weight lifting, more than calisthenics, stretching is shown

to increase longevity. Those who stretch daily are proven to live
longer. Stretching will retain your aortal flexibility, and thereby
drastically increase your cardiovascular health and yout life
expectancy.

Search: Chicago Tribune, Health Stretching Good for Arteries

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Heart Health by Stretching

 MASTERING MEDITATION

Meditation Posture

The traditional lotus position is a very effective posture, causing

gentle pressure against the aorta in each leg, which slows circulation
in the legs, leaving less work for the heart.

However, the lotus is extremely difficult for Westerners, as they

traditionally sit in chairs. Eastern cultures like to sit on the floor,
which opens the hips, making the pursuit of the lotus posture
significantly easier to attain. Seek to use the lotus or the half lotus if
suited to your personal flexibility; however, dedicating many hours to
perfecting this may be better spent on mastering Resonant breathing,
yielding more meaningful progress.

I recommend sitting in a chair, or on a bed, and placing a pillow at

the base of the spine. It is difficult to keep the whole spine free of
any support. Placing a pillow at the sacrum will help to push up the
entire spine, so that the whole area around the rib cage — front, sides,
and back — can remain free and open to move and expand. This is
why the yogi sits with his back completely free — the rib cage has to
be able to move effortlessly.
Relax the whole body into your posture. Make sure the shoulders
are released, you are completely comfortable, and your posture is at
ease. You want to be able to let go and forget the body as you sink
into the Parasympathetic response. Any nagging tension will help to
bring you back to body consciousness. So, as much as possible, be
relaxed and comfortable.

pillow under my folded hands. This helps to push the chest up and
keep me straight as I relax. If you’re concerned about falling over, sit
in bed, wedging a pillow against your sacrum and the baseboard, and
place pillows all around. This way you can feel secure anid at ease.

WwWws)
 MASTERING MEDITATION

In the beginning, place one hand in the other with the palms open
in your lap. The open hands will more easily feel the sensations Pll be
teaching next. Once you have complete confidence in your
Parasympathetic, and you're feeling the proof of it in every way, then
you can graduate to interlacing the fingers together, with the left
thumb on top. This is the posture of the hands that can be seen in
the famous picture of Lahiri Mahasaya. The interlaced fingers give a
feeling of locking the body in place.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Kriya Yoga Posture

Now that we have stretched, and have found a way to sit

comfortably, we have completed the yogic step of Asana. Yay!
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Chapter 4
|el Ava odtop a No heWed
bdBR

I want to give you mastery in meditation, and at the same time I

promise that it is easy. It’s all true! Follow these four easy and
practical steps, and you will discover for yourself a meditation
practice which is easy, reliable, and repeatable, every single time.

Level One Mastery

1. Practice HRV Resonant Breathing
2. Sit Very Still SVS)
3. Watch for the Four Proofs
4. Enjoy and Let Go!

HRV Resonance

Practicing the HRV-R breathing, you will automatically induce

Resonance between the heart and the breath. This profound
equilibrium in the body will reflect back on the mind.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Resonant Breathing App

Sitting Very Still

As you do this breathing, you need to Sit Very Still (SVS), because
you want to fully engage the Dorsal Vagal Complex and the Freeze
Response. SVS is usually a little bit difficult for the beginning
meditator, but with the calming of the body, and the awakening of
the Parasympathetic, my students find it easy and wonderful in no
time!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, The Magic of Sitting Very Still

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

Four Proofs Biofeedback

As the Parasympathetic is awakened in the Dorsal Vagal Complex,

there are shifts that take place in the body. I have named four of
them which tend to be the easiest to notice. These are the Four
Proofs. They ate proof that you have awakened the Dorsal Vagal,
and that the Parasympathetic system of rest, recovery, and
rejuvenation is online! Proof that your meditative technique is
working wonderfully! This one step of the Four Proofs is perhaps the
largest step you take in the beginning. Actually recognizing from the
beginning that your meditation is working will transform every other
step you take.

Four Proofs
1. Hands Hot and Heavy (HHH)
2° Lips: Lingle
3. Ecstatic Pressure on the Dorsal Vagal
4, Skin Tingles

As the Sympathetic system subsides, the constant unnoticed

perspiration of the hands eases up. The hands become dry because of
this. As you sit in meditation you probably won’t notice that the
hands become dry, but you will notice the effects of the arteries
dilating. In stress the arteries constrict to limit possible blood loss.
While in the Parasympathetic, the arteries dilate and the blood begins
to pool in the hands as they rest in your lap with the palms up (to feel
it better). This will make the Hands Hot and Heavy! Some people
have told me, “Forrest, they only became warm, not hot.”’ That’s it!
That’s HHH! You did it! This is HUGE!

Because the heart rate is going up and down in the variance of

HRY in nice long cycles, you may notice that the lips, especially the
bottom lip, will begin to tingle.

As the Dorsal Vagal Complex is activated, you can begin to feel

the related pressure that the long breathing creates. It will feel as if it
is right along the spine. ‘Take a short breath in, then exhale as long as
you can comfortably. Notice the pressure it creates in the chest
cavity. Veel it gently and wonderfully massaging the internal organs,
 MASTERING MEDITATION

pressing expectantly along the Dorsal Vagal. This is the ecstatic,

blissful, joyful awakening of the Dorsal Vagal Complex.

As you awaken the Dorsal Vagal and the subsequent Freeze

Response, a certain set of nerves in the skin is activated that numbs
the sensations of the body. This will begin to create a tingling
sensation in the skin. You first feel this in that part of your body
which is the most relaxed. You might feel it in your arms, in your
hands, in your chest, or legs, or perhaps your face. Soon it will spread
coolly and pleasantly throughout the whole body.

Any of these sensations provides you proof that your meditation

is a complete success! As you continue to practice Resonant
breathing, the feelings may become stronger and stronger. These
proofs become your biofeedback, which indicates that your practice
is correct and everything is working. Don’t expect your mind to be
perfect, just go on with your Pranayama control of the breath. Notice
the Four Proofs, and allow that success to pull you in even further.
Down the rabbit hole you go!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Four Proofs of Meditation

Self-Check Your Meditation

With the Four Proofs, you suddenly have an unparalleled tool to

check your meditations. No matter what system of contemplation
you adopt, you can check to see if it is consistently awakening your
Parasympathetc. This is the entry point to all spiritual awareness.
Without this step, you are spinning your wheels. Is your Kriya Yoga
correct? Check for the Four Proofs. Is your meditation app working?
Check for the Four Proofs.

Often when training a student from another system, | will ask him
to place HRV Resonant breathing before his normal technique, 1n
order to establish one or more of the Four Proofs. When this occurs,
he knows for certain that he has entered the doorway of the
Parasympathetic, which will calm the body, thereby calming the
mind. At this point, he may continue with his regularly scheduled
meditation technique.

37
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Enjoyment Is Being

You have progressed to the point where the Parasympathetic has

now been awakened! You are feeling some or all of the Four Proofs.
You are Sitting Very Still, and enjoying the beginnings of the Freeze
Response. Because of the calm of the body, the mind is becoming
more tranquil than it has in any recent time.

Success! Now, sit back inside yourself, and enjoy these wonderful
gifts that you have discovered. Enjoy your Proofs! Soak them into
yourself, into your bones, and into your mind! Revel in them! Now,
for the first time perhaps, you can truly enter into just BEING!

First you DO the work of Pranayama breath control. Then you let
go and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Just BE. You have to enjoy it!
This is essential to the process. The whole reason to do the doing is
to feel the feelings of your changed state! You need to soak these
results into your nervous system, and into the subconscious itself.
This will cause these deep results to appear in every meditation, faster
and faster, deeper and deeper.

The Way is to be. - Lao Tzu

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Enjoying Is Essential in Meditation

Do Be Do Be Do Meditation Method

This is the Do Be Do Be Do progression of yogic meditation. We do

not simply jump into the deep end of contemplation; instead, we
begin by preparing the body, which prepares the mind. Once the
mind is calm, contemplation of Bliss and Expansion becomes easy
and possible! Everyone knows you must have a few dates before you
can kiss! Everyone knows you must pack your bags before the long
trip! Everyone knows you must start with small weights before lifting
big ones! ‘The progression from doing to being makes complete
common sense, and yogic philosophy beats them all for common
sense!

Search Video: Forrest, Do Be Do Be Do Process of Meditation

 MASTERING MEDITATION

You’ve made it through the First Level of Mastery! You practiced

some HRV-R, controlling your breath and entering Resonance; you
also were able to Sit Very Still in order to further get in touch with
the Dorsal Vagal. You noticed one or more of the Four Proofs,
which is evidence that you have awakened your Parasympathetic, and
your meditation is a success! Now, let go and enjoy. You did the
Doing, now enter the Being of enjoyment. Well done, indeed!

Five Breath States and Biofeedback

As you practice Resonant breathing, awaken the Parasympathetic,

and notice the Four Proofs, you are creating for yourself a system of
biofeedback. If you want to make a change in the body as fast as
possible, use biofeedback. This yields amazing results, especially
when regulating the autonomic nervous system, thereby causing the
mind to become calm and clear without struggle.

When I lived in the ashram, I discovered that as the

Parasympathetic system is awakened, the turbinates inside the nose
will withdraw, leading to changing sensations inside of the nose. I
wrote about this in Hacking the Universe, and teach it in this video:

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Five Breath States

Payf ’ .

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39
 MASTERING MEDITATION

By following these changes in the nose, I would track my progress

into the Parasympathetic. This caused a radical transformation in my
meditations. It’s as if I had gone from driving a broken-down jalopy
of a cat, to one that’s turbo-charged! I couldn’t believe it. I tried to
share this with the other monks, but being young I was easily
dismissed.

Reliable Resonance Through Biofeedback

I had discovered, but did not understand, that I was entering reliably
into HRV Resonance, and I was using these shifts as a biofeedback
device, driving me deeper and deeper into the Parasympathetic.
Biofeedback is the most amazing and reliable way to accomplish
change in the body!

These Breath States are a bit subtle for many to feel, but the Four
Proofs are very straightforward. They are easy, reliable, and readily
available to the yogi practicing HRV-R and biofeedback. Seeing the
sions inside yourself, it’s as if you are sitting between two mirrors,
watching an unending hallway of biofeedback reflections. This will
reflect you directly into the deepest states before you know it.

This first level of mastery is all about entering into the Resonance
of the heart and breath, and Sitting Very Still. You want this Low-
Idle-State of calm and stillness in the body to reflect back on the
mind. All you need to do is keep controlling your breath, which will
automatically put your mind on the breath. No need to think about it
—just control your breath. Remember, Always Make the Outbreath
Longer (AMOL), and you will discover the secret of Resonance.

Small Wins Lead to Big Wins

Once you have tasted the tranquility of Resonance in one meditation,

attempt to duplicate that taste in every single meditation. Once you
can feel one proof in every meditation, see if you can discover all
Four Proots inside yourself at one time. Now endeavor to find all of
them every time you sit to meditate.

40
 MASTERING MEDITATION

This is how you build your meditation mansion inside yourself:

brick by brick, skill by skill. Soon, it will become more teliable and
relevant than all of the outside world has ever been.

By controlling the breath, you use the largest object in the room
of the body to create change. By inducing Resonance, the entire body
and mind are gradually transformed. No need to wrestle or struggle
with your own thoughts — this will only stir up the Sympathetic
system and more thoughts! Instead, seek the safe and ancient haven
of the Dorsal Vagal Complex. It is in the cooling waves of the
Parasympathetic awakening that you find shelter, at last.

Don’t Kill Yourself with Time

Many yogis obsess over how long they should meditate. The problem
with this is often the cart is placed way before the horse. No sense
worrying about how long you should drive before you’ve figured out
how to shift gears!

What is needed most in the beginning and the middle are a few
key yogic skills. Skill number one is to get the body into HRV
Resonance. Skill number two is to Sit Very Still and invite in the
Freeze Response. Then pay attention to the effect that Resonance is
causing in your body, which are the Four Proofs. Finally, let go and
enjoy the results of your work, which ts skill number four!

Achieving these results has very little to do with the amount of

time you sit. You can actually accomplish all of this in five or ten
minutes, which is an excellent place to begin.

The more you let go,

the faster you will move ahead.
- Alan Cohen

4I
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Building Your Practice

Once you can peacefully enjoy five minutes of meditation, and

establish Resonance every single time, then try to double your fun!
Practice for ten minutes. When you can enjoy ten minutes with the
thrill of your own Parasympathetic nervous system, then extend your
love of meditation to fifteen and then twenty minutes. At this point,
if you are doing twenty minutes of Resonance every single day, you
are a yogic hero in my mind, and you have made amazing progress!
Now you can talk to your Higher Self, just like in Casablanca:

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

- Humphrey Bogart

House Divided Against Itself

If instead you hyperfocus on the time you sit, then you might stretch
yourself into a practice which is no longer serving you. If your good
feelings have ended, Resonance has ended, and if you insist on sitting
through your pain, then what system do you think you are
awakening? That’s right, you are now straining in the Sympathetic
system, and this can no longer rightfully be called meditation.

Some yogis think they can torture themselves into truth: they
force themselves to sit for hours in meditation, hoping that this will
eive them the realization they crave. However, what they’re actually
doing is creating a split in the consciousness: one part wants the |
elusive realization, and the other part is screaming with discomfort!
The mind is then no longer aligned, and is divided against itself. This
will not work to create the deep meditation states you want. You
must be aligned with the Parasympathetic, not fighting against it!

Meditation is a set of yogic skills, and these skills are best learned
in small doses. Just like in learning to play the piano — you don’t start
by forcing your way through Beethoven! You start out with
something simpler, and slowly build a chorus of chords.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Don’t begin with six hours of meditation, or even an hour if you

are not ready. Instead, flower by flower, skill by skill, day by day,
grow your love of meditation. Let your wins slowly compound over
time. When life gets busy, just do five minutes of Resonance. Run
away for a kiss from meditation when no one is looking. Soon, you'll
be addicted to your own calm, and the magic that will work in your
life surpasseth all understanding!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, House Divided in Meditation

Peak Performance of the Yogic Body and HRV-R

By practicing Resonant breathing once or twice a day, you begin to

slowly transform the body. The subconscious and the body learn that
not every moment needs to be filled with stress and anxiety. One fine
day you will be sitting on your couch, or sitting at your desk, enjoying
a calm moment. You might then look at your breath and suddenly
notice that the body has automatically entered into Resonance! You
were not trying to control your breath, but it happened automatically
because you had created the habit of Resonance while at rest.

Realize the level of progress you’ve made in creating this habit! In

terms of your own lifespan, this is gargantuan. At this very moment
insurance companies are busy studying HRV Resonance to determine
if itcan be used as a measure to predict the length of your life. That’s
right. The more HRV Resonance you have in your life, the longer
you will be expected to live. The yogis realized this relationship overt
one thousand years ago. They declared that a life is measured by a
fixed number of breaths. If you reduce your breath count (HRV
Resonance) then you will automatically lengthen your life.

Yogic Longevity

I mentioned before that at this moment, insurance companies are

studying Resonance to see if they can use it as a ruler to predict
mortality. This is a brilliant strategy, which was first applied by the
ancient yogis.

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

Sage Yajnavalkya stated in the Satapatha Brahmana that a

moderately healthy person breathes 10,800 breaths by day and by
night (for a total of 21,600 breaths). This equals 720 breaths every 48
minutes, or 15 breaths per minute. The sage concluded that this
pattern would allow a life to last 100 years. The takeaway for the yogi
is that a normal life is allotted 788,400,000 breaths in 100 years. If the
yogi takes fewer breaths, then he will automatically live longer.

Some Resonance or Coherence experts believe that the

comfortable breath rate found to achieve Resonance becomes fixed
for the balance of the practitioner’s life. However, what I’ve
witnessed with dedicated yogis is very different. By faithful daily
practice of Resonance, the normal number of breaths per minute
during the day eventually declines. With this, the rate of Resonance
will also lower, naturally, during meditation.

By daily HRV Resonance the body is transformed. Later we'll talk

about CO2 Tolerance and the Tranquil Beath. Add these skills to
yout Resonant breathing, and your breath count will no longer be the
same. Step by step, as you enter the Parasympathetic, the body is
washed, renewed, transformed, and reprogrammed for a longer and
more fulfilling life.

Yogic Diet

Almost all of your meditative endeavors float around the breath.

Therefore, any dietary change that lowers the breath rate is optimal
for your practice. When I was an applicant and a monastic, I saw
some wild fixation on diet, which seemed a bit extreme and
unnecessary. | suggest you try to avoid this kind of compulsion, and
just use some common sense. I’m not a diet expert, so 1 will only
touch lightly here.

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Diet Suggestions
1. Lower sugar and carbohydrate intake
Lower gluten intake
Lower meat intake
Lower caffeine intake
Increase good oils like avocado and runny eggs
eee
ae
ONG Commit to intermittent fasting

Many yogic books will tell you that subsisting on fruit is very
yogic. Indeed, the fruit burns quickly, leaving room for more air
capacity. However, it is sugar-based, which raises the breath rate, and
you can’t live on fruit forever.

Sugar and carbohydrates (which are transmuted into sugars) will

always raise the breath rate. Getting rid of them entirely is not all that
practical. However, if you can lower the amount, then you will lessen
the burden on the body.

The grain that is formed today after generations of development is

much different than the grain of your forefathers. It is often
extremely difficult for the gut to digest, and so it will cause damage to
the small intestine. There is celiac disease, and then there is simply a
little bit of gluten intolerance. These will place an extra burden on the
body, which will increase the breath rate. | tried removing gluten for
three months, which allowed my gut to heal. I noticed the difference,
and never looked back.

Many adopt vegetarian and vegan diets for moral reasons. The
only problem I see with this is they often do not adequately monitor
their nutrition levels, and so don’t make up the difference. Because of
this, I hesitate to tell anyone to remove all dietary meat. However,
eating meat often creates light inflammation in the body, causing
additional strain. If you can eat less, or reduce some kinds of meat,
then you may notice a new lightness as the body recovers. This will
affect your breath rate and improve your meditations.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

I love the taste of good coffee. However, studies have shown that
drinking coffee will shrink the right brain. This just happens to be the
part of the brain that I want to merge within a Samadhi! So, I
recommend limiting the amount of coffee you drink in a day. Try
limiting yourself to a cup after you’ve already meditated. Then give
yourself twelve to sixteen hours for the increased cortisol to wear off
before your next meditation.

Why does coffee shrink the right brain? Because you use the right
brain less when stressed, and what you don’t use, you lose.

Good quality natural oils in avocados, nuts, and my favorite runny

egos, give the body a long-lasting source of fuel. Sugar burns
extremely fast, as well as carbohydrates. Protein lasts a little longer,
but oil burns the longest, creating the most sustainable energy
sustenance. Oil from a bottle has already begun the journey into a
rancid state, and will introduce free radicals into your body. | avoid
rancid oils and fried food like the plague, and only cook with natural
butter or ghee on light heat.

Runny eggs that have not been fertilized might be the most
complete package of food on the planet. If you cook them untl the
yolk hardens, then you lose the benefit of the natural good
cholesterol. You need this natural oil for your BRAIN, your lungs,
your skin, and your hormones. Have you ever seen a brain that is
experiencing Alzheimer's disease? Did you notice it looks shriveled
like a dried prune; shrunk from the amount of natural oil that it
needs? A healthy brain is plump with natural omegas.

Every person with whom I’ve spoken, who may be experiencing

hormonal problems, memory problems, or Alzheimer’s disease,
always seems to have a history of low fat or no fat diets, or a history
of taking Statin drugs. Natural fats are so essential to the body thatif
you don’t eat enough, your liver will start producing it. This is part of
the body’s attempt to maintain homeostasis. Statin drugs stop the
liver from doing this. If using Statins, | recommend a healthy
conversation with your doctor about natural alternatives.

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My focus here is to lessen the burden on the body through these

approaches. One of the greatest ways to do so, causing a dramatic
effect on your meditations, is to fast for three, six, twelve, or even
sixteen hours before your best meditation time. This will allow the
body to finish processing and digesting your food, so that when you
sit to meditate, you'll notice there is room to breathe in your
stomach. No digestion means more energy, and that freed energy will
show up in your next meditation!

My favorite time to meditate is in the morning, before the world

has awakened. It’s quiet, dark, and the day is still mine. I feel like a
little cave yogi, hiding away in my room in the complete dark. If the
day before I finished snacking at 6PM, and I start meditating at 6AM,
then I have twelve houts of fasting before my best meditation time.
If Istop snacking at noon the previous day, and I wake at 4AM, then
I have an amazing sixteen hours of fasting before my glorious
morning meditation.

Don’t worry too much about fasting at first in your practice. Just
establish Resonance once a day. As you keep on, then you will
naturally want to begin fasting for a little time, which you can
increase as your practice improves. Every effort in this regard can
only improve the results of your next best meditation.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Chapter 5
KRIYA YOGA BLISS PROGRAM

Keres Yoga is a Bliss program. I didn’t know or understand this for

all the years I spent in another lineage. Working with Ashokji, he
slowly revealed the idea to me. It is a genius program.

First, the yogi eventually encounters a little bit of bliss through the
Parasympathetic response in the Dorsal Vagal Complex. This will
start out very small, and eventually grow into something very
enjoyable and reliable. Second, the yogi will begin to encounter the
big Bliss of the Left Amygdala.

I wrote to Ashokji once, explaining I had bliss around the rib cage:
bliss in the heart, bliss in the skin, and bliss around the spine. I was
hoping he would categorize and explain these effects to me. Instead,
he called me up sounding very pleased, “So, you have a lot of bliss,
don’t you!”

Remember the three key processes?

1. Low-Idle-State of the Dorsal Vagal Complex
2. Bliss of the Left Amygdala
3. Expansion of the Right Hippocampus

The bliss felt through the Dorsal Vagal Complex lies within the
first step. This eventually helps to reveal, and also mixes with, the
bliss in the second step from the Left Amygdala. These two sources
of bliss become overwhelming in meditation — so much so that the
yogi loosens the grip on the story of his life, his continuing concerns,
and identification with his bodily processes. This drastically enables a
deeper portion of the third step, awakening Silence and Expansion of
the Right Hippocampus.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

All of this fits together like a master clockwork: one yogic gear
enabling and assisting the next. What was locked by the evolution of
nature is then reversed, one by one in the yogi’s journey back to his
Source.

Enjoying the Dorsal Vagal Complex

It’s extremely important that you actually begin to enjoy the effects of
awakening your Parasympathetic. This enjoyment is what creates the
biofeedback loop, and further encourages the deepening response of
the Dorsal Vagal Complex.

Once you feel the Hands Hot and Heavy (HHH), try to spread
that relaxation into your arms, into the torso, into the legs, and into
your face. This is your meditative adventure. Imagine that you are
feeling this HHH spreading into all of your body, and by doing so,
you encourage the Parasympathetic through your own subconscious.
It will begin to spread, and your meditative calm will deepen.

If you feel the fourth proof, and parts of the skin begin to tingle
delightfully, this is showing you the part of your body which is
profoundly relaxed. Be curious, wonder, and imagine that this lovely
tingling is spreading to other parts of the body — into the arms, the
legs, the torso, and the face. If you can feel it in your whole form,
then you will soon dive deeply into the Freeze Response and
complete interiorization of the mind.

Bliss in the Spine

For years I would hear yogis talking about how they were trying to
feel something inside of their spine, and they were unable to do so. It
breaks my heart to think about it, because the process is so simple.
There are no tactile nerves inside the spine. It’s actually impossible to
“feel inside your spine.”” However, the Dorsal Vagal Complex lies
directly on top of the spine, and it feels just like it is inside the spine
to the yogi.

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If you dramatically increase your outbreath, this will give the

Parasympathetic an excellent chance to awaken and be felt. Make the
outbreath extra-long, and deeply feel for the third proof. See if you
can also notice an expectant, ecstatic bliss.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Rescue Breathing

Anytime you need a strong surge of the Parasympathetic, take in a

short breath, and then maximize your outbreath. Make the outbreath
as long as you possibly can while keeping it comfortable.

Try that now: inhale a short breath, then exhale a very long breath.
Do this several times for about five minutes. With each outbreath,
notice a sinking calmness in the body. Feel into the area behind your
heart that is resting on your spine. Also feel along the front of your
entire spine with every outbreath.

When you breathe out, the diaphragm is pushing upwards into the
area of the rib cage. The rib cage is also falling, naturally, and all of
this increased pressure is pleasantly massaging the lungs, heart, and
other organs, pressing all of this against the Dorsal Vagal Complex,
and against your spine. This is what activates the Parasympathetic
response within the Dorsal Vagal Complex.

You Already Have It with HHH

Do you have HHH already? If so, you have already awakened the
Dorsal Vagal. Now you need to be present and curious enough to
notice that the Dorsal Vagal itself is “coming alive” in the area of the
spine. It might begin as simply as a little tickle behind your heart, or
around your diaphragm. As you keep feeling it, the tickle will spread
in your awareness, from one atea of the spine to the entire spine. The
little tickle becomes a joyous tickle, which becomes an ecstatic
expectancy. That ecstatic awakening becomes the bliss of the Kriya
Yogi. This is the progression of feeling into the Dorsal Vagal
Complex, becoming aware of what the Parasympathetic is doing
inside of you.

SO
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Four Proofs Are Blissful

While in the ashram, using biofeedback from the Five Breath States, I
was going deep into the Parasympathetic response every single time I
sat to meditate. I was in awe! What a miracle! | couldn’t believe that
this dream of meditation to which I had dedicated my entire life was
somehow coming true! Wonder of wonders, | had found my way!

However, this was only the beginning. Clarity was coming, but
Absorption and Samadhi remained elusive. I was still working to
discover their secrets, when a profound peace entered into my
process. | recognized that these new states and their respective
proofs are in themselves blissful! I asked myself, what if this is as far
as you ever get? And | realized I was okay with that.

I knew that even though I was going to keep searching, I had

reached a level of contentment within myself. I had experienced real
peace, and found a repeatable haven of bliss in the body through the
Parasympathetic. I had uncovered a level of living free from stress
that most mortals never encounter. If this was as far as | ever would
go, it would be enough of a beginning.

The Beta Life

Most humans live their lives in the Beta brainwave only. When
information from the subconscious arises, they simply stuff it down.
Often continuously stressed by the Sympathetic system, they think
this outward world is all that exists. With no peace, continuous
activation of the Sympathetic, and no access to the subconscious
brainwaves, this leads to neurotic states of mind, and the rapid
deterioration of the body. We were never designed to live as such!

Entering into the Parasympathetic, you begin slowing down, and

bring online the subconscious brainwaves of Alpha-Theta-Delta.
Then, you begin to slowly merge with these slower brainwaves as
well. The Beta brainwave begins to curve down and match the slower
Alpha. The Alpha curves into the Theta, and the Delta curves up to
match the Theta. In this way you literally become WHOLE!
Wholeness is not a metaphor, but a reality within the brainwaves.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

At this point you are no longer the same animal, and have
progressed far beyond the simple Beta mind. You have entered a new
dimension, and are beginning to be reborn.

Cleaning Reveals Sahaja Yoga

As the yogi sinks into deeper awareness, the feelings of bliss, joy, and
love will often reveal themselves very naturally and spontaneously. By
cleaning away restlessness through engaging the Parasympathetic, he
naturally reveals a deeper enjoyment of his nervous system, and the
deep brain. This is why yogis talk about returning to sahaja — that is,
returning to the natural and original pure state. After the work of
cleaning is done, the true ideal sahaja nature will begin to reveal itself.

Surprisingly, when Lahiri Mahasaya began to teach his Kriya Yoga,

he never named it as such. Kriya translates as “to do,” and he would
remind his students to go home “to do” their homework! His
students eventually adopted this Kriya name in referring to the
Pranayama process. However, the name that Lahiri Baba would give
this great work of his was Sahaja Yoga: the Union process of
returning to our original natural state.

Cleaning Reveals Bliss

In my second online training, The Big Biss, I tell the story of getting
into a misunderstanding with a dear friend. Afterwards, 1 went to my
room to meditate, and I just started letting go of everything. Let go
of this! Let go of that! Forget this! Forget that! | accepted everything,
and I let go of all my preconceptions. I cleaned out my heart until
there was nothing left in it! |

Then I entered the Low-Idle-State, and chanted OM in each

chakra. While OM-ing into the first three, my energy and
consciousness suddenly jumped powerfully into my heart. At that
moment, an AVALANCHE of BLISS descended upon me!

nNto
 MASTERING MEDITATION

When just a little bliss comes, you might say, “Oh that’s not so
much. So what?” When a little more comes, you say, “Oh isn’t that
nice.” When even more bliss comes, this gets your attention, and you
say, “Hey this is something!” When a whole lot more comes, you
might cry out, “Oh my God!” Then, when a true AVALANCHE of
BLISS suddenly appears, you begin to wonder if you’re even going to
survive!

I had cleaned out my heart so completely through the many years

of OM Japa. When I coupled these results with my surrender of
feelings and preconceptions, | experienced a breakthrough moment
when the pure Bliss of the Left Amygdala came straight through my
heart. While the Dorsal Vagal and Caudate Nucleus offer wonderful
tastes of bliss, it is the Left Amygdala that gives us the potential for
the deepest love, the greatest joy, and the most tremendous bliss!

Lifting Weights for Your Brain

By achieving Resonance on a regular basis, you have mastered Level

One of the three-part equation for perfect meditation.

Low-Idle-State of the Dorsal Vagal Complex

Bliss of the Left Amygdala
ONS
Expansion of the Right Hippocampus

Now that you have mastered Level One, it is time to add some
Bliss and Expansion throughout your day!

Cute Baby Meditation

This practice comes from the wonderful Vésuddhimagga - The Path of

Purification by Buddhaghosa. It is a Buddhist Meta exercise, in which
the practitioner calls on feelings of forgiveness, compassion, or a
pure sense of awe at the cuteness of a baby.

Keep your heart in wonder...

- Khalil Gibran

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First, you need to search at home and on the internet for the
cutest baby pictures possible. Remember when you were scolded for
wasting your time watching videos of cute kittens? Well, the exact
opposite is true! The compilation of cute videos and pictures online is
perhaps one of the greatest achievements of our modern era.
Seriously — look up a cute baby, kitten, or puppy, and see how many
choices ate available! I recommend you download about five to ten
pictures onto your smartphone.

Now, pick the cutest one for you today. Look at the picture, and
you should feel an instant “aww” as you gaze on the cute baby! Hold
that feeling in your heart as long as you can. When it slips away, clear
your mind, then look at the picture again. Feel the feeling! Hold onto
that “aww” as long as possible. Clear your mind, and repeat. Try this
for five minutes once a day. If you want even more of this loving
feeling, try it for frve minutes several times during the day.

Joy does not simply happen to us.

We have to choose joy
and keep choosing it every day.
- Henri Nouwen

By feeling this sense of awe and sweetness while looking at a cute

baby or kitten, you are directly accessing the pure love, bliss, and joy
that comes through the Left Amygdala in your deep brain. Holding
this feeling is like holding a weight while doing your workout. As you
hold it, your connection to the Left Amygdala (center of bliss in the
brain) becomes easier and easier, and the Left Amygdala actually
Increases in size because of its constant use. That’s right! You are
lifting weights for your brain!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Cute Baby Meditation

 MASTERING MEDITATION

What Is Bliss?

I’ve talked to many yogis that have no idea what bliss is. If you feel
this way, you’re not alone! Who in the world talks about having or
finding bliss every day? Only a few eccentric Kriya Yogis! So, it’s
quite normal that you haven’t built a mental box of what bliss is. The
bliss of the Dorsal Vagal can feel like a tickle, or like a soft glow of
joy in the body. It can feel like a strange expectancy — as if some
blessing is coming your way, but you don’t know what.

You are developing the Low-Idle-State, so this bliss is not

excitement, which is more associated with the Sympathetic. Bliss will
come out of peace. The bliss of the Left Amygdala comes from the
same part of the brain as pure love and joy. So, imagine combining
those three: love, plus joy, plus peace, equals bliss.

Amplified Bhakti Yoga

The yogi with a Bhaktt Yoga practice may recognize that he 1s already
performing some of the elements of the Cute Baby Meditation, and
applying it to his Ishta Devata: his favorite form of the Divine.

Bhakti means devotion or loving service. The Bhakti yogi holds

his favorite image of the Supersoul in his mind, and focuses on
cultivating devotion and love for the Divine through this Ishta. The
main practice is to hold an image of your Ishta, then direct your love
to that Ishta over and over again.

When you think about God, the Divine, or your Higher Self, what
do you think about? When you call on the Highest of the High,
whom ate you actually calling? For the yogi, the primary answer is
often the Infinite form of the Divine, the Supersoul Consciousness,
which is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.

One who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul

in all bodies and who understands that neither the soul nor
the Supersoul is ever destroyed, actually sees.
- Bhagavad Gita 13:28
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Ishta Devata = Favorite Form of the Divine

The Infinite form of the Divine isn’t the only way to contemplate the
Higher Self. You can also hold a personal image of the Divine in your
mind. Your Ishta Devata is your favorite archetypal form of the Holy
of Holies, and the Infinite Supersoul uses your favorite form as a
window through which to speak to you. You may have a vision or
experience with Divine Mother, Krishna, Christ, or your Guardian
Angel. This is a dualistic experience for the yogi, as he begins to see
that the Oversoul is speaking to him through every nook and cranny
in his life.

Who is your favorite? Pick an Ishta Devata and then find a picture
which evokes an immediate love, reverence, awe, and inspiration.

Look at that picture, and feel those awe-like feelings. Hold on to

them as long as possible. This becomes weight lifting for your brain!
The longer you can hold onto these feelings, the better will be the
result. When the awe starts to subside, let it go, clear your mind, and
try again.

With each practice of the Cute Baby or Ishta Bhakti, your

connection to the Left Amygdala is getting more and more powerful.
With just a little effort every day, you will notice the cumulative effect
in your life: more consistent joy, more laughter, and less concern for
the constant troubles. Now you ate becoming aware of how a bigger
Left Amygdala is impacting your life!

If we are going to pray to the Higher Self, then having this Ishta
form will help the prayer process and make it more powerful. Prayer
is a dualistic process. The Divine is over there, and I’m here praying
to the Divine. That is separate, and for the prayer process, this works
perfectly.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Huna Prayer Process

 MASTERING MEDITATION

One of my students called me up to say, “You keep talking about

bliss, and I have to admit I’m really not getting it in my practice.” So,
I told him to pick up the habit of Cute Baby Meditation every day.
He then resolved to engage in this effort once a day for five minutes.
He told me that at first, he couldn’t find a cute baby which really
appealed to him. For his substitute he started using a picture of his
Chihuahua. “Is that okay?” he asked. “Absolutely,” I replied, “so long
as the same feelings of ‘aww how cute!’ occur.”

Before this, as a result of his meditative practice, he had been

seeing the spiritual or third eye for over a year. After one week of
Cute Chihuahua Meditation every day, for the first time the feeling of
bliss also began to come to him through his spiritual eye whenever he
gazed at it. One week for five minutes a day! That’s all it took! How
amazingly powerful is that!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Cute Baby into Bhakti

Left Amygdala Right Hippocampus

 MASTERING MEDITATION

The Amazing Hakalau

The focus of the next practice is to awaken the feeling of Expansion

in the Right Hippocampus of the deep brain. To do this you will use
your peripheral vision as a neurological driver to propel you into the
right brain.

Hakalau was used to great effect by the Kahuna of Hawaii. They

used it as a continuous walking meditation, which allowed them over
time to access profound states and insights.

Hakalau Meditation
1. First, pick a point on the wall in front of you, slightly above
eye level.
2. As you stare at that one point, slowly open your peripheral
vision, and become aware of everything on your left and on
your right. Stare at one point, but notice everything in the
sphere of your vision. You might lift your hands to the sides
of your head, and wiggle your fingers to make sure you can
see them in your peripheral, simultaneously. Hold that
peripheral awareness as long as possible.

Peripheral

Foveal
 MASTERING MEDITATION

When you stare at the sunset, there is a moment when you take in
the whole. The awe of that moment overwhelms you, and the entire
scenery is absorbed at once. At that moment, the right brain is
accessed. In Hakalau, you are actively pushing yourself into that same
part of the brain. Every time you do this, your access gets easier, and
over time the Right Hippocampus grows larger. Just like in the Cute
Baby Meditation, you are lifting weights for your brain!

As you stare at one point, take in your peripheral vision,

everything on your left and on your right simultaneously. At first
your eyes will want to shift back and forth. Don’t allow them to do
this, but instead stare into space. This will allow the eyes to dilate,
and the whole scene will be absorbed. Now, take it one step further.
Take in all the sounds around you. Take in all the feelings of your
body. Take in all the smells and the tastes in your mouth. Now hold
everything at once, and feel yourself expanding into all of these
perceptions, without judgment.

I happened to be doing this little exercise while standing in line to

check out at Walmart. I was taking in all of my peripheral vision, the
cacophony of noise in the store, and the wonderful display of
brightly-colored packages of pies right in front of me. As | continued
to expand into all the feelings of my own body, as well as the feeling
of the floor under my feet, I noticed that the pies in front of me
began to pulse! They were pulsing with each of my breaths. I stood
there enjoying the perception for some minutes before it was my turn
to check out.

The normal conditioning and deletion of the left brain may be

interrupted as we access the right brain. The world is often a lot
stranger than we think, but we tend to live in our own projections,
and delete whatever doesn’t make sense. With a little right brain
access, the world may get a little more interesting as the normal
deletion process of the subconscious ts interrupted.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Hakalau Saved My Lite

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Left and Right Brain Introduction

In this book I’ll be using the findings of the exceptionally brilliant

lain McGilchrist, who has asked us to take a fresh view of the
perspectives of the left and right brain.

At first the whole world reveled in the understanding of the left

and right brain. Can you imagine going back and looking inside the
skull for the first time? What a surprise it must have been! “Oh my
God, there’s two of them in there. Why are there two?!”” Nowadays
we take for granted that there are two brain hemispheres, but not so
long ago it was unheard of.

The whole world caught on, and soon there were even
commercials showcasing the left and right brain. Remember the joke,
“Tf the right side of your brain controls the left side of the body, and
the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, then it’s
only left-handed people who are in their right brain! y>>

At this point, the unique understanding of the left and right brain
fell out of favor with neuroscientists, since they could see that
electrical signals passed freely through both hemispheres
simultaneously. The theory was largely discarded.

Fortunately, lain McGilchrist arrived like a white knight, and

revived the notion that the two sides have completely different
perspectives. As you pick up a cup from the table, both your left and
right brain will fire, but each hemisphere has an entirely different
view of that action. They each see the world with completely
different eyes, simultaneously.

This is clearly evident in the bird who bends down to peck at a

seed. Just like humans, the bird has a well-developed left and right
hemisphere. As the bird focuses on the seed, it will cock its head to
the left side so it can stare at it with its right eye. The left brain uses
the cross connection to focus intently on that one little seed through
the right eye. The bird then pecks at the seed.

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At this moment, as the bird is deeply engaged in aggressively

foraging for food, he is also at his most vulnerable, If there is a
predator present, this would be the best time to strike, when the bird
is otherwise occupied and distracted.

Nature knows the bird is vulnerable at this moment, and so has

reserved the much larger, heavier, and multiprocessing right brain to
simultaneously look after the smaller, and linear left brain, which is
identified with the bird body as he pecks the seed. The right brain
takes in everything, and sees itself as one with everything, all of the
ame.

Wolfe Lowenthal, who was a T'ai Chi student of Cheng Man-

ch'ing his entire life, tells a wonderful story about waking in the
middle of the night, with his whole body straining to hold a mantle
that had fallen during his sleep. He did not see it and catch it, but
woke up already holding it. All that T’ai Chi practice made his
subconscious body ready to respond, but it was the right brain that
was watching out for him, and directed the subconscious to catch the
mantle! If he had not caught the mantle, most likely he would have
been crushed, along with his girlfriend. The right brain watches over
you at every moment.

In the world of spirituality, the right brain is the window through

which your utterly trustworthy parental figure of the Higher Self
operates. It is truly your Guardian Angel, the ever-present Secondary
Presence who is looking out for you in every moment of your entire
life.

Sell your cleverness

and buy bewilderment.
- Rumi

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When Life Gets Difficult

With this bliss program, I’m offering you a yogic lifeline. I have a
dear student going through a very difficult time in her life right now.
I taught her this way of accessing bliss, which she diligently practiced
for some months, even through the ups and downs of her day-to-day
challenges. In just a little while, she began accessing bliss in the
Dorsal Vagal during each meditation, followed eventually by the Bliss
of the Left Amygdala.

The thing is, when you experience a little of that bliss in your life,
no matter how heavy your burden, how can you become
overwhelmed? Your persistence and perseverance can only be
strengthened as the bliss helps you grasp a more uplifting
perspective.

The same thing happens with Hakalau and Expansion. Just a little
taste of the right brain, and suddenly life seems to fall into place. You
tise above the troubles of the moment, and gain the broader
perspective of the big picture.

It’s only in the narrow corners of the left brain that we become
overly obsessed, overly stressed, overly burdened. lain McGilchrist
reminds us that the left brain is meant to be the servant of the right
brain. This is the hierarchy of your hemispheres, and if you let your
left brain keep trying to control your universe, then you will continue
to experience frustration. If instead you allow the left brain to defer
to the right, then an ease and peace will enter your life like never
betore.

This is exactly the hidden message of the entire Bible: “Fear not,
because | am with you.” Let go of the constant arousal of the
Sympathetic. Let go of fear and shrink the Right Amygdala. Fear not,
because the utterly trustworthy Guardian Angel of the right brain is
ever with you.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Chapter 6
CHAKRAS ARE PROJECTIONS

linc: some time, yogis have been searching for the exact location of
the chakras, which do correspond with the spinal plexuses and the
endocrine system. However, the pinpoint location of each chakra will
remain a mystery, since they are actually a “ghost in the machine.”

The chakras function the same way as projected pain works in the
body. If there is a problem with the kidneys, the heart, or other
organs, the body has no tactile nerves in these
locations. Accordingly, the subconscious must project the pain into
another nearby part of the body, in order to notify the person that
something is wrong!

You have a brain, and that brain is designed to tell you when
something has become a problem. When a loved one betrays your
trust, the brain must let you know “this is wrong,” but it cannot do
so inside of the brain itself. It must project the “wrongness” into
your body vehicle, which is riding through the story of yout life. In
this case, it likely projects “hurt” into your heart. You feel this
wrongness of hurt in your heart, and it helps you to understand the
implications of actions in your own life.

These reactions are actually very animalistic in nature, which is

one of the reasons you will often see animals represented in the
different chakras. There is also an amazing hidden science of alchemy
in the chakras. Accordingly, they are often listed with the five
elements:

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Chakra Elements
lenebart
2, *Watet
Ssakire
4. Wind
5. ther
6. Super-Ether

These elements coincide and are reflected in the animalistic

reactions:

Animalistic Nature of the Chakras

1. Possessiveness of things, including the body
Sensual attachments
Fear and ego preservation
Feelings of love and hurt
Words stuck in the throat
ae
Oy Visions and Downloads

You may feel fear in your gut, but nothing is actually there. Or,
you might feel hurt in your heart, but there is no physical thing
causing your pain. Rather, these are projections from the brain,
directed through your nervous system into the body, alerting you to
address the problems therein.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Animalistic Nature

If 1found out that my best friend had betrayed my trust, I would

feel a tremendous hurt and sadness in my heart. | might even cover
the vulnerability of that sadness with a fire of anger in my gut! But if
I then suddenly learned that my information was wrong, and it was a
total misunderstanding, and | confirmed that my friend would never
betray me, what would happen then? Instantly, the hurt, sadness,
fear, and anger would completely evaporate! How is that possible?
Because these were projected by the mind, and when the mind
changed, these old faulty emotions disappeared.

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In each chakra we want to feel the origin of the chakra, rather

than the expressive doorway. The doorway of expression will appear
in the Ventral Vagal Complex, in the front of the body. The origin
will be in the Dorsal Vagal Complex, on top of the spine. In each
case of finding a chakra, we want to orient ourselves towards this
origin.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Origin vs Doorway

How to Find the Chakras by Feeling Within

My guru Ashokji said that we all need to find our chakras mentally —
that it’s not enough to merely point at them, or look at a picture. We
must each feel them internally with our own feelings, our own mind.
For this purpose, he taught me the following physical and mental
method of finding the chakras.

1. Squeeze the anus momentarily. As the energy in the muscle

subsides toward the spine, follow the feeling backwards
towards the spine. This is the first chakra.
2. Imagine that you are stopping the flow of pee while in the
bathroom. As the energy activated in the muscle flows
backwards, follow it back into the spine. This is the second
chakra.
3. Bend forward with locked knees, then quickly straighten up.
The feeling of tension in the lower back ts the area of the
third chakra. Alternatively, breathe out, and suck the stomach
strongly in towards the spine. Hold that until you feel a little
heat in your gut. That burning sensation is the third chakra.
4. When a loved one returns to you after a long absence, that
shock of love in the heart is the area of the fourth chakra.
5. Make a deep and guttural KA sound deep 1n the throat.
Follow the flow of energy back into the area of the spine
after making the sound. This is the fifth chakra.
6. When you have that sudden eureka moment, and say “Oh,
now | get it!” you will lift your head and strain the back of the
neck near the medulla as you do so. ‘This takes place in the
 MASTERING MEDITATION

sixth chakra. Alternatively, feel that the top cervical vertebrae

in your neck is like a screw, twisting into the base of your
skull. In very small movements, sit up straight and swivel the
head back and forth an inch or so. Feel the imagined screw as
it enters the skull. This is the medulla and the sixth chakra.

Seatch Video: Forrest Knutson, Finding the Chakras

Navi Kriya

The full Kriya Yoga program is shared one-to-one between the guru
and the student. This is the Param-Param-Guru tradition of teaching.
In this way, the oral tradition is preserved from one generation to the
next. Learning the original Kriya one-to-one from an ordained
teacher, you are welcomed into Lahiri Mahasaya’s spiritual family. In
this book I’m not able to give you all of the techniques, but I am
giving you all of the principles. That being said, I feel 1 must also give
you Navi Kriya. This technique has already been shared publicly, and
the relief it offers to the world cannot be quantified adequately.

Above we learned the Cute Baby Meditation, which provides

direct access into the Left Amygdala. Every time you use this
technique, you are GROWING your Left Amygdala. I cannot
overstate my wonder at this result!

Two Amygdalae

You have not one, but two amygdalae. If you look at the picture
above, you can see the little almond shape of the amygdala on either
side.

Do you remember Data, the android from the Star Ship

Enterprise in the Next Generation? He is the modern Spock, but rather
than controlling emotions, he is always seeking to feel them.
Eventually we learn that his creator left him one emotional chip for
his electric brain.

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Now imagine that you are Data, and you have been left with not
one but two emotional chips for your brain! Because everything in
the body seeks balance. The Left Amygdala is the chip of joy, pure
love, and bliss. The Right Amygdala is the chip of fear, anxiety, and
doom. Very simply, the yogi would like more of the left and less of
the right! So, you use Cute Baby Meditation to grow the Left
Amygdala, but what will you use to shrink the Right Amygdala? Navi
Kriya is the answer.

The chakras are projections into the body, remember? It’s difficult
to reach up into the brain and make changes to our limbic
consciousness. However, an amazing handle has been given to the
yogi through the projections of the six chakras. What could not be
reached inside the brain is reached easily through the projected
handle of the chakra. In Navi we use the handle of the third chakra
to erase fear from the Right Amygdala.

When Babaji gave Lahiri Mahasaya the set of Kriya techniques, he

quoted Krishna, saying:

Even a littl practice ofthis dharma (rehgious rite)

will save you from the great fear [of the right amygdala).
- Bhagavad Gita 2.40

This proclamation of saving you from the great fear could easily
apply to the practice of only Navi Kriya. To get a feeling of how
much Navi is helping you in each meditation, first perform
Mahamudra stretching, followed by Navi Kriya, and then your HRV
Resonant Breathing (or your Kriya Pranayama). You will find that the
Navi has automatically helped your Pranayama by 50 to0°75%. 1
realize that these numbers sound improbable, but just try it out for
yourself. Put Navi before your Pranayama, and notice how the pace
of your process is dramatically enhanced.

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Practicing Navi Kriya

First, lower your chin to your chest in a loose and comfortable way.
This is a yogic neck lock, but should be done loosely because you will
hold this posture for a few minutes. Lowering the chin to the chest
compacts the carotid sinus on either side of the neck. This increased
pressure sends a signal to the medulla, then the heart, to slightly
lower the heart rate.

Place your attention at the third chakra. If you like, interlace your
fingers, pressing the thumb pads together, and press the thumbs into
the area of the belly button. Now, mentally chant OM into this third
chakra, and with each mental OM press the thumbs into the
abdomen slightly. The physical pressing is only an assist to the mind,
to help keep your attention in the right place. Do this mental OM-ing
one hundred times. This is not to be coordinated with the breath, so
just breathe normally.

Now, reverse the neck lock, and very gently stretch your neck
backwards so that the weight of the head rests behind the spine
comfortably. Place your mind on the back side of the third chakra,
which is straight back from the belly button. If you like, place the
hands behind the back, interlace the fingers, and press the two
thumbs together again. Chant OM mentally into the back side of this
third chakra, and with each mental OM tap the back of the spine with
the thumbs. The hand movement, again, 1s only an assist, and once
you feel that you can keep your mind in this position, you can stop
using the hands. Perform this mental Om-ing from the back twenty-
five times.

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100 Front | 25 Back

Yogic Insurance Policy

Several of my students have experienced night terrors from early

childhood. This indicates a tendency of encountering the Right
Amygdala of fear. Also, as the yogi develops the deep silence which is
a product of the right brain, he may also encounter occasional
feelings of fear, since the Right Amygdala is glued onto the Right
Hippocampus. The Kriya Yogi knows this, and so Navi Kriya is his
yogic insurance program. He uses Navi to clear the fear that may be
encountered in profound silence before he ever encounters tt.

One student with night terrors called me to say that as he was

going deep in meditation, he was starting to have scary dreams again,
as he did in childhood, as well as some scary visions. I told him to
stop all of his other practices, and only perform Navi Kriya for one
month. He called me back in one week. All the fear was gone —
completely gone in just one week! No more night terrors or fear in
deep meditation. Navi Kriya is a miracle technique for all yogis!

By practicing one round of Navi Kriya before every dedicated

meditation time, you are daily shrinking the Right Amygdala. ‘Think
about that! What would your life be like without fear? What is there
you could not accomplish if fear was not in yout way? What would
be left to hold you back? With a little Navi, you are shrinking that
fear every day!

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Tfyou realize that all things change,

there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
Ifyou are not afraid ofdying,
there is nothing you cannot achieve.
- Lao Tzu

What you don’t use, you lose. By using the projected handle of the
chakra, you shrink fear. As you go through your day, whenever you
are presented with options, choose the path of surrender. Choose the
path of letting go of fear. Fear is the base for all anger, sadness, hurt,
and guilt. None of these will stand up without the backing of fear. By
choosing less fear in your life, you are choosing to be free of
emotional bondage.

When you have a choice between getting angry for hours, or

letting it pass you by, as much as possible let it pass you by. Each
time you are able to do this, you are shrinking the Right Amygdala
and your negative limbic response. With a little effort, you will greatly
reduce being stuck in anger, sadness, fear, hurt, and guilt. You will
learn to make the higher choice, and negative emotions will cease to
be a constant weight and torture in your life. Your mind will become
freer, and your beat will return to the peace of its original nature

The affairs of the world will go on forever.

Do not delay the practice of meditation.
- Milarepa

The world will always try to rile you up, to get you angry and mad,
and to control you with your own anger and despair! But do not be
fooled and trapped by these emotional chains of bond: ive. One
example of this is political elections. The United States has a two-
party system, and before every election both parties try to rile your
emotions so you will get out and vote for their candidate. But do not
fret! Instead do what you think is right, vote with your feet, and walk
away from the constant emotional turmoil.

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A friend once told me that he makes a plan for his business based
on both presidential candidates. He listens to what each one hopes to
achieve through their policies, and makes a business plan accordingly
for each candidate. This prevents him from becoming emotionally
embroiled, and if the other side wins, he is not blindsided. How
practical and Stoic! Keep the big picture of your yogic goals in mind,
and you will prevent yourself from becoming swayed by the winds of
change.

We are always in transition.

Ifyou can just relax with that,
you'll have no problem.
- Chogyam Trungpa

Escape from the Gordian Knot

By focusing on Bliss and Expansion, the yogi works with very

powerful parts of the deep brain in both hemispheres. This creates an
extremely dynamic and potent process in his meditative life — a life
that escapes the usual Gordian Knot of mental trouble.

Most individuals overly engage in the “words” of the Left

Hippocampus, and the fear of the Right Amygdala. When you read a
label, such as ‘““TREE,” that label exists in the Left Hippocampus —
the talking mind. At the same time, the knowledge of what the label
means — the picture of the tree that arises — comes from the Right
Hippocampus. So, the meaning and the knowledge of what a tree is
exists in the right brain, while the words, labels, and voice in your
head exist in your Left Hippocampus.

Fear Supports All Negative Emotions

I mentioned before that the Right Amygdala is the center of fear. My

theory is that all negative emotions are supported by this base of fear.
This means that as you shrink your fear, you’re simultaneously
shrinking the support system for all the negative emotions of your
entire life. Think about the worst negative emotions you've ever
experienced — wouldn’t it be much harder to feel them if you had

7\
 MASTERING MEDITATION

absolutely no fear? This is why the Kriya Yogi practices Navi Kriya,
and why I’m releasing it to the world. Not only is it an insurance
policy for deep meditation; it’s also insurance to remoye fear and
negative emotions from your entire life!

Fear is the cheapest room in the house.

I would like to see you living
in better conditions.
- Hafiz

Gordian Knot of Your Story

If you can imagine the worst times of your life, you will find that in
these moments you are just bouncing between the story you tell
yourself (Left Hippocampus) and the fear that drives all your negative
emotions (Right Amygdala). These two forces often create a type of
Gordian Knot: it is almost impossible to unravel the negative
emotions from the Right Amygdala by using your story from the Left
Hippocampus.

You cannot hope to unravel the emotion by deciphering the story.

You might keep asking yourself: “Why did this happen? Why did this
happen to me?” You become caught in a loop between your story
and your negative emotions, which prohibits your ability to process
either.

There is a wonderful Buddhist practice that requires you to just sit

and dwell on your feelings — it has to be just your feelings. Ifyou do
this, your initial feelings will peel back, revealing even deeper negative
feelings. In about two or three hours, all of your negative feelings will
resolve and transform into love or joy. But you can’t sit with both the
story and the feeling, as you may be usually inclined. You must sit
with the emotion only, and you have to sit with it until it resolves
completely.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

By entering the Low-Idle-State, the yogi is beginning to access

Silence and Expansion, which is the domain of the Right
Hippocampus. In this way he begins to escape the Left Hippocampus
of the talking mind. By his practice of Navi he is shrinking the Right
Amygdala, and so more love, joy, and bliss will begin to show
themselves in his life.

Simply put, the yogi is escaping the norm of the Left

Hippocampus - Right Amygdala - Gordian Knot, and is entering
purposefully into the freedom of the Right Hippocampus of Silence
and the Left Amygdala of Bliss. In this way he turns his brain from a
machine of despair into a source of constant Bliss and Expansion.

(Silence + Bliss) > is greater than (Words + Fear)

The Caudate Nucleus

Previously, we began the work of feeling into the Dorsal Vagal. I

would like to expand on this a little. As you feel into the body, you
are using the Caudate Nucleus on the left and right side of your
brain. This is a remarkable tool for the yogi, as the Caudate Nucleus
loves to share information back and forth between the hemispheres
of the brain. It shares its feeling of the body with every step you take.
The terrain felt in one foot is almost instantly communicated to the
other side of the brain, so the second foot will know what to expect.
You can actually use this to feel and share your way into bliss! Along
the way, the Dorsal Vagal will also share its bliss!

Guaranteed Bliss

First you need to be able to breathe through the body. Put your mind
in one of your hands, and then imagine that you are pushing energy
out of that hand. Breathe in, then breathe out with the sound of HA.
Imagine this HA breath is pushing the energy through and out of
your hand. This is how healers turn their hands into powerful
energetic transmitters.

tres
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Now, transfer this to the body. Feel into the left side of your
body. Feel everything on the left side — the light, the heavy,
everything. Now feel into the right side of the body. Scan the right
side up and down and feel everything. Which side felt lighter and
“happier” to you? Don’t think too much, just focus on what part of
the body feels the lightest. Now hold that feeling. Let’s say you
experienced the lightest feeling in the left side of your chest. Now
hold your mind in the left side of your chest, and breathe that feeling
with the sound of HA into the right side of your body. Now relax
and feel. How does that opposite side feel now? Lighter? Different?

Now scan the whole body again. First one side, then the other.
Where is the lightest feeling this time? Hold that feeling. Now use the
HA breath to push that lighter, better feeling into the other side of
the body. Now relax.

How does the body feel now? How do you feel? Lighter? Are you
lifting up in joy? What’s happening? You are sharing your way into
bliss. Don’t expect all the results at once. Just notice the little
progress and rejoice that you are unlocking the secrets of yourself.
Well done!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Guaranteed Bliss

The Caudate Nucleus should be on the lips of every Kriya Yogi,

yet it is overlooked. No one seems to know that this is how feeling
and searching inside the body is possible. This is an essential Kriya
Yoga skill, which will help to enable the next skill of OM Japa in the
chakras.

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Pattern Interrupt

In Neuro Linguistic Programming there is a wonderful technique

called a Pattern Interrupt. This might sound off topic, but please
indulge your eccentric yogi teacher once more. My client, Bob, might
come to me with a problem, such as, “Every time I see Jill at work, I
become nervous.” I then ask Bob to walk me through the mental
machinations of his related behavior pattern each day.

Bob comes to work, and while walking in the door, he sees Jill. He
immediately feels self-conscious, and starts to wonder if his tie is
straight, or if his pants are zipped. Then he imagines all of the
horrible things that Jill is probably thinking about him: she thinks ’m
a Slob, she thinks I’m no good, she thinks I’m too fat. As a result, he
feels total despair and depression.

I now understand the mental strategy that creates his problem. My

next step is to run him through this pattern again, half a dozen times
ot more. The difference is that I will interrupt him each time, and
lead him down an alternate path until his old pathway in the
subconscious dissolves.

So, I might say, “Okay Bob, so run me through this a few times.
So, you come into work, and you see Jill, and then you worry about
how you look, right? Right. And then you start singing, ‘I’m just a
poor boy, nobody loves me!’ At the top of your lungs, right? I love it!
... No? But you could imagine singing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at that
moment, right? Okay, okay | got it wrong. Let’s try again.”

“So, you come in, you see Jill, and Jill slips on a banana peel! She
laughs, you laugh, everybody laughs! Wait, that’s wrong. I’m so sorry.
I get so confused. I think I’m watching too many comedies.

— Nn
 MASTERING MEDITATION

I interrupt the pattern at different points, over and over, until Bob
can no longer recover his original pattern. At this point, the negative
route stored in his subconscious has been decimated and is no longer
operable. Bob will now come to work, and have to create a new
pattern from scratch. Before he does, we'll go through it together
mentally, and form a constructive approach.

Similar to the NLP Pattern Interrupt given above, the following

technique is a yogic pattern interrupt! How amazing is that?

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Chapter 7
OM JAPA IN THE CHAKRAS
OM is the primordial sound of the Universe. The entire world is made up
of energy and vibration, which includes spinning atoms full of protons,
neutrons, and electrons. As these little engines all spin, they create the
natural hum of OM. Thus, OM is the sound and symphony of the
Universe.

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was nith God,
and the Word was God.
- John 1:1

The purely proper way to spell OM is with the Sanskrit symbol: &. The
proper intellectual spelling is AUM, which indicates the three qualities of
the vibration of the Universe: creation, preservation, and destruction, with
each quality represented by one letter. The purely practical way to spell it,
making it easy to understand, pronounce, and apply while chanting into
each of the six chakras, is: OM. For this book, ve chosen the purely
practical way, so there’s no doubt about how to pronounce and use it
correctly.

We know that the chakras are emotional projections from the limbic
brain. We also know that the chakras give the yogi a very effective projected
handle to leverage his work with his own consciousness. How, then, can we
use this marvelous handle?

If the consciousness is projecting fear down into the gut, the third
chakra, and I can mentally chant OM into that third chakra, then | am using
the vibration of OM to disrupt the natural process of fear projection. This
frees me from the fear by creating a pattern interrupt for the outward flow
of conscious intelligence through the chakra.

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With this technique, I can now operate on all of the negative patterns of
my past that are crashing down on me at once. Instead of being an
automaton controlled by my own past actions, I am left with free choice,
once again.

The Kriya Yogi practices OM Japa into each of the six chakras
described above, from the coccyx to the medulla. This disrupts the natural
outflow of conscious intelligence, which attaches the consciousness to the
outside world.

This pattern interruption of the outflow of consciousness, combined

with the Low-Idle-State, is what allows the yogi’s consciousness to flow
back to its origin in the brain. By this practice he learns the secrets of the
sacred tree of his own nervous system.

Men call the Aswattha,

the Banyan-tree,
Which hath its boughs beneath,
its roots above,
The ever-holy free.
Yea! for its leaves
Are green and waving
hymns which whisper Truth!
Who knows the Aswattha,
knows Veds, and all.
- Bhagavad Gita 15:1
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With roots above representing the brain, the boughs below refer to the
limbs, senses, and their actions. Whoever knows this superhighway of the
nervous system, knows all the truth in the Vedas. What a statement! Know
the heart of the heart to know all!

By OM Japa in the chakras the yogi reverses the outward flow pattern,
and the consciousness begins to rise. First it may jump into the heart, then
slowly rise farther and farther into the brain.

The knowledge of the heart rs in no book

and 1s not to be found in the mouth of any teacher,
but grows out ofyou like the green seed from the dark earth.
- Carl Jung

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Monkey and the Pot

There is a telling story about a hunter in the jungle who goes out to capture
a wild monkey. He positions pots all over the jungle forest, and places a
little bit of cheese in the bottom of each pot. The native monkey comes
along and grabs the cheese down below, but now his fist is too large to
remove from the neck of the pot! Refusing to let go, the monkey is stuck in
the trap until the hunter of life comes along to collect him.

Your conscious intelligence is that untamed monkey. You reach through

the pot of the chakra to grasp at life. Through each center you grasp
different modes of fear — security in the first, jealousy in the second,
resentment in the third, hurt in the heart, and unspoken honesty in the
throat. Your attachment to these binds you as surely as the monkey, and
your consciousness is stuck in the world until the hunter of karmic action
collects you.

] am highlighting the negative aspect of all of this, but the whole process
is completely natural. Your entire nervous system is designed to orient you
outwardly, otherwise you would never survive in this world. You have to be
able to live your life and conquer this outward world in order to continue
your own existence, and that of your children. Once your outward story
becomes temporarily won, progressing in meditation becomes that much
easier. Then you can ask, “From whence | come?” This question alone is
the beginning of yoga, and awakens the desire to reverse and learn the
process of your own origin.

By the process of OM Japa therapy in the chakras, you can release your
negative attachments. In this effort you disrupt the naturally outgoing
intelligence passing through your nervous system, which has identified with
your outward life and story. When the conscious intelligence is disrupted
from flowing outward through the chakra, it has nowhere to go but back
towards its origin. If the next center up the ladder is still attached
outwardly, then you will stop there. Otherwise, you will spring all the way
back to the brain.

The monkey is reaching for the moon in the water

Until death overtakes him, he'll never give up.
If he'd letgo the branch and disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine with dazzling pureness.
~ Hakuin Ekaku, Pounder of Zen

SO
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Shrinking the Negative Limbic Response

By OM-ing into each of the chakras, you are clearing (or cleaning, as my
guru said) each of them. All the negative content is dissipated: attachment
to the physical, attachment to the sensual, jealousy, guilt, fear, anger, hurt,
and words stuck in the throat. All of your negative limbic content is wiped
clear, so you engage less in these negative projections. Less use, and the
source of negative limbic functions in the brain naturally shrinks.

Kriya Therapy

Ashokji told me I could do this OM-ing into negative emotions at any time.
When you feel a negative emotion arise, sense where it is. Where is it
coming from? OM directly into the feeling. Do this over and over again,
mentally. Soon that emotion which was so large and disturbing will start to
disintegrate right before you! I started calling this walking meditation Kriya
Therapy. Try it the next time a negative emotion arises. Do it mentally. No
one has to know what you’re doing. Just OM away, and watch life get easier
and freer.

I came to visit Ashokji while suffering from a little sadness during an

ongoing trial in my life. 1 had cleared most of it, but there was still a
lingering despair. Ashokji saw right through me, and throughout my visit
gave me helpful hints without directly confronting me. Finally, it was time
to go, and I walked out to my car, and began to pull out of the driveway.
Suddenly Ashokji came running out in his slippers! 1 thought something
was wrong! He yelled to me, “When something comes up just snuffitout!
OM into the chakra! OM right in there and clean it out! Snuffitout from
the beginning! Just snuff it right out!” He was so adamant, and so kind to
worry about me and my little sadness. I was overcome by his sincere care,
and his words will echo through my soul forever.

[ had come to Ashokji to learn the seven Kriya techniques of his lineage,
and I was willing to bend myself backwards in this effort. After spending
many years absorbing everything he had to teach, I was totally shocked one
day when he was talking about this Kriya Therapy. Ashokji told me, “This
is the real Kriya.” I sat there with my mouth open! He then told me that it’s
the real Kriya because it’s the one you do all day long.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Real Kriya Yoga

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Kriya Yoga Without OM Japa Is Tamasic

After the passing of Lahiri Mahasaya, his family printed a compilation of

letters he had sent to his students, as well as their letters sent to him. This
collection is named Garland ofLetters, ot Patraval.

The family printed not just one, but three letters, in which Lahiri Baba
mentions to his students that Kriya Yoga must include the practice of OM-
ing into the six chakras. Revealing this detail of Kriya Yoga almost reveals
the entire technique, yet his family felt it was that important to the Kriya
community.

Gatland of Letters No. 79:

Sti Guru's [Lahiri Mahasaya's] letter:

Many do not practice mantra japa chakra by chakra. When this does not
happen, tt results in "tamasic"” Kriya [Kriya with negative qualities), and the
fruit of this is also "tamasic"".

Therefore, during pranayam, one must keep attention on the six chakras in the
spine and practice japa in each ofthem.

A Kriya or Kundalini practice, which does not incorporate a continuous

cleaning program such as OM-ing into each of the six chakras, will bear
negative results.

The chakras are six primary projections of the brain, and as those
projections are awakened by your attention to them, you also awaken any
negative limbic associations that each of the chakras may contain. This is
when the scrubbing power of OM Japa comes into play. The mantra japa
practice quickly eliminates these negative associations, but only if applied in
every meditation.

From the very beginning, Lahiri Baba warned both his teachers and
students to always remember to retain the use of OM Japa in their
meditative practices. This provides a divine insurance policy for their own
benefit and protection. .
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Two Sides of the Equation

By cleaning his projections, the yogi returns more and mote to his original
sahya nature, and his inherent joy, love, and bliss may naturally begin to
spring forth in his life and meditations. By shrinking the bad, the natural
good becomes uppermost.

Entering the Low-Idle-State and,cleaning with OM Japa, the yogi

encounters fewer negative states, and the Right Amygdala of fear begins to
shrink. Thus, the positive centers of the Left Amygdala and the Right
Hippocampus begin to grow in use by default.

Cleaning = Less Fear = Sahaja = More Bliss and Expansion

With the practice of the Cute Baby Meditation and Hakalau, you are
working from the other side of the equation. You are lifting the weights of
Bliss and Expansion directly, making those parts of the brain more
powerful. As a result, you will automatically use them more, thereby
shrinking the use of the Right Amygdala and fear. This ensures that you
will encounter fewer negative states and feel more clean in your life.

Bliss + Expansion = Stronger Deep Brain = Sahaja = More Clean

One direction is cleaning away what is unnecessary. The other direction

is positively adding in what you seek. The first is a bottom-up progression,
while the second is a top-down approach. By working both directions the
yogi can be positively assured of his own progress.

Six Step Yoga vs Eight Step Yoga

As I mentioned at the start of this book, Lahiri Mahasaya didn’t teach

Yama-Niyama to his students, but instead began with Asana, which is
common for much older yogic traditions. His students noticed this, and
asked him, “Sir, shouldn’t you also cover the dos and don’ts of the yogic
path?”

This reminds me of the first day of my senior year of high school, when
every teacher would present the rules for their classrooms. After listening to
a similar litany in each class, I was relieved to hear from my history teacher,
who also happened to be a very straightforward football coach. He simply
said, “You're all adults, so I have just one rule: do what’s right!” End of
talk.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Lahiri Baba told his students that the practice of Kriya automatically
makes the yogi more sensitive. That sensitivity will guide the yogi more and
mote unettingly in his day-to-day life. If Lahiri Baba was to teach Yama-
Niyama from an outward perspective, he said it would only prolong this
intuitive unfoldment inside of the yogi.

Over time Kriya Yoga reveals the Inner Guru, and it is only the Inner
Guru who can guide the yogi unerringly. The utterly trustworthy parental
figure of the Higher Self knows you and your situation better than you
know yourself. There is no mortal being in the world that can know you on
this level.

It Is a Sensitivity Drill

Everything that you are doing in meditation is a sensitivity drill. Be here

now. Notice the breath, notice the chakras. Be with the emotion as you OM
into it. Be calm. Be in your Freeze Response. All of this slows down the
body and mind, and enables the slower brainwaves to come online. When
this occurs, the yogi slowly finds it easier and easier to access the
subconscious as he merges with these brainwaves.

All of this makes the yogi much mote sensitive to his own emotions and
the emotions of others. When this happens, you may find that the energy
and thoughts of others begin to affect you. This may require extra time for
you to decompress from the world. A friend told me a wonderful story
about this.

One of the monks moved to an ashram on top of a hill, and would

occasionally go down into town to get supplies. At first there was no
difference — on top of the hill, or down in town, he was the same.

Soon he started to become more sensitive. When on top of the hill he

was just fine, but when going down into town, he would get headaches
from the negative environment. This went on for some time.

Eventually, he said he somehow became strong. If he was up on the hill,

or down in town, it didn’t matter. He was the same.

First, he was insensitive. Then by the practice of Kriya Yoga he became

sensitive to the feelings and thoughts of everyone around him. Finally, after
continuous cleaning, he became well established in the love, joy, bliss. and
Expansion of the upper nervous system and brain. No matter if he was on
the hill, or down in town, he was the same.

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If you find yourself in that sensitive state, imagine a glass wall around
you, to help your mind keep some simple separation. Imagine a bubble, and
when another’s energy imposes on you, your bubble might give a little, but
then pushes back. Call on Bliss and Expansion through the Cute Baby or
Hakalau. Let them be your lifeline, until you are always established in the
deep brain, where no troubles dare enter, lest they be obliterated by your
bliss!

Overcome the World in 1,2,3

The Kriya Yoga 1,2,3 program can help you with your worldly troubles.
You will often find that you need to face difficult situations in your life, and
be required to confront difficult people and circumstances. In those
instances, the light of your own practice will shine through.

The Low-Idle-State that you have consistently cultivated will be thete to

back you up with calmness. A little connection to bliss will help you to not
take everything all too seriously. How can you, when bliss is your
companion?

Finally, the expansiveness that you’ve begun to touch with Hakalau, and
the silence of your own meditations, will lift you up above the confines of
narrow thinking. In Expansion you find more and more of the big picture,
freeing you from becoming stuck in a blind corner of thought.

For further study of bliss, you might like Rumi, Hafiz, or the Rubatyat of
Omat Khayyam. When they speak of wine, they are speaking of yogic bliss!

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Chapter 8
EEN Ele Wea Noni,

yen are now entering into the Second Level of Meditative Mastery.
HRV Resonance may seem a simple beginning to a few of my
students, because I’ve shown you how to accomplish it so easily.
However, with most other practices, it requires 20 to 40 years to
reach this beginning of consistent Resonance.

As you continue to engage the Dorsal Vagal through Resonance,

you will also encounter more and more of the Freeze Response.
When the skin begins to tingle wonderfully, it has begun. Or when
parts of the body begin to dim or numb from your awareness, this is
it. All of this will bring forth the Tranquil Breath, which over time
will enable more of the Freeze Response and the complete dimming
of the body from your awareness.

These two extremely powerful meditative states of Tranquil

Breath and Freeze Response go hand in hand, and enable a depth
and clarity never tasted before in your meditation. The Tranquil
Breath empowers the Freeze Response, which in turn deepens the
Tranquil Breath. This then reflects a calmness into the mind, and
frees the mental energy usually wasted in restlessness to further
enhance the Hreeze Response.

The yogi couples all of this with the practice of OM Japa in each
of the chakras, which is enabling the release of attachment from the
outside world and the five senses. Thus, the yogi goes within because
of the Freeze, and goes up the spine in the Roll-Up of Consciousness
because of the OM Japa. I’ll be explaining that Roll-Up very soon.

6
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Level Two Mastery

5. Tranquil Breath
6. Freeze Response
7. Roll-Up of Consciousness
8. Let Go and Expand

The Spontaneous Appearance of the Tranquil Breath

The upper chest may become frozen in the Freeze Response, and
your breath will move down into the belly. Most likely you are not
used to low diaphragmatic breathing, and have not trained yourself to
open up this lower registry of breath. When this breath first appears,
it may be very short, shallow, and automatic. Yet, you will notice it is
completely different than any normal day-to-day breath pattern. This
is the Tranquil Breath, what Patanjali called the Fourth Phase of
Breath.

bahya abhyantara vishaya akshepi chaturthi

The fourth type ofpranayama
surpasses the limits of the exhalation
and the inhalation. - Yoga Sutras 2.51

In this passage Patanjali is telling us that the Tranquil Breath goes

beyond the normal parameters of inhalation, exhalation, and holding,
thereby making it a new and fourth kind of breath.

While observing someone who is asleep, you may not be able to

notice their breath. This may occur if the sleeper is deep in the
Parasympathetic, and the breath has become long and shallow. ‘This
is the Tranquil Breath — the Fourth Phase of Breath! You enter into it
every restful night, unless you overeat before bed.

At this point in your meditations, this deep Parasympathetic

response begins to show itself, and the Tranquil Breath
spontaneously begins to manifest. It’s not something you can force.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

It has to manifest by itself. You pause, let go, enjoy the Proofs, and
suddenly you notice that the breath has become shallow, automatic,
low in the belly, and possibly quick or moderately long. This is the
Tranquil Breath! It means the Freeze Response is taking over, and the
body is further entering the Low-Idle-State by this deep, automatic,
and diaphragmatic breath.

tata kshiyate prakasha avaranam

As a result, the inner light of
awareness becomes brighter.
- Yoga Sutras 2.52

Because of this increase in the Low-Idle-State, a deeper level of

calm and tranquility is entered by the body. All this profound calm is
reflected back on the mind, and the light of clarity begins to reveal
itself in the mind of the yogi. What could not be controlled by force,
what could not be won by struggle, is won by letting go into the
Parasympathetic system! Hallelujah!

Terry Dobson wrote a wonderful book about his experience in

Aikido called Gzving In to Get Your Way. This is exactly what you have
accomplished. By giving into the Parasympathetic and the Freeze
Response, you have earned your way to clarity and calmness, without
ever wrestling the mind!

Diaphragm Weight Lifting

You also want to train your diaphragm to work powerfully. To help

with this, go to the store and purchase about six bags of beans or rice
weighing five pounds each. Now return home, put in a good movie,
and lay on your carpet. As you’re watching the show, place two or
more bags on your stomach at a time. This will increase the resistance
against the movement of your diaphragm. There is a bit of a delayed
reaction with this exercise, so don’t overdo it all at once. Go slowly
and work your way up in weight.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Three Lung Exercise

Again, working with the diaphragm, you want to increase your lung
capacity and your ability to breathe into the lower register of your
lungs. As you do, the organs in your stomach will displace as the
diaphragm lowers and pushes them out of the way.

1. ‘Take a normal breath in and hold. This is your normal

capacity while breathing every day. This is the “first lung.”
2. Without exhaling, immediately take in a second breath and
hold. Now you just increased your capacity, and displaced
more of the organs in your stomach. It will feel as if you are
breathing into your stomach. This is the “second lung.”
3. Again, without exhaling, breathe in a third time, and imagine
that there is a small “third lung” in the region of your groin
that you are filling up. There isn’t a third lung, of course.
You’re just displacing more of the organs as the diaphragm is
extending, and you will feel this all the way down into the
area of your groin. Now breathe out, and allow the body to
recover from your breath hold, and try again.

This is a very effective exercise, and will train the body to not use
the chest so much while breathing. It will open up the ease of use in
the lower lungs. When you sit to meditate, the chest will be much
more relaxed because of your preparation during every breath, and so
will enter the Freeze Response much more quickly. This results in
your meditations becoming much deeper, much faster.

Double Dorsal Vagal Wave

In the Three Lung Exercise, you’re practicing a very mild breath

hold. Now, I want you to perform another comfortable breath hold,
but a little more deliberately and blissfully!

First breathe in a relatively short inbreath. You want to make it

short so that you can easily make the outbreath longer.

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

Now hold the breath, and as you do so, allow the chest to relax.
As it does, it begins pressing the chest cavity with the weight of your
rib cage, which is filled with air. The enlarged lungs press backwards
against the Dorsal Vagal. Can you feel the ecstatic pressure? Does it
press along the upper spine? If you don’t feel it at first, don’t worry.
You want to come back again and again until bliss begins to peek
through. Hold the breath for the amount of time that is comfortable
for you — just enough so you can begin to feel the weight of the chest
pressing backwards.

Breathe out, making the outbreath nice and long. You made the
inbreath short so that this outbreath can easily be made longer. This
long outbreath pushes the diaphragm upwards, compressing the
chest once again. Feel the long stimulation of the Dorsal Vagal
Complex. Feel it ecstatically pressing backwards.

Breathe in and begin again. See if you can do three in a row. Then
see if you can do six in a row. Then see if twelve are possible for you.
When the feeling of the Dorsal Vagal is developed in the yogi
through repeatedly awakening the Parasympathetic, and feeling into
the body using the Caudate Nucleus, then he will begin to feel two
waves of bliss! One wave as the breath is held, and one as the breath
is slowly let go.

Search: Forrest Knutson Double Dorsal Vagal Wave Video

Increasing CO2 Tolerance

Holding the breath slowly retrains the cells in the lungs, as well as the
medulla, which is responsible for the breath rate and the heart rate.
By comfortably holding his breath, the yogi encourages the slow
transformation and reprogramming of the medulla. He increases his
body’s natural tolerance of carbon dioxide, which causes all of his
breaths to be longer and easier. This will dramatically improve every
meditation.

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Miracle of the Yogic Body

Remember, HRV Resonance becomes a habit in the yogi’s body and

subconscious. When the yogi holds his breath, the blood pressure
will momentarily rise. As he lets go and recovers, because of his
previous training, the body will tend to sink automatically back into
HRY Resonance. As the yogi recovers from the small hold, the blood
pressure goes down a little bit — this is Blood Pressure Variability
Resonance. The back and forth in the yogi’s body between HRV-R
and BPV-R soon creates a deep and transformative state in the yogi.

When the yogi finally encounters the Freeze Response and the
Tranquil Breath, he will progress quickly through the various levels,
as the work of BPV-R and CO2 Tolerance has already begun.

Three Levels of the Tranquil Breath

1. When you first encounter the Tranquil Breath, you may

notice that it is a fast and shallow breath. But as a result of
the very restful Parasympathetic response, as you sit with the
Tranquil Breath it may increase in depth and length.
i. By opening up the lower register of the diaphragm, by
increasing your CO2 tolerance, and because of the deepening
Parasympathetic response, when the Tranquil Breath appears
automatically, it may be slower, shallower, and moderately
long. This is the second stage of the super Tranquil Breath.
os Finally, as you sit in profound calm in meditation, and the
mind slows way down, you may notice that the breath has
again sunk into a new and third level of the ‘Tranquil Breath,
and you may not be able to find your breath at all. But as you
continue to watch, you will notice a very slow and long
breath, or a very short and shallow breath, that occasionally
comes and goes. There may be long minutes between these
breaths.

9]
 MASTERING MEDITATION

This third Tranquil Breath is what is known as the Great

Kumbhaka. Kumbhaka means breath retention or holding. When the
breath spontaneously holds or pauses between the in and out breath
for long periods of time (when you can’t find the breath) this is the
Great Kumbhaka. This does not come from willfully holding your
breath, and the breath does not actually stop, but takes a great pause.

The Breathlessness Misnomer

During the Tranquil Breath, the heart rate will also be reduced. When
this occurs deeply, I often feel the wonderful sensation of my chest
actually disappearing. Because the heart rate sinks below what the
body believes to be normal, the absence is noted, and the chest
“disappears” from the awareness.

The heart rate and the breath do not actually stop, however. This
is a yogic misunderstanding, and many great and accomplished yogis
have argued about this for years. One of them traveled back to India,
and conducted a study to prove that the heart does not stop in yoga
practice. | have had this confirmed through Swami Rama’s lineage as
well. When Swami Rama was asked to stop his heart for a bit, he told
the researchers that this is more of a trick, and has little to do with
real yogic meditation.

When you enter into the third level of the Tranquil Breath, and
you are so deep into the Freeze Response that cool waves are
washing through your body, and you are feeling the blissful
sensations, you won’t care if your breath is really there or not! It is
clear then that breathlessness is a fool’s errand placed before young
seekers. Better to put your focus on the next step, and reap the deep
meditative rewards of noticing the beginning of the Tranquil Breath!

9?
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Soak In the Tranquil Breath

When the Tranquil Breath shows up in your practice, you want to

allow it to be, and foster more of it. You want to recognize it, and
soak it into yourself so that you help it to appear more and more
often. Allow the tranquil effects to seep into your meditative state, so
that a new level of clarity may appear spontaneously in the mind.

Garland of Letters No. 20

Sti Guru's [Lahiti Mahasaya's] reply:

What comes easily and without strain, that you should do. When
Tranquility comes, do not disturb that by doing pranayam or any other
Kriya.

Depth Is a Domino Effect

HRV Resonance and Sitting Very Still will automatically create a

progressively deeper experience of the Freeze Response through
activation of the Parasympathetic system. This will in turn create a
more profound awareness of the Tranquil Breath. The Tranquil
Breath itself will become even calmer, giving more strength to the
Freeze Response. By hitting these first two dominos, you create a
cascading event. By repetition every day, creating the necessary
biofeedback, the subconscious gets the idea of what you are trying to
accomplish, and the entire process becomes easier and faster. By this
you are drawn more completely into the Freeze Response, and the
sensations of the body become more and more diminished in your
conscious awareness.

The Freeze Response Is Pratyahara

Pratyahara is the third principle step of yogic skill you received from
Patanjali. As the Dorsal Vagal Complex is activated, the Freeze
Response awakens. Eventually the awareness of the body dims, and
you become intetiorized automatically and completely, thereby
achieving Pratyahara.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

When, like the tortoise which withdraws its limbs on all sides,
he (ayogi) withdraws his senses from the sense-objects,
then his wisdom becomes steady.
- Bhagavad-Gita 2.58

I remember sitting at a discussion between a few older monks

who were counselors, as well as a bunch of novice monks. Suddenly
one of my fellow novices burst out in despair, “So, we’re just going
to search for Pratyahara for the rest of our lives?!” The older monks
said nothing. They had no response because they simply did not
know.

In the ashram we were taught that Pratyahara is like a light switch:

first the sensation of the body would be there, then in the next
instant it would be gone.

From my own experience I have learned that this is not the case at
all. The process of the Freeze Response is much more like a dimmer
switch: the light of body awareness gradually diminishes as the yogi
progresses further and further into the activation of the Dorsal Vagal
Complex. Understanding this allows the meditator to track progress
into this profound interiorization. He looks for small shifts, rather
than meditative miracles.

Levels of the Freeze Response

1. Skin Tingles
2. Parts of the Body Become Numb
3. Parts of the Body Disappear
4. The Whole Body Disappears

Skin Tingles

First the skin may begin to tingle. This is an activation of a set of

nerves in the skin which controls the numbing of the body. In sleep,
the body does not require an overly active sensation of the skin, and
so it begins to numb itself, and you will feel this at first as a delightful
and light tingling. It may begin in the parts of the body that are the
most relaxed — the hands, the arms, the chest, the face, or the legs. It
may start in one area, then spread to another. .

04
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Body Becomes Numb

Parts of your body may begin to become numb, but not from the
unpleasant feeling of a lack of circulation. What I mean is the normal
amount of sensation in any part of your body suddenly goes down.
“Numb” is usually the way that yogis describe it to me. One of the
early. ways I would feel this was if my skin had become like a shell. I
would be aware of subconscious movements of energy swimming
inside my body, while the skin itself had become deeply frozen. I felt
that if | moved I would “break” this shell, and so ruin the delightful
sensations. The skin would never break, of course. It was just a
wonderful frozen feeling. This numb feeling may spread from one
part of the body to another, until active awareness has dimmed
throughout your entire form.

Parts of the Body Disappear

This will progress into the feeling of parts of the body disappearing. I
was training a friend of mine in Kriya Yoga when he called me up to
tell me, “My leg disappeared. Is that normal?” Yes, it is precisely what
you want. Whatever part of the body is the most relaxed will begin to
encounter this disappearing. A leg, an arm, a hand, a foot, or the
entire lower torso may wink out from your awareness! If you are
overly concerned, you can open your eyes and break the Freeze
Response, just to check that it’s all still there!

It is all there, of course, and you are just losing your sensations
through the Dorsal Vagal Complex. It’s as if the body is entering into
a rejuvenating hibernation.

The body numbs and disappears, and one of the ways I’ve
described it to myself is that the body becomes “ghost-like.” What
you think day after day to be so solid and real suddenly becomes
and immaterial in your meditations. The body begins to
effervescent
lose the usual heaviness you mentally associate with it.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Whole Body Disappears

As this numbing dimmer switch continues, your lower half, then your
entire body may disappear altogether from your awareness. I wrote to
Ashokji once to tell him that I was consistently reaching this point
where my whole body would disappear from my awareness, and I
would feel as if Iwas just a mind in the box of my own skull. He
called me up and told me, “There should be no box! Nothing! No
box at all! Just expand! Expand everywhere!”

Displacement and Stretching Sensations

In this deep Freeze, you may also get displacement-type sensations.

The brain sends out signals through the body, and the body reports
back to the brain regarding the condition of the body. All of this is
carried out through the left hemisphere of the brain, which is the part
you are slowly letting go of. As the Freeze deepens, these signals can
be partially interrupted. For instance, you might suddenly feel as if
your neck or torso has stretched out several extra feet, with your
head high above and the body below. Or the head might feel as if it is
far to the left, and the body far to the right. Or vice versa!

This is totally normal, and there’s nothing to worry about. Quite

the opposite, the Freeze Response is just doing its job, interrupting
the mapping of the body. This is a sign that you are progressing on
your meditative journey. In fact, all of the loss of sensation and body
awareness in the Freeze Response indicate that you are well on your
way to achieving meditative mastery. Well done! |

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Access to the Subconscious

In this state you have begun to slow down your conscious

brainwaves, while beginning to contact and then merge with your
subconscious brainwaves. Because of this, you may start to think that
the tingling is spreading, and it will suddenly be obliged to do so.
This connection happens so simply because of this merging with the
slower brainwaves.

This is a tipping point in your progression. By now, you have

passed into a greater awareness of the Four Proofs. Now you will
begin to enter into the realm of body disappearance. Remember, this
is totally natural. The nervous system is set up this way so you can
sleep deeply at night. You are entering into the realm of “mind
awake, body asleep.”

To find out more about the subconscious, study Milton Ericson,

Myers Briggs, NLP Demystified, and the Kahuna Serge Kahili King.

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Chapter 9
ROLL-UP OF CONSCIOUSNESS

O)ie morning while OM-ing into my chakras repeatedly, while deep

in the Freeze Response, my consciousness suddenly shot up my spine
and snapped back into the brain. It happened so powerfully; it
reminded me of watching one of those old roll-up shades. Do you
remember those? You would pull the shade down, and when you let
go it would quickly roll itself up to the top of the window. That’s
what happened to me! I was sucked up the spinal highway (flowing
with the Dorsal Vagal) and my consciousness rolled itself up and into
the brain! This is the Roll-Up of Consciousness, and like the roller, I
came back to my natural state. When rolling up, the roller returns to
its original state at the top of the window. Likewise, the
consciousness of the yogi returns to its origin in the brain!

Into the Heart of the Lover

Understanding the Roll-Up of Consciousness may appear to be

somewhat esoteric, and difficult to grasp at first. It may be easier to
understand if you consider what occurs while falling in love. You
must have been in love at some point in your life, and I mean a huge
crush. You find someone to focus on, and believing your chosen one
to be your one and only, you project all of your feelings of love and
perfection onto the target of your affection. This causes your
consciousness to suddenly LEAP into the heart! You walk around on
cloud nine above all of your normal problems. Fears, frustrations,
anxieties, and worries all disappear at once!

How did you come to this state? You believe it happened because
of the feelings you discovered for your loved one. However, the
actual reason is that you caused within yourself a Roll-Up of
Consciousness into your heart! You are then above your normal
concerns of life, because your consciousness has risen above the
normal concerns in the lower three chakras!

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

Bhagavad Gita Is the Winning of Kurukshetra

The Bhagavad Gita is the grand yogic epic which takes the reader all
the way through winning the war against the senses and the
hypnotized mind. The Gita ends at the winning of the war, and the
yogt is left with the Tranquil Breath and the Freeze Response, the
two most important essentials in meditation.

When you achieve the deep Freeze Response and the Tranquil
Breath in your practice, in that moment you’ve already won the war
of Kurukshetra for that meditation! You may then remain in the
palace of the body with the Pandavas, enjoying their sahaja nature for
some time. In this state, the yogi begins to access more and more
blissful freeze sensations, and deeper and deeper clarity of mind.

As he is winning the war of the three nervous systems, and

establishing the Pandavas of the Dorsal Vagal, the clarity of mind
that the yogi discovers is the Dharana, or concentration step of yoga.
This state is never meant to be forced or imposed upon youtself;
instead, it is a profound clarity which is slowly REVEALED
through the Freeze Response in meditation.

Asana = stretching the arteries

Pranayama = HRV Resonance
Pratyahara = Freeze Response
>RON
Dharana = Clarity revealed through the Freeze Response

All that’s left on your yogic journey is Absorption (Dhyana) and

Samadhi, which we will cover in the Expansion chapter.

The Bhagavad Gita ts the most beautiful

philosophical song existing in any known tongue.
- Erwin Schrodinger

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Ramayana into the Heart

The much earlier Ramayana is a metaphoric journey into the heart.

First, the elevated consciousness of Rama sitting at the throne in his
Father’s house is stolen. Rama is de-elevated and thrown out of the
kingdom. He is lost in the jungle, and beset by enemies. His kundalini
subconscious in the form of his wife Sita is then stolen by the ten-
headed Ravana, who represents the five senses and the five sense
actions. Kundalini intelligence is lost in these, and is captured at the
base of India, meaning the base of the spine in the body.

Hanuman represents Rama’s mastery of certain yogic techniques.

In Kriya Yoga, he represents the mastery of Yoni Mudra, and the
witnessing of the internal light of the spiritual eye. This allows
Hanuman to see clearly the internal movements of the subconscious,
and so see Sita in her prison.

Meanwhile, Rama continues his cleaning of the chakras, and so

builds a road from the mainland to Sri Lanka to retrieve Sita from her
island prison.

Rama defeats Ravana in battle, and sends Hanuman again to see

and retrieve Sita. Hanuman’s message frees the locked kundalini
intelligence at the base of the spine. Sita’s prison of Sri Lanka
represents the earth-like island of the first chakra.

Sita is then carried in a palanquin across the bridge, over the

watery gap, and back to the mainland. The crossing of the water
passage represents the second chakra.

As the story goes, the Rama consciousness is not yet ready to

accept Sita, and so hints that perhaps Sita will not be seen as pure in
the eyes of the citizens. In her outrage at this thought, Sita walks into
the homa fire to prove her purity! Agni, the god of fire, then sately
lifts Sita without burning her, and delivers her back to Rama. ‘She is
without sin and pure in every way,” he tells Rama. The trial by fire
represents the crossing of the third chakra.

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When the god of fire hands Sita back to Rama, this is the reuniting
of the kundalini intelligence with the heart chakra, represented as
Rama. The lost consciousness is handed back to the heart, at last.
Rama consciousness welcomes the lost Sita, and the world explodes
in celebration. Likewise, having been so ensnated in the worries of
the world, when the lost awareness of the subconscious returns to
your heart, it will explode in a feeling of love and acceptance, which
will cover your whole world!

Mahabharata into the Brain

We leave the Bhagavad Gita after winning the war with the two yogic
skills of the Tranquil Breath and the Freeze Response. We now have
profound tranquility and interiorization. The Mahabharata continues
the story at this point, as the five Pandava brothers walk into Heaven.
The war is finished, and the brothers rule the palace that was once
lost.

Five Brothers Win the Palace

The form of the body, once lost to the outwardly distracting

sensations, is now ruled once again by the Dorsal Vagal Complex,
represented by the five natural forms of the Pandava brothers and
Krishna — the five chakras and the brain in their natural, original,
sahaja state. The yogi may stay in this state for a while, enjoying the
body in its returned state of profound Freeze.

Walking Into Heaven

The brothers then decide it’s time for them to walk into Heaven.
They gather together with their wife Draupadi, and their dog, and
begin to ascend the Himalayan mountains. Along the way, Draupadi
trips and falls to her death. That is, she disappears and her conscious
intelligence is absorbed by the first chakra, represented by Sahadeva.
He then trips, and ts absorbed by Nakula, the second chakra, who
then disappears and is absorbed by Arjuna, the third brother. Arjuna
is then absorbed by Bhima in the heart, who in turn is absorbed into
the chakra of the throat, represented by Yudhishthira.

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Yudhishthira alone finally reaches the gates of Heaven. He is

about to enter when he is told that his lonely dog must stay behind.
The wisest of all the brothers, Yudhisthira points out this dog has
been loyal and faithful all this time, so how can he leave it behind?
Without his boon companion, he will refuse Heaven. At that
moment, the dog suddenly transforms into Vishnu himself! “I was
there with you all along,” Vishnu explains. Hand in hand,
Yudhishthira and Vishnu then walk into Heaven.

There Is No Death

The dog that travels all the way into Heaven with the Pandava
brothers represents the ego. Many traditions attempt to determine
how to kill the ego, but this is a gross misunderstanding. The goal is
to reduce the clamorous voice of the ego, yet man definitely needs it
in order to operate in this material world.

In this beautiful moment before the gates of Heaven, the

Mahabharata is revealing to us that the spark of consciousness that
enables the ego comes from God Himself. The ego does not die, but
is transformed into the Divine.

This walking into Heaven ts actually the transformation of

consciousness during the Roll-Up of your own individual intelligence!
Over two thousand years ago the Ramayana was written by sage
Valmiki, describing the Roll-Up into the heart. Then a few hundred
years later, the Mahabharata gave a more complete picture of the
Roll-Up all the way into the brain!

The monkey mind of your left-brain consciousness reaches

through the six chakras to grasp the world outside of you. Thus, it
becomes attached to its worries, and so becomes trapped. This is
natural and necessary for life; however, the yogi seeks to retrace his
steps back into the deep brain. By the Low-Idle-State and OM Japa in
the chakras, he causes the Consciousness to Roll-Up back into the
brain.

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I have a fantastic student who began accessing Samadhi on a

regular basis. We sat down to discuss his first Union to confirm he
was actually entering a Non-Dual state. Sure enough, he was losing
awareness of his body, his breath, and his energetic body, resting
completely in pure Expanded Awareness.

As he was describing his state, he said something very interesting:

“And then I died,” he said. 1 stopped him there. “When you were in
Non-Dual Awareness, did you fall asleep?” I asked. “Oh no!” he said.
“T was more aware than ever! It was a heightened awareness!’ Okay,
so if your awareness was still there, what died? He became very quiet
as he realized the disparity. Then, he emerged with the truth of the
matter: “The words died,” he said finally. Oh, my goodness! I
couldn’t have been more proud! He was exactly right! The left talking
mind, the word mind, takes a break as the yogi becomes only pure
Awareness in the Non-Dual state of the right brain.

Renunciation Riddle

Many spiritualists are very focused on being detached from

everything: don’t be ambitious, don’t go seeking anything, don’t
strive for anything. In this regard I once had a dear teacher tell me
something very meaningful. He said what | want for you is to have
your heart’s desire, because then you will be free! He told me that
most of his very wealthy friends didn’t even desire to spend money
anymore.

I thought that was so interesting, because in the Purushas | found

some wonderful reverse psychology. This scripture states that there
are two ways to nonattachment: either you must own nothing, or you
must own everything. Everyone knows about renouncing everything,
but have you ever tried pretending that you own everything? That
you own the whole world? Try that out for a week and see what it
does to you.

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The Buddhists believe in letting go of every spiritual experience, in

order to avoid becoming overly attached and thereby retard progress.
There is truth in that perspective, especially since the attitude “I have
to have this!” comes from the left brain. Just like the bird who stares
at the seed, this kind of preoccupation is left-brain dominant.

Try this experiment. Think of something that you desperately

want. Hold that feeling inside. Now practice Hakalau. What
happened to the feeling? As you touched the right brain, you lost
your preoccupation, didn’t your If you keep doing this with the
things you want, they will begin to feel as if they are already yours.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soeveryedestre,

when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
andye shall have them. - Mark 11:24

Buddhists discourage craving any spiritual experience, and

certainly ve said the same many times about energy and kundalini.
However, for the most part, when | have a student tell me he wants
to have a certain experience, | show him how to go and get it. In my
tole as a meditation technician, I am prone to assist in these efforts.
Once the student achieves what he wants, there is a gradual peace
that enters him, and he stops worrying so much. As the process
unfolds, he begins to trust it. When that grace and trust begin, 1 know
he has actually found his way.

If astudent came to Lahiri Mahasaya and told him, “Sir! ’'m going
for a pilgrimage to so-and-so spiritual temple!” he would reply, “No!
Go home and practice Kriya! The pilgrimage is inside, not outside!”

This same wisdom applies to renunciation, which Lahiri Mahasaya

described as an internal process that automatically occurs as the yogi
withdraws on the way inside. This confirms that the Gita chapter
about renunciation has nothing to do with donning a monk’s robe,
but rather has everything to do with the natural unfoldment of your
practice. It’s good to be balanced in your life, of course, but outward
renunciation often only fuels the spiritual ego.

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The best thing you can do, perhaps, is to think of your ego as a
necessary mask. The mask helps you to interact with the world
around you each day. Without the mask it’s very difficult to operate,
difficult to talk and communicate. For instance, you can’t drive a car
without a mask. So, the yogi keeps his ego mask as clean and simple
as possible, calls on the Higher Self whenever he can, and over time
begins to dip into the very Sea of Oneness.

When a yogi is overly worried about appearing spiritual, he is

attempting to fashion a spiritual-looking mask. Some of this is only
natural: while cleaning your mask, why not decorate it in a spiritual
manner? The yogi does this because he enjoys spirituality, and it’s
very important to him, so he puts a little spiritual decoration on his
mask. But if all my endeavors are to make the mask look spiritual,
then I’m only building the mask rather than the efficacy of my
practice. The yogi on the right path stops worrying so much about
appearances — there is no more need as the inner world opens up to
him. Most often, he can just appear to be totally ordinary. There is a
beauty and simplicity in that.

Real renunciation happens in the Roll-Up of Consciousness. By

practicing Om Japa while in the Low-Idle-State, the monkey mind
releases its attachment in each chakra, allowing the consciousness to
retreat naturally back into the brain. Letting go of the limbs of the
Aswattha tree, you will fall (upwards) back into your roots — no
pushing or forcing is ever necessary.

The One in Many

| have to warn you that at times I’m a little loose with my names for
the Higher Self. Perhaps this is because I’ve begun to feel that
fos °

Presence everywhere. Let me share a humorous story about this to

illustrate.

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A Yogi Brahmin is traveling to a very large spiritual gathering.

Along the way, he must pass through a particularly deep portion of
the mighty Ganga River. He stands at the side of the river, and
contemplates the scary depths of the rushing waters. As he waits, a
Muslim passes by and calls out, “Allahu akbar!” and swims across the
river!

The Brahmin is now sure he can give it a try. He calls out, “Om
Nama Shivaya!” since the flowing Ganga is said to be the locks of
Shiva. Then, as he is swimming out, he considers that Shiva might be
a bit busy these days, and so his son, Ganesh, the remover of
obstacles, might be a better choice. He transfers his focus and calls
out, “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha!”

Soon the swirling waters engulf the Brahmin and he finds himself
in Heaven. He asks Ganesh and Lord Shiva what happened? Shiva
explains that he was ready to assist him until he called on his son.
Ganesh was certain Shiva would take care of him, and didn’t want to
interfere with his father’s devotee.

The moral of the story? This dear Brahmin was committing a

philosophical error. Every form of the Divine is but a window into
the consciousness of the One. If you can realize that, then no
number of names can ever confuse you.

Truth about Kundalini

There is so much talk about kundalini energy, and not nearly enough
talk about the expansion of consciousness. Kundalini is our own
subconscious intelligence tied to the six chakra projections. Released
from these attachment points, it slowly rises back home towards the
brain.

When the yogi slows down the body in the Low-Idle-State, it

reflects back on the mind, and he begins to enter into the realm of
the slower subconscious brainwaves. This is the slowing down
portion of the meditative process. In this state, what was once low

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and below the surface becomes more and mote easily perceptible to
the yogi. As the subconscious directs the housekeeping of the body
through the five Vital Airs, the yogi feels these movements
internally.

Samana

Vyana

Apana

The yogi might feel the up and down movement of prana rising
and apana descending. He might feel the barrier of samana, the
trickling of vyana, or the swirling of udana. All of these are
subconscious meta programs for maintenance and housekeeping of
the body, which goes on day and night below the surface.

Kundalini and Consciousness

As the yogi uses the Low-Idle-State, and practices OM Japa in each

of the six chakras, he may notice that energy jumps up his spine.
What was locked below will suddenly release and flow upwards. He
may feel this release as a trickle, or as a great rush of energy upward
towards the brain. This is the Kundalini awakening that many yogis
talk about. It will feel like an upward flow of energy, but the energy 1s
not the real point. The true significance is what happens to yout
consciousness, which goes along for the ride.

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You may feel your sense of self rise into the region of your heart.
As you do, you may feel a great rush of freedom, love, and expansion
in the heart. Suddenly, just like the lover, you have no more troubles
or worties — you are now above the three lower chakras, and have
risen beyond your old troubles.

You may feel your energy and sense of self rise into the wisdom
of your throat chakra, or into the knowingness of your medulla or
ajna chakra. You may even feel yourself rise to the top of your head.
Many yogis report feeling the top of the head suddenly opening and
expanding. All of this falls within the realm of what is normally called
“a Kundalini awakening.” The key importance of this event is your
consciousness has now arisen, and has begun the life-changing
process of Expansion!

Five Koshas Prove the Point

Yoga philosophy posits that five different sheaths cover the human
soul. This makes more sense if you consider that you have a body,
your conscious mind fits within it, and your emotional system exists
within your mind. Inside of that sits the highest pull of nobility and
inspiration within you — your soul.

Five Koshas or Sheaths

1. Annamaya Kosha - Physical Sheath
2. Manomaya Kosha - Conscious Mind Sheath
3, Pranamaya Kosha - Energetic and Subconscious Sheath
4. Vijnanamaya Kosha - Wisdom and Higher Intelligence
Sheath
5. Anandamaya Kosha - Bliss Sheath

You can easily visualize yourself as a system of Russian Nesting

Dolls, with each layer revealing a deeper core process. The yogis say
the physical sheath covets the conscious mind sheath. The conscious
mind in turn covers the energetic (vital airs) and subconscious sheath.
This energy sheath covers the higher intelligence sheath. The wisdom
sheath covers the bliss sheath. Inside all of these sits the soul.

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Imagine that inside all of these layers sits the Non-Dual state, the
core of your core. Kundalini can flow through all of these, yet its
resting point is above the Anandamaya Kosha, before the Non-Dual.
This is the proper home of Kundalini, and why she is often referred
to as MA shakti, or the power of the mothering nature of the Divine
within you.

In this yogic progression, we see that the energy sheath is located

right after the talking mind sheath. This demonstrates that it is a huge
misunderstanding to lump Kundalini in the realm of simple energy.
Kundalini belongs in the realm after the bliss sheath, and before
Oneness. Kundalini directly translates as power and intelligence — in
this case, the subconscious intelligence, which is only made possible
and directed by the Higher Self. Or, in yogic terms, Kundalini is the
loving consort of the One.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Yogic Theory and Koshas

Understanding the five koshas, it also becomes apparent why the

Kriya Yogi repeatedly directs himself towards the culttvation of bliss,
since the bliss sheath sits right before the Non-Dual state. In pointing
yourself to bliss, you will always be facing the right direction. This is
the genius of the Kriya Yoga Bliss Program.

Three Essentials

We have now fully reviewed what I call the Three Essentials. This 1s
everything that Kriya Yoga would like to give to the meditator in
terms of depth and skill.

After studying with Ashokji for years, | finally received the

seventh and last of the higher Kriya techniques. When he finished the
teaching, he turned to me and said, “Now do whichever of the Kriya
techniques that draws you the most powerfully into the medulla.”

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In that instant, my skin filled with goosebumps, my hair stood on

end, and I about fell to my knees. I realized Ashokji had given me the
final clue. All of the Kriya techniques had the same purpose: to cause
a powerful Roll-Up of Consciousness into the brain while in the
Freeze Response and the Tranquil Breath.

Three Essentials
1. Tranquil Breath
ae, reeze Response
3. Roll-Up of Consciousness

Accomplishing these Three Essentials promotes you to Level Two

of Meditation Mastery. This second level is everything that the Kriya
program is trying to give to you. The only part left in the equation is
for you to Let Go and Surrender, jumping into the domain of the
right brain, and into the Expansion of the Right Hippocampus.

On the Edge of the Right Brain

The ultimate goal for every action of the Kriya Yogi is to arrive at
this exalted state, when the consciousness ascends back into the
medulla and brain. At this moment, the war of Kurukshetra has
ended! By choosing the path of the Dorsal Vagal Complex, you will
win this war. Interiorizing completely, thereby gaining clarity, you will
sit on the edge of your body.

It’s as if your entire story, the processes of your left brain, your
life, your body, 1s a cliff, and you have come to stand on the edge of
this cliff ready to jump... into what? Ready to jump into the Divine
Expanse!

All of the doing of yoga has now been completed. The skill of
Interiorization, which ts Pratyahara, has been achieved, as well as the
clarity of Dharana. You never cleared your mind — the
Parasympathetic program did it for you! You have risen through the
chakras, and now stand at the edge of body identification, at the edge
ot the left brain.

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The Awesome Corpus Callosum or Spiritual Eye

As you move your identification from the left-brain processes to the

right brain, you will begin to travel more and more through the
Corpus Callosum, which is the massive connective tissue between
your two brain hemispheres.

I already mentioned that the right brain retains all of the meaning
of your life. You can test this out for yourself with a poem, or a
sunset. Stare at the gorgeous sunset as the air comes alive with fire
and ice! Take in the whole panorama, and hold onto it as long as you
can. Notice how the inspiration and meaning of the moment floods
through you!

After a little while, your left brain will attempt to assert its
dominance, and begin to pin words on the things you see.
Remember, the left brain divides the world into labels and parts for
quick storage. As it does this, watch as the special meaning of the
moment automatically dwindles.

Read your favorite poem, and take in the whole meaning and
spirit of it. Hold it in your heart, and revel in the depth of feeling that
it inspires. Now, start to pull it apart. In which word is the meaning
hidden? How did you arrive at the state you just held? What was the
magic word combination that gave you hope or inspiration? The
more you pry, the less you will find, since meaning is the domain of
the right brain.

Not only meaning and expansion, the right brain also holds all
your mental pictures. To have a picture, you must have light, and the
Right Hippocampus holds the actual light of your brain! Think about
that, my dear spiritual seeker. The right brain is the light brain.

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As you near and begin to touch the source of light in the

Guardian Angel of the right brain, and pass through the connective
tissue of the Corpus Callosum, it is my theory that you are actually
glimpsing a shadow of this light in the tunnel-like hallway of the
Corpus Callosum. This forms the ring-like vision of the circular
spiritual eye. It can appear as a white or golden circle. You might see
only part of this circle, making it look like a half-moon. You may see
the blueish or indigo center. Or it may appear simply as a dark cave
in the center of your vision. All of these are possible, and all come
from touching on the right brain of light.

Download Phase

Ashokji told me, “Go up into the medulla and Google God.” Now
that you have Rolled-Up into the brain, you are at the feet of your
Inner Guru, and on the edge of the right brain. The left brain is a
linear processor — extremely slow and methodical. The right brain is a
multiprocessor — it sees and accesses everything at once, making
lightning connections that the left brain could not even begin to
track.

Rolled-Up, on the edge of the Right Hippocampus, you begin to

receive the answers to whatever you have held in your heart.
Whatever questions you have, whatever answers to the deep riddles
of lite you have wanted to know, will begin to be revealed to you.
The revelation may come in a symbolic vision, or in a flash of insight,
or as a simple sense of knowing. All of this is a result of the
beginning of deep contact with the right brain.

Even from a neurotheologic view, it makes perfect sense that this

would happen to the yogi. Coming into the silence of meditation,
which we know is the domain of the right brain, we realize a deeper
access to the multiprocessor of the right hemisphere, well beyond the
left-brain linear processor. What could not be answered through the
lethargic lett brain is instantly connected with the pictorial vision of
the right!

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, The Download Phase

 MASTERING MEDITATION

Three Essentials + Expansion = Level Two Mastery

By completing the Three Essentials, you have realized the purpose of

the war of Kurukshetra. The inner battle between the three nervous
systems is over, and you have progressed even further. Just like the
Pandava brothers, you have walked your way to the gates of Heaven!

Having the deep Freeze Response, the Tranquil Breath, and the
Roll-Up of Consciousness, you have everything that Kriya Yoga
wants to give to the seeker. Now you have only one mote task to
accomplish.

Remember the experience of being in the box? I was Rolled-Up

into the brain, and my only remaining sensation was the small
perception of residing within the skull. Ashokji told me to let go of
even this, and expand in every direction. Expand!

The Three Essentials, plus letting go and inducing Expansion, is

the sacred pathway into the states of Absorption and Samadhi.
Chapter 10
HUNA PATHWAY
Mach like the dissemination of yogic techniques, the Kahuna of
Hawaii have been passing down their shamanistic learnings for
generations. Their ancient stories tell of a world transmigration from
island to island. From what age do they actually come? Huna means
secret, and the Kahuna were the holders of the secret.

In studying Japanese martial systems, the lessons were also deeply

codified, and the training often rigid. When many of my teachers and
friends started taking lessons from Systema, which is wonderfully
intuitive and subconsciously oriented, suddenly all of the rigid
learning fell into place.

Pve seen the same self-discovery take place in students who have
studied a rigid Kriya system for many years. I always recommend that
they also explore Huna writings, which are refreshingly intuitive and
flowing. Through their study and application, all of their unyielding
training falls into place when combined with the freedom of intuitive
flow.

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychology, suggested that there are

three main parts to the individual. Lowest is the Id, home of all our
instinctual cravings and needs. Then comes the Ego, the house of
arbitration and compromise. Third, he described a Super-Ego, the
house of all our high ideals and inspirations.

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Freud’s System
is Super-Ego
2. Ego
sige tis!

Initially, Freud was a mentor and father figure to Carl Jung, and
the two had a close personal and professional relationship. However,
over time, differences in their theoretical perspectives and personal
disagreements led to a significant rift between them. Jung would
describe these same three levels in his own way.

Jung’s System
1. Superconscious
2. Conscious
3. Subconscious

More than a thousand years before this dawn of Western

psychology, the Kahuna taught that your body is a house with
multiple spirits living inside. They would use the totem pole as a way
to describe the relationships between these separate selves. Flying up
above is the Aumakua or Higher Self, often represented with wings,
which sees your life as a whole from up above. In the middle is the
Uhane, the talking Middle Self of the conscious mind. Down below is
the Unihipili, the veiled Lower Self, representing the subconscious.

Kahuna System
1. Aumakua, the Higher Self
2. Uhane, the talking Middle Self
3. Unihipili, the veiled Lower Self

The Kahuna say that the Higher Self is your “utterly trustworthy
parental figure.” In the West you might refer to this as your Guardian
Angel: the One that looks after you continuously, guides your life,
and is the source of all your higher inspirations and wisdom.

The Middle Selfis perfectly described as the voice in your head.

This is your talking self, which will be better understood when we get
into exploring the left and right brain.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

The Lower Self is veiled. You are not usually aware of the
constant housekeeping of the subconscious mind, which is busy in
sleep, breathing your breath, digesting your food, monitoring your
immune system, pumping the heart, and keeping all things flowing
correctly.

I bring all of this up for two reasons. First, we need a working

knowledge of these three minds in meditation. Second, of all the
spiritual and meditative systems I’ve ever studied, the Kahuna have
the most amazing map of how these systems fit together, and how
they operate. 1 want to reveal that pathway to you, beginning with
this little sacred totem that I found in Nicaragua, perfectly
demonstrating the three selves.

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Many beginning meditators are under the erroneous notion that

they can think their way into the Higher Self, the superconscious
mind. However, the Kahuna tell us this is definitely not the case. To
get a message to the Higher Self, we must first send it to the Lower
Self, to the subconscious, which then sends it to the Higher Self,

Sending a Message

The subconscious is extremely valuable, yet it is simple like a child.

To get a message to pass through the subconscious, it must be simple
and straightforward in nature. It cannot be endlessly convoluted, as
the conscious mind often likes to formulate things. In trying this
exercise, boil down your request to something very easy to grasp. If
you have a simple question or request of the Higher Self, this is
perfect. Make sure you state it as easily and honestly as possible.
Then send that message to the Lower Self to give to the Higher Self.

Each night right before you go to sleep, ask your question to the
Higher Self. Look to the Higher Self as you would to a trustworthy,
loving parent. Some ideas for possible messages:

Higher Self, bless me and my family.

Higher Self, protect me during these days.
Higher Self, give me understanding about this.
Higher Self, what will happen with this part of my life?
Higher Self, guide me to go deep in meditation.

Whatever your request, do this every night right before you sleep.
In sleep, the Lower Self will pass the message to the Higher Self. The
Higher Self will then send the answer back through the Lower Self.

When you get your answer from the Higher Self, it will come to
you in a dream which is more than a dream. When it feels different to
vou, that is your answer. Or, you may wake up and suddenly know
dee answer. Or, you may be walking down the street, someone will
turn and say something out of the blue, and you will suddenly realize
that is your answer.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

This is how the ancient Kahuna would begin to learn how to

communicate with the Higher Self through the Lower Self. In your
meditative journey, you will take the process even farther.

Search Video: Forrest Knutson, Teaching Dream Process

As you explore spiritual systems and traditions from around the

world, you can see that most were formed around a singular event. In
each case the Higher Self was successful in breaking through to give
one message to the Lower Self, and then the Middle Self. You might
have a friend or brother who likewise received a breakthrough
message that saved his life, and now defines his life.

If you watch twenty Near Death Experience videos, you'll see

how one transformative experience can define the rest of a person’s
life. In shamanic traditions, such as our Native Americans, each
young man would embark on a vision quest. The message he received
would become a part of his name, and define him for the rest of his
life. This is the beginning of spirituality. That one reflection of the
Higher Self becomes everything to the Middle Self.

This is a message from the Higher Self, sent into the still waters of
the Lower Self, reflecting back to the Middle Self, exactly the
pathway shown above. If the Higher Self is the moon, the still waters
of the pool are the subconscious, which reflect the picture of the
moon back to the beholder, the conscious mind of the Middle Self.

Three Levels of Spiritual Experience

This reflection of the Higher Self is the beginning of spiritual

experience. Perhaps friends or family members may have shared with
you their own experiences that awakened their understanding and
transformed their lives. Now that you have been meditating, you may
notice these reflections begin to poke through now and then.
However, as you continue to merge with the subconscious behind
the scenes, a new level will appear,

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Three Levels of Spiritual Experience

1. Reflection of the Higher Self
2. Subconscious Union
3. Superconscious Union

In the next deeper level, by entering into the Low-Idle-State, the

yogi slows down his physical body, which also slows down his mind.
This brings the slower brainwaves online, and they will begin to
coexist with the conscious brainwaves. With a little time, the yori
begins to feel his oneness with these subconscious brainwaves as
well. The movement of energy is felt within the body, and emotions
and memories are easily explored. This integration with the
subconscious means for the meditator that he has become a part of
the reflecting pool.

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face,

as a man speaketh unto his friend.
- Exodus 33:11

This line about Moses haunts me. It is such a beautiful and clear
description of this process. The holy men said of Moses that he was
completely different from the prophets that came before him. This is
exactly right. He had entered into the second level, and had cleared
out his subconscious, allowing him to merge with it in this deeper
state.

In merging with the subconscious, what was once a reflection

becomes direct. The yogi cannot look directly into the face of the
Higher Self from the conscious mind. But once merged with the
subconscious brainwaves, the yogi then turns and for the first time
directly looks into the face of the Divine. He has become part of the
reflecting pool, and from the pool he looks directly into the moon.

This is perhaps one of the most profound Downloads | have ever

received, and it is a joy to share this with you today. I’ve mentioned it
before, but I have never been able to explain it as thoroughly as this.

WAN
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In the third level, the yogi gains more and more access to the deep
brain, and begins to enter into the realm of Bliss and Expansion. He
not only experiences this higher octave, but merges with it. He not
only feels Bliss and Expansion, but merges directly into them, and
realizes the sense of knowing that comes with that. First, the yogi will
reflect the moon once in a great while. Second, he will look directly
into the moon, once he has merged with the stillness of the pool.
Third, he will merge with the moon itself, becoming one with the
moon.

In the first level, the yogi begins to reflect knowing (wisdom) and
inspiration. This is the point when a creator seeks to find inspiration
for a project, and he looks to tap into the original source within.

In the second level, what was once a simple reflection often

becomes a flood. What was barely understood becomes easily seen.
This is the Download Phase, and any question may be asked of the
Higher Self for more revelation.

In the third level, the yogi practices merging over and over again
into the Non-Dual state. This access to the deep brain becomes more
and more continuously available. This is the state of a Christ and a
Krishna. The yogi is not reflecting the light, nor only seeing the light,
but is actively manifesting the light of the Higher Self.

By entering the Low-Idle-State and cleaning the way, the yogi

repeatedly induces both Bliss and Expansion in the slow silence. By
merging with the subconscious, he can begin to look up and catch a
glimpse of the Infinite Bliss at any time. Finally, clearing every
obstacle, surrendering identification with the left brain, he begins to
rise even more into Oneness.

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Four Phases

After a thousand trials and errors with occasional sprinkles of

success, | was finally figuring out that I had to let go. I started to
realize that the yogi first goes through the material meditations of
Kriya Yoga, then advances into the immaterial meditations of pure
Bliss and Expansion, and finally enters into the pure awareness of
being in Expansion in the Non-Dual state. Added together with your
outward life, this creates four phases.

1. Winning the war of life

2. Winning the war of Kurukshetra
3. Walking into Heaven
4. The Non-Dual state

After staying with me so far in this journey, the above conclusion

might seem completely obvious, yet at the time it was quite a
revelation for me. At a certain point I had to let go of the material
techniques which were so stressed in every tradition that I was
taught, and begin using immaterial techniques to induce the deep
brain. I can’t even begin to explain what this did to my meditative
progress!

Eight Jhanas

To help you understand this transition from the material to the

immaterial, | want to call on the exemplary Buddhists and their
material and immaterial jhanas, or meditation levels. These levels
represent a deconstructive, or peeling back process of the mind.

Material Jhanas
First Jhana: Piti — the rapture born of seclusion
Second Jhana: Sukha — the comfort born of seclusion
Third Jhana: Ekaggata — tranquility of mind
Fourth Jhana: Upekkha — Equanimity
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First, you begin with the material meditation of the breath. This is
your HRV Resonant practice. Control the breath for a little while to
induce Resonance, then let go and enjoy. The Buddha said to watch
the effects of this practice on your body, which prompts you to pay
attention to the Four Proofs. In these proofs, you are enjoying the
experience of your own Parasympathetic response. Out of this, the
rapture and comfort of the first and second jhana are born: the
natural joy and comfort of the mind beginning to turn away from the
noisy outside world.

In the third jhana, the initial active joy subsides, and only the
comfort and clarity of the mind remains. Remaining in this tranquility
and clarity of mind, the fourth jhana of Equanimity arises. In this
state, the clarity of mind has become stable, as the Freeze Response
continues its work of washing away the outward sense mind.

Knowledge isn't free.

You have to pay attention.
- Richard P. Feynman

The Buddhists say these material jhanas will allow you to gain
“access concentration.” As a teacher, I dislike using the word
concentration, because it usually is associated with strain. If you
strain, you are using the left brain, and the Sympathetic system. This
is totally wrong, as you well know by now. This access they are
talking about is the automatic clearing and clarity of the mind that
takes place as the Low-Idle-State reflects back on the mind. It’s a
magical process, isn’t it? It isn’t forced, or constructed, but rather is
slowly revealed from within.

The next result for you may be a vision of light. As you enter
Resonance and enjoy the Parasympathetic response, and the mind
automatically clears, you get more in touch with the silence of the
right brain. As a result, you may spontaneously have a vision of light.
The holder of light in the right brain, the Right Hippocampus, will
cast its shadow of light through the circular tube of connective tissue
in the Corpus Callosum.

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Immaterial Jhanas
Fifth Jhana: Infinite Spaciousness
Sixth Jhana: Infinite Intelligence
Seventh Jhana: Infinite Nothingness
Eighth Jhana: Neither perception nor non-perception

Buddhists tell us that the immaterial jhanas represent the next

phase. As you keep on with the Parasympathetic program, you enter
into the domino effect. You begin to encounter the Tranquil Breath,
Freeze Response, and the subtle Roll-Up of Consciousness into the
heart, then the throat, then the medulla, then the top of the head.

As the Tranquil Breath deepens, there’s no more breath to follow!

It doesn’t disappear entirely, of course, but it becomes too long to
notice. The Freeze Response also deepens, and there’s no more
biofeedback to track! The Roll-Up pulls you upwards towards the sun
of the brain, and there are no more troubles to weigh you down to
the earthly story of your life. Now, it’s time to put your mind on the
Infinite. It’s time to embrace the immaterial!

Buddhists list four levels of the immaterial, which mirror the

yogi’s progress as he dives deeper into the pure contemplation state
of meditation. That is, he descends more and more into the right
brain, and steps away from the left-brain processes.

As the left brain retreats, and the right brain processes are
perceived, an automatic spaciousness may be touched by the mind.
This may prompt the Buddhist meditator to practice loving kindness
within the six directions of spaciousness he senses. By focusing on
spreading loving kindness from his center to the left, right, front,
back, up, and down, he magnifies his expansive feeling and further
induces spaciousness.
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This spaciousness will increase his contact with the right brain,
which may begin to dissolve at the edges, as if it is a layer of an
onion. Behind the spaciousness, an infinite intelligence may be
perceived. Levels of angel like intelligence may arise and fall away
within the intuitive perception of the meditator. All of these are the
beginnings of the One Cosmic Intelligence that the yogi begins to
touch as he passes deeper and deeper into the perception of the right
brain.

This perception of intelligence everywhere, awakens more of the

right brain, and gaps of nothingness to begin to appear. He may
encounter a gap of darkness or a gap of light. This indicates that he is
entering into the next layer, past pure intelligence, into the
contemplation of nothingness.

Eventually, the practitioner’s mind will tire of repeatedly

attempting the immaterial meditation of radiating loving kindness.
His mind will shrink from all tasks, and will fall back to its center.
When this happens, the higher mind, which has been mostly freed
from material distractions, will take itself as the object. The buddhi
mind contemplates itself, and this is what is meant by “neither
perception, nor nonperception.”

The Buddhists say that this stage of “neither perception, nor

nonperception” is very dreamlike. The yogi may witness the rising
and falling of partial thoughts in the subconscious; if these were fully
formed thoughts, then this would be perception. Since they are not
fully formed, they are dreamlike, and misty as clouds rising and
falling.

If the yogi can stay in this center, neither grasping nor averting
from these subconscious formations, nor becoming too interested or
too dull, then he will pass through this subconscious gauntlet, and
into the heightened realm of the Superconscious mind. If he passes
far enough, then he will leave the entire subconscious behind, and
enter into a Samadhi Union.

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All of these levels of immaterial perception take place in the

contemplative sphere of Dhyana, before achieving a Union state.
Surprisingly, these levels will repeat, and appear in the Samadhi states
as well! First, the yogi may encounter a Union with spaciousness
(space), sometimes witnessing stars as his intuitive perception of
Oneness spreads out into the heavens.

The yogi may then encounter a Union with the vast intelligence of
the universe. The right brain is the holder of all of his knowingness.
By the power of his right brain, he knows the tree is a tree and not
just a label. Sinking deep into identification with the right brain,
suddenly the yogi comes in contact with the Knower of All.

Next, the yogi may encounter a Oneness with nothingness. No

material name is present, and just a dark nothingness spreads in every
direction. ve met a few Buddhists and yogis who weren’t mentally
prepared for this nothingness. After coming to this profound
awareness of Union with the nothing, the seeker would say, “This is
it? All my searching for meaning, and the bottom of the barrel is a
big nothing?!”’ But it’s just one layer, my dear yogis, and a deeper
Union will reveal all the meaning you ever wanted. I’ve found so
much delight in this layer. After years of cleaning up my own
subconscious, and listening to the clamor of the world, the silence
and cleanliness of nothingness is extremely refreshing! There’s
nothing to clean! There’s nothing to do! Here, you can finally rest in
eternal peace.

Then comes “neither perception nor non-perception.” What does

this mean within the sphere of Union? It means that the yogi has
reached a level of the right brain that exists beyond the ways of the
left brain. He is progressing in depth, and he can track this by his loss
of the left-brain processes.

In the first Union level of Samprajnata Samadhi, Patanjali tells us

there is still reasoning and recollection. In my very first Samadhi, |
found myself without a body floating in space, but there was still the
whisper ofa thought, “What is this?” That’s what Patanjali is talking
about — there is Union, but still a whisper of reasoning and
recollection from the left brain.
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Finally, in Asamprajnata Samadhi, the yogi loses even this little bit
of reasoning and recollection. He becomes the Whole in pure
intuitive awareness, without any remnant of the left-brain processes.
There comes a point where there is no perception by the left brain,
even though the yogi is not in sleep, or in a state without perception.
If you enter into a deep state and fall asleep without any perception,
then you would lose this benefit. The yogis call this a Stone Samadhi,
and advise to avoid it.

Buddhists are careful to note that even though the daily, normal,
left-brain processes are lost — “neither perception nor non-
perception” — there is still awareness, just not from the standpoint of
body identification.

Buddhists call these last four jhanas immaterial meditations. When

each is induced by the yogi, such as inducing spaciousness, then this
practice is a meditation. When the yogi actually becomes one with
space in the Non-Dual awareness, then the yogi would say this is a
Union state. .

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Chapter 11
THE GREAT EXPANSION

I spent many years searching for the answer I’m giving to you. My
blind and often hopeless quest began almost as soon as I started
studying meditation. I dared to ask, “But how does this actually
work?” I kept asking everyone, and most of all 1 wanted to unravel
the riddle of the Non-Dual state: “What is the secret of getting into
Samadhi Union?” It was Todd Murphy and lain McGilchrist who
finally confirmed the answer for me.

Ifyou don't become the ocean,

you'll be seasick every day.
- Leonard Cohen

I mentioned earlier that | demonstrate the Enlightenment

Pathway through the brain in my training, Ta/king Wath the Higher Self.
This pathway comes from the pioneering work of Todd Murphy,
drawing from the visionary research of Dr. Michael Persinger. Dr.
Persinger wanted to understand what parts of the brain are used in a
spiritual experience. Volunteers who needed brain surgery were
chosen for the experimentation, since only they could be appropriate
for testing the responses of deep brain formations. | emphasize this
because the amazing process and findings gleaned by Todd Murphy
and Dr. Persinger have yet to be matched anywhere!
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Many will talk about the pineal and the pituitary glands, and for
sure these ate unique and effective enablers. They help to provide
access to the deep brain structures that Dr. Persinger named as
primary in a religious experience. He and his collogues had achieved
this realization by precisely mapping the relevant nerve pathways and
patterns as they passed through the deep brain, which is only
accessible during surgery. Their findings reveal the very same
structures that I’ve been highlighting from the beginning of this
book.

Four Left-Brain Processes

Humans live their days deeply identified with the processes of the left
brain. Following are the four main processes.

Four Main Processes of Left-Brain Identification

1. Words — Left Hippocampus
2. Memory & Time — Left Hippocampus
3. Body Mapping — Left Parietal Lobe
4. Life Hallucination — Left Temporal Lobe

Words — Left Hippocampus

The words and labels of your life help to keep you locked up in the
Left Hippocampus. There is so much information to absorb through
the senses, and to reduce this monstrous load, the Left Hippocampus
is constantly categorizing and dismissing. You might see a tall green
thing, which you label “tree” and dismiss it, not noticing the
delightful bird’s nest with hatchlings hidden within it. You see a
familiar shape with long hair, label it “wife,” and so dismiss it. You
stop looking, and so she asks, “Why didn’t you notice that I got a
haircut, and had my nails done?” It wasn’t exactly your fault! Your
Left Hippocampus ts designed to label and dismiss most of your life,
so how can you notice everything?

Lord Polonius: I’ has do you read, my lord?

Hamlet: Words, words, words.
- William Shakespeare

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Memory & Time — Left Hippocampus

Time is a function of memory, and both memory and time are a

function of the Left Hippocampus. In Time Line Therapy the first
thing I do is elicit the client’s timeline:

“Without thinking, go ahead and point to your past. Don’t think,

just point. If your past was in some direction from where you are
now, go ahead and point to your past. That’s your past.”

“Now, go ahead and point to your future. Don’t think, just point.
You probably know you’re going to shower and brush your teeth
tomorrow and next week. So go ahead and point to those. That’s
your future.”

“These two points form a line, and this is how your Left
Hippocampus makes sense of having a past, present, and future.
Somewhere in your childhood, it started organizing these events, and
you’ve been creating this timeline ever since. Amazing, right?”

This use of memory is what gives you a sense of time passing.

Time, and the feeling of time passing, is a function of the Left
Hippocampus.

Body Mapping — Left Parietal Lobe

The Left Parietal Lobe offers a continual GPS service for your own
body. It scans the body, and then reports back to the left brain
everything which is going on. The Left Parietal Lobe then condenses
this information, making a light map of the body, which it then gives
to the Left Temporal Lobe.

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This interior map of the body is projected through the entire

physical form. When someone loses a finger or limb, for a very long
time he will continue to feel as if a ghost-like version is still there.
This is commonly known as Phantom Limb Pain, and it happens
because of the work of this part of the brain. The Parietal mapping
software isn’t immediately updated, so it continues to project the old
map into the space where the limb used to be. It takes the
subconscious awhile to remap the area and accept that the limb is
gone. Then it will stop its projection process.

Body Hallucination — Left Temporal Lobe

A number of studies performed on the effects of hallucinatory drugs

found that the Left Temporal Lobe was radically engaged by the
users. This also happens to serve as a key part of your brain in
everyday life. This correlation could lead researchers to believe that
you are actually hallucinating your life!

NLP reveals that the flood of information you receive from the
senses is mostly deleted, distorted, and generalized, because the sheer
volume of data is simply too overwhelming. Through the left brain,
the subconscious acts as a filtering system, prioritizing only what is
immediately vital for your continued existence. Whatever is deemed
nonessential is minimized and deleted from your awareness. The
saved information surfaces in the Left Temporal Lobe, which forms
your personal internal movie. This confirms that you are not fully
experiencing your true life, but rather a highly biased version existing
inside of your brain. Suddenly, the ancient admonition that life is a
kind of dream begins to ring true, doesn’t it?

You create your own personal experience of reality

throug! ) Your behefs, expectations, attitudes,
desires, fears, judgements, feelings, and consistent
or persistent thoughts and actions.
- Serge Kahili King
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You therefore do not really live your life, but instead partake in a
self-made hallucination from bits and scraps collected from your five
senses. These are thrown together with your past experiences to form
your personal movie on the screen of the subconscious. This is the
reason why an old friend or family member may live through the
same moment with you, but years later remembers it completely
differently! Each man lives his own separate life within his head.

What happens if the yogi frees himself from one of these left-
brain processes, but not all? Then he will have an amazingly deep
meditation, but not the full Non-Dual awareness. For example, if a
yogi or dreamer has an Out of Body Experience, and he finds himself
floating above his mortal form in a body made of light, then he has
temporarily freed himself from the temporal hallucination of being
stuck in a body. However, he is still operating within the
subconscious projection of the map, which comes from the Parietal
Lobe. The astral body experience is facilitated by this Parietal
mapping projection.

The Enlightenment Pathway

Leaving behind the left-brain processes, we begin to identify more

and more with the right brain. This begins the profound yogic
journey of the Enlightenment Pathway. If you study with Todd
Murphy and Dr. Persinger, they are primarily answering what parts of
the brain are used in any religious experience. The yogi is interested
in one step farther: a very systematic change of state, as his
identification moves from the left to the right brain.

The Enlightenment Pathway

1. Leaving the Left Hippocampus
2. Establishing the Right Hippocampus
3. Passing by the Right Amygdala
4. Connecting to the Left Amygdala
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Left to Right Brain Identification

In the Enlightenment Pathway you are moving from a profound

identification with the Left Hippocampus, the talking self, and the
other three main left-brain processes, into the beginning of
identification with the Right Hippocampus.

You first touch the Right Hippocampus in the silence of your

deep meditations. When you enter the Low-Idle-State, the mind
begins to clear of its own accord. The resultant loss of constant
words lets you slip away from the talkity-talk mind, allowing you to
automatically gravitate towards the silence of the Right
Hippocampus. In this right brain there are no words, but only
profound meanings.

As this experience of getting close to the right brain deepens, the

yogi will also begin to lose time. He will sit to meditate for what he
believes to be just five minutes, only to discover that it lasted three
hours! Conversely, he may feel as if an eternity of peace has passed
by, but a check of the clock reveals it only lasted so many minutes.
Loss of time is a beautiful sign of deep right brain contact.

When the yogi fully identifies with the Right Hippocampus

processes, he then enters into the Non-Dual state of Samadhi Union.

The total number of minds in the Universe is one.

Infact, consciousness ts a singularity phasing within all beings.
- Erwin Schrédinger

Right Amygdala of Fear

Glued onto the Right Hippocampus is the Right Amygdala of fear.

While approaching the state of Union, the yogi may occasionally
encounter some of this fear. This has been shared with me by many
Buddhists, yogis, and out-of-body explorers. I encountered it as well
until | took up the practice of Navi.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Why would the center of fear be glued onto your center of

knowing? Here’s a little thought experiment to help explain. You
have two friends running towards you at the same time. The first
friend needs to tell you that you’ve won a million dollars. The second
friend needs to tell you that a jungle tiger is right behind him, and you
have to run now to save your life. Which friend do you need to hear
first? That’s right, friend number two. Your brain is set up to receive
the bad news first, so you can stay alive long enough to enjoy the
good news that’s on the way! Brilliant, right?

The Kriya Yogi has the awesome benefit of using his daily Navi
insurance policy, and so he quickly jumps over, or never feels, the
encounter with the Right Amygdala of fear. By OM Japa in all of the
six chakras daily, he shrinks not only fear, but also the entire negative
emotional response of the limbic brain.

Left Amygdala of Bliss

Jumping over fear, the yogi races towards the state of Bliss in the Left
Amygdala. The yogis say that the Samadhi is truly correct only if the
yogi engages in pure Expansion, while also experiencing Bliss.

Three Conditions of the Non-Dual state

1. No physical body awareness
2. No breath awareness
3. No energetic or astral body awareness

In the first awareness of Union, the yogi may feel himself without
perception of a body, without perception of his breath, and without
perception of an energetic form. He has become identified with the
hugeness of Expansion. He feels himself in the center of
spaciousness, Of nothingness, or a vast intelligence. In this first
awareness he very often does not feel, or is not yet aware of bliss
simultaneously — he only encounters Expansion. By repeated Union
with this Expansiveness, the yc »91 Clears the channel of the anterior
commissure between the two amygdalae, and the Bliss of the Left
Amygdala bleeds into his Samadhi.
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At this point, the yogi has connected the entire Enlightenment

Pathway. Starting from the Left Hippocampus of the little self, he
moves his identification to the Right Hippocampus of Expansiveness
and Knowing. The Right Amygdala of fear is cleared, and the Bliss of
the Left Amygdala begins to shine through. In this Samadhi state, the
yogi is left with only Expansion and Bliss.

In this Union state, there is no obstacle — all obstacles have been

left behind. So, when the yogi once again encounters Bliss, it will be
the most crystal-clear high Bliss of the Divine he has ever been aware
of. Because there is nothing now to block or filter the Bliss as before,
he finally merges with Bliss in its pure original form.

To a mind that is still,

the whole universe surrenders.
-lao’ Tzu

NLP and Enlightenment

The following is a Download I received one morning before falling

into a Samadhi. I’d been asking my Higher Self how to integrate my
understanding of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. NLP
suggests that each of us is living a personal movie inside of our head,
based on a little bit of sensory data that we get from our five senses.
How does that fit with the right brain which is looking after us
continuously? What does that look like? The answer came like a
lightning strike, and | immediately knew the meaning of the vision
given.

Do you remember the scene in the first Star Wars movie when
Luke Skywalker first boards the Millennial Falcon? Chewie is playing
chess with R2D2, using a wonderful hologram, and all the strange
pieces are jumping across the board in 3D. This is the kind of
holographic image | received.
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sav

rece
aA ayaa

You are the avatar in the center of the holographic video game
board, and the point of reference for your left brain is INSTDE that
little avatar. All of the sense information that proceeds through your
subconscious is fed into the perspective of this little tiny body in the
center of the hologram, which is you in the center of your personal
universe!

The right brain, your Guardian Angel, the utterly trustworthy

parental figure of the Higher Self, receives all of the sensory data
contained within the hologram, and hovers OUTSIDE of the game
board, taking in the entirety of your world AT ONCE. This is why
yogis will say that your spiritual eye contains a 360-degree view of
your life. Likewise, in a Near Death Experience, the dying person will
witness his entire life from this grand circular view. The right brain
takes in everything all at once, in pure multiprocessor fashion. It sees
all, knows all, and identifies with All as the Whole.
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1. Avatar - your left brain witnesses everything from inside the

little man in the center of the holographic game board of
yout life.
2. Higher Self - your right brain witnesses your whole life as
One from the outside of the board; seeing all, knowing all,
identifying with all.

The movie which forms inside the brain, projected from your
sensory data, isn’t a movie screen, but rather a holographic image,
containing two separate and very distinct points of view. The left
brain operates from the center of the image, while the right brain
operates from everywhere simultaneously. I wish I could have shared
this with Tad James before he passed away — he would have loved it!

Perhaps just as profound, we all intuitively know the above is true.

If you ask, “Where is God?” almost everyone looks up or points up.
This is the right answer, because they are all pointing to the
perspective of the Whole through the window of the right brain.
Where do the Kahuna say that the Higher Selfisviewing us? From
above, on the wings of the totem pole.

Your whole life 1s inside your mind.

Your mind ts the prism that refracts the entire universe.
Everything around you and within you comes from your mind.
- Frederick Lenz

The Three Knots of Lahiri Mahasaya

As you Roll-Up the spinal highway and induce this great

Expansiveness, you begin to exit from your preoccupation with the
four main left-brain processes. As you do, you are unwinding your
bound consciousness which was identified there, and the yogi may
experience this as an untying of knots. These sensations of unraveling
knots are projected down into the body, just like the chakras. Lahiri
Mahasaya repeatedly spoke of these sensations to his students, since
they provide valuable signposts along the way of leaving behind body
identification.

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Three Knots
1. Magnetic Sensation at the Spiritual Eye
2. Opening of the Heart and Internal Feeling
3. Spiral-Like Sensation in the Coccyx

Some yogis confuse these signs with the yogic granthis, or psychic
knots. Those knots are referring to when your consciousness Rolls-
Up part way along the spinal highway, but doesn’t make it all the way
back to the brain. This is totally natural, and not to be worried about.
A little longer with the Freeze Response, a little longer with the OM
Japa in the chakras, and you will find yourself all the way to the
brain.

In Lahiri Mahasaya’s Three Knot system, first the yogi will feel a
pull or magnetic sensation from the area around his spiritual eye. This
is the charge of the Corpus Callosum, and the sensation between the
hemispheres is being projected out to the front of the face. It can
also be felt in the crown at the top of the head, or in the bindu at the
back of the head. Because the Kriya Yogi spends much time with his
medulla, he may also feel the sensation there (which is very healthy).
Notice that all of these locations lie directly in line with the split
down the center of the brain, where the Corpus Callosum connective
tissue is located. This sensation is most healthy when experienced in
the medulla or in the crown.

Second, the yogi will suddenly become more sensitive to

everything inside himself. This is an opening of his heart, causing
new feelings and perceptions within his body. This occurs as he
becomes more aware of and merges with his subconscious
brainwaves, allowing him to feel the subconscious housekeeping
movements as they pass through his form.

Finally, the yogi may also experience a spiral-like sensation at the

base of his spine. This can also be seen or felt within the spiritual eye,
or within the whole room. This provides the yogi with a final sign
that he is beginning to exit his left brain, before receiving sensations
of Absorption, and then merging in a Samadhi.

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One evening while living in the ashram, I returned to my room,

dead tired. Before sleeping, I resolved to perform at least six Kriyas. 1
began to engage in the technique, but my fatigue caused me to forget
to do the Kriya! Instead, I was simply watching my breath, and the
bliss I began to feel eliminated my desire to return to the Kriya
technique. My breathing slowed to the lowest rate of the Tranquil
Breath, and I completely lost awareness of my breath. At that
moment it felt as if my whole world began to spin! The feeling was so
strong that I opened my eyes to see what was going on! I expected
the world to be spinning like a top! However, there was no outward
sion of any spinning, and as I came back to myself, the internal
feeling slowed and stopped. | sat there for a long time wondering
what had just happened to me! It would take me years to learn about
Lahiri Baba’s Three Knots.

This experience also taught me another valuable lesson. In

attempting to meditate while I was dead tired, I was able to apply a
Yoga Nidra (sleep yoga) technique. This enabled my quick access to
the slower brainwaves, allowing me to exit from my left-brain
preoccupation.

The Yoga Nidra Experiment

After the memorable evening mentioned above, | started to play with

the Yoga Nidra progression in my daily meditation routine, in order
to learn what might happen.

First, before I fell asleep each night, 1 would tell myself to awaken
five or ten minutes before my alarm. If my alarm was set for six, then
I would tell my subconscious to wake me at 5:55 AM. I did this every
night until | was always awakened before the alarm. .

Next, I would hold and enjoy the in-between state before falling
asleep. ‘This happens when the conscious mind is still present, but the
subconscious brainwaves are beginning to arrive. This practice is
especially useful since it helps to foster integration. I would sit with
my sleepiness each night as long as possible, enjoying the hypnagogic
State.
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In the next step I would lay down and completely relax, telling
myself to fall asleep. Try this out, and you’ll see what a paradox it is.
This forced me to learn about letting go versus forcing. I absolutely
could not force myself into sleep. To succeed, I had to let go and
induce sleep. I would imagine that I was snoring, and soon would slip
into the subconscious.

After | learned to lead myself into sleep, I would tell myself to

sleep for five or ten minutes, and then awaken. Telling myself to
sleep for five minutes, then inducing sleep, then waking up again. As
I continued with these exercises, |became more and more at ease
with the slower brainwaves, and I was able to maintain the conscious
mind and the subconscious mind at the same time more and more
naturally.

Finally, 1 would do all my normal meditation techniques, and then

lay down with a blanket on the floor and fall asleep. At that time, I
could not let go as easily as I can these days, and so the sleep would
allow me to slip into deeper states. After all the meditation, then
slipping into sleep, I would often wake in a completely altered state.

Inducing the Right Brain

Remember, it’s easy — there are only three processes:

Low-Idle-State of the Dorsal Vagal Complex

Bliss of the Left Amygdala
CSTR Expansion of the Right Hippocampus
ee
SB

You entered the Low-Idle-State with the Parasympathetic. You

received some Bliss from the Dorsal Vagal, from the Freeze
Response, and from the Left Amygdala. So now, how do you enter :
the grand Expansion, in which is hidden the Union state of Samadhi?
The answer is: you must induce it!
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Inducing Is Dhyana

You've practiced the Asana of stretching the arteries, and the

Pranayama of HRV Resonance. You also fell into the Freeze
Response of Pratyahara, and realized your body awareness had slowly
dropped away. These results automatically gave you the Dharana of
meditative clarity. Now, finally, at the edge of the left brain, you will
induce the immaterial awareness of the right brain. You will take the
clarity of Dharana and turn it onto the Expansiveness of the Cosmic
Lord. As you induce the immaterial meditation of Expansiveness,
you are practicing Dhyana.

First, you simply set the table of HRV Resonance, Sitting Very
Still, and the Four Proofs. Then you set a deeper table for the
Tranquil Breath, Freeze Response, and the Roll-Up of
Consciousness. With the tables set, all you need to do now Is invite
your Special Guest of the Higher Self! What joy awaits as you invite
the Expansiveness of the Higher Self. This is the inducing portion of
your very deep meditative process.

Search Video: Forrest, Setting the Table for Deep Meditation

Silence Induces the Right Brain

Entering into the Low-Idle-State, the slowing of the body reflects on

the mind, and the mind clears. The yogi then encounters silence,
which begins to induce the Right Hippocampus.

Away, away, from men and towns,

To the wild wood and the downs,
To the silent wilderness,
here the soul need not
Repress Its music.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley

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Hakalau Induces the Right Brain

Practicing Hakalau, the yogi enters an expansive feeling every day,

which induces the Right Hippocampus, and makes his access easier
and easier. Rach time the right brain is induced, it gets a little stronger
— in fact, it also grows a little bigger, just like lifting weights and
building muscles.

Hakalua into the Third Eye

There is an effective technique that a yogi may use to look into his
spiritual eye. Using the two physical eyes, he looks up very gently
towards the point between the eyebrows. He fixes his gaze at this
point, and forgets about the physical eyes. He then gazes into
eternity, requiring him to let go and surrender. This may seem to be a
bit of a riddle, about which the South Indian yogis say, “Look, but
don’t look.” That is, his eyes tend to focus on one point, while his
attitude broadens to behold the Infinite!

To accomplish this technique, I suggest you hack it with some

Hakalau. First enter your best Low-Idle-State as you Sit Very Still in
your meditation. Then open your eyes, gaze at one point in front of
you slightly above eye level, and use the prescription of Hakalau to
engage your peripheral vision. You’re looking at one point, but you
are seeing everything in the room simultaneously. Now you are
inducing the right brain!

Close your eyes, and try to keep the same feeling of beholding
everything. Try to keep the attitude of Expansiveness. Open your
eyes and check. Did you keep the Expanded state? Induce Hakalau
again. Now close the eyes and keep the feeling, the attitude of
Expansiveness.

14]
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Expand Through the Crown

You might have noticed that when you learned OM Japa, you were
not instructed to chant into the Thousand-Petaled Lotus of the brain.
This is because the chanting of OM is a yogic pattern interrupt, and
the yogi wants to interrupt the projections into the body from the
brain, but not the brain itself. This process frees you from fixation on
your body, and allows you to rise into the brain and Thousand-
Petaled Lotus. What does a lotus do? It unfolds, it Expands.

Having Rolled-Up into the medulla, allow yourself to expand into

the crown. Reach up through the crown with your feelings, and
inhabit the space above your head. How does it feel? Is it larger,
bigger, more holy, more inspiring? How high can you reach? Reach
up and feel, then reach up again. Feel yourself reaching up with the
heart of your feeling, again and again, into inspiration and Expansion.

Hummingbird Samadhi

Just recently I spoke with a yogi who was deep in meditation while
sitting in his yard. Out of nowhere, a hummingbird circled around
him, and stopped directly above his head! It appears that the bird
could sense his good vibrations! The little creature stayed there for
some time, wings humming, and occasionally chirping.

Suddenly, this yogi had an inspiration, “I’m going to merge my

consciousness with this hummingbird!” He lifted up his awareness.
and felt for the bird above. As he did, a great rush of energy released
upwards through his spine. He was then in the ereat Expanse, united
everywhere!

You can also feel yourself expanding in the space above your
head. First expand into it a little, then a little more. Then feel
upwards, higher and higher, broader and broader, repeatedly
engaging your Expansiveness.

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This Expansion through the crown is a thousand times more

comfortable for the yogi than trying to expand through the spiritual
eye. I wish someone would have told me that near the beginning of
my practice!

Gratitude Induces the Right Brain

The left brain is a task machine, always in pursuit of the next

milestone, the next peak. The grass is always greener on the other
side, because the left-brain task machine is always looking for the
next hurdle to jump through. This is a very effective process in terms
of species survival, but not so great in the accumulation of peace. I
want you now to stop for just a moment, and think of everything you
are grateful for. Look how far you have progressed from this little
book! I bet you’ve already noticed HHH within yourself! Hallelujah!
Well done! Congratulations! Give thanks for this, and for all the
miracles of your life. An attitude of gratitude is an acceptance of what
is. It is a holding of all, and it induces the right brain.

Wear gratitude like a cloak

and it will feed every corner of your life.
- Rumi

Feel the Space

I was reading an obscure yogic text recently, and again and again it
kept referring to the location of the spiritual eye as being at arm’s
length. Suddenly | realized, oh my goodness, this is a technique!

Position your right arm all the way out to your right side. Feel the
tip of your middle finger, which is the farthest point on your hand as
vou reach. Place your mind there. Feel the space at the tip of your
finger. You can feel your finger there, so just feel what it’s like in that
space. Leave your mind there, and relax your arm back to your side.

Place your left arm all the way out to your left side. Feel the space
at the tip of your finger. Place your mind there. Relax your arm,
leaving your mind in that space. Feel both points simultaneously.

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Stretch your arm straight back as far as you can behind you. Place
your mind at the tip of your finger. Leave your mind there and relax
your arm. Hold all three points at the same time.

Stretch your arm straight out in front. Place your mind at the tip
of your finger. Feel the space. Leave your mind there, relaxing your
arm. Feel all four points together. You are now overloading the left
brain, which is not a multiprocessor. You are thereby inducing the
right brain.

Stretch your arm straight up. Place your mind to the tip of your
finger. Leave your mind there, relaxing the arm. Hold all five points.

Notice as you hold all five points, and you do it well, you cannot
even think of a single word or thought. This occurs because you’re
engaging the right brain, you’re engaging Expansiveness.

This, of course, is another form of Hakalau, but requires both

feeling and physical activity. Practice the technique again for a few
more times, and then go into meditation. Now imagine that you are
going through all the steps again slowly. In your meditation you are
Sitting Very Still, and you don’t want to break your Freeze, so just
imagine you ate going through each step. First spend lots of time
feeling the space at each point, then begin feeling them all together.

Do you want to overload your left brain, and so exclude your

talking mind? Then hold more points. Now stretch the feeling of
each point out farther, making it bigger. Expand! Feel the space.

Be an empty page,
untouched by words.
- Rumi

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One morning | was deep into the Three Essentials, experimenting

with this Expansion of feeling. I felt as deeply as I could, stretching
myself in every direction. Finally, I reached my limit, and could not
expand anymore, so I let go. As I let go, the last fragments of the
feeling of my body, breath, and energy disappeared. I was in the heart
of a never-ending Spaciousness! This was a glorious Non-Dual state.
There was no “I am over here, and God is over there” as in a
dualistic experience. There was just the Grand Spaciousness,
everywhere!

Sky Gazing
Go out on your lawn, lay down, and stare up at the sky. Take it all in.
This is a favorite practice for yogis. Take in all of the sky, all ofit at
once. Hold as much blue, as many clouds, as you possibly can. This,
of course, is Hakalau in the sky. You can do the same exercise with
the ocean.

Revelations are found in clouds.

- Serge King

There is a little play you can notice in your own brain. As you
practice gazing at the sky and feeling the Expansiveness, the left
hemisphere will try to reestablish itself. It will come back and try to
divide up the sky, or divide up the ocean into parts and labels. Watch
it try to assert itself, and begin to divide the Whole. When it does so,
gently go back to the Whole. This represents the constant dance of
your entire life between the two hemispheres of your brain.

The Great Ones Are in the Stars

A dear Buddhist friend once told me that the Great Ones who have
merged in Oneness before us are literally in the stars above us. My
left brain jumped in and said, “Yeah, right,” but then it hit me. If |
look upwards toward the stars with my right brain perspective, then |
indeed am looking straight into the presence of my own Higher Self,
who is continuously looking after me. Into what Presence do the
Great Ones merge? The Higher Self, of course — the Dharma Megha,
the Great Cloud of Knowing.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

Using the Three Essentials, enter into your deepest state, then feel
into the stars all around you. The Great Ones are there, yogis and
saints who have passed into the Dharma Megha. Feel them in the
stars! They have all merged into the One Infinite Consciousness. Feel
them there. Now think of a Great Soul, and another and another.
Feel each one until you are surrounded by the loving consciousness
of all your yogic heroes! Feel yourself expanding and merging with
them.

Mini Expansion

Below is the famous picture of my dear param-param-guru, Lahiri

Mahasaya. Through this one image he is giving his students multiple
hints and secrets.

The lotus posture presses gently on his thighs, slowing the blood
in the legs and reducing the work of the heart.

His gaze is halfway between the inner and outer worlds, focused at
the horizon, with his eyelids half closed. This is a yogic recipe for
Hakalau. As the yogi continues to gaze steadily, he lets go of the
judgment of the left brain, and embraces the pure acceptance of the
right brain.

His left leg is above the right, his left thumb over the right, which
emphasizes the Ida over the Pingala; the Parasympathetic over the
Sympathetic.

His abdomen is slightly expanded, showcasing the opening of the

lower diaphragmatic breath range, as we explored with the Three
Lungs exercise.

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Perhaps most importantly, he isn’t wearing a shirt. If the

temperature in the room is comfortable en uch, the lack of a shirt
will help the yogi let go of his body. The small sensation of the cloth
against the skin helps the left brain retain body consciousness. While
shirtless, as the body enters deeply into the Freez« Response, the
edge of the skin ts easily lost, and the yogi begins to feel himself
spread into the air all around.
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D’ve spoken to many yogis that felt they were Expanding into the
ait around themselves, but they did not understand the significance
of this achievement. This small Expansionisso profound because it
provides the yogi a real taste of the freedom to be felt by letting go of
the left-brain, body identification.

The small man builds cages

for everyone he knows while the sage,
who has to duck his head when the moon is low,
keeps dropping keys all night long
for the beautiful rowdy prisoners.
- Hafiz

Cheshire Cat Meditation

In my first Samadhi Union, I found myself floating in the stars with

no body and no breath! It was only the first level of Samadhi, so
some whispers of reasoning and recollection were still possible. |
thought, what is this? Where is my breath? | knew something
profound must be happening, but some fear was creeping in. What if
I can’t get back? This is completely natural, as every new profound
level of meditation can be a bit disconcerting to the yogi, and it takes
a little time for him to accept and get used to what is happening to
his awareness. As the small ripples of panic began to build, and pull
me out of the state, I was kindly given a blessing. I heard the voice of
Divine Mother telling me, “Next time it will be deeper, and you will
meet St. John.”

After coming out, I thought, why didn’t anyone warn me that my

body was going to completely disappear? So, I hereby suggest an .
effective way for you to prepare for this. Do you remember the
Cheshire cat in Ace In Wonderland? The cat would phase in and out
of existence, yet it was always still present — sometimes only as eyes,
and sometimes only as a smile.

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Using your feeling and active imagination, picture yourself floating

in the stars. Feel as if you are the Cheshire cat. Your body is phasing
in and out of existence — sometimes you are a body, sometimes just a
head, sometimes you are eyes, and sometimes only a smile. Feel
yourself absorbing into the starlight as your little body phases in and
out of existence.

Back and Forth from Bliss to Expansion

If you’ve been practicing the Cute Baby Meditation, or the Bhakti

practice, then you might be able to call on a little Bliss at will. Enter
your best meditation with the Three Essentials, and then call on this
Bliss. Perhaps think of your cute baby picture, and feel that awe in
the heart. If you have the Angel Exercise from the third training, or
your Bhakti practice, then reach into the heart of your Ishta with your
feeling, and pull Bliss directly and lovingly into your own heart.

Now switch, and practice any of the Expansion exercises. If

you're not sure which one to choose, open your eyes and practice
Hakalau until you detect that wonderful feeling of spreading out. Feel
this Expansion in every direction!

Do this back and forth, feeling Bliss, then feeling Expansion.

Todd Murphy told me that each hemisphere will amplify the other.
So, I thought if Ican induce Bliss and Expansion repeatedly, then
they will amplify each other exponentially. I took this little
experiment all the way into a Samadhi! Try this out — it’s very easy
and powerful.

Ishta to the Infinite

If you have a favorite form of the Divine that you like to pray to, or
that you use for your Bhakti practice, then you can use the teeling of
this Higher Intelligence, and expand it everywhere. God is
everywhere, right? Feel the Intelligent Knowing of your Ishta on the
left, on the right, behind and in front. On every side, stretch out with
your feeling, and feel that Intelligent Knowing which is resting in
every speck of space.

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Absorption Sensations

You are normally deeply identified with the four left-brain processes.
As you exit from these, there is an unwinding of the energy and
consciousness which has been locked up inside.

This might be before your time, but the old TVs were made of
huge glass tubes, like specially made lightbulbs. At the back of each
tube were coils, whose magnetic field directed the stream of electrons
that created the image on the TV screen, line by line, top to bottom,
as it struck the phosphorus inside the tube.

Each pixel was like a spinning plate, and the total image persisted
so long as the energy given to the pixels lasted until refreshed. When
the energy was withdrawn, the coils lost their charge to direct the
energy and the pixels faded, thereby collapsing the image into the
center of the TV tube. As this occurred, because the center area is
smaller, it became a bit brighter from the fading energy as the image
collapsed completely.

In a very similar way, your life experience is projected from top to

bottom through the spinning plates of the six chakras. Withdraw the
beam from the brain, and you will notice the same strange effects as
watching the energy withdraw from a TV image.

As the energy and identification slip away from the processes of

the left brain, the yogi may notice strange shifts in the perception of
the body as it begins to wink out from his awareness. There is an
unwinding from the left brain taking place, and possible sensations
may be felt from this. These happen at the end of Absorption as the
yogi is heading into the Non-Dual state, so I refer to them as
Absorption Sensations.

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Possible Absorption Sensations

1. Rocket up the spine
Pulled up the spine
Falling into Nothing
Expanding into Space
Spiraling into Space
is
Sa Swallowed by the Whale
eset!

As the projection of the chakras is interrupted by the OMJapa in

the chakras during the Low-Idle-State, the energy is released and
races back to the brain. Sometimes this energy will wander up slowly,
along with the yogi’s consciousness, and sometimes it will rocket up
all at once in a surprise!

The yogi may feel magnetically drawn, or sucked up the spinal

highway into the brain. He may feel as if he is falling into
Nothingness or a great Expanse of Spaciousness.

The yogi may feel himself spiraling up the spine, or spiraling into
the light of the spiritual eye, or spiraling into a great Expanse. This ts
the complete path of the Third Knot that Lahiri Mahasaya mentioned
to his students.

The yogi may feel as if his little self is being swallowed whole by
his Big Self as the identification is transferred to the right brain. This
is the secret meaning of Jonah and the Whale. This also refers to
Matsyendrasana, who initially was the fisherman Mina, and was
swallowed whole by a great Inspiration, and taken to the bottom of
his own mind. This sensation is one of my favorites, but when it first
happened to me, I had no idea what was going on! | just knew that
the feeling of the Secondary Presence became overwhelming, and felt
as if it was swallowing me whole!

All of these sensations are just feelings of the left to right transfer
of consciousness identification. Our whole world of interaction is
projected down into the body, so as the consciousness shifts, the
projection also shifts, and we notice these effects on the way into the
Non-Dual.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

It requires some letting go to finish the journey of the Absorption

Sensations, so if the yogi isn’t ready, he may go through it again and
again before it is completed. This is totally normal for every yogi, and
to be expected.

Also, it’s a mistake to think that these sensations are necessary.

They are helpful signs and mile-markers, but you can miss these
markers and still make the correct exit on your inner freeway. Very
often a yogi will see the spiritual eye, or have an Absorption
Sensation, but be overwhelmed by feelings of Bliss or some other
part of the journey. This may prevent him from paying as much
attention to the phenomena. Signs are just signs; Bliss and
Consciousness ate what we're after!

One more thing: the yogi may go through these sensations so

many times that they begin to diminish in importance for his
subconscious. As he puts his mind more and more on the end of
being purely in Expansive Awareness, the experience of the road to
get there often shrinks. I used to get so many spirals in my
meditations, but now not so much. However, if 1 try to hold
Expansiveness and the body consciousness at the same time, | can
induce endless spirals. So you see, all these sensations are just a part
of the transition.

Surrender into the Right Brain

There are many ways that allow us to let go of left-brain

preoccupation. Surrender is one of these ways. Letting go of the left
brain, we surrender to the right brain. I remember one of the monks
saying that we should first learn to spell surrender, if we have any
hope of actually manifesting the quality! .

Just like the Yoga Nidra exercises, surrender or letting go isn’t

something that you can force. It is much better to think of it as
inducing something else. That’s what you are doing every single time
you practice one of these Expansive exercises. You are learning to let
go, and allow the magic of the right brain to happen.
 MASTERING MEDITATION

It’s as if you are throwing a charge into the right brain. You throw
in a little charge, and throw in a little energy of Expansion, over and
over again. You build and build and build your access. Then
suddenly, the charge reaches critical mass, and the right brain
responds to your prompting! This indicates that you have induced the
right brain correctly, and you will feel one of the Absorption
Sensations as you pass into the Non-Dual state.

Not until we are lost

do we begin to find ourselves.
- Henry David Thoreau

The Perspective of Other Systems

Vedanta and Buddhism love this Expansiveness, Spaciousness, or

Nothingness. Their practitioners are constantly trying to get to the
point where they can induce this profound Expansion of the right
brain. This indeed is the right goal, and represents the secret of it all!
Yet, few actually make it to this state, and many become hopelessly
embroiled in pursuing a purely intellectual grasp of their path. They
forget about the doing portion, or may even believe that the doing is
useless, or a trap.

These seekers are right to say that the doing can become a trap.
Yogis will often become enamored with the spine, the energy, the
kundalini, and its phenomena. This is the entry, they say! They are so
right! All the doing will take them clearly into that perfect beginning,
but then they must leave it all behind and just BE.

The Christians are masters of prayer, and I’ve met so many prayer
masters! They are all so good at forming a clear conception of their
individual Ishta, devoting themselves to this Ishta, and falling in love
and depending on this Ishta. Fear not, says the Bible! It is the most
repeated phrase in the entire good book. Forming this relationship
with the Ishta, the Christian induces the Left Amygdala, and that love
and trust overcomes the fear of the Right Amygdala.

IS
 MASTERING MEDITATION

It is by combining these three processes of the Low-Idle-State,

Bliss, and Expansion that the yogi finds the true path. This is the
practice of the Raja Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita. Many yogic schools
will tell you that there is Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, and
so on, asserting that these are all separate practices. Certainly, these
ate helpful applications, but the deeper meaning is that they are all
individual unfoldments of one pathway back to the Divine. As you
practice the doing of Pranayama, this is Karma Yoga. As your heart
automatically devotes itself to the Bliss you feel within, this is Bhakti
Yoga. As you enter the Download Phase, this is Jnana Yoga. The
various elements of this process simply unfold to form the inner path
we've been following this entire book.

The Bhagavad Gita talks of first withdrawing into the Freeze

Response, followed by the Roll-Up of Consciousness into a high-
minded and Blissful state, and then completely immersing the mind
in Expansion.

Withdrawn from the senses, always balanced

within, blissful for the welfare of all,
verily this yogi comes to Me.

Greater is their trouble whose minds are set

on the Unmanifest; for the goal, the
Unmeanifest, is very hard for the embodied to reach.

Those who devote their meditative actions to Me,

giving up identification and being attached to Me
without any division of the mind, certainly by this yoga,
upon Me they will find Absorption.

For those who set their minds on Me,

verily I become their deliverer out of the death
ofmaterial existence. Not long,
I become the fixation of their mind.
Bhagavad Gita 12.4-7
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The yogi enters the Freeze Response, withdrawing from the

world, balanced between the triune channels, and enters the Bliss of
the upper nervous system.

It’s difficult to place the mind directly on immaterial concepts, so

the yogi first enters the Low-Idle-State to make this all possible. If
you feel the Krishna Consciousness everywhere, letting go of too
many left-brain concerns, then by this constant remembrance you
will quickly enter the fixation of mind necessary for Absorption.

Por the yogi following this three-step plan of Low-Idle-State,

Bliss, and Expansion, constantly letting go of the talking-mind
dominance, and relying more on the right-brain Cosmic Lord, the
time required is greatly reduced. The right brain becomes his constant
deliverer from the dull-dream-death of left-brain dominance.

Iy3)
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Chapter 12
FIX YOUR MIND ON ME

ite Bhagavad Gita tells the yogi, “Fix your mind on Me alone!”
This advice is the most repeated counsel in this book of Yoga Union.
In our patable of the Pandava brothers, Krishna represents the
wisdom and knowing of the Inner Guru. He is the right brain, and
the Right Hippocampus is the window to the Divine Krishna
Consciousness. Fix your mind on Me! That is, fix your mind on this
Silence, this Knowing, this pure Expansion of the Cosmic Lord. Fix
it completely, and you will instantly induce the Non-Dual state!

Fix your mind on Me only, surrender your intellect to Me;

then, (thereafter)
you shall, no doubt, live in Me only.

If you are unable to fix your mind steadily upon Me,

then by the Yoga ofrepeated practice,
seek to reach me, O Winner of Wealth!

Ifyou are unable even to practice repeatedly inducing Me,

be intent on performing meditative actions for My sake;
even by this, you shall attain the meditative powers.

Ifyou are unable to do even this, then taking refuge in Me,

be self-controlled, and let go of the fruits-of-all-actions.

Certainly, knowledge is better than constant practice.

Better than knon'ledge is meditation.
Better than meditation ts real renunciation.
By such renunciation peace follows.
Bhagavad Gita 12.8-12

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

“Fix your mind on Me,” says the Krishna state. That is, fix all of
your mind — not in stress or strain, or forced concentration, but in
pure adoration! Surrender the left-brain dominance. Fill your mind
with the vastness of the Divine until there isn’t room for a drop of
anything else. Then you will be alive in the Non-Dual state of
Samadhi Union!

Failing in this fixity of mind, bring yourself to your deepest state,

to the edge of your left brain; then induce the great Expansiveness of
Bliss, over and over again. Thus, you will win the infinite wealth of
Yoga Union!

Not there just yet? No problem. Return to your practice of the

Pranayama of HRV Resonance, for the sake of eventually gaining
access to these deeper states. You will gain all the meditative skills
easily, without fail, because I have shown you the way from my own
experience.

If you are not able to meditate, then take shelter in an Ishta

practice. Use the Cute Baby Meditation or a devotional prayer
practice. Shelter in the Cosmic Lord without fear, letting go of too
much worldly concern. Soon you will reach the point where you can
meditate effectively again.

Certainly, knowing the Non-Dual state is better than constantly

inducing Expansion. If you can’t be in this state, then HRV
Resonance is better for you. If you can’t achieve Resonance, then
taking refuge in the Divine and letting go of the fear of the world is
better for you.

The Big Holy Is Waiting

Step by step, process by process, I’ve shown you the way to the edge
of the cliff of your own left brain. Abiding deeply in the Three
Essentials, abandon yourself to the great Expanse. Embrace the vast
presence of the Cosmic Lord. Let the Bliss and Inspiration of your
upper nervous system pull you into the Great Intelligence of All. The
Big Holy is waiting for you!
 MASTERING MEDITATION

You’ve Come So Far!

You've journeyed so far with me! Thank you so much for

accompanying me on this grand adventure! I was once a young yogl,
searching for answers that couldn’t be given. So, sharing all of my
answers in this book is incredibly blissful for me.

We started with the First Level, which makes the beginning of

meditation so easy to learn and apply.

Level One Mastery

1. HRV Resonant Breathing
2. Sitting Very Sull (SVS)
3. Noticing the Four Proofs
4. Let Go and Just BE

Such an easy formula, allowing you to quickly gain the results

which begin to take you into the Second Level.

Level Two Mastery

5. Tranquil Breath
6. Freeze Response
7. Roll-Up of Consciousness
8. Let Go and Induce EXPANSION

The Second Level is really just a deeper version of the First Level.
Did you notice that? Of course, you can’t force yourself there. You
have to wait for this deep response to slowly emerge from your
practice with the Parasympathetic. It’s magic, and it only takes a little
time. As one of my dear friends once told me, “What else are you
going to do with your life?” .

All of this took me so long to find, and even longer to begin to

understand. Then, with a helpful push from a dear friend, I asked
Ashokji for permission to begin teaching.

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Marrying the ancient with the new somehow gives my students a

leg up like Pve never seen before. They constantly amaze me. One
day, a dear student called and told me, “Well, I guess ’m not
succeeding that well. All I have is some Tranquil Breath and some
Freeze Response...” I burst out, “Do you know how long that took
me to find! How many years! And here you are in six months! My
God, man! Start celebrating, now!” And he did, “Oh wow! I didn’t
realize! Wow! Pm doing great!” Yes, yes you are.

Now, as I write this, a new student is contacting me. I’ve never

met him before. From my videos he is already encountering daily
Resonance, the Tranquil Breath, the Freeze Response, and actual
Bliss. This is not my father’s yoga! This is something else. This is a
new beginning, a deeper understanding of what the ancients have
been trying to tell us all along.

Don’t be intimidated by the experiences of others. Just try a little,

and make meditation your own. If you don’t love it and own it, and
celebrate your small wins, then it won’t be assimilated into your
subconscious. Try a little each day. Then try a little more.

Don’t beheve in what I say.

Experiment, meditate, exqperience -
unless it becomes your own understanding,
nothing is going to help.
- Osho

When the Bible was first printed in Germany on the Gutenberg

press, it was the first mass-produced document, and it put power
back into the hands of the individual. Suddenly, every follower ot
Christ had the power to read and become his own authority on the
teachings. What is the most often repeated phrase? “Hear not for |
am with you.” The utterly trustworthy parental figure of the | ligher
Selfiswith you constantly.

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

The Bhagavad Gita sought to take us farther than the Ramayana,

and explain the process all the way into Samadhi Union. What is the
most often repeated phrase? “Fix your mind on Me.” That’s the
secret of Samadhi. Fix your mind wholly on the Expansiveness of the
Krishna Consciousness, abandoning the left brain, and you will enter
the Non-Dual state.

In this book ve married the ancient with the cutting edge of

Resonance, left and right brain science, NLP, the Polyvagal Theory,
and an understanding of the subconscious. What is the most often
repeated word in this book? “Practice.” Give it a go, and see what
happens. I think you'll like what you find!

You have the power in the present moment

to change limiting beliefs and consciously
Plant the seedsfor the future ofyour choosing.
As you change your mind, you change your experience.
- Serge Kahili King

Meeting Mirinalini Mata

I lived in an ashram for five years, until 1 realized it was kind of a

crazy way of life for me. | was so happy later when I learned that
Lahiri Mahasaya also felt the same, and he required his prodigy
Panchanon Bhattacharya to leave his robes behind and get a job
before taking Kriya Yoga. So, Panchanonji went to the market and
started selling roses. Lahiri Baba said that the householder’s life is the
most balanced way to pursue the Kriya Yoga path. Do your work
each day, then come home and lock yourself away for a time of
meditation, . .

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

Being a semi-cloistered monk was a very interesting time in my

life, living in the boot camp of the Encinitas Ashram. I was seeing
the light of the spiritual eye, and so I would hide away continuously
and do a few minutes of meditation, pressing gently on the eyes to
help induce the light. Of course, this isn’t what my superiors wanted
of me — they would rather that I spent my time working. So, there
was a bit of cat and mouse going on with one of my superiors. | was
working hard, getting all my duties done, but I was also looking into
the spiritual eye once every half hour or so.

I was desperately trying to pass through the third eye, but I didn’t
know the secret. You know the secret now, don’t you? You must
Expand, reach out with a quiet love, and embrace the Whole.
Embrace the light of the eye and it will welcome you in! Expansion is
the secret I needed.

Open your hands, ifyou want to be held.

- Rumi

Early on I was given gardening duties, and I would sweep, clean,

trim bushes and trees. I was also asked to mow the lawn in front of
the Hermitage that overlooked the ocean. With the salty winds on
that cliff, almost nothing would grow for long. So instead of a
traditional lawn, a kind of weed was cultivated into a lawn, and that
hearty weed required a special mower for upkeep. About once a
month I would haul this monstrous beast of a mower up to the lawn
on the cliff. I didn’t mind at all, as the view of the ocean was
spectacular.

This cliffside hermitage is where Mirinalini Mata was busy editing,

and we were told to never disturb her, or to make noise in the area.
Before mowing, the older monks would call the nuns to ask
permission if we could mow that day. I’d get the green light, and then
haul up the demon-mower. I'd been doing this for some time, when
one beautifully windy day as I was mowing away, Mirinalini Mata
suddenly appeared out on the lawn. I was shocked! Something must
be wrong! | had gotten permission to mow, but maybe there was a
miscommunication!

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

I turned off the mower and folded my hands in a pronam. I was a

beginner monk, and we were told to never talk to a nun, or to run up
and touch her feet, or anything else, so I didn’t know exactly what to
do. She beamed a smile at me and said, “I just want to tell you, thank
you for everything you are doing.” This seemed so odd to me — 1 was
just a lowly gardener, cutting bushes and trimming lawns. Even so, I
was practically lifted off the lawn in my adoration. I bowed deeply in
thanks, and she went back into the Hermitage. I finished with the
beast-mower, and went back to my barracks.

Next month I was cutting the lawn again. The breeze would catch
the salt from the ocean, and there is nothing healthier than living on
the sea. Suddenly Mirinalini Mata appeared again in her saffron robes.
I stopped the mower and pronamed, conscious of the volumes of
sweat dripping down my shirt with grass stains everywhere. She said,
“T just want to thank you for everything you are doing!” Oh my God!
Again? What am I doing? I’m just mowing the lawn! If she did this
with every gardener, 1 would have heard about it already! I bowed
deeply, and she disappeared into her gorgeous hermitage.

Another month passed and I was mowing the lawn again. The
sun, clouds, and ocean were a constant thrill. Suddenly she was there
again, with the wind catching her robes, making her look like a
flowing statue of Buddha or Quan Yin. Again, she said, “I just want
to THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE
DOING?’ This whole experience was especially sacred to me, talking
to the Vice President who had been practicing Kriya forever, and
whose mind was amazingly crystalline. But I was left in a stupor,
trying to understand what was going on.

She can’t be thanking me for mowing the lawn, right? Otherwise,

she’d be out all the time thanking monks, and they would have
warned me and given me a protocol to follow. As I slowly hauled the
mowineg-beast back down the hill to its shed, it suddenly struck me
that she wasn’t thanking me for now. She was thanking me for
something far in the future. Something that I was going to do, later on.
As soon as I received that thought, she never appeared again. The
blessing was complete. :

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It's difficult to step into the unknown, and to represent that which
hasn’t already been well established. At difficult times P’ve
remembered this blessing, and followed the call of the Higher Self
instead of fear. Thank you, Ma, for your blessing and encouragement
before I even understood my path.

Nothing happens by chance.

No one goes on a quest without a reason.
Without the pull of the magnet there is no action.
- Rumi

Funny enough, | never set out to share any of this. It was my own
passion burning inside that drove me to find these answers, as I
hacked my way through the jungle of darkness. Then one day my
friend asked me to teach him, and when instead I gave him excuses,
he called out: “Balderdash!”

So, I made this road for myself, and now it’s my gift to you — to
the same burning hunger I see reflected in your eyes, that has called
you this far.

Education is not the filling of a pail,

but the lighting of a fire.
- William Butler Yeats

Crystalline Bliss of Samadhi

As we saw from the Immaterial Meditations, there are levels of

Samadhi, and as we dive repeatedly into identification with the right
brain, we encounter a more and more profound and complete Union.
First it may just be an Expansion, but then something magical
happens. The way clears, and the yogi also perceives Bliss in the
Samadhi. This makes Samadhi correct, when the yogi realizes all three
states that make up the Ultimate: Sat-Chit-Ananda. That is the Truth
of Knowing, Expanded Consciousness, and true Bliss.

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This is another reason that the Kriya Yogi uses Navi and OM Japa
in each of the six chakras. This is an insurance policy that this way
will clear, and the Bliss will appear in the Non-Dual state. Without
this insurance policy, the yogi or Buddhist may wait a long time for
the Bliss to appear in the Expansive Union state.

Not long ago I fell into a unique Samadhi, and the Bliss was very
different from what I had felt before. Afterwards, I tried to describe
this to myself with inadequate words. You understand it was a Non-
Dual state, and there were no visions and no words — just Union.
Now, let me try again to put it into words. It felt as if I was in a grand
choir of the highest angels, and we were all singing the divine praise
of the Almighty. We were singing to the Divine, and we were the
Divine. And the in-spirit, the inspiration, was so incredible that I was
lost in it for days.

It’s a Beautiful Life

While writing this book, I received a phone call from a dear student.
This was so synchronistic, since within the first five minutes of our
conversation, he systematically touched on everything I’m teaching
here.

Synchronicity is an ever-present reality

for those who have eyes to see.
- Carl Jung

He told me that he gets better results without forcing — he just

keeps going for the Parasympathetic response. He OMs into all of
the chakras, feels his consciousness Rolling-Up, and allows himself to
let go into the Expansiveness of the Cosmic Lord.

Sometimes he’s gone so far into tranquility, he feels that coming

back and performing more Kriya will take him away from the depths
he’s already discovered. So, instead of worrying about DOLNG, he
allows himself to let go into BEING!

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 MASTERING MEDITATION

He flows with his practice. He uses the Parasympathetic, and he

induces Expansion and the Cosmic Lord. That was the wording he
gave me, and I was ecstatic to hear these teachings come back to me
so clearly,

The other day he was in the kitchen with his wife. They had just
eaten and were cleaning up. She said, “I think I’ll put on some
music,” and they began to listen to a song. Soon the joy of the song
entered his heart, and started inducing deep Bliss. In a few minutes
the Bliss had grown exponentially, and he felt as if he was barely
touching the floor, and his whole being was dancing in Bliss!

He said that just flowing with the Parasympathetic, and inducing

these deep states, has taken a great weight, a great burden, off of his
consciousness and his practice. Everything just flows!

Now he can say, and you can say with him:

My life is a beautiful fairy story, told by God.

- Hans Christian Anderson

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 ABO Wares ert POR

Forrest Knutson is a lover of ancient yogic systems,

and medical science. He’s spent most of his life studying the Kriya
Yoga of Lahiri Mahasaya, and the rest of his life figuring out how it
actually works! It’s his hope that this endeavor will further the
knowledge of yogis and meditators everywhere, and further the
exploration of the interior and exterior disciplines.

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 Made in United States
North Haven, CT
23 July 2023

TAT
39418055R00095
Description: (i

In this book I want to take you into the heart of meditation. It’s so much
easier than you might think! Usually when taught, the practice is either over
simplified or overly complex. In this text, I’ve preserved the ancient teach-
ings by bringing them to light with a modern medical language of the body
and brain. The result is that you enter into meditation with relative ease, and
quickly find the calm depths within yourself.

As the parable goes, if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. If you teach
him to fish, he eats for a lifetime. What I’ve discovered is, if you teach a man
to fish with a grounded approach, he’ll quickly become an accomplished
expert, exceeding all expectations! That’s the power of meditation based on
a medical representation, and my students are the proof.

“But I can’t meditate — it’s too hard!” many will say, because they think they
have to forcefully control their minds. Not so!

Meditation was never meant to be a struggle for control, but rather to apply
a more powerful technique, which quiets the body first. This calm body re-
flects back on the mind, and the mind simmers down automatically. This ap-
proach will win over brute mental force every time!

I’ve been a lover of meditation, and studied Kriya Yoga for over 30 years. In
2017, my guru Ashok Singh gave me permission to teach, and appointed me
a Kriya Guru. Everything I teach will always be in line with this system, and
in this book Pll be showing you the underlying core of every meditation ap-
proach.

First, we will learn to fully relax the body. As the body enters into the Low-
Idle-State, the resulting calmness will seep into the mind. The mind then be-
comes quiet, and so the body calms even more. It’s a domino effect as we
awaken the body’s natural system of rest and recovery. All we have to do is
set up the first two dominos of entering the Low-Idle-State while Sitting
Very Still, and down the rabbit hole we go!

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