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‘The goal of all spiritual discipline is for the disciple to finally recognize that he or she is God himself; that is the meaning of the Jnana Yoga saying: ‘I am He’. And it is through the regular practice of meditation that you allow you inner self to express itself and reach its full flowering.’

“You must realize that your life on earth is one long sleep full of dreams. One day, when you wake up, you will say, ‘My God, how could I have believed all that was true?’ But now, while you are here, you have to work, to learn what matter is, even if you have to acknowledge, when you return to the other world, that reality was not to be found here.”

Oma meditant +‘We are only a dream of the divine Being within us; we are asleep, and we must wake up. But how can we wake up? By concentrating on our higher self, by identifying with it. Little by little, the consciousness of our limited self will become one with the consciousness of our higher self, and with this union true awakening will occur.’ Read more Man’s Psychic Life 

Meditation, contemplation and identification

This union is achieved through the regular practice of meditation, contemplation and identification. But meditation involves working with one’s thinking, and if people don’t begin by putting their everyday life in order, their everyday life will destroy their work. They can take up the posture and close their eyes and do all the yoga exercises they wish, but if they don’t set themselves some degree of inner discipline, these exercises will be of no use to them and will even be harmful.

So if you wish your meditation practice to be really beneficial, must bring changes into your whole lifestyle, that is, improve not just your behaviour but your thoughts and feelings as well.

Respiration and Nutrition

It is important to know that, in order to undertake spiritual work of any kind, including meditation, you must first be sure that you breathe and eat harmoniously. Our breathing exercises take the form of alternate nostril breathing commonly practised in Hatha Yoga traditions. They are used to develop inner qualities, strengthen the will, calm the nervous system and vitalize the body. Read more Respiration and Nutrition

The Yoga of Nutrition

More and more people these days feel that their physical and psychological balance is threatened by the hectic rhythm of life imposed on them, particularly in towns. So they embark on relaxation practices or on different yogas or martial arts imported from the east. This can be good for them, it’s true. But there is a yoga that is easier and more effective, because they can practise it every day and even several times a day: the yoga of nutrition.

When you eat just anyhow – surrounded by noise, in a nervous state or in a rush, while chatting or squabbling – it is almost pointless then to go and do yoga. By doing your best each day to eat with awareness, quietly and meditatively, you have the opportunity to do this exercise to relax and harmonize all your cells. Since you have to eat two or three times a day anyway, think about it: this exercise is convenient… and free!’

This theme is covered comprehensively in:

Video Extracts: Consciousness, Meditation and Yoga

Lecture from 31 July, 1983: The effects of the Aura
How we can improve our aura for the good of those around us and to be of help to the whole universe.

Lecture from 19 August, 1984: What is Meditation?
A high ideal allows us to practise true meditation and to reach the most elevated inner states : contemplation, identification.

Lecture from 19th August, 1984. Meditation is learning how to remain linked to the divine world:
To meditate is first and foremost to concentrate on a spiritual subject with the aim of linking to a higher world.

Lecture: Know Thyself:
‘Through their thoughts and feelings, human beings must become conscious that they are the sculptors of their own body — we must get into the habit of communing with the whole universe in order to be inspired and expanded.’

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