Hello and good day to all,

I would like to ask something about the square breath pattern. In the different dimensions (elements) of the heart. We use different points of inhalation and exhalation. How about in the Square Breath? Do we use only the nose for both inhalation/exhalation, or we follow what is in the companion cd of EYH to breathe in and out both from the nose and mouth together? Is there any benefit if we use the square breath pattern for each of the dimensions (elements) instead of just using the swing breath pattern?
Live long and prosper,
Christopher Go

(more…)

Dear friends,

Easter is a time of great inspiration for all of us as the great celebration of rebirth and renewal.

How can you be reborn and renewed and make rebirth and renewal happen in your life? That is, how can you make real change in yourself that is aligned with your soul, removes the distortions and pain in your being and takes you on the next step toward your purpose? And could this happen not just once and not just on Easter, but continually?

The answer is so simple that people just dismiss it - “It couldn’t be that easy.”

It doesn’t require membership in any organization and it’s not limited to any tradition. No matter what else you believe about spirit, life and the material world, you can still make it work for yourself.

It even works if you don’t believe it will work. But it works better if you understand how it works.
(more…)

I am very confused and require some help.
I started meditating a few days ago and found that I have a little heaviness in the body and problems with vision such as minor blurriness. I believe it is as a result of the mental state I am in. I really don’t know what to do. Should I stop meditating and will it go away? Or should I try something else. When I try focusing on my breathing, it causes me to become dizzy. I don’t know what is happening.
Thanks for the help.
Regards,
David

(more…)

My kundalini raised over a year ago and I have developed an extreme sensitivity to energy. I usually feel pressure in my head. Yesterday I tried a meditation technique in which I tried to go into a place of silence. I succeeded and stayed there for about ten minutes. During that time I felt no head pressure, but instead, a very thin, refined feeling. Eventually, I began to let thoughts return, and with them returned the head pressure, which feels like very uncomfortable bulges of mass going through my pituitary gland, crown, back of my skull, etc. What also arose was a feeling of general irritation and judgmentalism. I am just wondering if I am feeling the actual mass of thought, returning alpha brain waves, or what?
I am a student of a Course in Miracles, which states that thought and emotion is of the ego, which is itself a foreign invader. These experiences are raising all kinds of speculation about the nature of energy and whether it is of a divine nature or if it is egoic. I would appreciate your comments.
Majidah

(more…)

I have read in Living from the Heart that there should never be retention after the exhalation. Can you explain why this is so? In the yogic Square Breath Pranayam it is described as four equal parts of inhalation, retention, exhalation and retention (after the exhalation). Is this latter practice harmful? Which is the truth?
In appreciation,
Ann-Marie

Dear Ann-Marie,
Some schools teach a breathing technique where the breath is held after the exhalation. The reason for this breath is to force consciousness out of the body. Breath is life; no breath is like no life. When you hold the exhalation, you are sustaining a period of low oxygenation, which puts the body into a weakened state. The sensation of bodiness is reduced, as are all the sensations of the body.
We should remember that many Yogic techniques were developed for monastic use, not for use by those who have obligations in the world. Also, the ultimate aim of Yoga is Samadhi, the “liberation” of consciousness from the body and mind. This is not healthy for the nervous system, or for the rhythm of the heart. It has been shown that the heart stops beating in Samadhi and goes into a high-speed flutter. (I participated in one of these studies, done by Dr. Herbert Benson, author of The Relaxation Response) Furthermore, Samadhi (like Kundalini yoga) creates disassociation, a serious psychological problem.
We teach a method that is designed for use in the world, which improves one’s health, relationships and accomplishments. A key part of this method is the expansion of the capacity of the heart, and this is accomplished partially by the retention of the inhalation. When the in-breath is retained, it increases the sensations of the body, especially the heartbeat sensation. The strong heartbeat draws one into the heart.
Energy flows on the breath in and out of the body; when this energy is stopped and held in the heart, the heart is forced to expand. This expansion is felt physically in the chest, and we use the sensation as a sign of the second stage of Heart Rhythm Meditation. The heart is also expanded in its capacity to hold emotion, which is energy. Expansion doesn’t happen if the exhalation is held, because there is no energy at that point in the breath cycle.
Different meditation practices are designed for different purposes. Before taking a practice, one should consider what is the purpose of that practice — what is it designed to do? The ancient mystics wanted to investigate the great mystery: what is death? They developed meditations that led to Samadhi, in which the body enters a state very close to death: no pulse, nearly flat brain waves, very low oxygen levels in the bloodstream, very low Central Nervous System Activity (CNA). These conditions have all been measured and documented. More recently, the mystics of the world have turned their attention to an even greater mystery: what is the purpose of life? To answer this question, different methods are needed — the methods which energize your heart.
Thank you for your question.

With love,

Puran

hellomy name is candida and i am 16yrs old.i am mentally disturbed completely disturbed and i have so many problems in my life that i donot know what to do so i just want to learn to meditate as i have heard of it from my friends and they said it was pretty relaxing and they really felt peaceful so i would also like to experience that peace so can you please help me out herei am a 16 yrs old girl and i am from ahemdabad.i will be really obliged to hear from you and would be really grateful if you would show me the way to peacei have done the ART EXCEL in the ART OF LIVING course but it did not help me much.candida 

Dear Candida,We can definitely help you learn to meditate.For beginning instructions, I suggest you go to this link and look at the sample.Thank you for writing; it’s a pleasure to hear from someone so young.Blessings to you,Puran

Hello and good day to all,
I would like to ask something about the square breath pattern. In the different dimensions(elements) of the heart. We use different points of inhalation and exhalation. How about in the Square Breath? Do we use only the nose for both inhalation/exhalation, or we follow what is in the Companion CD of Energize Your Heart to breathe in and out both from the nose and mouth together? Is there any benefit if we use the square breath pattern for each of the dimensions(elements) instead of just using the swing breath pattern?
Live long and prosper,
Christopher Go

(more…)

I found Heart Rhythm Meditation after overwhelming and disassociative experiences with so-called kundalini awakening from hatha yoga and meditative/contemplative practice in the early spring of this past year. the heart-based way was found both intuitively, on my own, and strongly reinforced by my serendipitous discovery of the IAM website. After many months i have come to a place where i have a much better sense of where my energy should go, and how to respond if it becomes imbalanced.
yet the other night, i foolishly allowed myself to become entranced in a sort of upward/inward flow (more…)

Hello,
I recently started a daily practice of Heart Rhythm Meditation, with two 20-minute sessions, working my way through the steps outline in Living from the Heart. However, I now have a terrible head cold and find the breathing patterns really difficult to maintain for more than a few minutes. How does one practice HRM when sick? Is there an easier practice to follow? I was doing so well so I find this current setback frustrating. Thanks for your help.
Robyn

(more…)

Bright Blessings to all!
I recently attended an IAM lecture in Bloomington, Indiana. I would first of all love to express my appreciate for the opportunity to attend. I was very glad that I went, as I feel I got a lot of really good information from it which I believe has already helped me with my meditations. A lot of what Susanna and Puran talked about was in very close harmony with what I have been doing myself as far as focusing on the spirit of oneness and the love in my heart which connects us all together.
I am very curious about something that was said that night. Puran was talking about working to learn to find your pulse somewhere in your body. I was very surprised, because as long as I can remember, I have felt my pulse coursing through my whole body with every heartbeat. I asked my therapist today if he feels that same thing, as he has studied and taught yoga and practiced meditation for much of his life, but he said that he didn’t. Although I have been extremely interested in meditation since I was very young, and feel that I have been given a wonderful gift of being able to meditate fairly easily, I am definitely not what I would consider to be a seasoned meditator. Does it seem odd that I can feel this pulse in my whole body? Can you advise me as to what this might possibly mean for me as far as my spiritual growth and learning to practice Heart Rhythm Meditation? I told my therapist that it really didn’t seem to mean much to me, as I don’t know how it may affect a person who practices HRM. I do know that I have been very interested lately in heart meditation, even before I learned about this institute and heard the lecture by Puran & Susanna. I prefer to focus on my heart and the spirit of love that connects every one of us together. I also have a very deep desire to help others in my life, as I am an adult abuse survivor and I know how badly abuse can damage your innate ability to trust and connect with others on many different levels if the survivor doesn’t have the tools that he/she needs.
Thank you so very much for reading my question(s), and I look forward to any/all responses and ideas that might be offered.
Take care & be well, all!
Sharon Brown

(more…)