Deep Meditation - Pathway to Personal Freedom: (AYP Enlightenment Series)

So I've been reading about spiritual development and meditating for a few years now, and I was always experimenting and practicing with a hodgepodge of different disciplines. I was having mixed results and never was quite sure if I was getting the most out of my efforts. After experiencing some serious imbalances in my energy system (intense and bothersome energy in the center of my head) I began searching for some new angles of approach. I found this series here and let me tell you... THIS BOOK (and the next one on Spinal Breathing) IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR ANYONE LOOKING INTO MEDITATION! In fact, I would say this entire series is essential for anyone serious about personal development and uncovering their true potential. I'm not saying you can't get this information anywhere else, I'm just saying you can't get it in such a concise, understandable, and well presented way. It essentially took all the bits and pieces of knowledge I've collected in my own personal search and showed me how they fit together.

I will try to make this brief. My background: I have read many many books on meditation, religion and philosophy. I majored in Religious Studies with an emphasis in Eastern traditions. I have practiced many forms of meditation/yoga over the past 20+ years. In my opinion the best practice is the one you do. There are many techniques out there but if they are too difficult or elaborate or require exhaustive learning with questionable progress the average seeker will simply not persist. And persistence is the key to them all. The technique laid out by Yogani is not new. It is a widely used Hindu practice that, in my opinion, is and has been one of the simplest and most effective means of meditation one can find. Trust me I have looked and looked. It is essentially TM, which despite its pop culture status, actually works. Yogani's easy to follow writing style makes the technique and the philosophy/science behind it extremely accessible. Bottom line: This is the simplest and most effective meditation technique you will find. Learn it. Do it. Witness your growth.

This is not how I was meditating before I read this book. I like the authors style and so I changed how I meditate. I have changed my styles off and on for a few years now and will throw in the occasional guided meditation from time to time. I like this style and am trying it on for awhile. I am doing this in conjunction with Spinal Breathing another book in this series. I'm enjoying the series and find it useful in my education to being a yogi. I don't think a person can truly understand something without trying it on for size for awhile. I also think that there is an art to everything we do. Even things with "rules we should never break." One thing I really like about this author is that he gives you the absolute necesities and why and then some possible additions as long as they don't take away from the baseline instruction. The style of teaching this author uses helps me to find my art in things faster. Finding our art in technique is how we become masters. I love being the master of my life.

Deep meditation offers a good, solid approach to meditation - especially for beginners. Easy to follow instructions and simple explanations as to the why's and wherefore's that make sense. Centering of focus is on a given mantra - not breath, while diaphragmatic breathing is describes and recommended. One is free to chose or create their own mantra with which they feel comfortable and works for them.

Great on a a very easy method for rapid Yogic advancement and anchoring consciousness in the present. Yogani always starts with advanced practices, but couched in simplicity in method and language, so that anyone of some intelligence can put his work to pragmatic application right away, and safely. Those following their expectations, preconceptions, impressions from other methods, and without perceiving the subtleties of this way, may miss the salient points presented here, which are indicative of profound potential benefit. Yogani is not an expressive narrator, but IS a masterful instructor. Rejecting this material, due to his tone of speech and choice of words, is a waste of a great opportunity for advancement. I have past experience in a number of VERY successful methods, from basic Zen to a Gnostic 17-stage method, but Yogani's mantra and method, done correctly, offer rapid, magnetic absorption, into an altered state that allows consciousness to arise, whether the mind is still expressing, seemingly habitually, or not, making stillness seem well within reach. Only experience is the proof of all of this. Yogani is a modern day treasure.

This is a great primer for meditation, and can get you on to the path of realization easily and affectionately. Having been going to various groups, temples, and forms of meditaion I have always wondered about why there were always rules about how to sit, hold your hands, methods of mind activity, thought release, etc., when the purpose was to find enlightenment and freedom. Finally I ran into this book and Yogani has stripped away all the ritual to get at the meat of why, how, when, etc., in simple Western style, yet not neglecting supporting material! It has made all the difference. Before I thought I was "wrong" for not being in full-lotus, or for scratching my nose, or becoming uncomfortable after 30 minutes of sitting because both legs fell asleep. But this guidance strips awall all that rule infested pretense, and gives the opportunity to just meditate. Thanks Yogani!

If you are looking for instruction on meditation, this is it. Author explains everything very clearly. How to, why, what happens later, what to do if. After the initial “how to,” he asks that you try it for some minutes. It really is simple. 20” twice a day. I feel it is just like TM, which I paid a lot of money for, except all the explanations are here. Try it, it’s so worth your time. Namaste

There is a lot of information about meditation in print but this audio-formatted version is excellent. In 20 years of meditation this instruction provides one of the best summaries of the reasons and effects of meditation that I've seen. It's not a deeply scientific book but covers the practice in a straight forward manner; what to expect as your try meditation for the first time; what to do about lapses in your schedule, timing, being on the go; it covers how to recognize actual progress into days, months, years of meditation, and integrates how to deal with and expect of "inner purification" of the nervous system, distractions and health issues that are expected, and practical recommendations and methods of working through them; and it clearly outlines the benefits, both internal and external, physical and mental. It is from a yoga-based series but mentions little about religion or even the spiritual elements of meditation, although many may use the practice for those reasons. The narrator in the audio version is a little monotone, but has a clear and direct manner. A solid overview for beginners as well as experienced meditators looking for solid instruction and support.