Deepening Awareness with Meditation and the Breath

by Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati

To become aware, watch the breath. This allows one to watch their life. Life will become bigger, and more room is made in the heart for everyone to fit. You can all benefit from the powerful love of God/Goddess flowing into you. You'll be able to feel your spirit flowing. The yogis speak of total wakefulness before Samadhi. This means you are aware of your life, your breath and your heart. The heaviness of negativity has no space in the heart filled with love. Meditation is the natural formula to being awake even as you sleep. The very act of awareness can bring you spiritual bliss, and can have you helping others without thinking that you're the doer.

When you repeat mantras as part of your practice, the heart becomes filled with an essence of divinity. You'll notice that life becomes smoother. Events that have caused you pain can be consumed. Laziness, lethargy and insensitivity are greatly reduced if one practices meditation. You learn to have more compassion, even for those who hurt you.

As you search for the Self, you'll find that you always were in touch with that Self. Meditation brings the true essential Self to the surface of your mind. Negativity cannot live in the same space of love, and indeed the Self is love. Expand your heart's mind, by meditating on your heart opening wider and wider.

If you get into the habit of watching your breath, you enter into the moment. Expansion of consciousness results from a quiet mind. You can start this moment to make positive changes in your life if you choose.

Your heart is the inner sanctuary. The key to this sanctuary is meditation. If you go beyond the mind in meditation, you'll feel the loving hand of God always with you. These experiences of God become part of your life as you feel love deeper and deeper. Our natural state of the heart is love.

Depression and restlessness begin to evaporate as you meditate more deeply. Breathe in this moment and feel the heat of this essence spread throughout your body. Breathe out this essence to the world. The beauty of this breath is that you breathe in the God of your choice, and breathe out love, and that love merges in the atmosphere. The world is made a better place. God merges with the one meditating on the heart in the heart. Love yourself.

When we talk about the kingdom of heaven, it is not different from earth. How you live upon earth and what you have within you is either the light or dark side of life. The difference lies in the vision portrayed to God the Mother and God the Father. When you listen to music, whoever the singer or composer, once you hear it, it becomes a part of you. When you listen to God, God becomes a part of you. If you're unaware of your surroundings, you let life slip by.

Listen, pay attention, consume life whole. Time and space cannot affect the soul. When you can feel the jewel of the Mother's love in your heart, you will know the kingdom of heaven. You are stationary in the Light of God. When you are free from worldly thoughts, you are a perfect son or daughter of God. Time and God are infinite. The breath is the bridge to the Kingdom of Heaven and the region of light. When you have lost the ability to feel your breath, how will you feel the Mother?

Your life will change if you are very aware of the breath and conscious of conserving the breath. Anger eats the breath faster than anything else. When you serve without craving recognition, your whole life opens. The radiance of the Self always shows its brightness when taking care of another. Waste not one moment of your breath. The Spirit can be felt during the moment of stillness in meditation. The Self longs to feel the quiet of the heart and the soul. Restore energy lost due to your anger this moment. This is the practical aspect of meditation and worship. Elevate the mind with love. Be aware all day long as you conquer anger and replace it with love. Watch how anger can or cannot take root. Your choices affect your life and your breath. Choose now to feel your breath wherever you are, and hesitate with the breath before you let anger claim your attention.

Liberation is eternal. Liberation stands still and the light of God pours from it. Time has no meaning to liberation. It will happen. You will become one with all beings and things. You will become one with all religions and spirituality. There is grandness to be had by simply knowing that heaven and darkness are right here on earth and the breath is the key.

Ma Jaya will be teaching at Kashi Atlanta, 1681 McLendon Ave. Open Darshan/Lecture/Meditation with Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Friday, April 1, 2005, 7:00 pm, $15/donation.

Exploring the Eleven Karmic Spaces: The Path of Transformation and Awareness, intensive with Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3, 2005, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, $295.00, (includes Darshan and lunch Sat. & Sun.) Early registration discount available. Call to register at 404-687-3353.