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A Letter from the Siddha Yoga Swamis

April 2015

April 1, 2015

Dear Siddha Yogis,

Namaste!

As we enter the fourth month of 2015, we, the Siddha Yoga Swamis, invite you to focus your study on prana-shakti, the vital energy that creates and sustains the universe and that impels the movement of the breath. By reflecting on prana-shakti and on the significance of breathing in your practice of meditation, you will continue to expand your understanding and experience of Gurumayi’s Message for 2015:

Turn
Inward
Meditate
Easefully

Prana-shakti pervades everything in the universe. Within human beings, this power takes on the specific form of energy called prana. The ebb and flow of prana moves the breath. The movement of prana is also what keeps the mind active and producing thoughts.

What this means, for a meditator, is that through the medium of prana, the breath and the mind are connected and respond to each other. So one of the most effective means to regulate mental activity—and enter meditation—is by regulating prana through one’s breathing.

Texts on yoga, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, lay out various techniques to harmonize and stabilize the breath. One of these techniques is pranayama, which encompasses many powerful breathing exercises that regulate the flow of prana and thereby calm the mind. Pranayama is especially conducive to meditation; for centuries, yogis in India have spent hours every day engaging in pranayama to support their meditation practice.

On the Siddha Yoga path, the strenuous and challenging exercises of pranayama are not necessary because pranayama occurs naturally, guided by Kundalini Shakti that has been awakened by the Guru. This supremely intelligent power purifies the prana until it gradually becomes more even and tranquil.

And you can support this process of natural pranayama. Gurumayi teaches a potent yet gentle way to work with the prana: by observing the flow of your breathing with focused attention, and responding to it. In her book The Yoga of Discipline, Gurumayi explains how to do this when you meditate:


Each time you notice your breath becoming very uneven, breathe in deep and breathe out long just for a few seconds, and then breathe naturally. You will notice how the breath settles into itself. And the mind, too, settles into this quiet breath.1


When you focus on the breath in this way, the in-breath and out-breath become progressively more balanced, and the flow of prana becomes more even. Your mind becomes tranquil, and you enter meditation naturally.

A steady practice of meditation, in turn, supports you to maintain evenness of prana and the tranquility of your mind. Then—when your mind is purified and tranquil—your perception of the Truth is no longer veiled; you perceive the light of your own inner Self shining effulgently. This is the goal of meditation, the goal of the spiritual path. You come to perceive the light of the Self as equally present in all creation. The texts on Kashmir Shaivism refer to this state as samata-drishti, or “equality-consciousness,” in which the light within is experienced as one with the light everywhere.

Throughout this month, mindfully observe your breathing. Notice how it affects the activity of your mind. And during meditation, especially, practice Gurumayi’s teaching: watch your breath, and when you notice that your breath has become uneven, breathe in deep and breathe out long. This exploration of prana is a most effective way to implement
Gurumayi’s Message for 2015.

Warm regards,
The Siddha Yoga Swamis

1 Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, The Yoga of Discipline (South Fallsburg: SYDA Foundation, 1996), p. 186.

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    Many words and sentences in this letter touched my heart and my mind. While reading it, my focus was automatically brought to my breath.

    My meditation today was effortless. The only effort on my part was to make time to meditate, and then all the rest was taken care of. This experience continued throughout the day. While working, walking, or thinking, I was still able to be aware of my breath.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for your blessings. Thank you to the Swamis for this letter.

    Pune, India

    Having read the letter by the Swamis, I recall a spontaneous experience I had of the prana.

    One night, after reciting Shri Guru Gita at home, I started meditating. After a few minutes, I noticed that there were movements happening spontaneously in my body. At first, my abdomen was drawn strongly toward my spine, and then, suddenly, my chest expanded widely. My body was breathing in deep and then breathing out long. This happened automatically three times, as I just watched. Afterward, my breathing became normal, and I meditated calmly.

    Bangkok, Thailand

    I was delighted to read the new letter from the Siddha Yoga Swamis. One of my daily challenges is not to rush from one activity to another. I have been becoming more conscious of pausing and then going on to the next activity. Now, in addition to pausing, I will pay attention to my breathing. By practicing what Gurumayi is instructing us to do when the breath is uneven, I can watch for the breath to settle.

    What a wonderful adventure it will be to move from activity to activity with a settled breath and settled mind!

    Thank you.

    California, USA

    When I read the letter from the Swamis with the practical exercise for the month of April, I felt as though I had a whole team cheering me on, supporting my aim to live and function in the world from the space of my heart. For some time now, I have observed that when I become lost in anxious or apprehensive thoughts, my breath becomes short and shallow. And when I am in a hurry, it is fast and erratic.

    The teaching from Gurumayi to “breathe in deep and breathe out long” is something that resonated with me straightaway, and I resolve to practice breathing consciously throughout the day, thus allowing the prana-shakti to fill my body with grace and nourishment.

    Thank you.

    Sydney, Australia

    As I read the letter from the Swamis with the teaching from Gurumayi, I realized that I have been practicing natural pranayama without knowing it. During stressful times at my job, I breathe in deeply and breathe out slowly, and I experience, as Gurumayi says, “how the breath settles into itself” and “the mind, too, settles into the quiet breath.” I am then able to see more clearly and know what action to take next.

    What a joy to discover that with this practice, I am connecting with the vital energy that pervades the universe. This awareness helps me see that I can bring easeful meditation into my everyday work life.

    Thank you to the Swamis for making me aware of this blessing.

    New York, USA

    Today, having read the letter from the Swamis, I consciously kept myself aware to watch the breath before and during my meditation session. I could feel the prana-shakti and the vibrations of the divine mantra throughout my entire being. I realized the importance of focusing on the breath.

    I intend to continue this practice throughout the month and further imbibe the focus for this month. Today I understand that by my making it a priority to observe the breath, other elements of my sadhana will more easily fall into place.

    Thank you to the Swamis for taking us forward step by step.

    Dombivli, India

    I am so pleased and grateful to be able to share that, since I recently began to concentrate on the natural movement of my breath in meditation, I have been experiencing it leading me into very peaceful meditation.

    This has been a revelation to me. My meditations now feel full of prana-shakti, the breath of all life in the universe. In this practice, the experience is that my small identity transforms into an awareness that includes the whole universe and all beings. I feel at one with the universal sangham in this continuous ebbing and flowing of the breath that sustains all life. This has led me to the understanding that all beings at some level are longing for and moving towards realization of our true nature. And, therefore, no one is excluded from the community of seekers, the universal sangham.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for your transforming Message for 2015.

    London, United Kingdom

    I love this April letter from the Swamis. I have been thinking about pranayama a lot, especially in recent months. But I held off exploring it further because I seemed to recall that on the Siddha Yoga path there was a simpler way to practice it than those I’d read about. Thank you, dear Swamis, for explaining that, on the Siddha Yoga path, “pranayama occurs naturally, guided by the Kundalini Shakti that has been awakened by the Guru.”

    For years, in my work as a massage therapist, I have been asking my clients who are stressed or overwhelmed whether they are breathing. Inevitably, the answer is, "No, not really." Then we both chuckle. I have been bringing their attention to their breath in a way that is similar to the one described here in the April letter. Now I will bring a more conscious effort to my own practice as well.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for the richness of your guidance.

    Toronto, Canada

    This morning after my daily meditation, I felt a gentle movement of air in my throat and I thought, "Prana-shakti!" At the end of reciting Shri Guru Gita today, the same delicious inner flow swept through my throat and lungs.

    Some minutes later, I visited the Siddha Yoga path website. When I read the letter from the Siddha Yoga Swamis, I felt intimately connected with Kundalini Shakti, Gurumayi, and the sangham. And I was very happy to have experienced the power of the Siddha Yoga practices.

    I am delighted to be steadily practicing and following the Siddha Yoga teachings.

    Blandas, France

    This month’s focus on prana fills me with gratitude, because Gurumayi’s teaching on how to calm and balance the breath has been my guide for many years. Indeed, I have found that breathing in deep and breathing out long for a few breaths is my gateway to meditation, and it is so effortless. It carries over into my day as well. When I notice that my mind is racing and my breathing has become shallow and rapid, or that I am actually holding my breath, I immediately take that deep, slow breath and everything calms down.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for this simple, practical, and profound teaching.

    California, USA

    I was delighted to read the new letter from the Siddha Yoga Swamis. One of my daily challenges is not to rush from one activity to another. I have been becoming more conscious of pausing and then going on to the next activity. Now, in addition to pausing, I will pay attention to my breathing. By practicing what Gurumayi is instructing us to do when the breath is uneven, I can watch for the breath to settle.

    What a wonderful adventure it will be to move from activity to activity with a settled breath and settled mind!

    Thank you.

    California, USA

    This morning, when I opened the website, I saw the Swamis’ letter giving us the focus of study for the month, which is prana-shakti. This gave me so much joy because, since early this morning, I had already been focusing on the breath. When I was meditating, I was focusing on my breath and the meditation session was very different from the way it usually is. There were no thoughts, and I was able to remain connected with myself.

    Then I went to teach a hatha yoga class, and during the class I had the students focus on the breath. By the end of the class, the energy was so calm.

    Then, reading this letter, I felt we are so connected. And, as I read, my focus automatically turned to my breath. My reading of the letter became meditation.

    Thank you.

    a Gurukula student from Gurudev Siddha Peeth

    In the beginning of the year we were given the mantras for the practice of Surya Namaskar. I’ve since re-focused on hatha yoga, going back to basics, to beginning classes that go in depth into the actions of the poses. This has led me more and more to discovering the breath and its connection to action. I see that when there is a connection between the breath and action, a subtle link is formed, opening the body like a flower. I’ve been discovering the prana, which permeates and unifies. I’ve experienced the sense of separation between layers of muscle, tissue, and bone dissolving, unifying my mind, body, and heart.

    And now, here we are, focusing this month on prana-shakti! Such a joyous unfoldment of the teachings on the Siddha Yoga path website!

    Thank you.

    New York, USA

    Sitting in the local coffee shop, I began reading the April letter from the Siddha Yoga Swamis. As I followed the instructions given from Gurumayi’s book The Yoga of Discipline and breathed in and out deeply several times, a wave of gratitude passed through me.

    This year, more than any other, meditation has come easily for me. Thank you, Gurumayi, for your loving care and attention.

    Pontypridd, United Kingdom

    Reading this letter from the Swamis led me to contemplate the importance of the simple, yet primordial act of breathing in my life. Breath is essential to life. It is the first thing we do when we are born and the last thing we do when we leave.

    I think of how, when we are born, we gasp for air, our lungs fill up with oxygen for the first time, and we embark on a new journey. We don’t need to be taught how to breathe. Breathing freely is natural to us. Yet, as we grow, we may unlearn this perfect inborn ability, which is a lifeline to our inner Self.

    As a Siddha Yogi, I can tap into this natural process again, guided by the Kundalini Shakti awakened by my Guru’s grace. I simply need to be steadfast in my meditation practice, and focus on my breathing throughout the day to calm my mind and soothe my emotions.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for being a constant source of inspiration.

    Buenos Aires, Argentina