“Meditations from the Tantras”, by Swami Satyananda Saraswati (Buy at Amazon.co.uk)
© Bihar School of Yoga 1974, 1983; Yoga Publications Trust, Munger, Bihar, India
Contents
Foreword ix
Preface xiii
Introduction 1
The Theory of Meditation
1. What is Meditation? 9
2. Science, Spirit and Meditation 17
3. Meditation and Health 32
4. Yoga’s Psychic Physiology 39
5. Reprogram Your Mind 48
6. Yoga Philosophy 62
7. The System of Raja Yoga 67
8. Other Forms of Yoga 84
Preparation for Meditation
9. General Instructions and Suggestions 101
10. Meditation Poses 108
11. Mudras and Bandhas 120
12. Pranayama 138
Practices for Meditation
13. Japa Yoga 153
14. Mantra Siddhi Yoga 160
15. Ajapa Japa 165
16. Yoga Nidra 181
17. Antar Mouna 211
18. Inner Visualization 225
19. Chidakasha Dharana 242
20. Trataka and Antar Trataka 254
21. Nada Yoga 269
22. Abstract Meditations 277
23. Miscellaneous Meditations 282
24. Prana Vidya 297
25. Kundalini Kriyas 308
Appendices
A. Phonetic Pronunciation Guide 329
B. Mantras from Different Religions 330
Glossary 349
Further Reading 359
Index of Practices 361
General Index 365
Foreword
Tantra is an ancient science dealing with many different systems for increasing the speed of human evolution. It predates all of the world’s existing religions, and provides the esoteric basis on which many of these religions were later based. Tantra provides practical techniques applicable by men and women of every temperament and spiritual level, and aims at turning every action of life into an act of sadhana, or spiritual practice. A few thousand years after its
creation, tantra was wedded with the philosophy of Vedanta by the Aryans to form the system of yoga which is quite popular today. It is the aim of this book to provide a practical glimpse into the most important meditation techniques which have their original basis in tantra, so that they may be practised in their original and correct form.
The practices included in this book are based in tantra, though many of them have been forgotten for thousands of years. The task of rediscovering them and putting them in a form which can be understood and practised by people of this age has been done solely by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, as his personal contribution to a civilization searching for a deeper understanding of the basis of life. We hope the world may gain a little and that humanity may advance, even if only a small step, through the publication of these techniques, many of which have never been written down or published in their practicable forms.
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