Meditation – The Five Pillars of Kundalini Yoga – 2/5

Meditation is a process by which the mind is transcended. It is a process of self-inquiry that is accompanied by the willingness to let go of identification with the content of mind, while progressively learning to identify with the witness of the content instead. 

Meditation is for everyone. It can be secular in its approach, or it can be a container for the sacred. The practice of meditation affords us with an increased capacity to recognize inner patterns and cultivate clarity. When accompanied with the attitudes of non-judgment, curiosity, and non-resistance, a meditator is able to encounter their shadow with courage, nurturance, and cultivate the experience of inner wholeness.

Mindfulness is the foundation of all meditation, yet it is also very challenging to practice.  Our minds are so busy! However, Kundalini Yoga meditations introduce other devices–– like mantra, pranayama, mudras, etc.–– that support our ability to quickly slip into a meditative state. In this state, our psyche becomes plastic and can more easily heal.

The mind is a highly-pressurized container of attachment, which we call karma or the unconscious. Through meditation, this inner pressure will be progressively released; and once there is no pressure left, a person has reached the first stage of true enlightenment. On the way, we who dedicate ourselves to peace and love automatically pull up from the unconscious all that is cruel, unloving, and hateful to be healed. Meditation helps build the  skills that are necessary to support that process.

Core Concepts

You are not your thoughts. The unchanging witness/observer/experiencer is closer to the true "you"	Meditation is the means by which we become free from attachment––  the root of all suffering
Becoming aware of the “inner roommate” (the voice in your head) is the first step toward spiritual agency	As identification with content progressively shifts to identification with context, the intuition blossoms and the miraculous becomes commonplace
In Kundalini Yoga, the mind can be divided into three aspects: positive, negative, and neutral	Individual karma, the unconscious, and the ego are one and the same