Sunflower meditation

Sunflower meditation

For this meditation I will describe ONE way to perform it. This is the method I use, and I will explain why. You are free to do this any way you want to achieve the same things.

Intro

It can be found during practice that the lotus flower and other flowers seen in yoga, are a kind of graph. They represent the "gradient descent" method. You can look into this yourself by searching online if interested. Depending on what algorithm is used, different kinds of forms will appear. They can look like bowls made from clay or different kinds of flowers with overlapping petals. All of these are different ways of using a fixed method (algorithm, in mathematical thinking) to find a truth. It is not a very intelligent method, it's based off trying many times until reaching the bottom of the bowl or the middle of the flower. This is one reason for meditation often being a chore which has to be performed daily for a long time.

Depending on what exact method was used, the result will turn into different flowers or bowls. The lotus flower is one popular end result. Other results may look like orchids or any other type of asymmetrical flower. Many other methods result in the formation of a bowl.

The sunflower meditation will result in the formation of a sunflower. There is also the possibility of forming a bowl artifact from the sunflower.

Preparation

I have picked out a few exercises from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika which I usually do as a warm-up for a longer meditation. These were chosen based on what I personally need to balance to get into a good state of body and mind. You should pick out the exercises you need to get into the proper state for meditation yourself. It will be assumed that you are already in a proper mental state when beginning the meditation as described.

Meditation

It's recommended that you follow these instructions the first time, or until you are experiencing the effect described. If you are unable to perform the stance or get into the right mental state, you need to go back to the preparation stage and do that properly. If you do something else and still succeed, you are doing it right.

Begin by laying on your back in the "dead man's pose", relaxed with your feet apart and your arms a bit out from the sides. Breath with your stomach and perform the mula banda (root lock, in a simplified western version this is known as "kegels") synced with your breathing. Your chest should not move. You can place your hands on your chest in the beginning to make sure that you are not moving your chest when breathing. When you are at peace, proceed to the sitting stance:

1)
Sit in double lotus with your feet high up on your thighs, near your hips. This will straighten your spine and relax your back muscles naturally. Other sitting stances which are easier on the legs tend to have the downside that you need to actively focus on keeping your lower back from curving. This will take your attention away from the process you are attempting to perform.

2)
Place your hands, open with palms up on your thighs. Your feet may be in the way so you may have to place your hands closer to your knees.

3)
Press your chin against your chest. This may feel uncomfortable at first, but will help you relax your neck. It will also somewhat restrict your breathing, which is preferred in this type of meditation where you are not to breath too fast. If letting your eyes relax you will be looking at your solar plexus, which is also beneficial in this exercise.

4)
Pay attention to your root chakra. You may feel warmth and observe an ocher red energy building up. Expect this to happen. The energy will form into leaves, growing below you and out to the sides, until forming something like a thick round rug. Sit comfortably on this rug and you will start observing it turning green by the edges.

5)
Move your attention to the solar plexus. Yellow energy will start to flow out from your solar plexus, it will shine and start forming into petals. Remain in this state and feel the energy increasing for as long as you want. If you sit long enough, small sunflowers may appear on your palms.

6)
When you want to end the exercise, breath in, then hold your breath. Keep holding your breath for as long as you can. Then breath out from your nose while making a "HMMMMMMM" sound. If you manage to hold your breath long enough, this breath out will be very powerful. This will cause an energetic breakthrough in your body using the energy built up during the meditation.

7)
Return to the "dead man's pose" and remain like this until you are ready to get up again.