MEDITAZIONI
Allow the Mind to Flow
Percorsi 2022-23

THE FOUR JEWELS OF SATYANANDA YOGA
Route 2022-23

YOGA NIDRA

MANTRA AND NADA YOGA

AJAPA JAPA

ANTAR MOUNA

"Antar" means internal, "Mouna" means silence. Antar mouna is a technique for achieving pratyahara (withdrawal of the mind from sense objects), the fifth stage of raja yoga and in its most complete form can lead to dharana and dhyana. Antar mouna is also a fundamental part of the Buddhist practice known as Vipassana revised and used differently. It is the art of observing by developing the state of non-attachment. The practice of Antar Mouna is divided into six phases: For most people, the first three phases offer a lot to work with and in order to gain the full benefits, considerable time should be spent practicing and perfecting them before attempting to move into the more advanced stages. Antar mouna is a powerful psychiatric tool with which we learn to understand and make friends with the mind, its tendencies and reactions that arise due to thoughts. Antar mouna is specifically designed to eradicate mental noise and induce a state of peace, tranquility, concentration and calm in the mind.
This refined practice provides a basis for eliminating all mental "garbage": it is a form of mental Shankhaprakshalana (Purification).

Yoga Nidra derives from the ancient Tantra system and is one of the most famous meditative practices of the Satyananda tradition. Today it is now known and taught in many yoga schools of other traditions as well. It was brought to light by the studies of Swami Satyananda in the 1960s and reworked in a simple and accessible way for everyone for the current time. It is a very powerful technique where you are taught to consciously relax. This is the key to gradually becoming free from the root causes of our tensions. When we learn to separate our Consciousness from awareness, it becomes very strong and can be applied in many ways, for example to develop memory, facilitate knowledge and creativity and to transform one's personality. In Yoga Nidra the visualization technique is an important practice to unlock the contents deposited in the unconscious mind which normally manifests itself only during dreams. Yoga Nidra is defined as the Art of Relaxation.

The practice of Ajapa Japa is as old as the Upanishads. In some of the Yoga Upanishads like Yogashiksha, you will find some passages and explanations which state that the breath enters with the sound of So and exits with the sound of Ham. This is Gayatri Japa. Many ancient sages practiced Ajapa Japa. Gandhi also wrote that the name should come from the heart and not just from the mouth. When the name is pronounced by the mouth, it is called japa; when it is uttered from the heart, it is called ajapa. Gandhi explained it in his own way, Gayatri ajapa which the jiva repeats continuously.
In the practice of Ajapa Japa, the breathing component is used to harmonize the body and mind and awaken the spirit. In the shastras this is experienced in the following way:

'There were two birds, one black and the other white. Both birds were tied to a peg with separate threads. They flew away a short distance, but had to return again because they were tied up. So they flew and returned many times. They finally got tired and slept peacefully near the peg.
The illustration above refers to Ida and Pingala. They are the two birds, so to speak. The flow of breath in the right nostril corresponds to pingala or surya nadi, which represents life force and the left nostril corresponds to ida or chandra nadi, which represents mental strength. The practice of Ajapa Japa develops over many stages and is an excellent practice for attracting the mind effortlessly like a magnet attracts iron and its cornerstones are the breath and the Breath Mantra.

In tantric philosophy, Mantra is a force that can be used to awaken spiritual consciousness. The basis of the mantra is sound, which extends from gross to subtle. Just like when you take a stone and throw it into a calm and quiet lake, the impact creates ripples and the ripples form circles that expand according to the force exerted and the weight of the stone. In the same way when you repeat a mantra, the sound affects the homogeneity of consciousness and creates ripples that help expand the mind.