other objects except the act of beating.
You will be able to distinctly hear
it. But, then you have only come to a
certain stage. And, after your merge
yourself into the sound - the individual
consciousness as well as the sound
having disappeared - you will be free
from the sensation of all objects both
in form and formless. That is what the
aphorism means by saying that the Laya
Yo g a is “the forgetfulness of all sensual
objects either in form or formless”.
The main difference in the form of
concentration of Laya Yoga and other
forms of yoga is that, the mind in this case
begins to absorb itself into the object,
whereas in other forms it envelopes the
object with its consciousness. Hence,
there is no need of the one-pointedness
of the mind. The act of merging is not
second-hand like collecting the energies
and then absorbing; on the other hand,
they directly go to the object one by
one and lose themselves. So, what you
have to do is simply relax so as to
allow the energies to directly reach the
object and then follow the rhythm of
the vibrations of that object without
any kind of struggle for their control.
In ordinary concentration what we do
is to take the object as the centre of
consciousness.
No doubt, this process of absorption
of the mind into the object without the
primary control of it various functions
is most difficult and to a great extent,
impossible to an ordinary practitioner.
And, that is why Laya Yoga, in my
opinion, is the ultimate process of
union. Even the Sanskrit authorities
themselves declare Laya Yoga as one fit
to be served and worthy of Guruship.
It is very difficult to absorb the mind
in an object and, at the same time,
allow the senses to work. But, this the
Laya Yogi does.However, the success of the Laya
Yogi depends mostly on the choice of
his object. He takes the inner voice of
his object and this helps him a great
deal in concentration. It is because
the object is within him and one that
is produced from his own nature.
Moreover, the senses find their own food
in it, especially the sense of hearing.
The first physical practice for such an
attempt is Yoni Mudra. The practice
consists in shutting all the nine orifices
by different fingers, the lower two
being controlled by the two feet. Sitting
in Vajrasana posture - placing the right
heal under the anus and arranging the
left one on the generative organ, shut
the two ears with the two thumbs, using
the right one for the right ear and the
left one for the left, and then close the
two eyes with the two index fingers, the
two nostrils with the middle ones, and
the upper and lower lips with the two
remaining fingers, the small fingers
being used to close the lower lips. Now,
the posture is complete. It is called
the Yogasana or the posture especially
designed for higher contemplation.
Then, after finishing the posture, lift the
left middle finger from the left nostril
and slowly take a deep breath. Shut the
orifice again, retain the breath for atleast
30 seconds and then slowly exhale it
through the right nostril. Continue
this practice alternately like the Yogic
breathing, if you find it convenient;
or else stop this practice and give this
respiration a natural flow. Now, try to
hear the inner sounds in the mind, not
the physical ones that maybe produced
outside. The authorities say that the
Yo g i should hear the sound inside his
right ear but I fear to give any exact
side to it as it can be heard on either side
by mere imagination. The first sound