Vocal Cord Internal Chanting

Some religions and spiritual practices use verbal chanting, prayer, or reading sacred books aloud in an effort to divert the mind from its ordinary mundane preoccupations and channel it towards the divine. Although this has a definite beneficial effect, it cannot elevate the mind to the highest state, because by this method, the vocal cord is still in operation, and also the ear organ is hearing one's own voice; and thus the conscious mind is still active. Yoga meditation, however, uses a process for concentration which is completely internal by which the vocal cord is not used at all - a process which we will discuss later.

Thus, merely by sitting in the lotus posture, silently and motionlessly, and folding the hands, we have succeeded in inactivating all the five motor organs, hands, feet, vocal cord gentry and excretory organs.

Suspending the sense organs: Closing the Eyes

Then the eyes are closed. In some forms of concentration, a candle is used, and the concentrator starts fixedly at the candle flame. Indeed, by this process one develops some psychic powers, for intense concentration always creates mental force. This technique is often employs by hypnotists and those interested only in utilizing the lower powers of the mind. But it cannot lead to the subtlest state of awareness because the eye organ and thus the conscious mind are still in operation, making it more difficult to dive deep inside the mind. So in meditation we close the eyes.

Turning off the Nose and Ears: Visualization

What about the nose and ears? They are not so easy to close! When you are sitting by an open window above the roar of traffic in the street below, and the next door neighbor is frying some savory dish, how to prevent these sensations from disturbing your mind? For this there is a specific process of visualization to withdraw the mind from all external vibrations. Now psychologists are realizing the tremendous power of visualization in creating mental states, particularly altered states of consciousness. In meditation, we use a specific visualization to imagine that we are far away from the external disturbances - sounds and smells - that may agitate our minds. By this technique, we completely isolate ourselves mentally from the external world; one may be sitting in the busiest city on earth and yet feel the same internal peace, silence and solitude as if he or she were sitting on a Himalayan peak. This is one of the higher practices of meditation, so it can only be learned personally from a trained instructor of Ananda Marga.

Tongue Turned Back and Skin Un-stimulated

To remove the sensation of taste, the tongue is turned back in the mouth in a specific position which effectively stops the operation of the taste organ. And by another internal visualization (which must also be learned individually from the instructor), the mediator withdraws all awareness from the physical body, so all tactile disappear and the skin organ becomes inactive.

All ten Sense and Motor Organs Inactive

Thus, by sitting motionlessly in the proper posture with the hands folded, eye closed, tongue turned back in the mouth, and mind withdrawn from external physicality, all the ten sense and motor organs have been controlled and the conscious mind completely stilled (silence have found in their experiments on yogis that in deep meditation they are completely oblivious to external stimuli. When a loud noise sounds in their ears, or a bright light shines on their eyes, or a hot iron rod touches their hands, they do not respond to the stimuli at all).

This is the correct process of sensory withdrawal, and at the end of it, without using a tube of warm water or any painful, difficult or complicated techniques, the mediator has easily transcended the conscious mind and enters deep into the subconscious state. Thus, it is said that meditation actually begins with the subconscious mind.